Associate Principal Debra Rivera said in an interview that fewer than five courses were over-enrolled. The administration’s figures come from looking at the total number of seats available for a certain subject in all sections, and then seeing whether the total number of students enrolled in that course is higher than the combined cap total.
For instance, if an AP Chemistry class had three sections, 90 students could enroll, even if their distribution was disproportionate, and still leave the administration considering the class not overenrolled. Often the total number of students is under the cap sum, yet individual sections are over-enrolled due to uneven distrbution.
The data of class caps and actual sizes indicate that 14 Math sections, five History sections, four English sections, two Language and Physical Education sections, and one Art, Technology, and Science sections were over their caps on October 10. Many teachers were looking at data that included classes at and above their caps, consequenly many more sections appeared overenrolled.
Much of the fuss this year, Rivera said, was caused by increased emphasis on class size limits. This year, department heads and administrators decided they wanted to maintain strict numbers. The increased focus on caps has also increased the scrutiny on the set caps as well. In trying to maintain certain levels for class sizes, Rivera said that the Student Services Department and the administration “really tried to set a goal to say [they will] honor” caps. In doing this, Rivera said, the administration has been fairly successful. Previous years saw caps that weren’t followed and classes with great variations between section sizes. Often, one section would greatly exceed the cap while another would be far below it.
To create the master schedule over the summer this year, each department first decided how many sections of a particular subject it would have. To do this, the departments looked at past patterns based on the class’s grade level and difficulty. Departments then judged if an over-enrolled class would settle out, or if the department would probably need another section.
Over the summer, it became evident that there simply weren’t enough sections. In response, Principal Joe Wilson went to the Board of Education and requested more Full Time Equivalents (F.T.E’s). The request was fulfilled and almost three F.T.E.s were added. The departments then received funding for another section and decided where to place it.
After the school year began, the administration also took some action to alleviate the class size situation. For instance, when it became apparent that 10 sections of Algebra I were not enough, an additional section was added to fifth period. Still, that additional help may have come too late, given that switching students into that new section was impossible because it required some students to switch into other classes above their caps. Now that Algebra I has divided into Honors and Regents sections, the problem has changed: first period Regents classes have grown smaller but there may have to be an honors section of 42 students. The Math Department is in the process of requesting an additional section for that period.
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