The DLI Bottleneck = Consecutive Years of Combination Classes

(Para la version en español, haz clic aqui.)

The Washington DLI program has a bottleneck problem as it is currently structured, resulting in 2, maybe 3 consecutive years of combination classes for our students. Here's some facts to know to better understand this problem:

1) For grades K-3, class sizes are currently at 24 students.

2) For grades 4-6, class sizes are at 33 students.

3) The Attrition Rate is the percentage of students who leave the program. If no one leaves, the Attrition Rate is 0%.

4) A teacher is considered a "Full Time Employee" (FTE). The Washington DLI program has 11 FTEs.  There are 2 teachers at each grade level from Kindergarten through 3rd grade. There is only 1 teacher at each grade from 4th - 6th grade.

Now let's assume that all of those 48 Kindergarten students continue through 4th grade, and let's also assume that the Attrition Rate is 0%. That means that there is only space for one full 4th grade class of 33 students. What happens to the other 15 students? What about the other students in grades 5 and 6? They would be squeezed out of the program unless there were 2 additional FTEs, probably a 4/5 combination class with 23 students and a 5/6 combination class with 22.

Over the last several years, the Attrition Rate has been much higher than 0%, and students have not had to experience this "Bottleneck Problem".  Until now.

The following table shows the actual DLI enrollment and class configuration for the 2015-2016 school year.

	6th graders	5th graders	4th graders	Class Size
5/6 combo	24	7		31
4/5 combo		21	8	29
4th			33	33
Total	24	28	41	93

This means that every 5th grader is guaranteed to be in a combination class for two consecutive years, either in the 4/5 class and then in the 5/6 class, or 2 years in the same 5/6 class. Those 8 4th graders in the 4/5 class class will be in combination classes for 3 consecutive years!  Yes, COMBINATION CLASSES FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS! The question is, does this have a positive or negative impact on student learning?

Now, let's assume that the Attrition Rate is 0%, and no one leaves the program next year. Everyone comes back in the Fall. What would classes look like for 2016-2017?

 

	6th graders	5th graders	4th graders	3rd graders	Class Size
5/6 combo	28	5			33
5th		33			33
4/5 combo		3	30		33
3/4 combo			14	10	24
3rd				24	24
2/3 combo???				11	???
Total	28	41	44	45	147

The Bottleneck would impact the entire program, creating combination classes throughout the DLI program until students would be displaced or asked to leave. While it is unlikely that the Attrition Rate will be 0%, there is no plan to deal with relieving the bottleneck at the moment.  

The game plan is to hope that enough students leave the program.  The current structure is unsustainable.

What are some solutions?

More to come in the next post.