Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-28
Bright Pupils to Face
Tougher Curriculum
High Schools
TO Inougurote
New Program

Washington high schools will
start toughening up on brighter
students next fall.
The Board of Education yes
terday approved new "honors"
course for the city's brainiest
pupils. The new course will put
a premium on advanced, basic
study and curtail "frills '-the
so-called electives.
Enrolment in the new pro-
gram will be voluntary, including
parental consent. But once in,
students will be required to toe
the mark.
The honors course is part Of
new "four-track" program pro-
posed by Assistant Supt. Carl
F. Hansen to improve teaching
and spur achievement. Also in
cluded are regular college prep
course, a general course and a
new, basic" program with a
stress on pre-job training for
slower students.
Opposed by DIR. Butcher
School officials, under ques-
tioning from board members.
said the schools already are do
ing much the same sort of thing.
but the new program is designed
to improve class organization
and put still more stress on
scholarship. DR.. Hansen told the
board that one aim is ITO pre-
vent kids from taking the easy
way through high school"
DR., Margaret j. Butcher voted
against the plan, declaring off,
Gals hadn't answered important
questions about how children
would be divided among the four
tracks" The rest of the board
voted its approval. however.
The new honors course will
be started for 10th graders-high
school beginnerS-neXt Septenl-
Der. Dr.. Hansen said Is or 20
per cent-between 800 and 1000
students-might qualify for the
course.
Entrance will be on the basis
of Junior high school records,
especially this year, and achieve
ment tests and other factors. he
said. The ninth-grade teachers
evaluation will weigh heavily.
Screening Already Started
Junior high seniors are being
screened for placement. and the
course assignments will be set
tied by June. DR.. Hansen said.
No special diploma will go with
completion of the new course,
but it will be recorded in a stu
dents permanent transcript.
The course will require more
study of basic subiects-English.
mathematics, science. foreign
languages and social studies.
However. students will still have
some choice among these fields.
The regular college prepala-
tory program will have slightly
easier requirements.
Students taking the general
course will be those not aiming
for college. The basic subjects
and electives will remain SUBJ
stantially the same as now.
Remedial Work Stressed
! Remedial work - for young
sterS seriously behind grade
standards in ability and achieve
ment-will be stressed in the new
basic course. Special teaching is
now being planned in this con-
nection.
One obstacle to the new pro-
gram is lack of enough teachers,
DR.. Hansen told board members.
He said more will be needed to
carry it out fully, but he added
that the plan will be started next
fall anyway.
A loss of tie cache snow
threatened under proposed So
teacher secondary slash-would
seriously handicap the new plan,
he warned, however.
Board members heard a
lengthy report from Supt. Ho-
bart M. Corning opposing pro-
posals of Dr.. Rowland F. Kinks,
board member. TO revamp pro-
motion and marking rules. Dis
cussion of the Kinks proposals
was postponed, however, to 8
y q