When I became a teacher, I immediately heard other teachers talking about the SFR calculator. Having no idea what this acronym stood for, I went to my desk and began researching. I learned that SFR stands for student-faculty ratio, which means the average number of students per qualified teacher. The objective of using the SFR calculator is to make sure that your students are receiving the proper attention to match their learning needs.
A lot of times teachers are placed into classrooms where the student-faculty ratio, also called student-teacher ratio, is disproportionate. During times like this, we must come up with creative ways to meet every individual’s needs. Therefore, I always try to use the SFR calculator at the beginning of the semester to determine how much I will need to stretch myself throughout the year. If it becomes too much of a problem, you may need to bring up your student-faculty ratio to the school board. The reason for this is because it is a huge factor in the quality of the education system as well as the students’ learning outcomes.
Once I finished my research, I decided I wanted to share with others the information that I found about SFR. The purpose is to inform other teachers who may be in the same position that I was a few years ago, wondering what an SFR calculator is, what a student-teacher ratio is, and why this ratio is so important. I also wanted to go even further in explaining how to calculate your own student-teacher ratio, but if you do not have the time to do so, there is an SFR calculator included in this article for your benefit.
After you have read this article, you will officially know:
- What an SFR calculator is
- What Student-Teacher ratio is
- Why Student-Teacher ratios are important
- How to calculate student-teacher ratio
- And what a good student-teacher ratio is
SFR Calculator
For your convenience, this section provides a Student-Faculty Ratio (SFR) calculator. This special calculator will help you calculate the average number of students per the faculty or teacher in a classroom. All you need to do is put in the number of students that are in your class. Then, put in the number of teachers or faculty members in that specific classroom. Once you enter those two numbers, your student-faculty ratio will be calculated.
You will save yourself the time and effort that you could be using to teach or help your students with a task.
What Is a Student-Teacher Ratio?
A student-teacher ratio is a specific set of numbers that explain how many students there are per teacher in a classroom. It represents more than class size; it refers to the number of students that will need attention from one teacher. It helps teachers determine how much work they will have as well as how much individualized teaching they will be able to provide to each student. If you have 10 students and you are the only teacher, your student-teacher ratio is 10:1. This set of numbers show that there are 10 students who will need the proper care and guidance from 1 teacher.
For an in-depth video providing an explanation of what a student-teacher ratio is, take a look at The Audiopedia’s YouTube video. It is a quick six-minute video that goes over the meaning and definition of student-teacher ratio.
Next, let’s go over why exactly student-teacher ratios matter so much.
Why Do Student-Teacher Ratios Matter?
Student-Teacher ratios are very important when it comes to the education system of your school. These numbers matter because they are ways to measure the educator’s workload and resource allocations. They also help determine how much attention and care a child will receive from the teacher.
Majority of parents across the globe make it a priority to research the student-teacher ratio before they enroll their child into a school. The reason for this is because they want to make sure that their child is getting plenty of one-on-one time from the teacher. If truth be told, questions about these ratios almost always come up when there is a meeting with parents about the schools in various communities.
It is a known fact that students in a classroom tend to do better with their studies when there are not a lot of students per teacher, but student-teacher ratios do affect other lesser-known things such as the money that is spent to educate students. You need to determine this number to let your school know, so they can add it into their budget. However, higher student-teacher ratios usually result in lower per-student spending which is an unfortunate reality.
Other than the reasons I already mentioned, one other reason that student-teacher ratios matter is because you want all your students to be able to hear everything you are saying clearly. To ensure that each child can fully hear you, you may need to purchase a voice amplifier.
Now, I will tell you how to calculate a student-teacher ratio for yourself.
How to Calculate Student-Teacher Ratio?
You can calculate the student-teacher ratio by dividing the number of students by the number of teachers. For example, the student-teacher ratio is 25:2 if there are two teachers and 25 students. Keep in mind that this number does not determine what goes on behind the scenes, such as how long it took to prepare for the next day or the amount of time it took to grade papers at home.
If the student-teacher ratio is not what you are looking for and you actually would like to determine the class size, divide the total number of students in the school by the number of classes. This number is important, but it does not gain the focus or attention from parents, educators, and communities that the student-teacher ratio does.
Watch Tarver Academy’s YouTube video to see how to break down the student-teacher ratio in your classroom. He shows you how to figure out your student-teacher ratio on paper. This video will greatly help you if you are unable to use our online SFR calculator shown above or simply want to determine the ratio on your own.
After watching that video, let’s talk about good student-teacher ratios.
What Is a Good Student-Teacher Ratio?
There is not a specific ratio that is considered a good student-teacher ratio. As a matter of fact, different school districts have different numbers that they try to achieve. According to Public School Review, the teaching and learning initiatives tend to fall short when a class consists of 20 or more students. Over the years, the student-teacher ratio has been declining which is excellent news. The student-teacher ratio was 15:1 in 2008 compared to 22:1 almost four decades prior, in 1970.
It is important to point out that while we like to see student-teacher ratios on the lower side, the students’ success may also depend on the teacher’s skills and experience. For example, educators that have been teaching for many years and are highly skilled tend to do better with large classes than new teachers with small classes. Special needs students will always need classrooms that center around individualized attention. That is something that will not change. However, younger students typically need more one-on-one time with the teachers, but this need does diminish as they get older. In the early elementary years, classes of less than 18 students experienced the greatest academic achievements.
The Education Commission of the States provided a graph in 2018 showing the student-teacher ratio for all 50 states in the United States. I suggest everyone take a quick peek at the graph to see the differences between all the states’ regulations, statues, and rules when it comes to student-teacher ratios. According to the graph, Maine had a high ratio of 25:1, while several states (Rhode Island, New Mexico, and Georgia) had a low ratio of 15:1. South Carolina allows a mind-blowing maximum ratio of 30:1.
Even if you feel like your classroom consists of a good student-teacher ratio, my advice is to purchase a document camera. These devices are very handy for teachers who teach in-person as well as remotely. They offer students with different learning styles the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways.
Useful Resources
- Pupil-teacher ratio, primary – Country Ranking
- How important is the student-teacher ratio for students?
- What makes a good learning environment
Conclusion
I hope this article provides you with a better understanding of what an SFR calculator is and why you should utilize it for your classroom. The goal is to ensure that every student receives the same amount of attention and opportunities to learn. With the knowledge of calculating your student-faculty ratio, I am certain that you will be able to determine if your classes are equipped with equal opportunities for everyone. Good luck and happy teaching!
Simona Johnes is the visionary being the creation of our project. Johnes spent much of her career in the classroom working with students. And, after many years in the classroom, Johnes became a principal.
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