Evening star., 1924-09-28

who need curriculum notifications and
a slowing up of the work. A school
in each locality recruiting from the
three of four neighboring schools
with its curriculum slowed to cover
six of the traditional grades in eight
years. with more household arts and
manual training, more rhythm work
and nature study, with possibility of
steady advancement without failure
instead of every year or two re-
peated grade, would be a much more
wholesome plan, bringing satisfaction
to pupils, teachers and eventually
parents From this school gradua-
tion to the slower sections of junior
high school with special industrial
and vocational courses would keep
hundreds of children in school sew
erl years longer than they are re-
naming at present"
Results of Tests shown.
OF the 2,224 children reclassihed in
the Dennison, Ross, Morgan, Cooke
and Wilson Normal schools as a result
Of the intelligence tests, Miss La
Sales report showed that 419 were
promoted one semester, 81 were ad-
vanced two semesters and promoted
three semesters. Eight in these five
schools were denoted and Al put into
opportunity classes.
Diligent investigation Of children
who went to high school on extra or
double promotions, Miss La Sale ex-
planned. has failed to reveal anything
but success; records in some instances
show all Els and G's and few others
show these grades predominant. Those
still in the elementary schools, she
declared, are still the leaders in the
new classes. OF those receiving extra
promotion only 10 failed to make
good, and of them were pupils whom
the data from the tests did not war
rant the promotion.
"Ninety-six per cent, therefore,
made good 4 per cent, or 10 Of the
495 receiving extra promotions
failed" summarized Miss La Sale.
The total saving of time Of these
476 pupils was 5s1 semesters. The
saving in cost Of teachers salaries
was thousands Of dollars, for it
would take IA teachers with 40 pu-
pills to a group to teach these pu-
pills what they already knew or could
quickly get without these teachers"
Points Out Difficulties.
The recla-ssification Of pupils as a
result of the tests into a more
homogeneous grouping, Miss La
Sale pointed out, was difficult, due
to three factors peculiar to Wash
ington:
/. The salary schedule is different in
the various grades, SO it was not
possible to change schools or
ganiZation.
.. The prevalence of the small
building with but a single room for
each grade, so that the only way
to get more homogeneous group
ing on the basis Of similarity in
mental age was by extra promotion
instead Of the frequently adopted
plan of a parallel grade of rapid
learners.
3. The lack Of funds to make ade-
quate provision for the usual pro-
greSSive and enriched curriculum
and supplementary materials.
To combat criticisms of the tests,
Miss La Sale recommended that
monthly bulletin be issued to teachers
and parents. giving them the facts
and information concerning the prog
ress OF the work in educational re-
search and measurement. Protests
during the past year, she said. came
from persons ignorant of the nature
of the tests and from parents whose
children have not yet been subjected
to the tests.
With Miss La Sales report Dr.
Ballou also made public the report
of the committee in charge of educa-
tional research in the colored schools
This committee was composed of J. c.
Bruce. r. N. Mattingly, Marion p.
Shadd, NJ. L. Washington, Eugene A
Clark. c. o. Lewis and r. B. Lane
The committee recommended that
the work in the colored schools be
broadened in scope