Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-27
Arlington Report
Urges Dropping
Of Tfirlesiers
Committee Fovors
Annual Promotion
Plan in Schools
By Robert c. RoIIinas


By Robert c. Rollines
g Abolition Of the thrice annual
promotion plan now in use in Ar
lington elementary schools was rec
commended today by the School
Exploratory Committee on En-
trance and Promotion Policy.
The committee recommended that
the changeover from the trimester
plan ''be made as rapidly as pos
sible." Under the plan, pupils may
enter school at three times during
the year and grades are divided into
A, b and G sections.
Meanwhile, B. Alden Lilywhite,
chairman Of the Citizens Commit
tee for School improvements, today
urged that county revenues be in
creased to meet the rising cost of
education. ~
He, also attacked the old School
Board for 'unsound financial poll
cies" and charged that the group
had used school reserve funds in
stead of acting to obtain more in
come
More Reports Awaited.
The Entrance and Promotion
Committee was one of four which
released reports of studies on vari-
Gus school matters. The others were
those on mental hygiene, personnel
policies and school building main
tenanee. Earlier this week, six other
committees had submitted reports
and four or more are to be released
soon. Seven of the committees
made detailed reports to the School
Board Wednesday night and seven
will report at a public meeting at
o'clock tonight at the Thomas JET
ferson Junior High School.
As replacement for the tri-
mester plan, adoption of the yearly
promotion plan was recommended.
The scommittee made no recon-
mendation regarding the semester
promotion plan now in effect in high
schools.
The yearly promotion plan has
the backing Of educational author
tiles, the committee said and has
been widely" adopted. The plan
has the advantage of reducing the
number OF groups under single
teacher and of making shifts from
one teacher less frequent. according
to the committee. In addition, the
yearly plan makes better use Of
textbooks land eliminates the drop
ping back and acceleration of stu
dents who strive by such methods
to get into June graduating class"
the committee asserted.
Would Admit in September.
ITO adope the annual promotion
plan, the committee was prepared to
recommend that pupils should be
admitted to school In September
If they reach their 9Th birthday
on or before January l following
their admission to school" the report
said.
"A practical obstacle to this, how
ever, is a bill now pending in the
Virginia Legislature which would
remove from the local School Board
all discretion over age-entrance date
and make August 81 the date before
which a child must have reached his
9Th birthday in order to be adj
mitted to school, the committee
noted.
A minority of the committee, the
report stated, believes that the an
nual promotion plan should be
adopted regardless of the age-date
factor.
The committee also urged that the
School oBard study the possibility of
eliminating promotions entirely from
the first three grades. The COM
mittee said that such an "ungraded
plan is in operation in several
school systems, and appears to have
decided advantages"
Mental Hygiene Report.
A recommendation that in-service
training be provided for teachers
so that they would be equipped to
recognize maladjusted children in
their early stages was made by the
Committee ION Mental Hygiene.
Such recognition, the committee
said, is the first step in the develop
ment of a mental health program in
the public schools.
The committee recommended that
the school board request appro-
pirate agencies to conduct the train
ing for teachers and in the event
this could not be arranged, that the
board include $4,000 in its next years
budget to cover the cost. The COM
mittee further recommended that
whenever an individual case requires
it the consultant services of the
Arlington Mental Hygiene Clinic be
used "to the fullest possible extent. "
In the event the services are not
available without cost, or that the
existing services are not sufficient
to meet requirements, the commit
tee suggested that $4,000 be appro-
priated to be administered by the
clinic in providing the mental health
needs of Arlington children.
The Committee on School Building
Maintenance recommended com
prehensiye technical survey Of the
entire school maintenance field" The
committee proposed 1948-49
budget of $l17,700 for maintenance.
A thorough study Of the salary
schedule land other pertinent fac
tors" regarding policies of the school
system was suggested by the Per-
sonnet Policies Committee. The
committee noted that the present
salary schedule is in line with COM
parable communities, but said the
changes it recommended would cost
approximately $l03, 700 to 1892 900
per year, depending on alternatives
selected. -
. The other committees which re-
ported earlier estimated it would
cost approximately $125, 900 to place
their recommendations into effect.
In addition, the County Teachers
Association asked the School Board
for a revised salary plan which
would cost an estimated $400 900 over
the current plan. Recently, School
Supt. Fletcher Kemp proposed
budget for next year of $2,440, 1858,
an increase Of almost $4,000 over
the current budget
james O. Murdoch, Jr.,