The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-31
VERY LIVELY MEETING.
School Committee Met in Regular
Session Last Evening.
IMPORTANT BUSINESS DONE.
February Vacation to be Omitted, summer
vaca Ion LengtIsened. Free Text Books
Advised. New Teachers to he Appoint-
ed-Heport on Grade system.


building last evening with IA large at
tendance. President Barney called the
NEE ing 10 order at o'clock and the re-
port of the superintendent of public
schools. Horace S. Tarbell, was read as
follows;
To the school Committee Of the CITY Of Proridenee
Whenever there are pupils TO be in
structed in sufficient numbers TO permit
it. they will be classified, and should the
numbers be large enough TO furnish seve-
raj OF corresponding advancement. they
will be graded. Grading produces both
economy and eflicie cy in instruc ion.
In the nature of things teachers in
graded schools will, as rule. be SUI
perior TO those IN ungraded schools,
will be more skillful. and understand bet
ter bow the pupils learns aud how he can
be led to learn. The pupil, too, who re-
cites in class with his fellows Is doing
better ~ a general rule than one who re-
cites alone.
One plan of grading in this city is to
divide the school course into years and
aalf-years of school work, and call these
grades and half GRADES. Pupils are pro-
noted from one nalf grade 10 another at
the end of each half school year In
grades /. and this promotion depends
rpon the judgment of the teacher. In
grades aud 5 this Judgment is made
more definite aud reliable by requiring
the teacher To mark her pupils occasion
ally. say once a week or so, as Go their
proficiency in each subject or study.
This marking is upon "A scale having five
degrees excellent" good" fair"
''po n" and every poor" for which words
for convenience sake the hgures 8. 4, 3,
and l respectively stand. The pupil
whose average OF marks Is excellent"
good" or ''fair" is promoted. The pupil
whose average is poor" or ''verv poor"
.s not promoted unless he has been over
the work twice. Such pupil goes on to
prevent absolute encouragement and
because be will probably obtain m ore
profit from new work than from do ing
the old work third time.
In grades o, Z, s and the record of sew
eral examinations is joined with the
record Of recitation work, counting the
examination part of the record as of one
half the effect of the recitation portion,
and joining with the judgment of the
teacher that Of the principal In the
oh grade the superintendent prepares
aportion of the questions, and pupils
whose record is excellent" or good"
are excused altogether from the examina-
tion. L, the 10th, 11th, 18th and 18th
grades. which are known as High school
grades, a similar plan prevails.
Nov. as plan for determining the
grade of pupils, know of nothing better
than the one outlined. While subject TO
some imperfection from the liability to
mistakes in judgment on the part of
those who prepare the questions aud of
those who estimate results, still any plan
whatever must be subject to the same
DC ssible defe,t theoretically, all pupils
of grade are able TO do the same ork
and advance at the same speed; but prac
ences of power will be fouad to
exist = differences in mental acute
ness, in mental grasp, In Industry. ambi-
tion, health, steadiness or attendance,
home advantages and other elements
affc ring progress. Though all may have
reached the same pages OF the book, great
differences have existed in the thorough
ness with which the preceding work mas
been doue. III fifty children of the same
be ght aud weight were SCI to running u
race, the even front they at first presented
would quickly disappear; one or two
would distance all others, aud the re-
mainder would be sire ched along AN ever
leDgthening line
So. however well we may grade our
pupils. their native differences will cause
the distance between the better aud the
poorest SCHOLARS 10 increase every week.
1t would be sin to try to keep class
together for long, because 1t could be
done only by strainins the weaker aud
suppressing tue stronger. Prac lcally,
those below the average set the pac, TO
which all oeLcrs must conform. he bet
trpupi o. CAT TO do more; fof the sake
oi their spirit as We'll as their progress
they should be made to do IN ire. The
poorest pupils should 60 more slowly,
and do the work thoroughly the first
time rather than 20 over IL twice at too
great speed both times. The poor pupils |
are tue ones who make complaints; tney
are the ones whose parents complain ana
maFe the teachers trouble; but the best
pul lis have AS much cause for complaint.
Ia poor scholar goes rs fast as ne can
be helped along: the gooi scholar loses
ratf flaarr tfs n.k r..ut
find that some pupils do well In all sub
] cts but one. usually arithmetic or Ian
guage. To require such pupil TO re- |
view the several studies In which he |
does well for the sake OF the one or two |
in which he does poorly is not permitting |
hifa 10 use has time to the greatest -prefit,
but is very nearly necessity in graded |
school, |
To rem dy these difficulties In the most |
ready, economical aud prdc1 cal manne- |
! suggest that one teacher in each of sew |
eral OF the large grammer schools be as
signed TO give individual instruction to |
special cases. In her room should be |
permitted TO 20 those ambitious aud cap |
able pupils who wish to gam grade or |
"sk y "A class" As they would phrase it, |
This skipping cannot be done readily in |
ordinary cases. for it meaus tue omission |
OF a half year of work ou which future |
work may De dependent; but with such an |
opportunity asis here proposed they should /
20 10 the teacher ASST : led 10 no Individual /
work, aud In her room aud by her aid /
accomplish the essential portions of the |
work between them and the class above
tbem; which done. they coald return TO
tue Regular work In "A higher class. Ordl-
nariiy such pupils are desirable to retain.
Icy are capable and ambitious, and
Improve the character OF the room In
wbicn they are. aad so the ilteresG Of the
teacher aud that of the pupil are antago-
nisIic
For score OF years the rule OF this
committees has stood before the teachers
In all the force OF italic letters. III any
pupli Is able TO do the work OF higher
grade he shall De permitted To do it," and
yet IL is exceedingly rare that auy
teacher inds pupil In her class 'able TO
do toe work OF higher grade" BY The
plan proposed IL would be easy TO test
tue ability and To tue interest Of the
special teacher with whom the trial
wou "a be made TO have it succeed.
a more common case would be that OF
pupils who fail Of promotion because of
ucncs0cy Ia one or two subiects Such |