The Washington herald., 1907-01-19


which Is adopted, and explains the
methods TO be employed in its installa-
ton He does not propose to make the
new grade rating effective until next
September, but sugges's that the pupils
at once be informed OF 1t and that prepa-
rations for its installation be made The
/ letter in great part follows:
! ITO All Officers and Teachers;
In ali large cities. the endeavor TO
save as much Of the time Of each pupil
In his progress through the curriculum As
! Is possible must be systematized It
means much TO a boy whether be. can be
graduated from the high school at seven
/ teen or must wait till he is twenty; often
it determines whether OF not he can 90
/ TO the city college or 10 the State uni
/ versity; sometimes It determines whether
or not he can prepare himself for some
profession or technical occupation. II
/ IS a good wind that blows no one i'll: the
/ graded city school has several advantages
i for the pupils over the district school; but
/ it has one serious disadvantage. in that
It 50 fixes the forms and methods Of pro-
motion as 10 retard the progress Of the
exceptional pupil. the bright and the dull
alike.
TO remedy this defect, it has been the
practice Tor many years in nearly all
/ large cities 10 devise and TO operate
methods Of seml-anuual or quarterly
/ promotions. One city goes so far as %
/ regrade pupils every SIX week. Another
maintains two sets Of elementary schools.
one with the course divided into eight
years and the other into seven years,
with bright and dull pupils being freely
/ transferred back and forth.
VIII Require Time
a change Of an entire city school sys-
/ TEN cannot be effected al single promo
/ tion period. Il would take probably FIVE
/ years even in city where the conditions
We're all favorable. Some Of the condi-
I tions IN the district are favorable 70 this
change Every class is now divided into
1 two section and all the teachers are
/ familiar with the plan, which many of
you like To others II seems monot0nous
/ to teach the same lessons twice every
day. when that half Of the class which
recites second has always heard the
/ first half.
The loss OF freshness Of interest Is dis
tinctly felt by many teachers Another
advantage is the high average of peda-
gogicaI training and skill Of the teachers.
But there is one distinct and unusUsl adj
vantage which cannot be ignored An
eight-graded elementary curriculum, pre-
ceded by a kindergarten year or two.
and attended by instruction in manual
training for boys and by instruction IN
sewing and cooking for girls requires
that every complete school building shall
have at least twelve separate compart-
ments Nearly all the buildings of this
district have eight rooms. This would
mean one year 10 a srade, Il All classes
had but one section. and the renting of
rooms for tie extra subjects. Il occurs.
however that IN not few Instances two
or three Of these eight-rOom buildings
are upon the same plot OF ground OF very
near one another. in such instances, il
win be entirely convenient when desirable
and approved by the supervising principal
to transfer \ or B pupils of q particular
grade from one building 20 another, and
thus save their time and ease the task OF
both teachers. This is. therefore, advised,
but not ordered.
To Aid the Studious.
The purposes Of semi-annuaI promo
tions are two: First, and much the more
important. 10 rctard no pupil more than
a half year at one time. and second. to
skip no pupil more than a half year at
one time. The great body OF pupils 90
/ forward by semi-annuaI promotion ex-
actly the same as by annual promotion
BY the process now TO be put In opera
f! ton here. gradually this body viii be-
come half 4 FIRST half year in the grade)
and half B second half year in the
grade).
The time when in this District the
new order Of affairs viii first become
broadly effective viii be next June-Sep-
tember Then 10 pupils left back tthat
is. 10 whom promotion Is denied VIII be
required TO repeat more than the second
half of the past year chat is. the course
from February through juno
But something can be done 10 infinite
the change at the end of this month,
something. not much. because here Janu-
ary has not been the time of promotion,
but June has been that time. What you
can do now is 10 make beginning, 20
offer these two hopes 10 our boys and
airIs. that if they fail they viii lose but
half a year. and II they are annually
successful they may skip half year.
There are now in our eighth grades
considerable number Of pupils going over
that year for the second time. OF these
some are sufficiently prepared 90 go 10
one or another of our high schools
Similarly with all repeating or beldted
pupils I'm any year from the kindergarten
TO the normal school
Cannot skip Full Term.
There may be in some Of these classes
one or more pupils doing the work for
the first time. but doing il so well as 70
Indicate plainly power TO Go more diff
cult work They may be skipped from
the end Of the term TO the beginning
of the A term in the next higher grade.
To skip a fun year is no longer permis-
sible 1t is as bad for the mind as It
actually is for the physical health.
After giving some examples Of the
method which will be used, the letter
concludes with the following paragraph;
4 expect the various principals of The
high schools. the supervising principals.
the directors OF Intermediate. primary
and kindergarten instruction ana tae va
ri0us supervisors TO counsel win tnelI
class teachers in their e19eavor 20 ioi-
low the best course FOR their boys &nP
girls; but in these matters oi promoting
pupils and OF dividing classes there can
be no question as 20 who Is responsible
ma vrIp rY,fsSf h.z-a fHe authority This.