The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-06-25
QUESTION Or THE HOUR
Developments in Local Educational
Circles Requiring Attention,
RESULTS THAT DON'T TALLY
A Large Percentage of High school
Graduates Fail to Pass the senior
Normal school Glass
Examination.
RESULTS THAT DON'T TALLY

WnlCh III cannot Snlrk. Inc developments |
that have followed the graduation of the
High school class of 1895 have been far
from pleasing to the people of the town
who take pride in the public schools, and |
it is the duty of the School Board to see
that much better results are given in the .
future. There is fault some place, and it
should be remedied.
The class referred to consisted of twenty
two graduates. Sixteen of these went to |
the Bloomsbury and Iutztown State Nor
NAL schools to stand examination for adj !
mission to the senior classes of 1896, but |
eleven Cor 65 per cent? Of them failed
This showing must indeed chagrin the |
friends of the public schools and make |
them feel that the School Board shall in
sist that the standard of the past shall be |
better sustained. This result is like a thorn |.
in the side when we contemplate that there |
have been years when every graduate in
class sent from the High school has passed |
Immediately into the senior class of the
State Normal school at Bloomsbury. 1t is
understood that the examination. was very
thorough and rigid, but, granting that, the
percentage of the class of '95 in successful
admission should not have dropped to the
figure that it has.
The successful applicants, those who
passed through the ordeal unscathed, were
Misses Gertie g. Muir and Annie A. Fox,
and Messrs. Allan L. Seltzer, Harry p
Gable and Cornelius b. Campbell The
latter, who made the salutatory Grafton at
the commencement exercises, says the
faculty examination before the State Board
was extremely rigid and that he did not
have much margin This gentlemans
statement is worthy of special considera-
tion from the fact that the average in his
studies was 90 per cent in the A class of
the High school, and if he got through the
faculty examination on a narrow margin
the test must have, indeed, been hard one.
We're it the case that Mr. Campbell was
the only successful applicant, or those who
shared the success with him were onl V
those who attained averages similar to those
gained by him in the High school, there
would be no trouble or inconsistency in
disposing of the matter with the conclu
sion that the applicants had been handi-
capped by the severity of the examination.
But that conclusion cannot be reached in
this case. The cause for the action of the
School Board at its last meeting in adopt
ing a resolution fixing standard to be
attained by pupils of the High school and
declaring that all rules leading to that
standard and bearing upon the department
and attendance Of pupils would be rigidly
adhered to, is explained by the result
of the Normal school examinations The
! privileges afforded by the public school
system of the town have been abused.
The success of the five graduates shows
what pupils of the High school can do if
they try, but it is demonstrated more eff
fectively in the case of a young man
named Luther b. Edwards, who is a son of
School Director T. r. Edwards This
young man was a member of the b class
in the High school, While not member
of the graduating class he felt that he
could pass an examination before the
State Board, He was given an OPP
portunity by his parents and passed
the same examination that the other
applicants went through before the
faculty at the Kutztown State Normal
school with such success that he has been
admitted as a member of the senior class
of go There is no doubt that this case is
one of extraordinary ability and merit and
cannot be considered as a criterion in con-
nection with the failures referred TO. The
] 80, ~
class of the local High school and secure
admission to a senior State Normal school
class, and only one young lady has at
tanned that honor. The case is an excep-
tional one, yet it only emphasizes the
example Of what persistent and couscien-
tious study will do,
But this case also brings up an important
question. Is the standard by which the
ability Of pupils in our schools determ-
ined correct one If it is it would seem
that Mr. Edwards should have been mem
Der of the High school senior graduating
senior class examination at the Normal
school must have displayed itself in the
class he has just left.
1t is hoped the standard of our High
school will be maintained and that the
School Board will rigidly enforce the reso-
luton it recently adopted, At the same
time parents Of the pupils should at all
times give unyielding support to the High
school faculty, If this is done the results
will be more in keeping with the
expectations. If the pupils once
get the impression that they will be
allowed to graduate regardless Of qualifoa-
tions they cannot reach the standard that
will enable them to stand the test before