The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-07-23
Condition of the Schools
(COntinued from Pa0a Tuol

NSOulIuu6u lTOn rage 1WOl
! the percentage Of promotion is very low
This means that in grade Nv for thre
years almost one third of the pupils faile
OF promotion, that in grade V practic
ally one fifth of the pupils failed This 10,
standard of pupil progress in these importan
grades presents a real but difficult probler
to the supervisor and teachers 1t is true tina
IN other grades, for example, in grade / Their
Is approximately an average promotion o
about $40, while in grade VIII the averag
Tor the three years is approximately $50
lnese grades on the whole present the high
est average IN the record of pupil progress
IL should be the ambition of any system O.
schools to make even better record than th.
shown by the first and eighth grades for tn,
tnree years. 1t should be stated again thai
these results are to be interpreted only as APP
PRESENTATIONS since the data from which They
We're obtained are not accurate theS
Age-Grade Table-During our visitation
to the different rooms it was quite noticeable
That there were very many average pupils
In making scientific study of the ages of
pupils IN school this was verified. The Age
TRADE Table records all pupils in the system
with respect to both age and grade. with the
! exception e Of the kindergarten. The ages
table We're kindly furnished by the teachers
through the supervising principal
IN recording pupils age with respect to
e * t ~ Is common practice to allow spread
OF Two years to designate the normal group.
fof example, II pupil is either or z years
OF age and in the first grade he is counted as
Of normal age, If he is less than 6, he is un-
derage- II above he is average for the
group. Likewise, If a pupil is either or 8
years of age and in the second grade he is
IN normal group If he is below z he is un-
derage Tor this group, and if he is above 8
he is average
At first glance, the table indicates too many
pupils VINO are average. The majority of these
pupils who too old for the grade are
likely the ones who not keenly interested in
the average school room work They have
lost 50 much time that many of them are dis
Outraged. such showing as this presents to
the board of education and the supervisor of
the system, a difficult problem For example.
large number of average pupils in system
increases the cost of that system If the ma
lority of pupils should finish the eighth grade
by the time they Ia years of age. it is
evident that it is added expense for the
system system 70 continue to pay for the elementary
instruction of these pupils several years af-
ter they are IA. More important than the
increased cost is the fact that the presence of
j. s large number OF average pupils in any grade
lehds 70 retard the progress of the grade or
room. AGAIN this is expensive in terms of
money and effort spent for education
ne problem OF teaching and classroom man.
agement is also made much more difficult by
the presence OF large number of average pu-
PMS. ms Is brought out by a study of the
range OF ages in the different grades For
oids, 90 seven year olds, SO eight year ODDS
70 nine year olds, ID ten year ODDS, II eleven
year Odds, twelve year olds, thirteen year
olds and 2 fourteen year ODDS In other
words IN the same grade pupils range in ages
from to IA, spread of years Again in
fourth grade there are IL eight year olds, 81
nine year Odds, rs ten year olds SO eleven
year olds, 20 twelve year olds, IL thirteen wear
olds, fourteen year olds and l seventeen
year old In this grade pupils range in ages
from to II, spread of year in respect to |
ages. Anyone who understands school work at
all can appreciate the fact that the question
OF control of pupils is increased materially
Mheh IN any grade there Is such variation |
IN respect to ages. The chances are that the
pupils who are average in these grades are
unsuited to the methods of teaching in the
gra e therefore, they are the ones who pre- |
sent the discouraging problem to the teacher /
, Inc table ought also be studied in terms of /
the percentage of pupils underage. normal Il
ana average Taking the total of Mount Holly /
n TINS respect the elementary school shows
the following percentages underage 7oh nor
NAL $3.50, average 42.19o. This means that i
. pupils out of 100 are underage, that but /
rev more than 30 of the 100 are normal, that II
az out OF every 100 are too old for the grade
In which they placed
II IS well to compare Mount Holly with re-
Spect to overageness with what occurs in
otner systems. In making the comparison
with a study entitled, Gage and Grade census |
of Schools and Colleges" made by Dr. Strayer i
On 1908, one can get a better perspective of |
the situation. The study referred to investi-
gated overageness in 1856 cities of less than
$1,000 population. The median or middle CITY
Of this group of 1856 cities shows the following
percentages; underage 1850, normal Sc plus05
average ~ plus 20. The median, or middle /
Or scores of 500 of the 1856 cities and below
which are the ranking or scores of 50G5 of the
cities This makes fair standard by which
10 measure the age-grade problem of anv svs
tenn, Although the study referred to was
made ten years ago Mount Holly still has a
greater percentage of overageness, a smaller
percentage OF normal and slightly increased
percentage OF underageness in comparison
with the middle city of the 1876 studied It is
reasonable TO assume that within the last ten
years great strides have been made in de-
ef3aS1nR in
cut the country, since that has been a problem
upon which school administrators have been at
work.
The showing of the high school on the whole
S much better than that of the grades For
1870 of the high school pupils are
inderage; $3.50. are normal, and but 1872,
ire average For high school to have prac-
1cally one fifth of its pupils underage indi-
'ates on the whole a good situation especially
ince not more than 1870 are average. Such
condition maintains in Mount Holly. It Is |
lulte likely the fact, however, that these
;nhdren who are underage in the high school
ire the bright children who persisted in school,
much elimination in each grade beginning with
ne NTH Many of these children are the
specially gifted ones who have persisted in
he schools in districts outside of Mount Holly
one-haH of the pupils enrolled
n the high school comes from districts out
Ide Mount Holly. AS in the case of Mount
iohy pupils, they are the who are going
through school either on time or ahead of
lme, therefore they continue to remain in
ehool. These especially capable pupils in both
he grades and high school need to be en-
outraged and go through as rapidly as nos
lble On the other hand, many more Of
hese pupils of average ability need to be en-
outraged to finish the grades and high school
n time. 5
The age-grade table should also be looked at
With reference to what it says concerning the
upils who leave school. Through a study of
able, one can estimate with a fair degree of
ccurancy the number of pupils entering the
iount Holly's first grade each year. The lar
est age group is the year olds, numbering
20. This number then, 120, is the number
approximately which enters Mount Holly
chools each year. If all the grades had ap-
fortunately 12O pupils enrolled it would mean
hat practically all pupils completing the
lght grades, and on time This number gives
IS basis of comparison with respect to the
lupils who leave school. According to the
Compulsory Attendance Law children must
emain in school until they have reached
ourteen years OF age, and until they have
oiled 124 pupils This indicates that Mount
Holly is holding her pupils until they meet the
of the compulsory attendance
aw. This is a good indication, and Mount
Holly is to be commended for this practice |
The fact, however, that there are 148 pupils in
he second grade and 155 in fourth grade in
he work of these grades When there are
many more pupils in grade w than there are
n grade l it shows that many pupils are
osing time instead of gaining time 1t ought
% be possible in all good schools for many
pupils to gain term or year sometime dur
ng the elementary grades.
In comparing the enrolment of the rest /
ot the grades one notices quite drop be-
tween grades and VI. In other words, "a /
pupils left between grades V and vi. Like j
WISE the enrolment in the VIII grade shows |
but 80 pupils. This is small number in |
with the 120 the approximate /
number by which to measure. Too few of |
Mount Holly's pupils are remaining to finish L
the elementary school, If equal opportuni- /
ties for an elementary education are to be |
offered to all the children, provision ought to
be made by which more of these boys and /
girls stimulated to remain in school at
least through the elementary division.
The problem of placing each pupil where |