Abstract: Smaller classes.

An independent study of Wisconsin's class-size reduction program has identified improving test scores of participating students throughout the first three years of elementary school.

Alex Molnar, who directs the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University, led the research of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education, which reduces student-teacher ratios in kindergarten through 3rd grade to 15:1.

The evaluation studied 1,500 3rd-grade students in 93 classrooms.

The evaluators concluded:

* the major effect of reduced size is increased attention to individual student needs;

* increased individualization comes in three forms: improved one-on-one teacher-student interaction, improved small-group tutoring and improved total class teaching;

* even with reduced class sizes, teacher effectiveness ranged widely. Teachers in higher-achieving classrooms used a structured style and carefully planned lessons. Teachers in lower-achieving classrooms tended to be more permissive and lessons were less developed.

The report is available at www.edpolicylab.org.