The Kindergarten classes currently at Alexander Forbes School have 27 children with 1 teacher. There is no teacher’s aide in the classroom due to funding. This leaves classes of up to 27 children, aged between 4 and 5 years, with only one adult to supervise, educate, and keep them safe for the day.

With no teacher aide in the classroom this leave the teachers have to take on the roles that teacher aides usually do -- preparation and cleaning up of artwork, putting away of toys and puzzles to create a safe environment, supervision of children toileting and washing hands, comforting of a child who is upset etc. This takes away from instruction time for the children.

In all the statistics released on pupil-teacher ratios by Statistics Canada, Alberta consistently has the highest ratio of any Canadian province

17 students in a classroom, is the number identified as optimal by Alberta’s Commission on Learning.

Research shows smaller classes "provide better quality and a richer environment for pupils, while making teaching more enjoyable for the teacher."

· Smaller class sizes result in higher achievement among students who are economically disadvantaged
· Smaller class sizes result in students with lower academic ability doing better
· Class size might affect student attitudes more significantly than it affects achievement.

In 2003/04, 81 percent of kindergarten to Grade 3 classes had more than 17 students, the number identified as optimal by Alberta’s Commission on Learning.

At Alexander Forbes School we are surpassing the Alberta’s Commission on Learning optimal numbers of 17 for a class size with class sizes of 27. There should be no questions asked that there is a need for a full time teachers aide in the classroom.

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