, 1923-06-14
an approved special clsss.

an approved special class. Such
classes must be formed In accord
ance with certain requirements by
the State Director of Special Glass
es. such as the holding OF q special
certificate by the teachers OF such
classes. the provision of suitable
equipment, and the examination of
pupils by standardized mental tests.
b.. Slow and Fast Groups. This
simply ear that pupils would be
classified according to their ability
TO Travel through the School,"
some going more rapidly than 9TH
ers. Professor Daniel Starch, after
long investigation, concludes that the
wide range of abilities of school
children may be known with some
certainty. He has constructed a ia
BILE of probabilities for pupils in the
elementary grades as follows:
IL of pupils could finish Sth
grade in 4 years.
80 of pupils could finish 9Th
grade in 8 years.
go of pupils could finish sth
grade in 6 years.
200 of pupils could finish Sth
grade in 7 years.
33% of pupils could finish Sth
grade in s years.
21%o of pupils could finish 8th
grade in 8 years.
80 of pupils could finish Sth
grade in 10 years.
go of pupils could finish Sth
grade in IL years.
10 of pupils could finish Sth
grade in IL years.
.sTt will ha notica1p "a 9, n.aea.
sor Starch, that If this estimate Is
correct. the average course of study
is prepared and administered for the
thirty-three per cent constituting the
fifth group"
In New York State we find what
Is known as the Five Track Plan"
in which there are five groups go
ing through the schools at various
rates or speed. However. most
schools have but three such groups,
the bright, the normal, and the dull.
In 4 small school system such as
ours, rather than to attempt to have
some pupils finish the eighth grade
in less time than other, it would
perhaps be well to have a slow fifth
and a fast fifth, for example, the
one class taking the maximum re-
quirements of the course of study to-
gether with much supplementary
work. while the ether class could
take the minimum requirements OF
the course of study.
C. Summer Schools. In many cit
les summer schools are conducted by
the public schools for pupils who
need special help in order to keep up
with their grade. Heretofore in our
W school, in many cases pupils that
failed during the regular school
year took a little work in the sum-
mer and went on to the next grade.
RMS plan Is very unsatisfactory I'M
less carefully worked out. It is
m~anifestly impossible for a pupil to
make up a years work In a few
weeks of summer study. 1t also has
the effect of causing some pupils to
indifferent about their stand
ing during the regular school year
as they think they can make up the
work during the summer. Such an
attitude is fatal to good school work.
If the district were able to provide
a regular summe school conducted
by qualified teachers. the class meet
ting regularly for study, as Is being
done in some places, the matter could
NC h'Ihfu oul Nt|llSldClDrllV
d. Mid-year Promotions. This
point has already been discussed in
Section 9.
e. Junior High School. The Junior
High School with its diversified cur
riculum has helped solve many OF
these problems. II ia undoubteGly n
step IN the right direction. and II
has been found hat this now school
unit or organization is the means of
keeping many pupils in school who
otherwise would drop out early.
School report continued -
Miss Elise Seyfarth. State Direct
or OF Special Glasses, examined in
dividually n number of our pupils
who might profit by special class
work. and found that there were ten
t0) such pupils. DR.. Harold Fost-
er. Chairman of the Wyoming Com
mittee of National Hygiene Associa-
ton, examined individually n num-
Der OF our pupils and found that
there were twenty (2O) who should
be In n special class, where they
could get the kind of work adapted
TO their needs and school work OF
n kind and character that they were
able to do. Such pupils do not pro.
III Nlufn NY D'lug placed IN n re-
gular class with other children.
This year. we tried an experiment
by organizing a class OF children
who were suffering from speech de.
fects. This class for pupils handi,
capped by speech defects was or
eanlzed upon recommendation OF
Miss Seyfarth, and the class ha,
been taught by Mrs. Ekdnhl. who has
had special training along this line
Miss Seyfarth found out twenty av,
$3.50 pupils In II school system
needing speech work. The work Ia.
boon given every day from $3.50 u
i;30. There Is no charge for thil
work TO the pupils ms the expense
"a betrayed by the State Dcpartmen
OF Education and the local schoo
board each paying half. Experience
elsewhere has shown that such pu