The herald., 1896-08-10
CHOOSING OF TEACHERS
Some Present Methods are
to Be Abandoned
The TEST OF Scholarship
II Is to Be Very Materially
Raised
PROFESSOR FOSHAY HOME
Some Amendments to the Educational
Statutes Are Recommended
The Results nt the Recent Superintendents
Meeting at Oakland
The New ccrtIfcatlon Of Teachers-AppIicants
for Certificates VIII Have to B. Here
after ~ Instead Of IS Years
OF Age
PROFESSOR FOSHAY HOME
Some Amendments TO the Educationa
Statutes Are Recommended
The Results nt the Recent Superlntendents
Meeting at Oakland

Prof. James A. Foshay. city superin-
tendent Of schools, arrived home yester-
day afternoon, after an absence of near
ly two weeks in attendance upon the
sessions of the various city and county
= superintendents of public instruction of
the state, held recently at Oakland. The
object of the convention was, in the
main, to agree upon such amendments
to the state school laws as are necessary
to make that portion of the code as near
ly perfection as possible.
The meetings of the superintendents
lasted seven days, Prof. Foshay being
a member of the committee upon certi-
fication of teachers and also of the COM
mittee on proposed amendments to the
school laws. The former was the most
important committee appointed. 1t
consisted of seven members, among
them being the superintendents from
San Jose, Oakland and Los Angeles.
Among the amendments to the school
laws proposed was one by Prof. Foshay,
as follows:
"City boards of education shall be
elected once in two years for the full
term of six years. and shall consist Of
nine members, whose term of office shall
expire in such manner that majority
shall remain in office Their powers and
duties shall be such as are provided IN
the laws governing cities, except as
otherwise in this chapter provided"
The above is intended to take the place
of section 1916 of article VII. of the po-
litical code.
Mr. Foshay also had introduced
W % la w a N
in places refers to county boards of trus-
tees and leaves out city boards of ed
ucation in the handling of school moneys.
Another proposed amendment to the
existing law is to change the age of ap-
plicants for teachers certificates from
is to 10 years.
The time for the change of text books
is proposed to be changed from May
and June to April and May once every
four years.
By for the most important work of the
convention was a report to be present
ed to the code commissioners that pro-
videsean entirely new system of choos-
ing teachers of the public schools. The
present method of examination for pri-
mary or grammar grade certificates is
to be abandoned, and all applicants will
be compelled to pass the same exam
ination. The test of scholarship of ap-
plicants viii be materially raised. The
incorporation in the statutes of the state
of the ideas presented in the report
will in no wise affect the standing of
certificates now issued. They will have
bearing on the future.
Two main features are to be embdo-
led. The first abolishes the distinction
between the primary and grammar
grade certificates. In lieu of
this limited and permanent GER
tltcates are provided for the
elementary schools. The examina-
tions upon these will be uniform through
out the state. County boards of educa-
tion will be compelled to follow a set Of
subjects fixed by statute. That will, the
projectors of this report believe, do
away with the present objections raised
to q system that enables each county
to designate its own examination course
without reference to any other county.
The tendency of the new plan will be
to raise the standard of teachers, it is
claimed.
1T will eliminate all the partially
educated boys and girls" explains Prof
Charles II. Keyes of Pasadena, from
the list of prospective teachers. 1t will
make teaching q profession to which
only those of high culture and educa-
ton cam attain. 1t will further create
uniformity of requirement that will
give none an advantage over the other"
The report provides that there shall
be three grades of county certificates,
namely: Elementary school certificates
u
high school certificates of two classes
limited and permanent; kindergarten
certificates of two classes-limited and
permanent.
The limited certificates Of either of the
foregoing classes shall be granted to the
applicant who successfully passes the
required examination. Such limited GER
tifcate shall be valid for four years.
After two years successful experience
evidence of which has been filed with
the county board and accepted by them
the limited certificate may be ex-
changed for permanent certificate.
Also, to grant special certificates, valid
for six years. which shall entitle the
holder to teach such special branches
as may be required by city or county
poards or education. But no special
high school certificate shall be granted
to teach any of the subjects hereinafter
named as requisite for q full high
school certificate
Except as otherwise provided, ele-
mentary school certificates shall be
granted only to those who have passed
= satisfactory examination in the fol-
lowing sIcies: Arithmetic grammar.
geography Gncluding physical geogra .
phy), composition. history of the United
States. orthography,. defining and word
ods of teaching, school law, drawing.
physiology, civil government, book keep
keeping, vocal music, English and Amer
ican literature, algebra, elementary
physics, plane geometry, botany and
zoology, psychology.
The high school certificate shall be
granted only to those who have passed
a satisfactory examination on the sub
jects required for the elementary GER
tificate and in English literature, gener-
al history, history of education and
civics. as we'll as on all the subjects in
one of the following groups: Higher al
zebra, solid geometry. trigonometry,
physics; physics, chemistry, biology,
geology; Latin, required for entrance
70 full classical course of the State Uni
versity of California; Greek to meet
same requirements. French or German
may be substituted for Greek.
The kindergarten certificate shall be
granted only to those who have passed
a satisfactory examination in the sub
1ects required for the elementary GER
tficate, or who hold the elementary GER
01cate and who furnish evidence OF