Carry-Over Effects of Small Classes

A two-part follow-up study was conducted of students in grade 4 who had participated in the reduced class size experiment during the preceding years. Outcome measures included a range of norm referenced and criterion referenced achievement tests and teachers' ratings of the youngsters' effort, initiative taking, and disruptive behavior in the fourth grade classroom. Statistically significant carry-over effects of small classes were found on every achievement measure. Significant differences were also found in participation levels between students who had attended small classes and those in regular classes, but these were not as consistent as the impact on cognitive performance. The confirmed consequences of placing youngsters in classes with 12 to 17 pupils need to be supplemented by research on other outcomes in order to compare the complete range of benefits with the relatively large monetary costs that could be incurred.