AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A report commissioned as part of Texas’ sweeping new prekindergarten initiative recommends capping classroom size at 22 students – something most pre-K programs statewide are already doing.
The Texas Education Agency report was mandated by the Legislature when it approved a major pre-K funding boost last year.
The report recommends limiting pre-K classrooms to 22 maximum students, while estimating that between 13 and 16 percent of existing pre-K classrooms are exceeded that.
It also found that the best pre-K programs had student-to-teacher ratios of 11:1 or less. In classroom observations, the report found the existing average ratio to be 12:1.
Gov. Greg Abbott had pledged that school districts implementing stricter pre-K standards would receive up to $1,500 extra per student. But qualifying districts are actually only getting $734 per pupil.
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