Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-12-04
High School Faculty Revises
the Curriculum.
MAY DROP ONE STUDY
PRINCIPAL Dutrow Says That Cause OF
Study for Third Year Pupils Has
Been overloaded--unit System TO
be insusurated.

Following complaint after complaint
from the patrons that their children
were being overworked, the Higf
school faculty has revised the curricu
lum OF the third and fourth year
grades so as TO materially reduce the
work of the pupil both in the class
room and at home. This revision was
made Friday, and the entire High
school was dismissed at 1880 O'Clock
that morning by order Of Principal ID
A. Dutrow so that the work might be
completed and the new curriculum
put INTO operation tomorrow morning.
Principal Dutrow said yesterday that
for years the curriculum beginning
with the third year of the High school
has been overloaded. the pupils being
required 10 take six studies, necessitat-
ing their working overtime at home in
order to keep up with their work. In
order to Immediately relieve this con-
dition. the faculty decided to drop one
period per week in every study which
has TO be prepared at home and to
drop one period per week In each sub
ject for which there is no need OF
home preparation. thus reducing the
number of studies to be prepared at
home to four.
May Drop One Study.
Should this arrangement prove m
satisfactory or inadequate, the pupils
OF the two grades mentioned are given
the option OF dropping one Of their
subjects. provided that subject be not
English, mathematics or history. The
dropping of this study will not make
such pupils elective graduates. as they
will still be taking more work than
Is required for entrance to colleges
and universities.
At best the revision of the curricu-
lum as made by the faculty is only
temporary affair, but Principal Dutrow
Is now at work reducing the curricc-
lum 70 the unit system-a system that
all colleges and universities are fore
ing on the High schools and other
preparatory institutions. This curricu-
lum will be put into operation In the
High school next session and 1t will
literally revoluiionize the work.
The Association of Colleges and Sec
ondary Schools has adopted as min
imum fourteen units OF work for ad.
mission to the schols which are men,
bers the association. A unit IL one
full sessions work of five periods per
week of forty minutes each.
Relieve Present Conditions.
Under the present "group-study"
system in the High school, the pupils
have been making as high as twenty
two units and in some cases even
more than that. This has brought
about an overloaded course in the up
per classes and the faculty hopes that
the unit system will relieve this to q
great extent. II not ali together.
In The revision Of the curriculum. IL
has been thought best by the principal
to hold the minimum requirements for
graduation. as a full graduate up TO
eighteen units. four OF which must be
in English, three In mathematics. three
in history, two in science and the
other six selected according to a plan
which will give a variety of group
studies-each leading to q definite
end. rs 49,
Such curriculums have been adopted
by many Of the High schools and have
been found to work with better salts
faction and results than the old group
study system.