Examinations of ecologically relevant variables within diverse educational settings have produced evidence that allocated instructional time is one modifiable variable clearly related to student achievement. The present study compared the amount of instructional time available in classrooms for severely/multiply handicapped children when student/staff ratios ranged from 10:3 to 5:3. Results suggest a turning point at which instructional and noninstructional (or caretaking) time are approximately equal, at a 2:1 student/staff ratio. Thereafter, the gains in instructional time may become less pronounced.
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