The Grande Yellowhead Regional Division is en route to meeting its targets outlined in the provincial government’s Small Class Size Initiative, which calls for the average number of students in each class to be reduced. Even so, regional administrators aren’t celebrating just yet.

“Class size is one measure and one step to improve learning conditions for kids to make sure they are successful,” said Judy Grigat, the assistant superintendant of the GYRD. “But in my opinion, it’s not the most important.”

For Grigat and the school division, the focus has been, and will remain, on the teachers themselves.

“The single most important factor in student learning is the teacher,” she said. “The GYRD probably has one of the best, if not the best professional development package opportunites in the province. We have been very actively involved in that.”

Through professional development for its teachers, as well as close supervision and support, the division hopes to be able to provide the best learning environment possible. According to the Alberta Teacher’s Association, that includes keeping track of class composition, including the number of special needs students in each class and the presence of multi-grade instruction in the same classroom. These are situations that the GYRD is attempting to keep track of, Grigat said.

“We definitely track everyone who is a severe needs student,” she said, a process that is made easier by the fact that these students are coded by the province. Grigat adds that in terms of children with mild to moderate special needs, a decision about monitoring is made at the school level.

“It’s just sometimes it’s in the kids’ best interest not to do a coding on them,” Grigat said. “They might have a mild hearing loss for example which requires a little more attention.”

The GYRD does field concerns and complaints about class sizes every fall, according to division spokesperson Nicole Merrifield.

“We also hear about them around this time every year when we get the numbers in and people look at them and compare with their own experience,” she said.

In Jasper schools, for example, 2005/2006 sees classes at their largest in grades four through six (22.7) and ten through twelve (21.8). In both cases, these local averages are greater than the regional median numbers.

Although Jasper is doing well in average terms when it comes to class sizes from kindergarten through grade three, this is the area which requires the most attention division-wide, Grigat said.

“Our greatest need is at the K to 3 level, to get those class sizes down. We are looking at a number of ways to do that,” she said. “The next round of funding will go into that level.”

Any and all funding that is directed to the GYRD as part of the provincial initiative has to go towards staffing. 

“If you achieve the target and still have funding left over you have to submit a plan for how you will spend that money,” said Grigat, adding that if and when the GYRD meets those target levels, money will go towards hiring teacher librarians, special needs classroom support staff, and counsellors.