f The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. UNIVERSITY OF IUINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN BUILDING USb ONLY, L161 — 0-1096 PROMOTION OF PUPILS A PROBLEM IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION BY HENRY THEODORE McKINNEY B. S. Valparaiso University 1904 A. B. University of Illinois 1913 A. M. University of Illinois 1915 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 1921 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/promotionofpupilOOmcki AUTHOR 56580 X j\Q(YV <&■ CHECK/ STATUS: 7 7 / / UNDERGRAD GRAD FACIATY NOW- ACAD BORROWER’S NAME AND IDE IFICATION NO: (pr i Repear© ti Cti SNouvoon PRINT CARPUS ADDRESS: CITYv O O o £ DEPARTMENT: LI B Y USE ONLY SIGNATURE: UNIV OF ILL LIBRARY URBANA ' t Z V L dS 0 • • • • • • CALL NUMBER: DATE DUE: ip8l M U M2J 109ED STACK” { VOLUME: COPY: MISSINt IN USE PERIODICAL DATES: MONTH DAY YEAR CHECK SEARCH ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is only through the co-operation of those interested in the promotion of the science of education that studies of this nature are possible. This is particularly true in the working- out of our problem because it involves such radical departure from the easy-going traditional path, I am glad to acknowledge my indebtedness to the teach- ers, principals, supervisors and superintendents of the schools at Danville, pecatur and Springfield, for the professional inter- est which made possible the gathering of reliable data. The as- sistance rendered oy Miss Sarah Mark Imboden in compiling the complete records of repeaters at Decatur, deserves special men- tion. I am particularly indebted to Professor B. R. Buckingham at whose suggestion and under whose helpful direexion the study was begun and carried on. By taking the initiative in gathering the data through the Bureau of Educational Research of which he is the director, he has made possiole the doing of a task which would have been out of the question for me as an individual. I am glad, also, to remember the assistance rendered by my wife, Norah Ferrell McKinney, in the work of tabulations. All these and others whom space forbids mentioning by name, have contribut- ed much to make possible the completion of this study at this time. H. T. McK. . ■ . CONTENTS Page Chapter I. Introduction 1 - 13 The Problem, The Nature of 2 - 13 Promotion Defined 6 Theoretical Basis for Promotion 10 The Gifted and the Slow 12 Chapter II. Resume of Attempts to Adjust the School to the Child* s Ability 14 - 27 i a. Change in Class- interval for Reclass if icat ion Semi-annual 14 Quarterly 18 Irregular Intervals 20 b. Changes in Methods of In- struction 23 c. Change in Promotional Machin- ery: Burk’s Plan 25 Chapter Ill . Attempts to Find Causes of Non- Promotions 28 - 42 Experimental Studies 28 v Remedial Measures 29 - 35 Mental Tests 31 The Rochester Plan 33 Purpose of this Study 41 Chapter IV. The Danville Experiment 43 - 68 Age-Grade Distribution 48 The Problem Narrowed 52 Typical Pupil Records 59 Conclusions 67 Chapter V. The Decatur-Spr ingf ield Experiment 69 -140 The Data 73 Age-grade Distribution 74 Over-ageness 85 Significance of School Progress 96 Promotion Plan at Fault 97 Amount of Over-ageness 99 Table of Comparisons of amounts of Re tardat ion 102 Chapter VI. The Decatur-Spr ingf ield Experiment (Cont inued) The Non-reoommended Groups 105 Change in Promotion Rate Number of Pupils Repeating in 109 - 114 Later Probations 115 Probable Causes 117 Devices Used 121 Effects on Scholarship 129 Conclusions 138 Chapter VII. Mental Tests Used 141 - 147 Chapter VIII. The Problem of Promotions in Re- lation to Repeaters 148 - 164 Distribution of 187 Failures in Decatur 150 Keyes on Repetition 153 Smith's Conclusions 156 What School Records Show 158 Conclusions 162 Chapter IX. General Summary and Recommendations 165 - 171 Chapter X. Bibliography 172 - 177 Chapter XI. Appendices 178 1 PROMOTION OF PUPILS; A PROBLEM IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION THE PROBLEM General Statement of ; How may promotions be administered so as to secure an increase in promotion rate without lowering the general level of scholarship for the individual school system? It has been proposed that ability to do the work of the next higher grade is probably a better criterion by which to judge a pupil's fitness for promotion than the fact that a pupil has been given passing marks in the work of the grade from which promotion is to take place. Our investigation is confined to the proposal of such a plan for advancing pupils in the elementary grades of the public schools and to the evaluation of this procedure. It involves two rather distinct undertakings, - (1) An endeavor to ascertain to what extent pupils in a typical school system, could be doing, at present, the ‘work of a higher grade with profit to themselves and satis- faction to the teachers concerned. (2) An endeavor to determine the feasibility and desirability of giving all pupils a chance to -show their ability to do the work of the next higher grade as a criterion for advance- ment . . . ’ ♦ . 2 The Method. : Through the Bureau of Educational Research, we se- cured the co-operation of three near-by city school systems and the plan proposed was tried out under actual school conditions, for three successive semesters. There was no deviation from the regular routine of school practice in these schools, except that which directly pertained to the proposed promotional scheme. Schools Participating ; Superintendent G. P. Randall and his teaching force at Danville, Illinois, assisted in gathering data for the first part of the study and Superintendent J. 0. Engleman of Decatur and I. M. Allen of Springfield, Illinois, and their respective teaching and supervisory staffs, made possi- ble the second phase of our project. Time Covered by the Experiment : Both divisions of the experiment were begun near the close of the first semester 1918-191S, with the understanding that we should probably continue through a ser- ies of semesters but with the further agreement that any school could end its participation at the close of any semester. The schools of Danville participated the first semester and the other two systems extended the second division of the study over three successive semesters. The Nature of the Problem The main administrative problem in securing proper promotion of pupils, no doubt, grows out of the magnified sig- nificance usually attached to grade distinctions. This problem is complicated by the fact that nearly all teachers and patrons have long acquiesced in the justice which is claimed . ■ 3 for a practice which makes passing marks the sole basis for pupil advancement through the grades. Faith in this criterion, it should be said, assumes a condition of homogeneity in pupils with- in each grade, a close gradation of subject-matter, and reasonable uniformity among teachers in assigning values for work done. Various investigations, however, have revealed that such assump- tions are not based on the facts of the case. It is, therefore, the peculiar problem of the administrator to ascertain the facts and to evolve an administrative procedure in harmony with them. School Grades ; The work of the elementary schools in the United 1 States, has been organized since about the middle of the nine- teenth century, into a series of units each of which is supposed to correspond to the amount of work which pupils can do in one year. The number of these units has varied from seven as in Kansas City, Missouri, to nine as in Cambridge, Massachusetts, prior to 1910. The eight-unit system, however, was probably common from the very beginning of the graded system in America and has become more and more typical as the years have passed. It is furthermore assumed that these grades' involve work of grad- uated difficulty and that the differences between consecutive grades are always approximately equal. According to this as- 1. Judd, C. H. The Evolution of a Democratic School System . p. 18, Bunker, F. F. Reorganization of the Public School System , (United States Bureau of Education Bulletin, 1916, No. 8) p. 35. Shearer, Wm. J. The Grading; of Schools , p. 20. : . • -• • • • 4 sumption, naturally the pupils are required to complete the work of a given grade before passing to the next higher. Pupils are taught in classes and in order that each pupil may be able to respond to the instruction given to the group as a whole, children of approximately the same age and mental capacity supposedly, are classed together. Wide Variation Within Classe s: Scientific investigations of school conditions, however, have revealed that there is wide variation within the grades of the public schools. Since the appearance of Thorndike's study (about ISO?) 2 of elimination, the over-age conditions in the grades have received considerable attention. Administrators have gradually awakened to this fact — not only that there is a large amount of over-ageness in the grades of the elementary school but that there is also a wide range in the ages represented in every grade. Age-grade tables showing this condition, are now made a part of practically every superintendent's report. While the per cent of over-ageness var- ies slightly from year to year for any individual school, the figures for the schools in general, continue to show approximate- ly 30 to 50 per cent of the pupils over age. This statement is based on the assumption that a pupil is over age if he cannot, by the usual rate of progress of one grade a year, finish the work of the elementary grades by the time he is 15 years old. According to this standard, over-age pupils range from one to three or four years too old for their grades. 2. Thorndike, E. L. Elimination of Pupils from School . , ■ . . - * - 5 Not only do pupils of a given grade vary as to actual age, ’out the variation as to mental age is equally great. With the development of mental tests and standardized tests, investi- gators have found that pupils within the grades differ widely and that there is significant overlapping** of grades in the mat- ter of mental ability. That is to say, grade lines are no longer to be regarded as indicating either the physical or mental maturi- ty of the pupils who are being taught in a given gTade. In a graded school, therefore, the homogeneity 3 4 of the groups or grades is, at best, only approximate. This being true, and because the whole problem of promotion is closely connected with the prevailing conception of grades as indicating what a pupil has finished of the course of study, it is advantageous to approach the problem by regarding it as an outgrowth of our sys- tem of gradation. The problem is, of course, complicated by the necessity and desirability of retaining class-instruction and al- so by the school's poverty in provisions for promoting hy sub- ject or otherwise providing for individual differences which are known to exist among pupils. The Administrative Problem in Promotion : Since advancement in school is a process of regrading, and since grades are merely ad- ministrative devices, the problem of securing such advancement as will result in a reasonably accurate adjustment of the school 3. Kruse, Paul J. Overlapping of Attainments in Certain Sixth , Seventh and El gh th Grades , ^Teachers Col- lege Contributions to Education No. 92, Columbia University, New York) 4. Rosier, J. J. "A Satisfactory Basis for Promotions." Journal of Education , May 27,1915, Vol. 81,pp. 563- ^ 55 . . . . . ' . . . . . . o to the child is, by the very nature of things, an administrative problem. This problem has grown in magnitude as the years have passed and as the physical, social and psychological needs of the child have become better known. "But few years had elapsed after the general adoption of the graded schools in this country", c says one administrator , "before the question concerning the ne- cessity, desirability and probability of frequent reclassifica- tion within the grade was made the subject of discussion." As we shall see later on, the purpose of most of the administrative changes that have been proposed by superintendents of schools, has been to allow for such reclassification. In other words, the main emphasis has been placed on the need of a more flexible plan for advancing pupils whereby such progress as the pupil has made may be recognized and recorded. Promotion Defined : In the popular mind, promotion has meant a certain official act of the school whereby the pupil is reclassi- fied as belonging a grade higher in the particular scheme of ad- vancement. Promotions are granted, in most cases, as the result of the pupil’s success in making a passing mark in all the sub- jects of the grade next below that to which promotion takes place. Thus a failure in one or two subjects has had the same effect on the pupil's chances for promotion as a complete failure in all the subjects. Promotion as used in this study, is an advancement of one step in a semi-annual scheme of promotions. A pupil in the 5. Young, Elia Flagg, "Grading and Reclassification of Pupils", Proceedings , National Education As- sociation , 1893, pp. 83-86. 3 i ■ < t : 7 4B grade, for example, is promoted when he has been reclassiiied as belonging in the 4B gru.de. Tnis is the school's recognition of the pupil's ability to do or to profit by the work of a stand- ard which is one-half year higher than 4B. Such an advancement is counted one promotion. A non-promotion, on the other hand, is defined as a failure to classify a pupil as belonging in the grade next higher than that in which he belongs just before the time of general re- classification. Advancement and School Marks : The promotion of pupils has usually been closely associated with marks received as a result of the teachers' estimates of daily recitations, of examinations given on the work of a certain period, or as the result of some combina- tion of estimates and examinations. In any case, parents as well as pupils, are expected to have faith in the justice of the verdict of these marks. In order that parents may know what progress pu- pils are making these marks are periodically reported to them by the teachers. While nearly all parents still rely confidently on school marks, during the Iasi; three or four decades there has, no doubt, been a tendency away from final exami nations as a sole basis for promotions. Likewise, nearly all administrators are now favoring a more liberal standard than that procedure whereby "Seventy-four with a good record means failure and seventy-five with no better record means success. " One of the first steps »way from such faulty practice was taken about 1881 in Chicago, when Superintend- ent Georgs Howland announced to his principals that pupils would i rom then on, be admitted to high school solely on teachers' re- . . . 8 commendations. At the time, this was doubtless regarded by many administrators as a dangerous procedure that would lower the standards of the school, but, as early as 1895, the county super- intendent^ of Cook County in an address before the National Edu- cation Association, characterized this procedure as, "The great- est official act of his (Howland's) long and successful superin- tendency." we shall see also, that certain of the flexible-pro- motion schemes of this period made the teachers' best estimate the sole basis for advancing pupils from one grade to the next higher. The successful results of such practice, have tended to weaken faith in the necessity of examinations of the old type. This change of sentiment is due partly, no doubt, to writers who 7 in discussing the theory of educational procedure have shown the nature and extent of the injustice which many times grows out of rigid examinations as a basis for promotion. The influ- ence, however, of tradition on university and college officials, on public school administrators and teachers, and on others hav- ing to do with pupil advancement, still complicates the problem of promotion and renders ineffective many proposals for an ade- quate solution. Influence of Experimental Evidence : Some of the most effective evidence that we have long been measuring pupils by instrument s & 6. Bright, Orville T. 7. See for example, 8. Monroe, Walter S. "Changes Wise and Unwise in Grammar <*nd High Schools. " Proceedings , National Educat ion Association , 1895, pp. 259- 278. School Efficiency , by H. E. Bennett, p.140. Measuring the Results of Teaching, pp . 1 - 21 . ' ' ■ . . . • • • * . . . . 9 that did not measure, is contained in such studies as those of Kelly, ^ Johnson*^ and Starch and Elliott . ^ These studies, if taken together, show that some of the accusations against the traditional methods in promotions, are well founded. Kelly, for example, concludes "A given grade or mark means many widely dif- ferent things to different teachers when they are rating pupils for promotion. . The difference amounts to as much as the differ- ence between G (good) and F- (fair minus) where the basis of markings includes only the steps P, F, G and E. " He also states that, "Seventy in one school is more than eighty-one in another." Johnson's study in the high school of the University of Chicago, likewise, shows that teachers' marks are not always safe guides as to what pupils know. Because some teachers give high m^rks and others give low marks, the pupil's report card is at be3fc, a very inaccurate indication of either performance or ability. The study by Starch and Elliott on the reliability of high school grading, throws light on the question of close adher- ence to passing-grade as a criterion for promotions. By means of facsimile reproductions of examination papers which they sent out to a large number of schools to be graded and returned, they found that there was such a wide range in marks as to render them of little value. Out of 116 replies returned, thirteen teachers gave a passing grade of 75; three gave 76; two gave a grade above 9. Kelly, F. J. Teachers ' Marks , (Teachers College Contributions to Education No. 66 Columbia University, New York) 1914. 10. Johnson, F. W. "A Study of High-School Grades", School Re- view , Vol. 19, pp. 16-24, January, 1911. 11. Starch, D. and Elliott, E, C. "Reliability of Grading Work in Mathematics." School Review , Vol. 31, pp. 254-259, April, 1913. . . ! ■ • . . . ' . . ( 10 SO; one mark was below 30; twenty were 80 or above and twenty others were below 60. There was a range from 28 to 92 when grad- ing identical material. In the light of such investigations, is it not time to question more seriously than ever, the custom of calling pupils who by chance or otherwise get 75 or more on their papers, qualified to pass on and of requiring an extra term of all who probably as much by chance, fall below passing? Not only is there variation among different teachers when they undertake to grade identical material, but there is a similar irregularity of marks when the same teacher marks identical material at different times. Knowing the inadequacy of prevailing practices such as the marking system, the administrator must face the responsibility of securing a more adequate measure by which to classify pupils so that they may be in the grade where the school will mean the most to them. Theoretical Basis for Proper Prom o tions : The following princi- ples (See Bennett, "School Efficiency", 144) set forth something of the inherent nature of the problem of proper promotions. 1. "Promotion shall not be based on a single test nor set of tests given at a single time. 2. It shall not be dependent on any single sort of measurement however often applied. 3. It shall not be dependent on any purely quantita- tive or mathematical grade or combination of grades. There is no 10C per cent perfection in any mental trait nor is there any zero point to be found among school children. Still less is there any mathemati- cal point, such as 75 per cent, which marks the dis- tinction between success and failure. It shall be a gradual process, beginning when the year's work begins and based on every task. 4 . • * ' . 11 5. It shall be a co-operative process in which the child is consciously participating. Definite standards of efficiency by which the child can daily judge his own work, shall be kept before him. 6. The reports to parents shall be such as keep them fully aware of the probability of advancement and the means of avoiding demotion. No friction should ever arise from the question of promotion. ?. Such can and should be the spirit of the school and of its relations to parents that promotion would never be thought of as favoritism. Neither teacher nor pupil should regard promoting a child as favoring him or retarding him as a point on which there could be a difference of desire be- tween them. 8. It is not the teacher's business merely to size and reject, but to detect and to demonstrate to the pupil his deficiencies and to guide him in remedying them. A teacher who cannot locate a pupil's difficulty early in the year and plan with him its remedy, who does not know until the term is over that the child's work is not sufficient for his promotion, should not be intrusted with the decision of the matter.” A pupil should be placed in that grade in the school where the school can do the most for him regardless of previous records or any other condition. As a rule this means, probably, that he should be placed in the highest grade in which he can do credible work without risk of injury to health. Repetition of identical work of a grade should be required of no pupil who has substantially done the work of a grade. If he has not met the grade-standard of his group (rapid, normal or slow) the subject- matter should be adapted. "Education is not something to be forced upon child- ren and youth from without, but is the growth of capacities with which human beings are endowed at birth... What is learned in school is at best only a small part of education, a relatively superficial part, and yet what is learned in school, makes artificial distinctions in society and marks • . . • . - • ’ 12 p.ersons off from one another." Professor John Dewey, "Schools of Tomorrow", p. 2. The Problem of the Gifted and the Slow Pupil s: In the foregoing discussion, we have suggested that the problem of promotions is made difficult by the fact that we have not found a suitable in- strument by which to measure attainment and, also, by the fact that the scheme of promotions must take into account so many fac- tors. This problem is still farther complicated by the wide range of intelligence represented in a class or a school. As yet, the administrators have done but little to properly provide for the extremes of this range. The school has the responsibility, for example, of finding the exceptionably bright pupils and providing IP for them a different type of instruction from that usually given. Gifted pupils represent a type of retardation that must be recog- nized in the methods of instruction used and in the promotion scheme followed. They probably constitute the most neglected group in our public schools. The school is responsible, likewise, for the proper care of the feeble-minded and retarded children who represent the bor- derland region of normal development. Of these pupils. Professor Munsterberg in his book "Psychology and the Teacher", page 237, wrote as follows: "In many respects they have the appearance of normal children and only a small distance seems to separate them 12. Whipple, G, M. Classes for Gifted Children , also, Gillingham, Anna "The Bright Child and the School. " Journal Educational Psychology , May- June, 1919, Vol . 10, pp. 237-252. 13 from the stupid, the naughty, -or lazy children whom every teacher has to find at the foot of her class. Yet careful observation cannot overlook the mental ab- normality of certain pupils whose lack of mental power does not demand that they be classed as imbeciles. Their attention cannot adapt itself, their perception is defective, their memory is uncertain, their associa- tions are slow and uniform, their judgment is helpless, and their feelings are utterly unstable, their in- stincts usually impulsive and generally their bodies show disabilities. "Such children must be recognized as unfit for instruction (in the ordinary way) in the public schools. If their presence in the schoolroom is ignored, they themselves must from year to year have less chance of becoming useful members of the community. They sink down through their inability to follow, become utterly discouraged, and do not profit at all from the school. On the other hand, if the teacher does adjust the in- struction to their inferior psychical make-up, the whole class i3 held back unfairly.” In this connection, however, it has been shown recently that this special promotion problem of exceptional children may be simplified by means of mental tests. It has been found, for example, that "Children who test low, are very slow to learn to read. They have little initiative. What they appear to learn one day is not retained to the next. Much drill and repetition is necessary. Their reading is marked by a tendency to name words without thought of the meaning. " This suggests the need of mental tests in the schools and that "A special course of study should be given children who show serious mental retardation. They should be led up through their school course according to their capacities and needs rather than according to formal grade standards. " 13 13. Dickson, Virgil E. "What First Grade Children Can do in School, as Related to What is Known by Mental Tests." Journal Educational Re- search, J une , 1 920, YoT, 2, pp. 475- 1F0 . 14 CHAPTER II RESUME OF ATTEMPTS TO ADJUST THE SCHOOL TO THE CHILD'S ABILITY (How Administrators Have Interpreted The Problem and What Has Been Done To Remedy Improper Classification) In this chapter and the next following, are brief dis- cussions which are intended to show something of how the problem of promotions has been interpreted and what solutions have been proposed. Chapter II is an abbreviated account of various at- tempts that have been made to adjust the organization of the school to the individual pupil. These attempts are discussed under three headings: (a) Changes in Class-interval for Reclassi- fication, (b) Changes Affecting Methods, and (c) Complete Change in Promotional Machinery. a. Change in Class-interval for Reclassification . The first departure from the original scheme of annual promotions in our graded schools, was to reduce the interval be- tween the times of general reclassification. The short intervals in use in the various public schools are the semester, the quarter and irregular intervals. Semi-annual Promotions. Arguments For and Against : At present one of the most popular administrative units is the semester. By allowing for a reclassi- fication of all pupils twice a year instead of annually as first practiced, the pupils who are required to repeat a grade do not need to lose a whole year, and a shorter step is provided for ‘ ' . . ■ _ . . 15 pupil 8 who may be allowed to gain time. That this plan is popular, is evidenced by the annual school reports which show that practi- cally all of the large systems and many small ones are now organ- 14 ized on the semester basis. This plan has its opponents , how- ever, who contend that such an organization makes sixteen instead of eight units or grades and that this breaking up of the year's work adds to the administrative difficulties by making the dis- turbance incident to reclassification more frequent. This extra burden on the school, it is claimed, is not sufficiently justi- fied by benefits to the pupils. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that we have no assurance that the semi-annual promotions really result in a lower percentage of retardation. Certain local comparisons have shown, as a matter of fact, that the school using annual promotions had a lower per cent of retardation. Such a condition, when found, does not necessarily condemn the semi-an- nual plan of promotions, however, but may be taken to mean that conservative teachers are more willing to give pupils the benefit of doubt, when a failure means the loss of a year, than when it results in the repetition of only one semester. ^ In 1891, at the request of the United States Commis- sioner of Education, Dr. E. E. White made an extensive study of promotions and examinations in graded schools. He made a special study of class-intervals for reclassification and from hie in- vestigations concluded that the half-year plan of organization 14. Carfrey, J. H. "Grading and Promotion. " Journal of Educa- tion April 4, 1912, Vol. 75, pp. 379-380. 15. Ayres, Leonard P. "The Effects of Promotion Rates on School Efficiency." American School Board Journ- al. May, 1913, p.9. 16 has the most advantages with the fewest: real disadvantages for the elementary grades with the exception of the first and second year3 where shorter intervals than the semester were recommended. Semester and Modified Subject-Matte r: Some schools have adopted the semester as the unit for reclassification and have allowed for further differentiation by varying the amount of work expected of different types of pupils. The North Denver 1 ^ plan made such provisions. It provided a minimum amount of work which wa3 re- quired of all pupils and allowed other pupils whose capacities warranted the teachers in making such assignments, to have special tasks and privileges such as reading in the library along the line of their own interests. This outside assignment was extended on the condition that it would be withdrawn when the standard of the regular work began to wane. The pupils in this way were led to look upon these additional opportunities as honorable recognition. The merit of such a plan lies in the provision for working all the pupils up to capacity without advancing the bright pupils in- to classes with pupils much older than themselves. It made no provision, however, for the slow pupils. Semester Plan and Unassigned Teachers ; Another method of prepar- ing the pupils for semester reclassifications is that of provid- ing certain teachers, who are not assigned to any particular room or grade. The duty of these teachers, as the plan was wroked at 16. Van Sickle, J. H. “Grading and Promotion with Reference to the Individual Needs of Pupils. " Pro- ceedings > N at i o nal Education A ssociation, 1898, p. 434. ' . . 1? Newton, Massachusetts, was to give extra work to pupils needing more attention than the regular teachers had time to give them. The "Double Tillage Plan” : The most extreme modification of the semester plan, probably, is what has been called the "Double Til- lage Plan", which was worked out at Woburn, Massachusetts where it was followed from 1694 to 1903. According to this scheme, as the name suggests, the pupils of a particular grade took a year's work in one semester at the end of which period there was a gener- al reclassification. The pupils who could go on and join the slower group of the next higher grade, were advanced and all the rest of the grade repeated the work in the second semester. In this way the brightest pupils of a given grade would be classed with the slower group of the next higher grade during the second semester. With the exception of Keene, New Hampshire, where it was tried in a modified form for a while, this plan was not re- ceived with much favor. It proved to have no special merit after the third grs.de because the work was too heavy in the more ad- vanced grades to be done at this rate of progress. Following the same line of reasoning employed in pre- ferring the semi-annual to the annual plan, variation of class- interval has been the central idea running through numerous at- tempts to find the proper solution to the problem of administer- ing promotions in such a way as to recognize and record what pro- gress the pupil has made. 1 ?. School Committee, Newton, Massachusetts, Report of 1913, 18 Quarterly Promotions l ft Advantages and Pi a^dvant ages : Dr. William T. Harris, a pioneer of flexible promotion schemes, while superintendent of the city schools of Saint Louis, Missouri, is said to have been the first to base an administrative plan on a unit shorter than the school year. He first reported his plan of quarterly promotions, in the school reports for that city for the years 1871-1873, where he discussed the necessity of having some provision whereby the pupils, especially those in the lower grades, could be promoted every five or six weeks during the school year. Every ten weeks, new classes were formed, but only the pupils "Who were ready" were advanced. This resulted in having a large number of classes doing different work and gave an opportunity for placing a pupil in the class that most nearly worked him up to maximum effort. In this connection. Dr. Harris is quoted as saying, "Thirty classes between the first and eighth grades are a possibility in large schools in cities. That all cities do not avail themselves of this possibility, is one of the most serious defects in Ameri- can supervision." Over against the advantages of this scheme as worked out in Saint Louis, are weighed the disadvantages to the pupil 3 of such frequent changes of teachers and the inconvenience to school officials resulting from doubling the work and confusion that always accompany the period of general reclassification. The teacher must know her pupils before she can do her most ef- 18. Saint Louis Schools, Annual Reports, 1869 to 1874. . 19 fective teaching. When the pupils have to change teachers at such short intervals, there is danger that the teachers will rarely, if ever, know the pupils well. This plan of grading is still in effect at Saint Louis but the recent survey of this system and other reports that show the conditions of retardation, lead one to believe that the ad- vantages of the quarterly plan are counterbalanced by certain dis- advantages with the result that there is the same general condi- tion of over-ageness that schools in general have. Princip les: Some of the underlying principles that are claimed to justify the foregoing administrative procedure are listed by 19 Holmes, as follows: 1. Pupils differ greatly in their ability to do the work of the grades. 2. Unless the school provides for these different rates of progress by frequent reclassification, the bright pupils not being held up to work of which they are capable will acquire careless habits, 'while the dull pupils being compelled to move forward at a toe rapid p^ce, will become demoralized and disheartened. 3. The attendance of some pupils is far more regu- lar than that of others, absence being du3 to sickness, necessity of working for a living and other causes. The short-interval favors pupils v/ho fail because of poor 19, Holmes, W. H, School Organization and the Individual Child, p. 27. 20 attendance . 4. Because certain pupils can go at a more rapid rate and because large numbers of pupils in the upper grades are constantly leaving school, some provision must be made to restore the proper quota of pupils to teachers of the upper grades. 5. By this plan of promoting the few brightest, rather than demoting the few poorest, a maximum of encouragement is claimed to result to slow pupils. Irregular Intervals Special Schemes : Besides the semester and the quarterly plans to provide flexibility in the administration of promotions, sever- al special schemes for advancing pupils have been tried out with varying degrees of success. These further modified either the length of interval or the course of study or both according to individual needs. The best known of such plans include the old Cambridge 2 ^ (Massachusetts) scheme as well as those of Elizabeth^ (New Jersey), Pueblo^ 2 (Colorado), Seattle 1 ^ (Washington), 20. Cogswell, Francis "The Cambridge Experiment." Proceedi ngs , . National Education Associ^ti o n, 1694, p. 333. 21. Shearer, W. J. "The Elizabeth Plan of Grading." Proceed - ings , National Education Association , 1898, pp. 441-451. 22. Search, P. W. "Individual Teaching, The Pueblo Plan. " Edu- cation Review , February, 1694, Vol. 7, pp. 154-170. 23. Barnard, Frank J. "Let Pupils be so Classified as to Allow Unrestricted Progress or Unlimited Time According to Ability." (Eight Years with the Seattle Plan) Proceedings , National Education Associat ion , 1899, pp. 166-167. I. ^ e ' v . 31 Portland 2 "* (Oregon), Baltimore 2 ^ (Maryland), Chicago 2 ^ (Illinois) and Mannheim 1 ^ 7 (Germany). Each of these schemes has some characteristic feature but all are alike in making some provision for individual differ- ences in pupils in the matter of school progress. The Elizabeth plan, for example, is distinguished by a provision that the teach- ers' best estimate is taken as the basis for promotions. Advance- ment takes place just when the teachers think that the pupils are ready for the next grade. The Cambridge plan and the Seattle plan, likewise, make provision for different rates of progress, but this is done by having: parallel courses (double tracks) which allow pupils to take the same courses at different rates of pro- gress. The former provided two such parallel courses and the lat- ter four. This allowed the bright pupils of the elementary school to do the work of the course in less time than the slower pupils. The Portland schema, on the other hand, divided the work in such a way that the pupil progressed from unit to unit at his own rate of progress. The pupils recited in groups, those doing approxi- mately the same work reciting together. Another slightly different type of promotion plan is one which was first used at Santa Barbara, California. It is de- 34. Holmes, W. H. School Organization and the Individual Child , pp. 39-43. 35. Cubberley, E. P. Publi c School Admlni stration , pp. 300-310. 36. Van Sickle, J. H. , Witmer, Lightner and Ayres, L. P., Provi- sion s for Exceptional Children in School , p. 40. 37. Holmes, W. H. School Qrganl zation and the Indi vi dual Child , p. 56. 22 scribed by Professor Cubberley 2 ^, as follows: "Three parallel courses of instruction are pro- vided for the first six grades, each requiring differ- ent amounts of work and intended to be suited to the needs of the slow, the average and the gifted, and so arranged as to tend to eliminate non-promotion and re- tardation in these elementary grades. Course C in- cludes the minimum essentials in the fundamental ele- mentary subjects which are to be required of all, while each of the other courses includes larger amounts of work, or a greater enrichment of instruction, or both, "Instead of providing only for the average and the gifted, as in the Cambridge, Portland and North Denver plans, this plan makes a third group for the slow. Unlike these three plans though, it makes no def- inite provision for the more rapid advancement of the mere gifted. The important features of this plan are the differentiation of the courses, the introduction of departmental instruction and promotion by subject in the last two years of the usual grammar school." Not only have the promotion schemes in the United States been considered by American superintendents, but those of foreign countries have also engaged their attention. The best known 29 European scheme is that of Mannheim , Germany, It is noted for its "Auxiliary classes" to aid the bright pupils and its "Further- ing classes" which is a provision for giving extra consideration to pupils who are not able to work at the regular rate — the rate, namely, which will enable them to finish the elementary course in eight years, The above outlined descriptions are sufficient to in- dicate something of what has been done to gain evidence on which to base administrative procedure in the matter of promotions. 28. Cubberley, E. P. Public School Administration , p. 307. 29. Holmes, W. H. School Organization and the Individual Child , p. 56. ' . . 1 . . . . 23 These devices have, mainly, been confined either to shortening the time for completion of the elementary course or to varying the amount of required subject-matter according to ability. As Holmes (cited on page 2 G) points out, however, "It is a signifi- cant fact that after &11 these years with the short interval of grading, .. there exists a large amount of retardation in their schools. " (page 31) b. Admlni s trati ve Change a Affecting Instru c tional Metho ds. Some administrators have attacked the problem of promo- tions by introducing some modification of schoolroom procedure. In addition to modifying the promotional machinery, severed, note- worthy changes in method and organisation have been made. These changes are much the nature of a compromise between class in- struction and individual instruction. The Batavia"*^ plan, for example, which provides a "helping teacher" to give personal at- tention to slow as well as rapid pupils, has shown us that much may be gained by supplementing class instruction by individual instruction. Batavia continues to use the annual promotions and after fourteen years of using this special feature of an addi- tional teacher in certain rooms, the author^- 5 - of the Batavia plan still enthusiastically says that "all arrive on time and there is no necessity of disturbing annual class-intervals and annual pro- 30. Bagley, w. C. Classroom Management , Chapter IV, 31. Kennedy, John (Superintendent) "The Batavia Plan After Fourteen Years of Trial", Elementary School Teacher , June, 1912, Vol. 12, pp. 449-459. 34 motions. " Another type of attempt that has been made to give individual attention through administrative method is illustrated 32 by the Gary schools. Here slow pupils have access to Saturday classes as well as to vacation classes where rhey may take extra work in their weak subjects. Also, by having the corresponding subjects of all the grades arranged in the program so as to avoid conflict in the scheme, a pupil who is weak in some one subject m»y be promoted with his class and allowed to take double work in the weak subject. A 4B pupil, for example, weak in arithmetic, might be promoted to 4A but he would recite with both 4B and 4A. Class Instruction : In spite of the various attempts to make ad- justments in organization and methods, the question of how to ad- minister promotions most equitably to the pupil and yet be proper- ly considerate of the interests of the group, remains a perplex- ing problem. Throughout the solutions which have been proposed, may be seen a constant attempt to preserve group instruction. It is quite generally conceded that in a school as in any society, there is as Boone ^ says, "Necessary co-operation and mutual re- actions; forbearances and conventional prohibitions and privileges, in the give-and-take that goes along with congregate life." This is seen nowhere more plainly than in the schoolroom when pupils 32. Bobbitt, J. F. "Elimination of Waste in Education *», Ele - mentary School Teacher , February, ISIS, Vol. 13, pp. 258-271 (366) 33. Boone, R, G. "The Lockstep in the Public Schools". Pro- ceedings , Natio nal Education Association , 1903, pp. 408-412. . . . 25 recite together on a common task. It is believed., therefore, that school-life carried on as group-life prepares for the social life that the pupil will be expected to live and share as a citizen. This being so, and also because individual instruction is more costly, whatever we propose as a solution, must be -consistent with some form of class instruction. c. New P r omo 1 1 o nal - Mach i ner y , Burk 1 s Plan For Indi vi dual-Progr e as . The most striking and extreme attempt to meet the de- mands of the individual in recording school progress, is the Burk- experiment now being carried on at San Francisco Normal School. The plan was initiated in ISlb by President Frederick Burk who maintains that in the very nature of things, there can be no "mis- fit" children but that our schools like clothing may be "misfits" for the children. In this normal school there are 500 to 600 pupils of all grades ranging in age from 6 to 16 years. These pupils are given individual instruction by the "Practice" teach- ers under aoout the same conditions that one may find in an or- dinary graded school except that no distinctly subnormal pupils are admitted. Everything is done to allow the pupil to go through school at a pace natural to. himself. Hence, the texts are re- written so as to contain more explicit directions to guide the individual (much like a book for correspondence study). They con- tain a large amount of exercise materials which will be used in varying degrees by the pupils according as some may do a given assignment with satisfactory "accuracy" with few or many exercises. 36 In this way the more gifted pupils by displaying more accuracy in all their work, will make more rapid progress. The promo- tions are by subject and grade standards are established on bas- is of the lowest diligent pupil's progress. By a specially a- dapted report card, a detailed record is kept; of the progress of each individual, and work that is finished is reported in appropriate columns. This work when compared with the outline for 95 days shows what promotion has been made in any subject and at any time in the term. In the matter of subject -promo- tions, it has been pointed out that fifty pupils a=.y have fifty different "sticking places" in any one subject and that pupils vary as much in ability to carry the various subjects as they vary from one another in any one subject. This method, there- fore, would possess merit in preventing retardation by repair- 34 ing the weak places at the right time, when they appear. 35 Other advantages, claimed for such an individual plan, are that it will "encourage habits of concentration, self- reliance and working at maximum efficiency;" it will "avoid much of the friction existing between teacher and pupil" and will "correlate each pupil '3 work with his main interest." This plan of instruction i3 said to save as much as 70% of the time 34, Burk, Frederick Every Child a Minor vs the Lockstep — A Suit in Equity , (Monograph C San Francis- co State Normal School, 1915) 35, Washburns, Carleton W. "Breaking the Lockstep in our Schools. " School and Society , October 5, 1918, Vol. 8, pp, 391-402.' 36, McGregory, James L. Variation in Progress in Learning to SpellT (University of Iowa Studies, New Series No. 31, May, 1930, p» 7) Prelimi- nary Report. 27 devoted to spelling by the 'most rapid pupils. Fnether the in- creased degree in which these points of merit are realized in this plan more than by class-instruction, outweigh the disad- vantages of such a recolut ionary scheme, deserves serious con- sideration before advocating such a plan for general adoption. 28 CHAPTER III ATTEMPTS TO FIND THE CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES OF NON-PROMOTIONS AND REMEDIAL MEASURES Experimental Studies Retardation Resulting From Non-promotion : Another type of en- deavor to analyze and solve the problems of the non-promoted child, is seen in the long list of studies on retardation. 37 Since the study in elimination by Professor Thorndike in 1907, hardly a year has passed in which there has not been made some important contribution to this phase of the problem of proper 38 39 pupil-progress. The well known studies of Ayres, Cornman, 40 41 42 Falkner, . Bachman, Keyes, and others, have presented 37, Thorndike, E. L. Elimination of Pupils from School , (Uni- ted States Bureau of Education Bulletin No, 4, 1907) 38.. Ayres, L. P. "Laggards in our Schools.” Russell Sage Foundation , 19C9. 39. Cornman, 0. P. "Size of Classes.” Psychological Clinic , December 15, 1909, Vol. 3, pp. 206-212. 40. Falkner, R. P. ”The Fundamental Expression of Retardation.” Psychological Clinic , January 15, 1911, Vol. 4, pp. 213-220. Another article Psy c hological Clinic , January 15, 1911, Vol. 4, pp. 1-18. 41, Baohman, Frank P. Problems in Elementary School Admini s- tration. Part II on Promotions, (World Book Company, 1916) 42, Keyes, C, H, Progress Through the Grades of City Schools , (Teachers College Contributions to Edu- cation No, 42, Columbia University, New York, 1911) . 29 both methods and facts. These have in turn given impetus to this whole movement to re-adjust the schools to meet the needs of the so-called "misfit*’ ohild. Accompanying this line of activity and materially supplementing it, the psychological 43 studies into the nature and extent of individual differences of pupils, have given the administrator a different conception of the seriousness of the promotional problems and have laid the foundation for a new type of school administration. Re me di al Measures New Types of Schools: This is seen in the new types of schools that are found in the various systems in the United States. Some of these special schools are adapted to the subnormal ohildren who are defective in body or in mind. For example, schools for cripples, tubercular, deaf or blind and schools for epileptics, incorrigibles and mental defectives of every de- scription. Other sdiools are so organized as to serve the parti- cular interests of gifted children and those with unusual abili- ty in some one line such as extraordinary talent in art. Pro- fessor Cubberley in his text on school administration enumerates twenty-three such modifications of the regular school, all of which are intended to serve some special individual need. Many of these special schools, like the Junior High School, are the 43. Thorndike, E. L. Educational Psychology . Briefer Course . Part III, p. 331 ff. • • . • . . 30 outcome of the administrator's interpretation of the pupils' psychological, social or physical needs. The Promotion Problem : All these special schools also are in a very direct way traceable to an attempt to solve some promo- tion problem. A study of the social and intellectual needs of gifted children for example, has led some investigators 44 to maintain that for the good of the individual, as wall as for the good of society, pupils whose intelligence quotients rank them in the upper ten per oent of a school, should be segregated and given a special type of pedagogical treatment. Likewise, in- 45 48 47 v e st i gat ions by Foster, King, Crampton and others on the changes that come with age and the significance of the ap- proach of puberty have had an influence by directing attention to the fact that the work of the elementary school must be done at a rate that will allow the average pupil to be ready for High School by the time he is 14 years old. 44. Henry, T. S, Classroom problems in the Education of_ Gifted Children , (Nineteenth Year Book of the National Society for the Study of Educa- tion, Bloomington, Illinois, 1930, Part II) Wallin, J. E. W. The Mental Health of the School Child, p. 427. Reports that in 1914, twenty-two cities had classes for gifted children. 45. Foster, W. I. "Physiological Age as a Basis for Classifica- tion of Pupils Entering the High Schools. " Psychological Clinic . May 15, 1910, Vol. 4, pp. 83-88. 46. King, Irving "Physiological Age and School Standing." Psy- chological Clinic, January 15, 1914, Vol. 7, pp, 233-339. 47. Crampton, C. Ward "Influence of Physiological Age on Schol- arship." Psychological Clinic , June 15, 1907, pp. 115-121. Also , Pedagogical Seminary , June, 1908. . - ' ■ • . A. ‘ ' 31 Differentiated Courses of Study:- Special Class : Because of the variation in the ages of different individuals, at which these significant physiological changes appear, this psycho-physiologi- cal factor is made one of the major arguments in favor of a dif- 48 ferentiated course of study after the sixth grade. It is an argument of no less strength in favor of discontinuing the preva- lent custom of requiring certain 12 to 14-year old pupils continu- ally to repeat the lower grades. If such pupils cannot do the r/ork of a more advanced grade, there is no need for further evi- dence that some form of special class would serve better than the regular class-work. In fact, this procedure is followed by practically all superintendents in school systems that are large enough to have sufficient numbers of backward pupils to form a class. Aid of Mental Tests : Such a problem as here indicated, is like- ly to be less serious if recognized when it first appears. With the improvement of such administrative tools as mental tests, this type of problem will grow less and less evasive. If mental 49 tests were given in lirst grade, for example, where about one- third of the pupils fail of promotion, the problem of remedial 48. Johnston, Charles Hughes The Organization and Administra- tion of Secondary Education" (A Report of the Committee on Administration of High Schools of the National Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education of the National Education Association; edited by the Chairman, 1917) Unpub- ii shed. "The Use of Intelligence Tests in the Grad- ing of School Children. " Journal of Educational Rasear oh , Vol. 1, pp. 20-32. 49. Ter man, Lewis M. . • . ... .,1 33 measures for retardation might be simplified, by adapting the type of subject-matter and the methods to the capabilities of the children. Then by repeating these mental tests every two years, say, the teacher may have something more than mere "esti- 50 mate” to guide her. Such a procedure, however, would necessi- tate further improvement in the matter of "Group Tests" for primary as well as for more advanced pupils. As yet, we have 51 barely begun to develop group tests of this kind , but we have gone far enough to know that these measures of intelligence are useful in throwing into bold relief the enormous differences in intelligence in any group of children of a given age or grade, 52 and that mental tests are much better than mere opinion of par- 53 ents and teachers. Professor Terman recommends that all pupils of the first two or three grades, be given individual examination and that all pupils above the third grade should be given group tests at least every other year. The results of these tests, he says, if particularly high or low, should be checked by an in- dividual test such as the Binet. In regard to the place of tests 50* Pintner, Rudolf Mental Survey , (D. Appleton & Company, 19181 51. Pressey, S. L. and L. V. "A Group Point Scale for Measuring Intelligence. " Journal of Applied Psy- chology , September, 1918, Vol. 3, pp. 350-369. (See Cahpter IV, p. 53. At this time there was practically no choice between group tests. This test even, had not been well standardized). 53. Thorndike, E. L. "Tests of Intelligence, Reliability, Etc." School and Society , February 15, 1919, Vol. 9, pp. 189-195. 53. Terman, Lewis M. Journal of Educational Research cited above, p. 33. . - - • . %• C L . ( ■ . i ' . - - . : , i ■ i , . . . . . 33 in school administration, he adds, "In the management of a school or a school system, trie principal and superintendent will find intelligence tests an indispensable aid in the an- alysis of their problems, for the simple reason that these problems oannot be dissociated from the quali- ty of material with which the school works, " The Rochester Plan : A noteworthy type of attempt to analyze school conditions in regard to retardation and elimination and then to seek out and apply effective remedial measures, is that used by Rochester, New York, It represents not only a sane, practical method that any superintendent can follow regardless of the size of school system, but it has the additional advan- tage of bringing home to the individual teachers the important facts of such a study by enlisting their cooperation. In this way the teachers are finding out facts about their own pupils for their own use rather than for somebody at a distance. Through appropriate questionnaires, assistant superin- 54 tendent O' Hern gathered from the teachers of Rochester, their suggestions as to remedial measures applied after the results of the various standardized tests had been reported back to the schools. In addition, they were asked to make a list of the re- medial measures used to prevent non-promotions, to promote pro- gress, to reduce over-ageness and to discourage elimination. Superintendent O'Hern then tabulated the replies from more than 800 teachers replying, and gave back to them the combined re- sults. There were more than 40 different - remedial measures pro- 54. O'Hern, Joseph P, Remedial Measures, (An unpublished Re- port, ISIS) . V . • . . . i 1 * 34 posed to prevent non-promotions, for example; and this is typi- cal of the insight which a teaching body has into some of the most trying administrative problems. The devices mentioned by the largest number of teachers are, in order, the following: 1. Appeal to pride. 2. Consult parents — ask for co-operation. 3. Call on slow pupils often. 4. Encouragement and praise for good work. 5. Help before and after school. S. send work home. 7. Trial promotions with definite consideration during trial period. 8. Warn failing pupils early in the term to put forth greater effort. 9. Do not make pupils repeat unless repetition will be beneficial, 10. Do not let pupils become discouraged. From this type of study Superintendent O’Hern was able to con- clude that, in case of Elimination- "Only a small part of our elimination had a failure record or a poor attendance record. yjQ must conclude, therefore, that there are social, economic or psychological factors which account for the elim- ination of most pupils. " "We do not find any pronounced dislike for school in the f act s. . . . . The home environment is the most pressing factor in elimination. In some cases the parents need the help of their children but too often the parents are not thinking of the future wel- fare of the child, " ’ . . . . . . , ’ . . 35 Non-promot i ons- "The natural ra3ult of remedial measures used at the right time is bound to be an improvement in scholarship and consequently an increased per cent of promotions. " Need of Further Experimentation What Do Grade Lines Signify ? Various performance tests given by different investigators, have revealed the fact that there is much overlapping in the different grades of the public schools. Chambers in a study of "Individual Differences of Grammar Grade Children", found, for example, that there is no sharp line of demarcation between seventh and eighth grade performance on i- dentical test material. He gave (1910) in addition to certain physical tests, one test each of cancellation of A’s, addition, spelling, association of opposites, auditory memory, and visual memory to 33 seventh-grade and to the same number of eighth- grade pupils. The per cent of the seventh-grade that were as good as the eighth grade’s lowest performance is as follows: Percentages of overlapping Ca Ad Sp A-0 Am Vm of grade 7 on grade 8 47 43 55 55 41 53 Grade Lines Not Reliable Indices : From these data Ch ambers 0 ^ concluded that (page 69) "Manifestly an extra year of school life has failed to produce any discernable improvement in the traits tested." Quoting again (page 71) "The most important con- 55. Chambers, W. G. "Individual Differences in Grammar Grade Children, " Journal of Educational Psychology , 1910, Vol. 1, pp. 61-75. { V . ■ . . .... .. C. . - 36 elusion reached in the comparison of the distribution of abili- ties in the two grades is then, that there is no line of demar- cation between them. In regard to every trait examined, the grades overlap and in regard to most traits, they are coexten- sive in their range. Hence, to assume that in two school grades we have two distinct species, that certain (degrees of) abili- ties are lacking in one and present in the other, that all the members of one class are of approximately equal ability in a certain field and that they are inferior in that ability to all the members of the other, is, at best, a very hazardous guess. Indeed, by actual test, the poorest eighth grade records in addi- tion and spelling were surpassed by a third-grade child, select- ed at random. Teachers cannot afford to forget that our school grades do not represent distinct gradations of ability in pupils but are simply convenient devices of administration to facili- tate the handling of children in the mass. The grades are deter- mined by reference to more or less artificial standards, and too often do not represent the real intelligence, industry, endur- ance, adaptability and other traits important for education of the pupils. It seems as if ability in perception, association and memory, when these functions are tested on familiar materi- al, should be pretty closely related to educability and should be affected by school progress to an extent distinguishable in successive grades, if the grades really grade." 56 Bonser from tests of reasoning ability, given to 56. Bonser, F. G. The Reasoning Ability of Children of the 4th, 5th and 6th School Grade s . "T ts aoh - ers College Contributions to Education No. 3? , Columbia University, New York) ’ I - • 37 grades 4, 5 and 6, as well as from the combined results of the seven tests, found a similar overlapping of grades. The tests used include two arithmetic, one controlled association, one op- posites, two selective judgments and one intellectual interpreta- tion of poems. We quote from his conclusions page SI. "There are quite substantial percentages from both the lower grade groups and the lower age groups who are found in the highest quart ile of ability for all; second, most of the groups of the youngest 25 per cent in each grade, show higher abilities than the oldest 25 per cent and sometimes higher than the median ability of the whole grade. 5 ? Thorndike states that in handwriting, "Individual pupils within the same grade. ... show a range of difference much greater than between the fifth grade of the worst system and the eighth grade of the best, " Buckingham' s results from tests given in New York City in 1915, are also significant evidence that school attendance in a particular grade is not a safe guide to the performance to ex- pect of pupils. By comparing the median performance of grades c C seven and eight, he reports overlapping of one grade on the next higher as follows: 57. Thorndike, E. L. "Handwriting", Teachers College Record , March, 1910, Vol. 11, pp. 82-175. 58. Buckingham, B. R. Principles of Scale Derivation with Spec- i&l Application to" Arithmetic , Geography, History and Grammar , T Third Conference on Educational Measurements, Bloomington, Indiana, 1916) - . ' a* . ■ E«3B===aSS=S=======» ■■■ ■ ■!■■■ ■ — 38 Per Cent in Each Grade Who Equal or Exceed the Median of the Next Higher Grade. Test ?i on 7 g 7 2 on 8j_ 8^ on 8 Arithmetic 38 36 28 Geography 47 39 28 History 43 23 27 Grammar ? 37 39 59 Dr. Buckingham w reports another test of 10 problems in arith- metic, given to 4985 children in March and again in June. These tests show percentages of overlapping as given below, - 7 1 0n 7 2 7 i on 8 i .7^ on 8 0 ? 2 ° n 8 1 7 on 8 2 2 8 1 8 S March June 37.3 32.2 25.3 28.6 11.3 13.7 36.2 45.5 19.9 22.6 30.0 28.5 From the reports of some of these studies, it is not always clear whether the conclusions regarding the amount of over- lapping, are based on a comparison of the best pupils in a grade with the worst in the next higher or whether, as in the studies by Professor Buckingham, they are based on a comparison of the performance of one grade with reference to the median of another grade. In either case, however, we have evidence of a large 59. Buckingham, B. R. Note s on Derivation of Scales in School Subjects , (15th Year Book, National So- ciety for the Study of Education, 1915. Part I, p. 33. . 39 number of pupils in an advance grade whose records are equaled or surpassed by others in lower grades. SO Kruse, in an extensive study of overlapping of grades, reports that his findings support the conclusions of the writers just mentioned. He reports, also, that when overlapping is com- puted on the basis of the composite of two or more tests of the 3 ume kind, it is materially reduced. The following table taken from Kruse’s study, sets forth the amount of dver lapping to be expected when estimated by composites. It should be noted that his findings by composites also show a significant amount of over- lapping. OVERLAPPING OF GRADES BY COMPOSITES. (Kruse) (Per Cent of Each Grade Who Equal or Exceed the median of other grades, upward and downward.) Composites No. of Test s VI on VIII VI : VII : VIII on : on : on VII :VIII : VI VIII on VII VII on VI Aver- age Composition 3 13. 64 37.83:24.09: 8.02 21.38 24.95 llTS T Trabue 4 14. 38 32.46:31.19:31.89 31.75 36. 63 28.10 Opposites 3 8.57 24.87:30.49:13.41 29.58 28.97 22.32 B-C (Association) 5 32.58 32.63:44.21:36.07 49.99 41.40 39.48 Mixed Relations 2 39.51 51.40:41.33:40.35 39.17 50.69 43.72 Directions 3 27 . 38 31. 67:45.30:29.64 45.42 31.98 35.23 Visual Vocabulary 2 8.32 33.48:38.14:11.35 27,31 26.81 20.74 Arithmetic 3 7. 08 18.13:33,31:13.00 32,68 24.28 31.21 English 22 6.97 24.86:25.83: 9,68 23.18 26.12 19.44 Total 28 4.58 19.57:27.74:* S.37 24.15 21.98 17.73 60. Kruse, Paul J. Overlapping of Attainment s in Certain Sixth , Seventh and Eighth Grades , (Teach ers College Contributions to Education No. S3, Columbia University, New York) 40 "The measure of overlapping in this study is the per cent of the pupils in cuiy grade who equal or exceed the median score of the next gra.de or the second grade above; or the per cent of pupils in any grade who go below the median score of the next grade or the second grade below. The former will be referred to as over- lapping "upwards" and the latter as overlapping "downwards", page 30. His significant conclusion for our use is that, "Our graded school system ~s a means of placing children according to ability to do the work of the school is not so grossly lack- ing as has been suggested on the basis of the overlapping of a single nest, on the other hand, our grades do not represent distinct types of ability so clearly marked, off from each other that all the pupils of a given grade are superior tc all the pupils of the next lo7ver grade in ability to do the work of the school." page S7, While the composite tests show slightly less overlap- ping (granting that the computations are on the same basis) than that shown by single tests, the results in the above table in- dicate that the performance of one pupil in six, (17.73 per cent) is equal to or better than the median ability of the next higher grade. In other words, by whatever test, there is found a large amount of overlapping on consecutive grades. With all this and other similar evidence against the present practice of over emphasizing the importance and signifi- cance of grade-line distinctions in the matter of promotions, this is an opportune time to apply such facts in working out a 41 more satisfactory administrative procedure. If the schools -re to play an important role in training for citizenship through social and economic subjects, we must make it possible for more pupil 8 to reach the upper grades where such subjects are taught best. If the traditional custom of repeating grades as a result of inability to measure up to standards set by traditional meth- ods, is known to be rarely attended by improvement in scholastic standing, we must find some means whereby every pupil will have an opportunity to show whether he or she can do the work of the next higher grade as satisfactorily as that shown by the average results of the present grade. It has been said, hi so, that "what knowledge a child has already attained is not always, nor 61 is it usually the best criterion for advancement." Purpo s e of This Study : The best way to ascertain the correctness of such a statement as well as to learn the school's possibili- ties in the light of so much overlapping on the next higher grades, is to gain further evidence by experimentation. To ad- vance the pupils faster, especially the brighter group of the over-aged that drop out of school early to take up employment in some life-pursuit, we need to work out the details of some pro- cedure that will allow every pupil a chance to show with what degree of success he or she can do the work of the next higher grade. This would be a more defensible basis for promotion and 61. Buckingham, B. R. Promotions in the Schools of New York CityI ~TAppendix p, 17th Annual Report of New York City Schools, 1915) 43 its merits should toe experimentally ascertained. To propose such a detailed procedure and to report the success with which it has been tried out, is the definite undertaking of the present body. . . 43 CHAPTER IV THE DANVILLE EXPERIMENT Near the close of the first semester of the school year 1918-19, the superintendent of the Danville schools, in co-opera- tion with the Bureau of Educational Researoh at the University of Illinois, undertook to gather data on the first phase of our problem. The definite task in this connection, was to ascertain to what extent pupils of a given grade can do school work out- lined for pupils one or more grades in advance. Accordingly, a comprehensive three-fold test of such a nature as to involve as little extra work for teachers as possible, was planned. The nature and purpose of these tests are set forth in the outline which follows. As an additional safeguard against injustice lo the pupils as a result of disturbing their work by advancing them to a grade that might prove to be too difficult, all pupils advanced on the basis of these tests were to have been given a probation- ary period of six or eight weeks. During this probation, they were to take the regular work of the highest grade in which, say, any two of these tests indicated that they belonged. Such proba- tion, if successful, would thro?/ light on the second part of our study by revealing the shortcomings of the usual method of promo- tions, It would show, for example, what pupils had been held back for some unjustifiable excuse or what pupils are at present graded lower than they would be if pupils were classified accord- t . « 1 : ♦ . • l - 44 ing to ability as expressed by mental age. Outli ne of the Danville Experiment Purpose : Studies of performance of school children have empha- sized individual differences more distinctly than anything else. We have grown accustomed to statements, for example, that fourth grade children are as capable in certain directions as some eighth grade children. ( S3) Such statements raise a question as to the meaning of the grad© name as indicating what a child knows or can do. To gain information on which one can safely base an ad- ministrative procedure, it is necessary to evaluate such state- ments in the light of data obtained under experimental conditions. Because of the light it would throw on the general subject of proper pupil promotions, we endeavored to learn here the extent to which children are able to satisfy the requirements of the cur- riculum of a grade to which they have not belonged. A-Data Based on the Curriculum ; We tried to find out to what extent children who are successful in their term examinations are also able to pass the term examinations of the next higher grade. This included the elementary grades above the second. The tests were the identical tests given the regular pupils of the respect- ive grades. Opportunity was to be given to every child who suc- cessfully passed the test appropriate for his grade in any subject to take the test of the next higher graa© in that subject, and, if he passed it, to take the test of the second higher grade and so on as far as he could go. (Arrangements for the giving of these successive examinations were to be placed in the hands of the superintendent . He and the teachers were to bear in mind (a) that knowledge of the tests should not leak out, and (b) that when adminis- tered, proper precaution against collusion should be taken.) The questions were made out by a committee of teachers or by the superintendent. Eight out of a total of ten questions were se- lected by the pupils. These questions had been selected out of 62. Butte, Montana Report of a Survey of the School System of 1914. pp. 74, 81. Also Kruse, Paul J. Overlapping of Attainment s in Certain Sixth. Seventh and Eighth Grades , p. 67. - ■ 1 . • . * 45 the lists which had been submitted to the committee by the re- spective teachers. The various examinations were of the ordinary length and were such that the whole examination for a grade could be given In one day. B-Data Based on Mentality : If a child successfully passed not only the tests of the' grade which he was just completing but also those of the next higher grade, while we could not say that this constituted a complete reason for advancing the child two grades instead of one, it would be at least strong evidence in favor of such action. His age would need to be taken into account and, more important still, his mental age would have weight, for this is the really significant basis of age for school work. To obtain the mental age it was necessary to give mental tests. For this purpose, the Pressey Group Point Scale (63) was used. This type of test and this test in particular, was used because of the ease with which it can be administered and because of the high corre- lation which is claimed to exist when it is compared with individ- ual tests. At this time moreover, the Pressey Scale was the only group intelligence scale available for use in the grades. C-Data Based on Standardized Test s: As a check on the testing under the above headings, standardized tests were given in most of the fundamental subjects. The tests used were the following: Reading: Arithmetic: Geography: History: Spelling: Monroe’s Standardized Silent Reading Tests (I, II and III). Woody’s Arithmetic scales. Series B. Hdhn-Lackey, Geography Scale Step Q. Selections from Buckingham 1 s Questions. Selections from Buckingham’ s List. The papers were scored by the teachers with the subsequent as- sistance of the Bureau of Educational Research. Use Made of the Standardized Tests : If a pupil could equal the standard of the next higher grade, it would be additional evidence that should be taken into account when considering his rapid pro- motion. If he showed by two or more of these tests, that he had ability to attempt a higher grade of work than the regular promo- tions would give him, the superintendent would have an intelligi- ble basis on which to advance him. In cases where pupils ware re- commended to skip a grade, provisions were made whereby the rs- 63, Pressey, S.L. and L.W. ”A Group Point Scale for Measuring General Intelligence,” Journal of Applied Psychology. September, 1918, Vol, 2, ppT 250-269. (Only the tests Nos, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 were used. Testing was under the directions of the Bureau of Educational Research). . . ; . .. ‘ 46 calving teacher would teach the subject-matter which was thought to be prerequisite to a proper comprehension of the work of the advanced grade and which the pupil had not had opportunity to l6£.rn because of this extra promotion. In other words, the course of study was modified by not requiring the pupil to take such parts of the grade skipped as would be in substance a repetition of work in the regular course of the grade below. Proposed Program in the Danville E xperimen t To provide for uniformity in the matter of details in the Danville experiment, a definite program was suggested to the superintendent of schools, as follows ,- January 6-10, Give the Pressey Mental Test 13-17, Give Standard Tests 30-24, Prepare examination questions on the course of study, providing ten questions in the several subjects, reading, arithmetic, language, geo- graphy, history and spelling, eight of which are to be answered by the pupi 1 . January 24-29, Give the final examinations, as usual, using the above named questions and following the schedule indicated below. Beginning with grade lb, classes or grades are referred to as #1 to #16. Schedule: January 24, 37, 39, 30, grades 5-16, take Examination #1, corresponding to grades. grades 5-16, take Examination #2, that of the next higher grade. those passing, take Examination #3, that of the second higher grade. those passing #3, take Examination #4, that of the third higher grade. This schedule was not known to the pupils and when they took a second or a third examination, they did not know that the questions had been submitted to another grade. All examinations after the first were to be unannounced. Because of the large numbers that would pass the examination No. 1, some provision had to be made whereby these pupils could work together in the second TABLE I. AGE-GRADE DISTRIBUTION, GRADES 3B to 8 a, Danville (111.) 47 examination with those who failed to pass. Hence, all were given the examination of the next higher grade with the understanding among teachers that the papers of the failing pupils of the first examination, were not to be made a part of the experimental data. The few pupils who passed examination No. 2, were given another examination in the same room with other pupils who were busy with the regular lessons. The small number who passed three examina- tions made it possible to collect all such pupils from the whole system in one room for the last examination. Age -Grade Conditions in Danville To show to what extent the findings of this investiga- tion may be regarded as typical of what exists in children with respect to grade schools in general and because a treatment of the promotion problem involves a discussion of age, it was neces- sary to make a stuay of the age-grade conditions of this system. The effectiveness of any scheme of promotion, also, is reflected in an age-grade distribution. Table I shows these data for the grades included in the Danville study. According to this table, 231 of the 2002 pupils reported, were in grade 3B. Of this number, one was only 6^ years old, three were 7, and 49 were ?-£ years old. By adding these numbers, one finds that 53 of the 3B pupils were young for this grade. In like manner the number of pupils in this grade at the ages 8, 8^ or 9 years (At-age), is the total of 68, 3S and 18. The number of over-age pupils is shown for each grade accordingly as the number increases by lowering the age at which the work of the elementary school is supposed to be finished. If we regard 14 as the age which represents the line between over- ageness and "at age" for the completion of the elementary course, 110 pupils in 3B or 47.6 per cent of the grade are over-age. That is to say, this group of 110 pupils will be too old for the eighth 1 49 TABLE II. SHOWING BY GRADE, THE DEVIATION FROM NORMALITY IN DANVILLE (ILL.) SCHOOLS Up-to-15 Standard Years 3B 3A 4B 4A 5B 5A 6B 6A 7B 7 A 8B 8A Tot al 2 -2j 1 1 3 4 3 2 4 6 1 1 - 1 1 4 2 32 0 - i 49 22 23 18 42 12 33 9 14 10 12 13 357 At- age 0 122 80 148 85 102 73 103 77 89 67 55 49 1050 0 - i 13 24 29 25 13 30 20 13 17 10 7 7 198 i-i 19 17 19 17 17 17 19 10 16 8 6 7 173 l -ii 4 8 15 21 17 9 8 9 9 3 6 6 115 ii-3 8 11 7 18 10 11 6 3 3 3 6 1 86 2 -2i 4 3 6 1 7 2 1 1 3 28 2i-3 3 2 6 3 3 3 2 3 2 25 3 -3i 4 4 2 3 2 1 16 O 3^-4 1 1 1 2 5 4 -4j 1 1 2 4^-5 1 1 5 -5i 1 1 Total 331 179 361 193 220 155 197 127 155 101 98 85 2002 Number Under-age 303 Number At-age 1050 Number Over-age 649 50 DIAGRAM 1. (DANVILLE SCHOOLS) 3B HH* 45?. _ 'MW/mmm. 3A 34 4B 45 W///MW/////, vmm. 4A 32 5B 35 5A to ■p* 1 1 1 1 6b 31 6a « 40 7B w .1 7A 45 a? « wmmmmz 8a. 46 All 52 1 1 1. Under-age At— age Over-age TABLE III. PER CENTS OF UNDER AGE, AT AGE AND OVER AGE PUPILS IN DANVILLE 51 rH aJ| NC O +»< • • • o. CO CO rH U\ CO i < ml- ir^. O' GO • 3 9 cm ON CM iH M- CO CO cJ ■< H' CO 3 • • CO O rH 4- rH H* pq‘ nC nC OC 3 9 vD 9 v£> •x- ■<• CO . • * •• c rH CO o • 3 9 £-< ON o o VT\ CO CO CO UN. c- to NO • 9 9 « NO U\ § 8 .. CO * \T\ 3 <\: ♦ CM CO <• CO U\ to pq .. oc c CM -} Ui, • 3 • o rH U\ CO o TJ CO X. o < -4- nC o to * • 9 © CO rH CO UN PQ CO n Ni « 3 9 G U\ <• ra *c *=■ < o o CC CO • 9 • NO <• CT' H CO <- CQ CN d o CO • • • CO CM CM ■U +>, • 9 9 o vQ xD E-< xO CM < 4r b vO C-= A 9 9 CM CM UN •H U\ CO <4 PQ OO r-^ rH i D— • 9 9 CO oo to t4 V0 CM b <. H b b vO • 9 9 Q CTN UN UN % UN CO cH' C"- ao UN vD • 9 0 U\ oo UN < UN CO C/D c— CO UN «=*♦ -3 un • 9 9 o OO C"- CO 9k o UN CO M re O o PQ CO rH v£> < CO U\ • 9 9 » CO CTx t— g s UN CO Q fH C UN b f3 << • 9 » fD o "«*■ cr* KJ UN CO I Q O b U\ U\ o Z • 9 • CO M UN c— c— fH vO CM S cn ja r-1 < b CO o M CO ♦ 9 9 a, CO M CM r> r-C UN CO a! cu PQ O'' CO CO CO « 9 9 p£) -u- rH CO n D— CM < CM CO UN CM • 9 9 9 CO ao CO M vO CM t— 1 > pq UN CM CO eM < O 79 DIAGRAM 2 . DECATUR SCHOOLS IB > 0.5^ 84.0^ 22^/16 1A 4 75 22222222 ,, 1 3 78 2A ill 111 8 68 / 2222222222^^ 22^2222224 2222 3B 2i 72_ 3A 2 i— * 4S> vxi •t* . _i 51 22222222o%7 ^XXX 4A W\\ 5 54 1222222222222 5B i 59 2222222222222 5A \XV\\\ vxx\2 3. 5§ / / // y/ ///// // / // // //// 6B vvvv 6 59 S A 11 _2 55 7B iM 9 68 7A § 222 i 2 52 ; */ //////// //////// / / / / / x222222^ 1 6 67 mmm. Under-age At-age Over-age TABLE VIII. AGE-GRADE DISTRIBUTION, SPRINGFIELD (ILL.) (Ages counted as at Feb. 1, 1919) 82 rH sD o H-' aS > 9 9 «-» E— oO © Vo\ CO (H GO CQ CM sb Cs) GO » <9 £ CM o sO CO < si! OS V\ c-® * # 9 rH! -3' CO Vr\ CO m CO rH r- a C^= 9 9 9 crs st sfi *r\ CO < co CM Vf\ sO at 9 9 rH CO U\ rH co CQ r- 8 o» CM vO 9 <9 « c— Os CO <• < -9 Os E-® U, • 9 9 o st rHI H* ffi M'S CM CO ir\ « 9 • ir\ sO 03 Vf\ CO < t— st OS 9 9 9 rH CO H* .h H- m CM OS OS « • o 1 U\ t— sO LT\ 00 < rH o OS co » • • o Lr\ rH Xrs CO m sD co rH CO <1 « sO CM .H sO CO < sb CO rH CM • ® 9 t— fH rH f sO CO • • .. ffi V\ H H CM • 9 9 o sO C — CM < crs Os rH ♦ 9 st oo sO sO CM PQ 4s- Os rH 9 • & CO rH St OO rH © W3 ® td W) 1 © n < o 83 DIAGRAM 3. SPRINGFIELD SCHOOLS Under-age At-age Over-age . 84 Table V is the age-grade distribution for Decatur. It shows the amount of retardation by the up-to-14^-, as well as by the up-to-15 standard. By the latter standard, Decatur haa a total of 27.4 per cent of its pupils retarded in grades IB to 7A inclusive. Table VI gives the facts of over-ageness for each grade, showing a total of 2S0 under-age, 3239 at-age and 1335 over- age. It shows also, that pupils, as a rule, are no more than three semesters under-age, while some may be as much as six se- mesters over-age. Table VII is the age condition of this system expressed in per cents. The same story is expressed graphically in Figure 2. In like manner the age -grade facts of Springfield are given in Table VIII. According to Table IX, which is based on this table, there is about the same spread of under-ageness and over-ageness as was found in Decatur, That is, there are many pupils extremely over-age and but few who are more than three se- mesters too young. The per cents shown in Table X indicate that the largest amount of retardation was in the grades four and five. Figure 3 gives the comparative conditions of each grade in this system. From Figures 3 and 3, one sees that very few first-grade pupils in these systems entered school before they were six years ola. That is to say, only 3 per cent in IB and 5 per cent in 1A in Springfield, were under-age their first year at school. Like- wise, 0.5 per cent in IB and 4 per cent in 1A in Decatur, were under-age. The uncie r-age group in every grade is comparatively small, for the most part being less than 10 per cent of the en- . . . 4 * . : . -iovo”; . • ' 85 rollment in the grade. The over-age pupils, on the other hand, comprise a large part of each grade. In Springfield, the per cents range from 15 in IB to 45 in 4A and 5A. In Decatur, the range is from 16 per cent in IB to 40 per cent in 4A. The over- age groups in both systems are consistently large. In all the grades included in this experiment taken together, Springfield had 34 per cent over-age and Decatur had 3? per cent over-age. These per cents indicate something of the extent of the promotion prob- lem in these cities. In each system over-ageness begins to ac- cumulate in the earliest grades and after the second, becomes rather uniform throughout the elementary school. Something of the nature of this over-ageness is pointed out in the pages which follow, Over-ageness In the foregoing tables the age conditions in the grades of these systems are set forth. These tables show the familiar fact that the public schools continue to have about one- third of the pupils too old for their respective grades and that some of them are as much as five or six years too old. This means that the elementary grades under the usual plan of promotions, may have pupils old enough to be sophomores in a standard university held back in an eighth-grade class with pupil3 of an age commonly found in the sixth or seventh grade. The ages reported in these tables are computed to the nearest half year and the pupils are classified by the up-to-15 standard. This standard allows an additional year to what would be normal progress if the pupil entered at six years old and ad- . . ' ♦ • ■ ’ . 1 < . • • « 86 vanced a grade a year. It is the one most commonly used in school reports. Its general use makes it convenient for the admini stra- tor to compare his school with a large number of other systems when his purposes are best served by comparisons of this kind. Comparison with other schools, however, is probably no longer the most important function of the age-grade tabulations. They are the most convenient devices at the command of the superintendent or principal to tell the age conditions within the school system. For this purpose, the up-to-14 standard may serve the admini stra- 65 tor best. That is to say, if pupils enter school at six years of age and our schools are organized on the theory that they should advance one grade a year, a comparison with such a standard would more nearly show wherein the school fails to measure up to expectations than could be seen by any other standard. The change in the per cents of retardation in the different systems as a re- sult of using different standards, is shown in the Tables V and VIII. In all these computations we have regarded each pupil's age as that which he will be before the close of a given semester. This means, for example, that if a pupil will be less than 15 years old at the end of the semester in which he is classified as an 8A pupil, he is not over-age by the up-to-15 standard. Accord- ing to the up-to-14 standard, an 8A pupil is not over-age if he will be less than 14 years old at the end of the semester. The per cents of retardation for these different systems are comparable only in the grades where the full enrollment was 65. Keyes, C. H. Progress Through the Grades of a City School , (Teachers College Contributions to Education No. 42, Columbia University, New York, 1911), . ' . * Q 7 * - i ' - - i . - : - - . -s i A * • - • ' 87 included in the experiment. The Danville experiment (Chapter IV) was such as could not toe used below the third grades, the lowest group to take formal examinations. The tables are of value chief- ly, therefore, because they picture the administrative problem of any one of the systems studied. They raise the question, for ex- ample, of what should be done to rectify the condition of 43.9 per cent of over-ageness in 4A in the Decatur schools. Since repeti- tion of grades is probably the principal factor responsible for this condition, the question then becomes, Why do so many pupils repeat? TABLE XI. NINEFOLD DISTRIBUTION, AGE-GRADE-PROGRESS IN TEE SPRINGFIELD SCHOOLS Rapid Progress Age Total Under-age At -age Over -age B 119 G 115 234 B 218 G 364 583 B ~ 69~" G 106 175 991 Normal Progress B 117 G 104 221 B 1079 G 1304 3283 B 387 G 275 562 3066 Slow Progress B 33 G 36 69 B 602 G 521 1133 B 946 G 686 1627 3819 Total 524 3988 2364 687 3 Of the S876 pupils distributed in Table XI, 3283 of the normal age group have also made normal progress. And, 1637 of Cited Chapter III, “Entrance Age Should be Physiologically Six." • J . * • . ' . . ■ ; ' * • . 88 the total group axe over-age wholly or in part from repeating grades. That is, they are over-age and have made slow progress as shown by the number of semesters they have been in school. The main facts of this table are expressed in terms of per cents in the one which follows. TABLE XII. NINEFOLD TABLE, SPRINGFIELD SCHOOLS, PER CENTS Rapid Progress Age Total Under-age At -age Over- age 3.4 8.5 2.5 14.4 Normal Progress 3.2 33.2 8.2 45.6 Slow Progress 1.0 16,3 23.7 40.0 Total 7. 6 58.0 34.4 100.0 89 TABLE XIII. NINEFOLD DISTRIBUTION, AGE-GRADE-PROGRESS IN THE DECATUR SCHOOLS Rapid Progress . Age :: - ' . _ _ _ Total Under-age At-age Over-age B 67 G 87 154 B 184 G 235 419 1 §0 G 65 145 718 Normal Progress B 51 G 53 104 B 1045 G 1041 2086 B 207 G 174 381 2571 Slow Progress B 14 G 18 32 B 341 G 393 734 B 439 G 370 809 1675 Total 390 3239 1335 4864 The totals of Table XIII show that 1335 of the pupils in the Decatur schools are over-age. Of this number, 809 are retarded because of slow progress. Here as in the other systems studied, there are more boys retarded than girls, and more girls accelerated than boys. Taole XIV is the same distribution ex- pressed in per cents. so TABLE XIV. NINEFOLD DISTRIBUTION, AGE-GRADE- PROGRESS IN THE DECATUR SCHOOLS Rapid Progress Under-age At-age Over-age : Total 3.2 8.6 2.9 : 14.7 Normal Progress 2.1 42.9 7.8 : 52.8 Slew Progress .7 15.1 16.7 : 32.5 Total 6,0 6S. 6 27.4 : 100.0 By comparing Tables XII and XIV, one finds the age- grade conditions in Springfield and Decatur quite similar. In the former there was 3.4 per cent and in the latter 3.2 per cent of pupils who were rapid and under-age. In the over -age, slow- progress groups, the per cents are 23. S and 16.5 respectively. In both systems there are large slow-progress groups which point out the fact that much of the retardation is due to some cause for which the school is probably responsible. The data for these systems have more significance when compared with those of some other city. The distribution of similar data for the Cleveland schools was reported by Ayres in 1916. 91 TABLE XV. NINEFOLD DISTRIBUTION, CLEVELAND, OHIO (Cleveland Survey) 1916 e$ Under-age and Rapid Progress 2$ Normal age and Rapid Progress 1$ Over -age and Rapid Progress 30$ Under-age and Normal Progress 23$ Normal age and Normal Progress S$ Over- s age ana Nor mdl N Progress 1$ Under-age and Slow Progress 9$ Normal age and Slow Progress 22$ Over-age and \ Slow Progress All three of these distributions show that only about half of the pupils make normal progress under the present system of promotion and all agree in pointing out that the greatest fac- tor is slow progress. The greatest difference between the Cleve- land showing and that of Springfield and Decatur, lies in the care devoted to under-age children who have made normal progress. Cleveland shows 30 per cent while Springfield shows 3, and Decatur 2. The proportion of under-age children is much greater in Cleveland than in the other two cities. TABLE XVI. THE NUMBER AND PER CENT OF PUPILS, DECATUR SCHOOLS, ACCORDING TO 92 vC Ml VI • 9 • sO t— o vO CM o t rHI •3 p • o CTv UN © © (TV 03 03 vO E-i 25 CM CM 03 CO 03 rH 1 CM rH 03 © ® to to! £ ^ a -p VI « rH • UN , 9 \D © to © <* CO o S i © o ©s CM 25 vD -4- rH 03 co CM 03 © Un UN O to VS. 1 9 • 9 (D © CM c~— (ft HP m a © • CO «H CM HI o 03 O CM un CM g « — ( 25 UN 03 CN z o (ft CM cr* o H ea 9 9 9 9 E-i © Vi CM CM OO 03 < to UN (H M > © W to Q Oo C/3 •3 x* M3 rH rH • O OO CO C— w a o rH o 03 UN e-I to S CM CM to © | § to c— CT» O vO c n © * 9 9 * -P r— i Un i—# co © o © a •• & © 9 vO OO CO | CM 03 o 0O CO CM *H s CM H* © 25 CO ffj C— CM 03 CM e to 9 9 9 M to © fes. o rH CM 2 c u -p E-< o to do (ft a >=a © 9 o» CO UN vO *© 03 0 ° 03 UN rH o •H <35 rH O CM © cd © Q£> L- U~ c— ©% to to « 9 « 9 O © a -p o rH rH 03 th to © 1 9 UN 03 CM o © £ © 03 CO re- © Yz rH 03 CO » to © f u © •t) © « © © © -P bO C bO -P to > to © < D cd <35 «J O rt 93 Table XVI gives the amount of rapidity or slowness in the schools of Decatur* According to this table, 35 pupils (0*7 per cent) have gained, three or more semesters in their pro- gress through the grades and are under-age. In like manner 73 (1.5 per cent of all) are three or more semesters advanced in progress, but are at-age for their present grade, and 82 others of those have made equally rapid progress but are still too old for their present grade. In all, there are 290 pupils under-age and 1335 over-age. In the over- age group, 249 (5.1 per cent) have been retarded in their progress by three or more semesters, 213 (4.5 per cent) by two semesters, and 343 (6.8 per cent) by one se- mester. Slightly more than half of the pupils in Decatur are making normal progress (53.1 per cent), and almost half (42.9 per cent) of them are at-age for their present grade. . ' . . f • 94 o E-* C5 25 M o s o o > X w ►J § H vi> V? UN tr- vC • • • O c— CO M" o . UN CO “ oo CO M3 -P • CM c— 1>* t - — O o V.% crs CO OO E“<;25 CO CM M3 1 i i © © vC co Mt>t U U c CM rH COt © © • 9 • • * a -p HI OO ON © • co x* cH o a o M3 tr\ XT © SE5 U> M3 CO to m r-i M3 oo v-^ u • • • •» © CO M3 o © -p Hi CO trj © © u H he © • C— CO M3 M3 o to o M> HI J. 25 CM <• c— a. CM J & o CD 4f o cmS rH it* ♦ • «ii to © HI HI -P •H CM m o « 3 M3 **T 1 ■H \ Q j} © CM CM CM ! MDf © K, © »fc a u o< 2 U « -P to © a © CO co VO a © • o UN ^ •*: M3* JCO © CM CO < o <0 9 <9 • •! s 1 -p «H j CM{ 03 * J? © 9 CO CO CM co) a o CM UN o ool l © 23 rH ■Hi !co to 1 i 1 © u aJ 9 T5 © 9 O © © -p faC C hO -p hO > to) o <$ 23 d g > IM o m 3! o o © o 3" © y o © «4- cX 3 at © W 3 O y P M, «< 3 o <-»- o cX 3 3 © CD O- H* © 3 © m CX 3 M 3 © © © cX tr P H- P O cm a h- H- _ c+erci 3 CM o P p r+ M X-= © c* o cX SC C P* C c4- M o' H* CD O* H* p |j. o p. •v p M H* M IM O < M © 3 © C ^ £ < «< © 3 ® M 3 CD V O 3 © P v; m i H- © O X~> P 1 c « © O M *-* P TO J to X-* »-■ M ro ro to e fX CO to O O' ON NO CD X* P ? on to VA o -~3 X* ON M © '*0 H* 3 B 2 O IO o ® » P 3 w TO —a M m X J »-• c o. C‘ •>1 Va NO VA M -4 o to C<* s o Vr\ »-* NO nO O VA M © H* © O C/1 3 o to 3 c to p 3 o' H- VA OO to to -3 VA te- to c O, p o IO o ON XN o X*. O CD C8 9 3 V TX © P © c P. o H © p P 3 > VA 1-* I— 1 c «+ 2 «r*- o o M ro ON X“ »— » nO X* m e • • o O (TO IO to VA VA NO ® 3 o 9 CJ o IO t? •5 ro P 3 3 P QN IO i— * to vn XN VA to c o. © 3 ON ro ro ro CO ON OO OO p w H- © © © <4* P- o to p- M p 3 o O' Xn IO m M JN. IO H* e p. 3 «< CD VA Va ON ro NO "3 x» p © > M 2 P 03 m ro ro 4- to Xn o O0 Xn ro ro H> O OO NO • M ON Va NO ro O NO IM o » cX O CJN M H* 1— * P o 1-* x- —a ON to IO va c o • • • • • • * O p c*- o X* M M -a o ON © P. > X-* 2 p o i—* ro M ro M O M- to vO O' to m VA to to • 3 VA »-* m 2 p © O O VA VwH M ON ON va o P. o VA M o IO to —3 IO • ro 3 P M Q VA to M i- 1 to ro IO im P • 9 <1 * 0 • • • 5^ C NO to ON ON ON o V-* ON TO o *-* 9-» 1— * M © X*- VA NO M CJN CJN Co < CO ON — J —3 o Va O P CM o 4* x» CD ON ro ON o M y C+ C © rX © P. O. l-t €+ W a B H- P © O' p 5 p o © at p. fX © ra 3 H- CM to 3 M P- Xn X-* H* O *o P 3 3 O o O' © p cX M H* H- o at 3 cX © © 3 P- © H- *1 © cX 611 TABLE XXVII, PROBABLE CAUSES LISTED IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE, ACCORDING TO COMBINED TEACHERS' JUDGMENT ISO The reader's attention is called to the aggregate per cents in Table XXVII. These aggregates indicate the proportion of the cases for which a first, second and third cause of failure was indicated. It is shown, for example, that in only 60 per- cent of the cases did the teachers when requested to indicate causes of failure ascribe the failure to any causes whatsoever. In other words, in two out of five cases the teacher apparently had no notions as to cause. This statement is justified because although opportunity was given to teachers to write on the cards any causes which were not specifically set up, -almost none of them did so. Again, although not a few teachers indicated but one cause for the failure of a given pupil, the particular' cause thus indicated was regarded in our tabulations as a first cause. Consequently, the pupils for whom no first cause of failure was shown are pupils concerning whom the teacher had nothing to offer. It will be noted that in only about one-third of the cases (32. S per cent) were second causes given and that in only about one-sixth of the cases were third causes given. This af- fords a still further suggestion of the uncritical attitude of teachers when making adverse recommendations with respect to pupils who have been under their instruction. If this were the place to comment on this lack of insight on the part of teachers, we should be inclined to give some prominence to this condition. We shall, however, content our selves with merely raising the question of whether teachers are justified in recommending pupils for failure when they apparently know so little of the reasons which account for unsatisfactory work. ' ' . « . ■ . . - • I ’ . 121 Dev i ces Used to Ai d Probatio nary Pupils The results of this study with probationary pupils have been obtained while using the regular teaching force, and all other conditions excepting a suggestive list of devices have been such as were existing under the former plan of promotion. The only distinctive feature of the new plan for promotion is that of giving all pupils a chance to do the work of the next higher grade krtldk as a basis for reassignment. During the time a pupil was given in which to prove his right to advancement, the teach- ers were asked to make use of any part of a list of suggestive devices which they found they could apply. These were meant as a precaution against allowing pupils to drop back into careless habits which would have prevented the teachers from seeing the advantages resulting from this additional six or eight weeks. Really to measure a pupil's ability to do a grade by placing- him in this grade and observing his progress, the pupil must be caused to work somewhere nearly up to capacity. Other- wise, those who are observing his work are likely to underesti- mate his ability to meet the requirements of the new situation. The devices suggested were also meant to enlist the cooperation of the parents who had been, in some instances, indifferent and uninformed as to the child's needs in school. For example, their attention was directed to the effects of irregular attendance and the need of more thorough preparation of the daily assignments. The degree to which these devices were used effectively, may be estimated from the following tables which show for each device the number of weeks used and the number of pupils concerned. . * : . ; : . 133 Rec ord o f Devi ces Used: It will be recalled that the probation- ary card (E.R.7) provided a convenient means by which the re- ceiving teacher could record the fact that a device had been used, by simply placing a check ( ) in the appropriate square. Thus, the process of recording the frequency with which each de- vice was employed, was a very simple matter. In an attempt to evaluate each device in the light of these records, we have combined these data in such a way as to show "the number of weeks used* 1 , when the pro oat ion ended in pro motion and the number when the pupil was not promoted. In addi- tion to the aggregate number of weeks used, we have also found the number of pupils in whose interest each device 7/as employed. These data are shown in Table XXVIII and XXIX. • • . 123 1 “ TABLE XXVIII. COMBINED USE OF DEVICES TO AID PROBATIONERS IN DECATUR AND SPRINGFIELD, THREE SEMESTERS. PUPILS PROMOTED Number of Weeks Used Total No. of Pupils Aggregate No. of Weeks Used Device 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Includ- ed Per Pupil Visit Homes 69 5 6 8 - 1 - - 89 135 Other Inter- views 142 103 31 40 12 30 11 - 369 908 Outside Help 158 87 1 CO X 123 163 439 38 13 1173 5172 Varying Course 116 64 88 130 141 38 6 48 16 979 4533 Varying Method 110 73 118 139 313 547 49 18 1277 7000 Pupil Co- operation 72 77 100 141 308 588 53 21 1270 6207 Daily Re- ports to Parents 43 46 67 131 268 736 58 20 1369 7345 Senaing Work Home 119 89 103 106 17 6 534 26 12 1164 5359 124 TABLE XXIX. COMBINED USE OF DEVICES TO AID PROBATIONERS IN DECATUR AMD SPRINGFIELD, THREE SEMESTERS. PUPILS NOT PROMOTED. Number of Weeks Used Total No. of Aggregate of Weeks Device 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pupils Included Used per Pupil Visit Homes 36 1 1 1 A u 0 0 0 39 45 Other Inter- views 86 28 12 13 16 6 1 A V 162 353 Outside Help 88 60 92 74 50 114 8 11 537 3088 Varying Course 61 44 47 49 66 161 14 4 446 1912 Varying Method 63 70 S7 65 75 187 13 3 543 2298 Pupil Co- operation S9 39 46 40 90 185 18 4 491 2123 Daily Re- ports to Parents 35 43 49 59 100 233 18 4 544 2578 Sending Work Home 42 39 50 52 78 148 9 4 433 18:34 — — ' - - ■ 125 Table XXVIII reads as follows: Homes of 69 pupils were visited once, homes of 5 pupils were visited twice, homes of 6 pupils were visited three times, etc. In all there were 135 visits ma.de to the homes of 89 promoted pupils. Over against this, Table XXIX shows that 45 visits were made to homes of 39 pupils who were not promoted. The extent to which these devices were effectively used is illustrated by the full rerjort on "Daily Reports to Parents" shown in Table XXX. This device was the one most frequently used. TABLE XXX. DAILY REPORTS TO PARENTS Weeks Used For Pupils Who Were Promoted For Pupil 8 Who Were Not Promoted Total No. % No. w ° 6 and Over 814 76 258 24 1072 5 268 73 100 27 368 4 131 69 59 31 190 3 67 58 49 42 116 2 46 52 43 48 89 1 43 55 35 45 78 0 871 71 357 29 1228 Total 2240 — — . 901 3141 We have already seen (Table XXVIII) that the total number of probationary pupils in all three periods was 3141. Table XXX shows that of the 3141 opportunities thus offered of 126 reporting to parents, the device was used six or more times with 814 pupils who were promoted ana as many times with 358 non-pro- moted pupils. Information in similar form is given as to the number of pupils for whom the device was used five times, four times, etc. There were, however, 871 promoted and 557 non-pro- moted pupils with whom the device was not used. It is apparent from Table XXX that there is a relation between the extent to which the device of daily reports to par- ents was used and the success of the pupils in securing promotion. The reader will observe that when the device was used six or more times (as it was in 1072 Cases) 76 pupils per hundred consummated their promotion. When the device was used but five times only 73 per hundred established their title to permanent advancement. The chances of success were still smaller (69-100) among the pupils in whose behalf the device was used but four times. Similarly the chances diminished when the device was used three times and again when it. was used twice. In other woras, it ap- pears that there was a steadily declining likelihood of ultimate promotion as the number of uses of reports to parents diminished from "6 or over” to 2. When, however, the device was used but once or not at all, the chances of promotion did net diminish. Indeed among the pupils for whom the device was not used, the proportion who succeeded in securing promotion was exceedingly high. Doubtless we have in the single use of this device and still more strongly in the failure to use it, the operation of an entirely set of factors. It is more than likely that an unusually large number of these pupils were put on probation not because they needed careful attention and unusual treatment, but merely be- cause of a previous lack of opportunity to profit by instruction. In other words, it is quite likely that many of these pupils were judged unsatisfactory in the previous gra.de because of irregular attendance or recent arrival from some other school. Such pupils might easily be made to succeed without the utilization of much of the special treatment suggested in any of these devices. Whether or not such an explanation is plausible, it is clear from the run of these figures in Table XXX that if the teachers used the daily reports at all, the more they used them the better results they secured. The extent to which each device was used and the results that attended, may be seen from Table XXXI. 128 TABLE XXXI. SUMMARY OF FREQUENCIES OF USE OF DEVICES TO AID PROBATIONARY PUPILS. PER CENTS BASED ON THE 3141 OPPORTUNITIES TO USE EACH DEVICE. Number of Times Used Devices For Pupils Promoted at End of Probation For Pupils Not Promoted at End of Probation Total No. % No. (<7 !°. . No. h Visiting Homes 89 2.8 39 1.2 128 •4.0 Other Interviews, Parents 369 11.7 163 5.2 531 16.9 Help Outside School Hours 1172 37.3 537 7.0 1709 54.3 Varying the Course of Study 979 31.2 446 14.2 1425 45.4 Varying the Teaching Method 1277 40.7 543 17.3 1820 58.0 Pupil Cooperation 1270 40.4 491 15.6 1761 53. 0 Daily Reports to Parent s 13 69 43.6 544 17.3 1913 60.9 pending Work Home 1164 37.1 422 13.4 1586 50.5 According to Table XXXI, there were only 12to Cases of home visitation and only 531 cases (16.9 per cent) of any other form of interview with parents. These figures are significant when one compares them with what they would have been if the teachers had averaged one interview for each probationer (3141). Only 4 per cent of the probationers' homes were visited. One of the most popular admonitions among teachers when they attempt to express their ideal relations to the home, is that which suggests 129 the necessity of teachers visiting the homes and talking over the pupils 1 work. Yet, at a time when an extra effort was being made to understand the pupils who had done unsatisfactory work, out of 33 schools studied, only 128 cases of home visitation were re- corded in a period of three semesters. This is an average of less than one visit a school each semester. Teachers, as a rule, do not visit the homes or otherwise seek to hold interview's with parents. The other devices, also, are used with less regularity than is sometimes supposed. Effects of the Probationary Period o n Sch ola rship : The individ- ual card which was kept (1) for all non- recommended pupils and (2) for such marginal pupils as, in the judgment of the Various teachers, could profit by special attention of this kind, con- tains a weekly record by which n satisfactory” and "unsatisfactory" work is shown for each major subject. From this scholarship report it has been possible to compute the improvement in terms of gain or loss by comparing wlzh the standing of the previous semester. This was done by counting improvement in one or more subjects as "gain" provided that it was not accompanied by a corresponding loss in other sub- jects. By this method of computation, with an average S (satis- factory) but with certain subjects lower than passing, the pupil was registered as "gain" if he raised the low subjects and held his own in the ones in which he had made a passing mark. Loss, likewise, implies that the scholarship dropped subject by sub- ject, or on the average. . . 130 To enable us to estimate the strength of changing teach- ers, as a determining factor in improvement, these data were treated in a fourfold classification as shown in Table XXXII. This table shows that 773 (70.3 per cent) cases out of 1100 pro- bationers who had the same teachers in both semesters, were pro- moted. Many, if not all of these, probably, were advanced be- cause the receiving teacher was convinced that the more advanced grade was more nearly in accord with what the work of the proba- tionary period showed they could do with profit. TABLE XXXII. THE NUMBER OF PROBATIONERS WITH SAME OR WITH DIFFERENT TEACHERS Same Teacher Different Teacher o No. Jo Promoted 773 70.3 1467 71.9 Not Promoted 327 29.7 574 28.1 Totud 1100 — - 2041 -- - Wren the teacher was different, 71.9 per cent of the group were promoted. Evidently, changing teachers was not an important factor in determining a pupil’s success in maintaining probationary standing. The number of pupils according as they gained or lost, is shown in Tables XXXIII to XXXVII. . • * . . 131 TABLE XXXIII. EFFECTS OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD ON SCHOLARSHIP STANDING OF F ON-RECOMMENDED GROUP. RESULTING IN PROMOTION. Probation in Which Participated Mark Showed Gain Mark Showed Same Mark Showed Loss Total 1st Only 618 189 13 820 2nd Only 347 148 14 50S 3rd Only 441 111 0 552 1st and 2nd 122 38 5 165 1st and 3rd 3? 1 1 29 2nd and 3rd 23 17 3 45 All Three 8S 32 4 122 Total 1634 536 40 2240 TABLE XXXIV. EFFECTS OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD ON SCHOLARSHIP STANDING OF NON-PROMOTED PROBATIONERS. Probation in Which Participated Mark Showed Gain Mark Showed Same Mark Showed Loss Total 1st Only 39 196 32 367 2nd Only 17 137 17 171 3rd Only 10 312 K 337 1st and 2nd 10 46 5 61 1st and 3rd 1 4 0 5 2nd and 3rd 3 9 • 3 15 All Three 2 51 2 55 Total 82 755 54 901 132 TABLE XXXV. EFFECTS OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD. LOSS OR GAIN. PUPILS PROMOTED. Probation in Which Participated. Mark Showed Gain Mark Showed Loss 1st Only 75.4 1.6 2nd Only 63.1 2.8 3rd Only 80.0 C 1st and 2nd 70,5 3.0 1st and 3rd 93.1 3.5 2nd and 3rd 53. 5 6.9 All Three 70.5 3.3 Total 74.8 1.8 TABLE XXXVI. EFFECTS OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD. GAIN OR LOSS. PUPILS NOT PROMOTED Probation in Which Participated Mark Showed Gain Mark Showed Loss 1st Only 14,7 12.0 2nd Only 9.9 9.9 3rd Only 3.0 1.5 1st and 2nd 16.4 8.2 1st and 3rd 20.0 0 2nd and 3rd 20,0 20.0 All Three 4.0 4.0 Total 9.1 7.1 PER CENT PER CENT . 133 Table XXXIII and XXXIV give the number of pupils accord- ing as they gained, remained the same, or lost in scholarship rat- ing as a result of the probation. The per cent of pupils who gained and the per cent that lost in scholarship standing in each probation is shown in Tables XXXV and XXXVI. The first of these tables shows the results for the promoted group. It snows that 74.8 per cent of 2240 pupils gained in scholarship as against 1.8 per cent who lost. In the non-promoted group of probationers, 9.1 per cent of the 901 gained and 7,1 per cent lest. In both groups there was evidence of gain in the general level of scholarship of the entire group of non-re commended pupils as a result of probation, although, as would be expected, the preponderance of gain was made by the pupils who succeeded in maintaining themselves in the higher grade. Comparative Scholarship Levels of the Schools One of the conditions by which the value of any scheme of promotion should be judged is the influence it has on the gen- eral level of scholarship for the system. That is to say, the administrator has the twofold duty of adapting the school to the needs of the individual and at the same time he must maintain reasonably high standard of scholarship. To this end, one of the provisions in our experiment was that the pupil should do in the advanced position work “as satisfactory to the teacher concerned” as that which he had been doing in the former grade. This im- plies that the probationer shall do on an average, as good work as he was doing in the previous grade, thus preventing a drop 134 in the general average of scholarship for the school. Moreover, the teachers' estimates must remain the principal criterion for advancement. These judgments are based on the facts of the whole situation. Since such a plan as that indicated above calls fcr ex- tra consideration of the failing pupils, the question very na- turally arises as to the consequent influence it will have on the work of the more capable pupils, and on the average scholarship of the whole group. To ascertain whether our scheme would have any bad effects in this way, the scholastic ratings which had been reported to the parents in the regular way were secured fcr all the pupils for three semesters (about 12,000 marks a se- mester), The first of these semesters Was the one just prior to the installation of our experiment. These ratings were averaged separately for the 33 schools by grade and subject. The results are shown in Tables XXXVII, XXXVIII and XXXIX. . - * * 135 = TABLE XXXVII. THE GENERAL LEVEL OF SCHOLARSHIP FOR THREE SUCCESSIVE SEMESTERS, ALL GRADES AND ALL SUBJECTS COMBINED School Scholarship Average for Semester Endi ng Feb, 1919 Semester : Ending : June, 1919 : Semester Ending Feb. 1919 1 80.7 77.4 : 83.2 2 86.3 82.2 : 80.6 3 75.9 79.3 : 82. 6 4 79.2 82,3 : 80.4 5 80.0 78.0 : 81.9 6 81.9 82.3 : 80.4 7 80.1 82.1 : 79.6 8 79. 6 78.5 : 76.8 9 75.8 80.8 : 81.2 10 76.4 80.7 : 79.3 11 79.1 80.8 : 80.7 12 80.3 81.2 : 82.5 13 77.8 78.7 : 80. 4 14 80.8 83.3 : 78.9 15 81.8 80.1 : 81,9 16 75.3 75.1 : 78.8 17 77.2 79.4 : 79.5 18 75.9 79.4 : 83.2 19 79.0 76.4 : 82.1 20 86.3 81.5 : 87.7 31 79.9 87.5 : 87.3 22 86.2 84.4 : 88.5 23 84.7 86.5 : 84.5 24 80. 6 80.0 : 82. 6 35 85.0 83.3 : 83.8 36 85.5 83.3 : 83. 6 27 80.8 83.2 : 84.5 28 81.3 82.2 : 89,7 39 82.7 84.6 : 82.5 30 81.1 82.3 : 82.7 31 79.1 80.9 : 83.3 32 79.7 81.0 : 8 6. 2 33 79.0 78.6 : 83.5 All 80.4 81,1 : 83. 6 136 TABLE XXXVIII. COMPARISON OF SCHOLARSHIP BY GRADES IN ALL TEE SCHOOLS OF DECATUR AND SPRINGFIELD Average Ratings : Grade First Ssmester Second Semester Third Semester : 1A 77.8 76.8 85.8 : 3B 75.1 78.3 79.7 : 3A 83.6 77.3 83.4 : 3B 78.7 81.0 79.4 : 3A 83.6 8C.9 83.8 : 4B 76.8 83.7 82.1 : 4A 77.4 83.3 84.3 : 5B 78.8 83.9 85.3 : 5A 83. C 83.9 84.2 : SB 84.1 82.5 83.8 : SA 83.3 85. 3 82.5 : 7B 80.7 81.2 81 .2 : 7 A 79.4 7S.1 92.5 : 8B 85.6 80.0 79.8 : 8A 81.5 85.3 84.0 : All 80.4 81.1 82.2 137 TABLE XXXIX. COMPARISON OF SCHOLARSHIP BY SUBJECTS, ALL GRADES AMD ALL SCHOOLS COMBINED Subject First Semester Second Semester Third Semester Reading 81.4 82.3 82.8 Arithmetic 79.0 82.2 80.8 Language 80.4 78.5 83.0 Geography 78.9 79.5 81.7 History 78.9 82. 8 82.9 Spelling 81.6 81.4 83.3 Total 80.4 81.1 82.2 These tables, if the ratings of the school can be re- lied on, indicate that the advantages gained by this promotion scheme are not obtained at the expense of lowering the standard of scholarship. In 24 of the schools, the general averages were raised. This rise is most marked in schools 3, IS and 32. In School Mo. 2, ore of the smallest schools, there was a drop of 5.7 per cent for no apparent reason. This school exceeded all the others in the number of rooms with 100 per cent promotions. For this reason, it cannot be claimed that the plan of promotions caused the teachers to give too much attention to the failing group, in fact, the experiment created less disturbance in this school than in any other of the system. The average for the first 19 schools is made up from ratings that were recorded by the teachers in figures. The aver- age ratings of the last 14 schools shown in Table XXXVII are * t 138 taken from records expressed in letters, by taking- the middle points between E (90-100) G (80-90), and so on, as values for E, G, F and. P. Sometimes the grade U appeared in the recoras. This Was counted as P, Such a treatment of grades may explain why one system of schools consistently varied from the other, but the averages on the whole, are about the same for the two systems. Further light on the question of scholarship of pupils before and during the experimental period may be gathered from Tables XXXVIII and XXXIX. All these data tend to show that the schools did not ao inferior work when the pupils were promoted on the basis of ability to do the work of the next higher grade, this ability being judged by the teachers themselves. Conclusions Based on tne Dec^tur-Springfield Experiment By making "Ability to do the work of the next higher grade", the standard by which to judge a pupil's fitness for pro- motion, the rate of promotion in the public schools may be mater- ially increased. This plan will reduce retardation by working pupils more nearly up to capacity. It has other desirable ad- vantages and but few, if any, disadvantages. Pupils promoted in this way do work of equal or better quality, as a rule, than that which they do under the old plan of advancement. Emphasis is placed on ability as evidenced by doing the work itself, rather than ability as shown in other work that is supposed to be prerequisite. The outstanding virtue of such a scheme, in fact, is the freedom which it allows, from the necessity of relying on the results of formal examinations I ' . - 139 as a criterion by which to judge a pupil's ability to do the work of a grade in which he has never been enrolled. In our experiment, approximately three of every four pupils who were recommended to repeat according to the usual plan, were able by this change of emphasis to convince the same group of teachers that such repetition should not be required. Among the pupils net recommended for promotion at the time for regular reclassification, 3240 or 71.3 per cent of the group of probationers maintained themselves satisfactorily to the teachers concerned when given an opportunity to prove their ability to do the y/ork of the advanced grade. Such pupils, as a rule, did not appear in the later lists of probationers. Of the 127S probation pupils included in the first list, for example, only 113 were included again in the second but not in the third; 17 in the first and third only, and 59 in all three. Of 680 on probation the second semester, 29 were also in the third. An individual study of this last group disclosed the fact that many of these pupils are not distinctly inferior in mentality. The mental tests (described elsewhere) given to such pupils as were questioned in this regard by their teachers were not given to more than half of this group, showing that the rest were not classified by their teachers as question- able pupils. Their appearance in all three probation groups was probably due mainly to changing schools during the probationary period, to poor attendance and to "just being slow". Irregular attendance was here one of the most potent factors responsible for pupils being listed to repeat a grade. ■ t - . , V - . . . 140 Other causes of approximately the same strength we re wrong pupil- attitude and the teachers’ conviction that the pupils were al- ready classified as high as they could do good work. The advantages this scheme of advancement offers to the questionable group are not accompanied by corresponding disad- vantages to the stronger group. The average scholarship for all the pupils in all the subjects increased every semester of the experiment. (Table XXXVII) Cri tic ism No reports shewing a dislike for this scheme came from the pupils. Some of them, on the other hand, made such inquiries as expressed a aesire to have the plan continued. The teachers also, made no complaints, except that some of them expressed the fear that we were crowding the pupils along faster than they should go. On the whole, the plan met hearty approval from pu- pils, teachers and parents. It removes the temptation from the teacher who is inclined to blame the advancing teacher for pro- moting pupils who do poor work in the advanced grade and gives the pupils the benefit of any doubt in the matter. It also gives flexibility without radical change in the existing promotional machinery in the public schools. 141 C H A P T E R VII MENTAL TESTS IN THE DECATUR-SPRINGFIELD EXPERIMENT It was not a part of the original plan of the experi- ment at Decatur and Springfield to give mental tests. Early in our study, however, the superintendents suggested that we give mental tests to the pupils about whom the teachers had serious doubts as to ability to do work of a higher grade. It was agreed, therefore, to give group tests to all pupils who were thus select- ed by the teachers. Tests Used Because of apparent irregularities in the results of the group point scale as used in the Danville experiment, (See Chapter IV) we used different tests in the subsequent testing. At this time, however, group testing had not been sufficiently developed to offer much choice in the matter. In the absence of other standardised mental tests that would serve our purposes, it was thought that a satisfactory test might be obtained by taking the best parts of tests of known value, and adapting them to our needs. This, of course, necessitated working out new standards which was done from the scores of all the children in three of the largest schools. The tests selected for this purpose at the suggestion of the Bureau of Educational Research are the follow- ing: 142 1. For grades up to fourth, Pressey's Primer So ale. 2. For grades 3 and 4, a combination of the number- che eking from the army test, together with a modification of the "Army Opposites Test” and Holley's Sentence-Vocabulary Test. 3. For grades 5 to 8, the combination was slightly different. The same opposites and vocabu- lary tests, as above, were used and these were supple- mented by an 8-minute arithmetic test from Theison's Classification Test and a 5-minute arithmetic test which is a modification of one of the army arithmetic tests. How the Tests ^ere Given These individual tests were combined in separate fold- ers for each group of grades. The folders contained explicit directions for each test. These were all gone over with the supervisors who subsequently assisted Dr. Holley in testing part of the rooms. The remainder of the testing was done by the super- visors assisted by the principals, or teachers. The papers were assembled according to grade and sent to the Bureau of Educational Research, where they were scored by the writer, and standards were derived from the results. Use Made of the Results of the Tesbs The scores of all the pupils in the Gastman School in Decatur and in the two schools. Central Junior High and Hays- Edwards in Springfield, were made the basis of the standard scores. Table XL gives the distribution of I. Q's computed on these scores by combining the mental ages indicated by the different tests and dividing the average of these mental ages by the chronological age ■ . , ' 143 to the nearest month. TABLE XL. . .DISTRIBUTION OF I. Q's OF PUPILS IN THE STANDARDIZING SCHOOLS I. Q. No, Pupils I. Q. No. Pupils I. Q. No. Pupils 0-49 1 80-84 68 115-119 33 50-54 1 85-89 84 120-124 15 55-59 7 90-84 80 125-129 7 60-64 6 95-99 105 130-134 4 65-69 20 100-104 81 135-139 3 70-74 30 105-109 63 140-144 2 75-79 63 110-114 39 145-149 2 Total 717 In addition to the pupils tested as above indicated, teachers from the various other schools in both systems were asked to select pupils who, in their judgment, were borderline pupils or pupils of decidedly low mentality. Among these pupils there happened to be a few about whom the teachers knew but little. Other pupils included in this list had been found subnormal by the Stanford Revision of the Binet Test. The distribution of all these pupils by assigned grade as indicated by these tests, as well as by the school grade in which they were classified, is shown in Table XLI. 144 TABLE XLI DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS BY SCHOOL GRADE AND BY THE THEORETICAL GRADE IN WHICH THEY WOULD BE CLASSIFIED IF PLACED ACCORDING TO MENTAL AGE School Grade Grade indicated by mental age. K 1 2 3 4 5 A O 7 8 Total I 9 10 1 1 31 II 17 43 23 14 8 105 III 9 45 49 9 1 1 114 IV 1 3 13 45 23 8 2 95 V 11 15 18 9 4 2 2 61 VI 3 12 18 15 12 1 61 VII 1 6 14 7 3 3 34 VIII 1 2 2 5 Total 27 65 97 135 83 47 27 8 7 496 The above table should, be read as follows,- nine pupils in first grade, 17 in second and one in fourth had mental ages of kinder- garten standard. The greatest number of pupils (S7 ana 135) of any of the school grades are found in the second and third grades. Likewise the greatest numbers by the mental age assignment, are in the second and third grades (1C5 and 114), The correspondence in assignments to grades suggests that many of the pupils who were given the mental tests were found to be properly assigned. In all the school grades, there are pupils ranging in ability as much as three to six grades. In grade V, for example, 11 of the 145 61 pupils showed a mental age of a second-grade standard and two of this group, all of whom were selected as poor, had mentality of an eighth-grade scandard. The range of scores for the different mental ages, (Standards Table XLII) as determined from the data from the three schools in which all the pupils were tested is as follows: TABLE XLII STANDARDS FOR MENTAL TESTS, BASED ON THE WHOLE ATTENDENCE IN GASTMAN, HAYES -EDWARDS AND CENTRAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS Vocabulary Test ( Information) Age: 8- 8.9: 9- 9.9:10-10.9:11-11.9:13-12.9:13-13.9:14-14.9: M 5 Ml 5 M32 M29 M36 M43 M50 Scores: ( 0-1C) (11-18) (19-35) (26-32) (33-39) (40-46) (47-53) 15-15.9:1 6-16. 9: 17-17 .9:18-18 . 9: 19-19. 9: M57 M65 M74 M83 M90 (54-60) (31-69) (70-78) (78-86) (87-93) Arithmet ic Test ( 5-Minute and 8-Minute ) 6- 6.9: 7- 7.9: 8- 8.9: 9- 9.9:10-10.9:11-11.9:12-13.9: ( 0 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3- 5) ( 4- 8) ( 9-12) (13-14) 13-13.9:14-14.9:15-15.9:16-16.9:17-17.9: (15-17) (18-21) (22-26) (27-33) (33-36) Number Checking 5- 5.9: 6- 6.9: 7- 7.9: 8- 8.9: 9- 9.9:10-10.9: ( 0- 6) ( 7-11) (12-13) (14- ) (15-15) (17-20) ' ' : '■ " ■ 146 Opposites 7- 7.9: 8- 8.S: 9- 9.9:10-10.9:11-11.9:12-12.9:13-13.9: ( 0- 2) ( 3- ) ( 4- ) ( 5- ) ( 6- 7) ( 8- 9) (10-14) 14-14.9:15-15.9:16-16.9: (15-20) (21-26) (27-32) Pressey Primer 4- 4.9: ‘5- 5.9: 6- 6.9: 7- 7.9: 8- 8.9: 9- 9.9:10-10.9:11-11.9: ( 0-14) (15-34) (35-50) (51-62) (63-69) (70-78) (79-84) (85-95) The Individual Scores Reports of these mental scores were given back to the schools as additional data to guide in the proper placement of pupils of questionable ability. It was suspected that many of these pupils belonged in special classes and that others of the group tested should be doing work in a higher grade. These sus- picions are confirmed by the results of these tests and in the most pronounced cases, such changes were made by the superintend- ent . It is evident that a part of the retardation in these schools is due to the incapacity of the pupils to do the ordinary work of the classroom. No scheme of promotion can overcome this deficiency but the school can adjust the type of classroom pro- cedure to the peculiar needs of such pupils when they are located and when the nature of their difficulties is discerned. On the theory that children who are off grade more than a year either way from normal should be given special attention to ascertain 147 their individual needs, all of these pupils were assigned to the- oretical grades on the basis of their mental ages. These grades are computed by assuming that mentally six years old is the prop- er age to enter school and, moreover, that normal progress is a grade a year, thus making mentally 14 years old, the proper age to enter high school after completing the eight elementary grades. While this assignment is not exact (nor in the very nature of things can it be) it does give the administrator and teachers a working basis for assignment. Following the above plan, the pupils were listed by name and grade and the results of the assignments by mental age were reported back to the schools where, in some instances, this additional information was used in connection with what other data the teacher possessed regarding the individual pupils to guide in determining whether the pupils were working up to capacity. This was the principal use made of mental tease. In this connection, also, the probationers were studied to see if the teachers' estimates of the pupils' capacity were borne out by the tests. The 53 pupils, who were probationers each semester, for example, were studied individually to see if this recurrence as probationer was due to limited mentality. Contrary to what one might expect, it was found that only about one in four had been selected by the teachers to take the tests. * . 148 CHAPTER VIII THE PROBLEM OF PROMOTIONS IN RELATION TO REPEATERS Basic Theory in Repetition Who Should Repeat ? One of the most serious phases of the problem of proper promotions in the public schools comes from causing pupils to repeat all the work of a grade in part of which they have failed to secure a passing mark. The situation sometimes presents to the teacher a perplexing problem. If she promotes the pupils of questionable ability, she fears that she may there- by lower the standards of her work and of the school as well. There is also danger of placing the pupils in a grade in which they can not get much profit. On the other hand, the pupils may be large for their grade; they may be able to do good work in two or more subjects; while some may be working up to ability in a type of work which is not well suited to them. To promote them may result in encouraging them to put forth their best efforts, and they may do as good quality of work in the advanced grade as in the preceding one. If so, such pupils by such advancements, would get training in the direction of success rather than in failure. In many such situations the determining factor has been the notion that repetition of a grade will result in pupils get- ting the work "better”. Because of such a belief pupils are re- quired to repeat grades, and a promotion rate of 80-90 per cent 149 of the attendance throughout the country is the result. For this reason, also, the schools continue to have 30-50 per cent of the enrollment over-age. The question of repeating grades should be thoroughly investigated to ascertain what advantages the repeaters really derive from the customary type of repetition. If it is a profit- able procedure we should have something more than traditional be- lief as a basis for this time-honored practice. If repetition, as has been maintained by certain investigators, does not cause a pupil to do better work, then, because of the bad results which often attend repetition, the practice should be modified or abol- ished. Repetition, No Alternative : Before the day of special rooms with modified courses of study and other departures from the routine of the regular course, the administrator was probably more justi- fied than now in requiring indiscriminate repetition. Then there was nothing else to do if the pupil failed to make the required marks. Now there is a tendency to ask in what course and where in the system should the Individual pupil be placed that the school may do the most for him. This is a tendency away from the practice of requiring pupils who are already too old for their grades to repeat the identical studies in which they have just failed. Is Such Repetition Justified by the Results Obtained ? Because this is one of the important questions which is pressing upon the administrator for an adequate solution and because of the light that any information on this topic would throw on our problem. . ' 150 1 • **. one of the units of non- re commended pupils included in our study was investigated as to the probable influence repetition of form- er grades had on their subsequent work. This group of pupils con- stitute the 19? pupils of Decatur, who were not recommended for promotion in June, 1919. The distribution of this group by grades is shown in Table XLIII. TABLE XLIII. . .DISTRIBUTION OF IS? PUPILS WHO WERE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PROMOTION IN THE DECATUR SCHOOLS, JUNE, 1919. Present :Nc. : Insuff i- rNo.Hav- : No. Having Failures as Indicated Grade tPupils: • t • ♦ cient Re- cord ting No : Failures • : 1 Fail. 2 Fail. 3 Fail. 4 Fail. IB 50 45 4 1 1A 28 1 23 2 2 2B 19 4 5 8 1 1 2A 11 3 3 3 1 1 3B 13 5 4 3 1 3A 8 3 3 1 1 4B 10 3 2 2 1 1 1 4A 7 5 1 1 5B 3 - 2 - - 1 5A 10 5 3 1 1 6B 2 - - 2 - 6A 16 4 1 6 3 1 1 7B 10 4 2 3 1 7A 7 5 1 - 1 - 8B 3 1 2 — 197 42 96 34 15 8 2 151 1 The above distribution indicates that 50 of the 197 pupils not recommended in June were in the IB grade. Forty-five of this nuraoer have insufficient record to study, that is, this is their first semester in school, while five of this grade had failed two or three times before. In the 1A grade, 28 pupils failed in June, One of these had incomplete office records and 23 had never failed before. In 4B, there was a pupil that had failed four times before. In all, 42 of the 197 had insufficient office records for our use and 96 had no previous failures. There were 34 pupils who had failed once before, 15, twice, 8 had failed three times and 2 had failed four times before, thus mak- ing a total of 96 failures made by 59 different pupils. The complete records of these pupils as far as they were available, were obtained from the school files and from these data the pupils were studied in a way quite similar to that followed by Keyes and later by Smith in studies on the effects of repetition. This plan consists essentially in classifying the pupils according to the grade in which the failure occurred, which resulted in a repetition, and then studying the previous and subsequent average scholarship to ascertain whether the pupil did better work, same graae of work, or poorer work after the re- petition. i - ~ - . 152 TABLE XLIV THE REPETITIONS, BY GRADE, THAT RESULTED ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL AVERAGES, IN THE PUPILS SUBSEQUENTLY DOING BETTER, THE SAME, OR POORER WORK Better Work Same Quality of Work Poorer Work Grade No. Per Cent No. Per Cent No. Per Cent Total I 17 33.3 30 f 58.8 4 7.9 51 II 5 35.7 8 57.1 1 7.2 14 III 7 63.6 3 27.3 1 9.1 11 IV 5 55.6 2 23.2 2 23.2 9 V 2 28.5 4 57.2 1 14.3 7 VI 1 33.3 1 33.3 1 33.4 3 VII 0 -- - 1 100.0 0 — - 1 Total 37 38.6 49 51.0 10 10.4 96 According to Table XLIV, 51 of the failures listed were made in the first grade and of these, only about one-third of the cases resulted in some gain by repetition. Also 58.8 per cent of these cases showed no change as a result of repetition, and 7.9 per cent repeated with a loss in quality of work done the second time over. At the rate indicated in Table XLIV, of 100 fifth-grade pupils required to repeat, 29 would be improved, 57 would make about the same grades, and 14 would make one or more units lower in general average, as shown in the steps of the scale E, G, F, P. The averages for all grades show that 58.6 per cent of the pupils gained in scholarship, that 51 per cent 153 ~~ remained the same, and that 10,4 per cent did poorer work after repetition than before. This computation covers the average scholarship for all the semesters since repetition. These meager results taken alone mean nothing convinc- ing, but when taken in the light of other similar investigations which were m~.de at different times and in different parts of the country, their significance is not to be overlooked. For ex- 69 ample, Table XLV taken from the study made by Keyes ‘ presents TABLE XLV. REPEATERS OF ALL C-RADES WHO, AFTER REPEATING, DID BETTER, THE SAME , OR POORER WORK Grade Be tt er Work Same Quality of Work Poorer Work Per cent Per Cent Per Cent I 46 27 27 II 15 30 54 III 19 31 51 IV 18.8 31.7 49.5 V 31 39 40 VI 33 43 35 VII 38 53 20 VIII 48 48 4 IX 70 30 Total 28 3S 36 69. Keyes, C. H, Progress Through the Grades of City Schools , (Teachers College Contri out ions to Education No. 43, Columbia University, New York, 1911) Table 19, p. 38. 5 154 figures which agree in showing that repetition is a questionable procedure. This table shows that only 28 per cent of the pupils did better work while 72 per cent did the same or a poorer quali- ty of work. Keyes' study shows fewer pupils with, improved re- cords and more pupils with poorer records. From an extension of his study by taking the first six grades through a period of six years after repeating to see what happened to the apparent gain or loss, he concluded that, "the tendency is (1) to do better work the year after repeating, (2) to lose half this superiority the second year and (3) to fall after two years to the level of his performance prior to repetition." We quote also from his in- terpretation of Table LV. He said, "For example, it was found that out of every hundred pupils required to repeat grade five, 21 did better work afterwards; that is, in grades S, 7, 8 and 9 than they had done in grades 1, 2, 3 and 4. " 70 Smith in 1917, made a similar study based on the schools of Bloomington (Ind. ). We quote from his conclusions: "Considering average scholarship in all subjects, the average gain per cent due to repeating a term's work over the average scholarship made the first term is 7.6. During the succeeding term not all of the gain is held but the grade is still 6.3^ higher. When just failing grades are considered, the difference is still greater. The per cent gained the second term over the first, is 16.6, dropping in the third term to 15.3, Not only was 70. Smith, H. L. A Survey of a Public School System , (Teach exs College Contributions to Education No. 82, Columbia University, New York, 1917) . • . ' N - . . . . . 155 there improvement with subjects in which failures were made but improvement was made in subjects that were being repeated but in which passing grades were made the first time the work was taken. The average scholarship gain, all subjects considered, due to gain in subjects that pupils had taken the first time over was 3.3 per cent. The average gain due to gain in all subjects, was 7.6, clearly showing that the subjects in which the pupils passed the first time, were done better when they were repeated." For our purposes, it is not enough to point out the fact of certain gains or losses, but the administrator needs to know the nature of as well as the amount of this change. For ex- ample, it is not enough for him to be able to point to the fact of 7,6 per cent gain in all subjects, but he must decide whether this percentage of gain is commensurate with the loss of time to the pupil who repeats much subject matter which he had already mastered, and whether it is a sufficient return to the parents 71 and the community who must make it possible for the pupil to be in school the extra time required. It is also well to in- quire into the gain or loss by subject. The following summaries taken from Smith's tables suffice to show this lust point. Ayers, L. P. "Money Cost of the Repeater. " Psychological Clinic , April 15, 1909, Vol.T^PP. 49-57*. 71 . - . - ■ . 156 TABLE XLVI. SUMMARY OF TABLES SHOWING BY SUBJECT, THE AMOUNT OF IMPROVEMENT REALIZED BY REPETITION IN THE BLOOMINGTON (IND. ) SCHOOLS Subject : Grade :No. of : Repeat- : ers • • • • : Better Work: • • • • Same Quality of Work Poorer Work All All 783 418 (31.5$) 246 (31.4$) 55 ( ^ 1o) Spelling All 145 93 (63.4 ) 47 (32.4 ) 6 ( 4.1 ) History All 85 53 (62.4 ) 38 (30.6 ) 6 ( 7.1 ) Arithmetic All 93 S9 (74.3 ) 17 (18.3 ) 7 ( 7-5 ) Geography All 49 49 (83,1 ) 8 (13.5 ) 2 ( 5.4 ) Language All 108 58 (54.7 ) 42 (39.6 ) 6 ( 5.7 ) Writing All 139 58 (41.7 ) 71 (51.X ) 10 ( 7.1 ) Reading All 155 103 (65.8 ) 35 (33.6 ) 18 (11.6 ) IB 39 33 6 1 1A 7 6 1 0 3B 9 8 0 1 2A 4 3 1 0 3B 13 4 5 3 3A 8 7 1 0 4B 18 8 5 5' 4A 13 7 3 3 5B 6 2 3 1 5A 7 4 2 1 6B 6 1 4 1 6A 2 0 1 1 7B 6 6 0 0 7A 8 6 1 1 8B 6 5 1 0 8A 4 3 1 0 The foregoing summaries indicate that there was a larg- er per cent of gain in all the grades than found in our study or in that reported by Keyes, When all grades were considered, in 157 61.5 per cent of the cases there was some improvement; in 31.4 per cent of the cases there was no change noted; and in 7 per cent of the cases there was loss in scholastic standing after repeti- tion. The pupils who repeated reading are here distributed by grade because reading is taught in all the grades and is probably the most fundamental subject. In 13, 33 out of 39 repeaters were helped by repetition. This, of course, does not show us that a similar improvement would not have been realized if the pupils had been allowed to take the 1A grade which is very much the same type of work. In other words, the administrative problem might be better solved by a slight change in method and subject-matter, in the case of these 39 repeaters, than by having the pupils stay another semester in IB. Until we know the probabilities as well as the possi- bilities of some other procedure than having pupils repeat, we cannot dogmatically say that we should continue the practice be- cause, as in the above instance, the pupils improved. Smith's conclusions support us in questioning the practice of repeating identical work to improve the general average. He says that "38.4 per cent of the grades given repeaters during the second semester of the year 1913-14, (his study) were either no better or poorer than the grades made by these same pupils the first time they took the work. If the grades given by the teachers are reliable measures of what pupils are doing, the conclusion is self-evident that as far as efficiency in subject-matter is con- cerned, there was a great waste of time in a large part of the repetition. Especially is this waste noticeable in the subjects ‘ . . • • , - 158 of writing, with 58.2 per cant of the grades no better than the grades of the first term, language and grammar with 45.5 per cent, history with 37.8 per cent, spelling with 38.5 per cent, reading with 34.2 per cent. In geography and in arithmetic doing the work over seems to be of more benefit to the child than in other subjects. These conditions should be remedied either through the exercise of greater Care in sentencing pupils to a repetition of the work or to such an organization that repeaters can get more individual attention than they now receive. " (page 97) The School R ecords of 1QQ Pupils Further to assure ourselves as to the probable benefits that come from repeating grades in the ordinary way, a random se- lection of 100 pupils was made from one of the schools of our study. These pupils are "The first 100 pupils of 6th or 7th grades, who have complete scholastic records in the Decatur schools." These records were copied under the direction of Miss Sarah Mark Imboden, Supervisor of Grades, in that city and the pupils were selected without any reference to whether they had repeated a grade. The school progress of this random selection is shown by the following distribution of 26 out of 100. These are the pupils whose records showed one or more repetition. . . • . . . 159 TABLE XLVII. PRESENT GRADE AND GRADE REPEATED BY 26 OUT OF 100 SIXTH- AND SEVENTH-GRADE PUPILS SELECTED AT RANDOM IN DECATUR Pre sent Grade Grade Repeated Total Failures Individual Pupils IB 1A 2B:2A 3B: 3A: 4B:4A 5B 5A SB SA 6B 1 2: 1 3: 4: 2: 1 14 13 6A 1: 1: 2: 1 1 1 7 4 7B 1 : 1 2: 1 1 1 7 6 7A 1: : 2 3 3 Total 2 2: 2 4: 8: 4: 2 1 3 1 2 31 26 TABLE XLVII I. DISTRIBUTION OF FAILURES OF 26 REPEATERS ACCORDING AS THEY DID BETTER, THE SAME, OR POORER WORK Grade Repeated : Better Work;S dime Quality of Wor k : Poorer Work : 1A 1 0 1 : :2B 2 0 0 : :2A 0 1 1 : :3B 2 2 0 : :3A 2 6 0 : :4B 1 3 0 : :4A 1 1 0 : :5B 0 0 1 : :5A 0 3 0 : :6B 0 1 0 : :6A 0 1 1 : : All Grades 9~l29 _ 41 18 (58.1 4) 4 112.2VT : In this group of repeaters, fewer than one-third were benefited by repetition. The nature of the change realized in their standing can be seen by contrasting their standings within each of the above groups. This is shown in Table XLIX. V 160 TABLE XLIX. THE CHANGE IN STANDING OF 26 PUPILS AFTER ONE OR MORE REPETITIONS Grade Gained Same Standing Lost Total Repeated F-G F-E G-E P-F P-P F-F G-G- E-E E-G G-F F-P Repetition 1A 1 1 2 2B 2 2 2A 1 1 2 3B 1 1 3 4 3A 1 1 5 1 8 4B 1 3 4 4A 1 1 3 5B 1 1 5A 2 1 3 6B 1 1 6A 1 1 3 Total 5 112 1 15 3 0 13 1 31 The pupils of fair ability as shown in the average of the semester whose work was repeated, were as a rule the average- fair pupils of the next semester. Out of 31 repetitions ma.de by 26 pupils, only 3 changed from P to F or to any grade higher than F and IS averaged the same before as after repetition, thus indi- cating that repetition has limited influence on the first stand- ing. The most striking data in these tables are the few repeti- tions made as a result of grades as low as P. There has been a tendency in this system, to require pupils to repeat grades even when final marks of ?5 or more were obtained. The majority of repetitions were made by pupils who were barely above the passing mark or who had fallen below in one or two subjects. Table XLIX shows that only 3 of the 31 failures were based on a general average below F. The same tendency is shown, also, by the number of repetitions that were made by pupils who had failed in no sub- - • * 161 ject the semester before the repetition. TABLE L. SHOWING THE SUBJECTS IN WHICH FAILING MARKS WERE OBTAINED, THE SEMESTER NEXT PRECEDING REPETITION Grade : Subject Failed Repeated: Reading: Arith, :L ang. ; Geog . :Hi at. : Spell. : None * — : — _ IB 32 8 1A 6 5 3B 4 3 0 2A 3 1 2 6 3B 3 4 2 1 1 2 3A 2 1 1 0 1 1 4B 0 2 1 1 0 2 1 4A 1 2 0 2 2 2 3 5B 0 2 3 2 2 1 1 5A 1 3 1 1 0 3 1 6B 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 6A 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 7B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7A 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 Total 53 18 13 8 6 10 29 Table L is based on the 96 repetitions which are shown in Table XLIV on page It shows that 33 of the IB failures were caused by inability to read well, and that reading appeared as one of the hard subjects that either alone or in combination with some other subject was the cause of failure in other grades. Twenty-nine of these failures, evidently, were not the result of failing any one subject, but were made because the pupil's work, in general, was not up to grade. Poor attendance, the teachers' feeling that the pupils had not had a chance to know part of the subject-matter and the common impression that taking the work over will cause pupils to get it better, are evidently common reasons for repetition. Such remarks on the Cards, as "poor . . : • • * * ! . 'Mi * 162 foundation”, "generally weak" and "not able to do higher work" ar3 indicative that the teachers either think repetition aids the pupil in getting the work better or else they think there is no alternative in the matter. Conclusions In discussing repetition here, we cannot dogmatize with much freedom because the data are limited in the number of cases and the failures are so unevenly distributed through the grades. These data are sufficient, however, to show a tendency among the teachers in one of the school systems of our study, to be guided in the promotion of pupils by a general impression of their ability to do all the work of the past term. This im- pression is influenced by the pupil’s work in the last days or months preceding the time for making reclassification. As a con- sequence, pupils with a general average of F are often caused to repeat a grade and sometimes the general average of a repeater for the semester before repetition is G or in rare instances as high as E. This situation may be expected to occur more fre- quently among pupils who attend irregularly (especially if they are out of school for as much as half the time) regardless of their ability to do the next year's v/ork. Some pupils with an average of E in all subjects, for example, have been required to repeat because the total attendance was approximately 40-50 days for the semester. This is probably due to a belief that all the work should be done by every pupil before promotion has been earned. It may be due in part, also, to a somewhat general be- . , ' ’ I ■ , U / l : . . . 163 lief that all the work of the course of study has something of value for all pupils and is in a way, prerequisite to work that is to follow. Pupil No. 20, is a case in point. He averaged F but attended only 43 days. He repeated in 3A after no failure in this grade; and in 4B, which was not repeated, he made the same grade with 50 days attendance. There are so many factors entering into the question of determining the value of repetition, one cannot say that pupils who do not improve their scholastic standing by repetition, are not benefited. It is a questionable procedure, however, if there is no improvement in the marks as a result of spending an extra semester on the identical material and the burden of proof is on the advocate of such repetitions to show their value. In general, the results of our study of the gains due to repeating a grade, agree with those of other similar studies in falling to find value in more than half of the repetitions that were made. The grestest number of failures were made in the IB grade where the only subject that receives much attention is read- ing. Many of these failures were evidently due to poor attend- ance, Many of them were made by pupils who secured no better grades the second time than they made the first time over the work. I There is little or no evidence in the facts of our study to show that repetition for the purpose of causing the pupil to get the work "better" 7/hen the pupil has not failed in his work, is worth anything to the pupil. There is much time wasted in try- ing to get pupils who are accustomed to making a certain average , ; . •. . . . - i ■ . . ^ " " i- . 164 mark, say F, to raise this mark to G or something higher by re- peating the work a second term. Such repetition is often ac- companied by a drop in the general average. On the whole, repetition of identical work by a pupil who has had ample opportunity to get the work the first, time, usually does not result in improvement of mark. The per cent of gain due to repetition is due almost entirely to the pupils who change from a mark of F to a mark of G. In practically no case, is the gain more than that represented by an advance of one step in the grading scale. In view of the fact that the old custom of causing pu- pils who fall slightly below passing, to repeat a grade, is con- ducive of retardation without sufficient assurance that such re- petition will result in good to the pupil, greater care should be taken to prevent pupils from "taking over" the work of a grade. 1 ■ f* . • - 165 CHAPTER IX GENERAL SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS This study supports the belief that much ox the retard- ation of pupils in the public schools, results from the customary plan of advancing pupils at the end of a term, on the work of the grade just gone over. Many pupils are caused to repeat grades when they are able to do the work of the next higher grade satis- factory to the teachers concerned and with profit to themselves. The plan of requiring pupils to make passing marks in practically all the subjects of a given grade, as a condition precedent to being promoted xo the next higher grade in any sub- ject, works a hardship on marginal pupils and on those who are low in only part of the subjects. The disadvantage of repeating by such pupils is not sufficiently compensated, it seems, by gain in scholarship standing, to warrant the use of such an inflexible standard. There are many pupils in our public schools, who are capable of doing work of as good quality as that done by the best one fourth of the class, one or more steps higher in the scheme of promotion. Sometimes pupils profit by giving them double promo- tions. When the pupils for such advancement are selected with due regard for health, on the three-fold basis of mental tests, standardized tests and sub ject-»matter examinations, there are no 166 apparently bad results. Three pupils out of every four in the group thus promoted in the panville experiment maintained them- selves for three semesters in the upper twenty-five percentile of the class to which they. were advanced. The plan of giving all doubtful pupils a probationary period as Was done in the Deoatur-Springfield experiment, is a profitable administrative procedure. By such a scheme, in three semesters, 3240 pupils or about 71.3 per cent of a total of 3141 probationers were saved from repetition of a gr ~de. The names of pupils promoted as a result of the pro- longed testing period (Probation) in a given semester, do not as - rule, appear among the names of the non-recommend pupils in succeeding semesters. Out of 2864 different pupils on probation in one or more semesters, 1087 were in the first probation only; 680 were in the second only; S78 in the third only; 113 appeared in the first and second; 29 in second and third; 17 in the first and third; and 59 were in all three, (Table XXVI) Th3 advantages of this plan of promotion, it seams, are not dependent upon any special devices. Its chief merit lies in giving pupils a testing period during which time the emphasis is on the doing of the work of the grade to which promotion is to take place instead of working for a mark in work that has been gone over. There are no apparent disadvantages to the school from this plan. The general level of scholarship was raised each 167 succeeding semester. No radical changes in organization or ad- administration were required. Such a plan is not only feasible but is warranted by positive gain the promotion rate. Pupils aided most by this ad- ministrative procedure seem to be those who, because of changing schools or poor attendance, have not been with the teacher long enough to prove their right to advance. Likewise, pupils who are barely able to make passing marks in one or more subjects are sometimes able to obtain advancement in this way. Our findings from a study of repetitions in connection with this experiment, (Chapter VIII) support the conclusions ar- rived at by other investigators that requiring pupils to repeat the identical work of a whole grade when a pupil falls below passing in one or mere subjects, is at best, a wasteful practice. Comparatively few pupils improve scholarship by repetition of grades . The plan of giving doubtful pupils a chance to sho?; if they are able to do work of a higher grade, removes the necessity of measuring them by a common mathematical standard and reduces the number of repeaters. Reoommendat ions The experimental part of our invest igat ion has demon- strated the possibility of improving over-age conditions in the public schools by a slight change of emphasis in the determina- tion of a proper criterion for judging a pupil's fitness for • • ' • . * . : 168 promotion. It is desirable, in this connection, to offer certain definite suggestions as to needed improvements in the line of our conclusions based on the foregoing study. 1. Every case of promotion should be considered primarily from the point of view of the individ- ual pupil's best interest. The pupil should be placed in that grade where the school can do the most for him regardless of anything el3e as a criterion for promotion. This may mean double promotion or no promotion (Change of Grade) for certain pupils and an unearned placement for others . 3. Promotion should no longer be looked upon as an act of reward or punishment for a certain record, such as scholastic average in a given grade, at- tendance, deportment and the like. The school, on the other hand, should take from time to time, the initiative in placing the pupil in the grade or grades which may offer a maximum opportunity to call out the pupil's best efforts. 3. The teacher is justified in modifying the course of study, the teaching method or any other formal procedure of the traditional school, if by so do- ing there is greater probability that she will aid the pupil more than she will inconvenience the school . 4. The administrator should consider it a part of his . . 169 official duty to see that pupils are properly classified. This may entail such provisions as the formation of new classes, special classes, individual instruction in certain subjects with some pupils, placing pupils in other classes or rooms at any time of the term, or giving pupils a chance to show the teachers concerned, whether the work of a more advanced grade is within the comprehension of such pupils. (Trial Promotions) 5. Grade distinctions should be regarded as mere ad- ministrative devices. Teachers should be en- couraged to teach appropriate subject-matter for given grades but pupils should not be thought of as fitting perfectly into these artificial compart- ments. For this reason, a pupil weak in one or two subjects, should be given extra attention in these subjects after promotion but should not be required to repeat a grade until all the work has been supposedly made up. (Many pupils with such standing, in the schools of this study, did better work in all subjects in the advanced grade than they did in the previous grade.) 6. Promotion should be based on the teacher's best estimate and such matters as class grades, ex- aminations and the like have their place in help- ing the teacher to get a line on what has been taught from time to time. Examinations should not, . . I . 170 on the other hand, he taken as the sole basis for promotion. The examination should be regarded merely as a device which is effective with some pupils and in the hands of some teachers, but it is not an unerring guide either to what a pupil has done or can do. The chief use of tests on subject-matter, should be as a teaching device and not as a promotional device. 7, Less emphasis should be put on final marks, passing grades and the like. The important question is whether the pupil is getting the present work or whether he can comprehend and properly make use of the subject-matter that is ahead. If not, why not? The teacher must know whether the pupil is being promoted every day and not wait for the final ex- amination or any other end- term experience. 8. It is a good plan to make up two lists of pupils just prior to the regular time for reclassification. A. Pupils whose ability to do the work of the next higher class or grade, is un- questioned by the teachers. B. Pupils of quest ionalbe ability. All of division A should be advanced on the pre- sumptive evidence that their proven ability in the previous grade shows that they can do the work of a higher grade. All of list B should be given a probationary period of say 6 weeks, during which - .. ) 171 time the receiving teacher should do all in her power to cause them to maintain themselves in the new grade and at the end of this probation, they should be judged in terms of their respective re- cord. Ba3 is of Prompt ion Instead of making promotions on the amount or quality of work done and on this alone, all promotions should be made after taking into account the one important question, where should the pupil be placed in order that the school can do the most for him. This should usually take into consideration four points, - health and age of the child, heredity and environment, ability to do more advanced work and lastly the amount and quali ty of work done in the previous grads. F 172 Ayres, Leonard P. Bachman, Frank P. Bagley, W. C. Barnard, Frank J . Bennett, H. E. Babbitt, J. F. Boone, R. G. Bonser, F. G. Bright, Orville T. CHAPTER X BIBLIOGRAPHY The Effects of Promotion Rates on School Efficiency. American School Board Journal, May, 1913, pp^. Money Cost of Repeaters. Psychological Clinic, 1910, pp'. 49-57. Laggards in Our Schools. Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1909. Elementary School Administration. A Constructive Study Applied to New York City. Part II, Promotions. World Book Company, 1915. Classroom Management. Chapter IV (The Batavia System) Macmillan Company, New York, 1908. Let Every Pupil Be so Classified as to Allow Unrestricted Progress or Unlimited Time According to Ability. (Practical Results of 8 Years with the Seattle Plan) . Proceedings National Education Association, 1899, pp. 163-170. School Efficiency. A Manual of Modern School Management. Ginn & Company, 1918. Elimination of Waste in Education. Ele- mentary School Teacher, February, 1913, Vol . 12, pp. 258-271. The Lockstep in the Public Schools. Proceedings National Education Associa- tion, 1903, pp. 408-413. The Reasoning Abilities of Children of the 4th, 5th and 6th Grades. Teacher’s College, Columbia University, Contribu- tions to Education No. 37, Columbia University, New York, 1910. Changes — Wise and Unwise-- in the Grammar and High Schools. Proceedings National Education Association, 1895, pp. 259-278. 173 Brooks, Samuel S. Buckingham, B. R. Bunker, F. F. Burk, Frederick Burk, C. F. Butte, Montana Carfrey, J. H. Chambers, W. G. Claxton, P. P. Getting Teachers to Feel the Need of Standardized Tests. Journal Educa- tional Research, June, 1920. Vol. II, pp. 425-435. Principles of Scale Derivation with Special Application to Arithmetic, Geography, History and Grammar. Third Conference on Educational Meas- urements, Bloomington, Indiana, ISIS, p . 83 . Notes on the Derivation of Scales in School Subjects. 15th Yearbook, National Society for the Study of Education, Part I, 1915, p. 33. Promotion in the Schools of New York City. Appendix D, 17th Annual Report New York City Schools, 1915. Spelling Ability. Its Measurement and Distribution. Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to Education No. 59, Columbia University, New York, 1913. Reorganization of the Public School System. United States Bureau of Edu- cation Bulletin, 1916, No. 8, p. 25. Every Child a Minor vs the Lockstep. A Suit in Equity. Monograph C. San Francisco Normal School, 1915. Promotion of Slow and Bright Children. (A Year's Trial of the Santa Barbara Plan) Education Review. Vol. 19, pp. 296-302. A Report of a Survey of the School System of, 1914, pp. 74, 81. Grading and Promotion. Journal of Education, April 4, 1912, Vol. 75, pp. 379-380/ Individual Differences in Grammar Grade Children. Journal Educational Psychology, 1910. Vol. I, pp. 61-75. City School Circular No. 2, United States Bureau of Education, March 25, 1921. . 174 Cornman, Oliver P. Coffman, Lotus D. Crampton, C. Ward Cogswell, Francis Cubberley, E. P. Dickson, Virgil E. Falkner, R. P. Foster, W. I. Gillingham, Anna Henry, T. S. Size of Classes (Affecting Retarda- tion) Psychological Clinic, December 15, 1909, Vol. 3, pp. 206-312. Mobility of the Teaching Population in Relation to Economy of Time. Proceedings National Education As- sociation, 1813, pp. 234-241. Influence of Physiological Age on Scholarship. Psychological Clinic, June 15, 1907, Vol. 1, pp . 115-121. The Cambridge Experiment (Old Plan) . Proceedings National Education As- sociation, 1894, p. 333. Public School Administration. Plans of Promotion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916, p. 300. What First Grade Can Do in School as Related to What is Known by Mental Tests. Journal Education Research, June, 1920, Vol. II, p. 480. What Can and Do School Reports Show? Psychological Clinic, March 15, 1910. Vol. IV, pp. 1-18. The Fundamental Expression of Re- tardation. Psychological Clinic, January 15, 1911. Vol. IV, pp. 213- 220 . Physiological Age As a Basis for Classification of Pupils Entering the High Schools. Relation of Puberty to Height. Psychological Clinic, May, 1910. Vol. IV, pp. 83-88. The Bright Child and the School. Journal Educational Psychology, May- June, 1919. Vol. 10, pp. 237-352. Class-room Problems in the Education of Gifted Children. 19th Yearbook, National Society for the Study of Education, Part II. Public School Publishing Company, Bloomington, Illinois, 1920. 175 Hill, D. S. Remaining Errors in Measures of Re- tardation. Elementary School Journal, May, 1919, Vol. 19, pp . 700-712. Holmes, W. H. School Organization and the Individual Child. The Davis Press. Worcester, Massachusetts, 1913. (Has good brief description of the Manheim and other plans of promotion) . Johnston, Charles Hughes The Organization and Administration of Secondary Education. A Report by the Chairman of the Committee on Ad- ministration of High Schools, of the Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education of the National Education Association. Edited by the Chairman, 1917 (Unpublished). Johnson, F. W. A Study of High School Grades. School Review, January, 1911. Vol. 19, pp. 13-24. Jones, W. Franklin An Experimental-Critical Study of the Problem of Grading and Promotion. Psychological Clinic, April 15, 1911. Voi. 5, pp. 63-130. Judd, C. H. Keyes, C. H. King, Irving Kelley, F. J. Kennedy, John Kruse, Paul J. The Evolution of a Democratic School System. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1918, p. 118. Progress Through the Grades of City Schools. Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to Educa- tion No. 42, Columbia University, New York, 1911. Physiological Age and School Standing. Psychological Clinic, January 15, 1919, Vol. 7, pp. 222-229. Teachers’ Marks. Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to Education No. 66, Columbia University, New York, 1914. The Batavia Plan After 14 Years of Trial. Elementary School Teacher. Vol. 12, pp. 449-459. Overlapping of Attainments in Certain Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grades. Teachers College, Columbia University, 176 Contributions to Education No. 92, Columbia University, New York, 1918. Mac Donald, R. A. F. Adjustment of School Organization to Various Population Groups. Teachers College, Columbia University, Con- tributions to Education No. 75, Columbia University, New York, 1915. Monroe, W. S. Measuring the Results of Teaching. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1918. Munsterberg, Hugo Psychology and the Teacher, New York. 1909. Newton, Massachusetts Annual Report of 1913. O'Brien, F. P. O' Hern, Joseph P. Pintner, Rudolf Pressey, S. L. and L. W. Rosier, J. J, Search, P. W. Shearer, Wm. J. Smith, L. M. Starch, D. and Elliott E.C. The High School Failures. A Study of the High School Records of Pupils Failing Academic or Commercial High School Subjects. Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to Education No. 102, Columbia Uni- versity, New York, 1919. Remedial Measures. A Report 1918, of Remedial Measures Used in the Schools of Rochester, New York. (Un- published) Mental Survey, New York. D. Appleton & Company, 1918. A Group Point Scale. For Measuring Intelligence. Journal Applied Psy- chology, 1918, Vol. II, pp. 250-269. A Satisfactory Basis for Promotion. Journal of Education, May 27, 1915. Vol. 81, pp. 563-565. Individual Teaching. The Pueblo Plan. Education Review, February, 1894. Vol. 7, pp. 154-170. Grading of Schools. Including a Full Explanation of a Practical Plan of Grading. New York, 1899. 220 pp . Survey of a Public School System. Bloomington, Indiana. Reliability of Grading Work in Mathe- matics. School Review, April, 1913. Vol. 21, pp. 354-259. r 177 St. Louis, Missouri Terman, Lewis M. Thorndike, E. L. Thorndike, E. L. Van Sickle, J. H. Wall in, J. E. W. Washburne, C. W. Whipple, Guy M. Young, Ella Flagg Yule, Udny School Report of, pp. 1868-74. (For further discussion of the St. Louis Plan, see Education Review, November, 1894 . Vol. 8, pp. 387-389. The Use of Intelligence Tests in the Grading of School Children. Journal Education Research, January, 1920. Vol. I., p. 20. The Elimination of Pupils from School. United States Bureau of Education Bulletin ho. 4, 1907. Educational Psychology. Briefer Course. Part III, p. 331. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York .1914. Tests of Intelligence, Reliability, etc. School and Society, February 15, 1919, pp. 189-194. Handwriting. Teachers College Record, March, 1910. Vol. 11, pp. 82-175. Grading and Promotion With Reference to the Individual Needs of Pupils. Proceedings National Education As- sociation, 1898. (The Denver Plan) The Mental Health of the School Child. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1914. Breaking the Lockstep in Our Schools. School and Society, October 5, 1918. Vol. 8, pp. 391-402. Classes for Gifted Children. Public School Publishing Company, Blooming- ton, Illinois, 1919. Grading and Reclassification of Pupils. Proceedings National Educa- te ion Association, 1903, p. 83. Introduction to the Theory of Statis- tics. London. C. Griffin &. Company, 1919. - 178 CHAPTER XI Appendix A - Mental Tests Used Directions for Test I Look at these numbers: (a) 2-2- (b) 6-5 (c) 17 - 17- (d) 31 - 31 (e) 1769 - 1679 Compare the numbers opposite each other in the two columns. Place a straight mark by the right-hand figure when the two numbers com- pared are the same. Thus, in the fore-exercise a and c should have a dash by the right-hand 2- and the right-hand 17- . On the next sheet there are two long columns of numbers to be compared like the ones you have done. If the two numbers which are side by side in the two columns are the same, place a straight mark by them just as you have done here. Do not mark the other numbers. . . ' 179 Test I (For Grades I to IV) Number Checking Test 3 — 3 89976432 — 8976432 4 — 5 92743678 — 93743658 8 ~ 6 87439581 — 87439581 33 — 32 92764758 — 92764558 49 — 49 37645972 _ 47645972 76 _ 76 83834765 — 83834765 474 — 744 83974685 _ 83974684 491 — 491 S7465432 — 97465432 369 — 369 75554756 — 75544756 8448 — 8447 63394461 _ 63394461 3789 — 3978 11751127 — 11751127 8996 — 8996 39641171 — 396411711 93276 — 93376 597234166 — 597234168 87644 — 876644 366497786 — 366397786 933764 _ 933764 994757512 - 994757512 843323 — 843223 354311343 — 254311343 8678946 — 868946 376452793 — 376452973 9727645 _ 9737645 668442919 - 668442919 Instructions for Test II On the next sheet you will find a number of arithmetic problems. Get the answers to these problems as quickly as you can. Use the side of the sheet to figure on if you need to. You will have exactly 7 minutes for this page. Do as many as you can, but be careful to get them right. Ready, go. , • - " .... - * 180 Test II (For Grades I to IV) 1. 7 boys were playing ball and 3 more came to play with them. How many were playing then? Answer ( 3. There are 7 seats in the first row in our room, but 2 of them are empty. How many children are sitting in the row? Answer ( 3. 26 sparrows were on the lawn. 7 flew away. How many were left? Answer ( 4. Mary bought a box of paints for 7 cents, and gave a 25-cent piece in payment. How many cents did she re- ceive in change? Answer ( 5. In our class we learn to spell 2 words a day. How many days will it take us to learn 23 words? Answer ( 6. How much did it cost Sarah to go to the picnic, if she spent 20 cents for car fares, 6 cents for lemonade, 13 cents for candy, and 15 cents on the merry-go-round? Answer ( 7. The water in the pond is 3 feet deep. The top of Harry's head is 1 foot above the water when he stands on the bottom of the pond. How tall is Harry? Answer ( 8. There were 4 sleds on Morton's hill last Saturday. If each one held 8 children, how many children could slide down hill at one time? Answer ( 9. 6 boys rode to a baseball game. The fare to the grounds was 5 cents each. How much did the beys pay? Answer ( 10. Henry counted a company of soldiers in this way: He found that there were 8 rows of S men each and 3 of- ficers. How many soldiers were there all together? Answer ( 11. If an electric car runs 9 miles an hour, how many hours will it take to travel from one city to another, 117 miles away? Answer ( 12. Some children found 5 birds' nests containing 5 eggs each. How many eggs did they find? Answer ( 181 1 Instructions for Test III Look at these exercises: (a) good bad SAME OPPOSITE (b) little - small SAME - - OPPOSITE In exercise (a) good means the opposite of bad. This is shown by drawing a line under the word OPPOSITE . In exercise (b) little means the same as small. Here we draw a line under SAME . Mark the sentences on the next page this way to show whether they mean the same or opposite. Test III (For Grades III to VIII) 1. Wet - dry ----- ------- - - SAME - OPPOSITE 3. In - out SAME — OPPOSITE 3. Bare - naked ---------- - - SAME — OPPOSITE 4. Expand - contract -------- SAME — OPPOSITE 5. Allow - permit --------- SAME - OPPOSITE 6. Class - group ---------- - - SAME OPPOSITE 7. Confess - admit --------- SAME — OPPOSITE 8. Minus - plus ---------- SAME — OPPOSITE Q V • Former - latter --------- SAME — OPPOSITE 10. Delicate - tender -------- - - SAME - OPPOSITE 11. Extinguish - quench ------- SAME OPPOSITE 12. Commend - approve -------- SAME — OPPOSITE 13. Linger - loiter --------- - - SAME _ OPPOSITE 14. Concave - convex -------- SAME — OPPOSITE 15. Lax - strict ---------- SAME - OPPOSITE 16. Debase - exalt --------- - - SAME * OPPOSITE 17. Dissension - harmony ------ SAME — OPPOSITE 18. Adversary - colleague ------ - SAME — OPPOSITE 19. Assert - maintain -------- SAME — OPPOSITE 20. Champion - advocate ------- - SAME - OPPOSITE 21. Repress - restrain ------- SAME OPPOSITE 22. Any - none ----------- SAME — OPPOSITE 23. Amenable - tractable ------ SAME _ OPPOSITE 34. Superfluous - essential - - - - - SAME - OPPOSITE 25. Reverence - veneration - - - - - SAME — OPPOSITE 1S3 36. Fallacy - verity - -- -- -- -- - SAME — OPPOSITE 27. Recoup - recover ---------- SAME — OPPOSITE 28. Celibate - married --------- SAME — OPPOSITE 39. Specific - general --------- SAME — OPPOSITE 30. Apathy - indifference ------- SAME - OPPOSITE 31. Effeminate - virile -------- SAME OPPOSITE 33. Agglomerate - scatter ------- SAME - OPPOSITE 33. Benign - genial ---------- SAME - OPPOSITE 34. Acme - climax ----------- SAME — OPPOSITE 35. Suavity - asperity --------- SAME - OPPOSITE 36. Innuendo - insinuation ------- SAME — OPPOSITE 37. Aphorism - maxim ---------- SAME — OPPOSITE 38. Vesper - matin ----------- SAME — OPPOSITE 39. Lugubrious - maudlin -------- SAME — OPPOSITE 40. Encomium - eulogy --------- SAME - OPPOSITE Test IV - Information Test (For Grades III to VIII) Notice the sample sentence: Apples grow on - vines - roots - grass - trees ♦ The word "trees" has a line under it be- cause it is the word which makes a true sentence. Notice another sample sentence: People can see through - wood - stone - glass - iron. What is the word that best completes the sentence? Draw a line under it. In the sentences below draw a line under the one of the four words in each row which makes a good sentence. Do not draw a line under more than one word for only one word in each set is right. If you cannot be sure, guess. -*• 183 1 . A Gown is a string . an imal 2. To Tap is to run • fall 3. Scorch means to cut .bruise 4. Some Puddles are made of sand . mud 5. Envelopes are made for letters . snakes . . . .apples 6 . A good Rule should be worn .burned 7. A man in Health is small .white 8. Eye-lashes are made of skin .hair 9. Copper is used to make pennies . shirts 10. To Curse is to buy .bless 11. Pork comes from sheep . cows ....... pigs 12. To point Outward is to point around • along 13. The Southern part of the United States is prairie .mountainous . . . .warm 14. A Lecture is a concert .talk .... game ....... 15. A Dungeon is dark . ooen IS. Skill is keenness . expertness . 17. To Ramble is to skat e .swim 18. A Civil person is rude .rough 19. Anything Insured is protected .burned 20. Nerves are found in the hair . ground 21 . A Juggler is a magician .physician. . 22. To Regard is to magn if y .consider . . . 23. Staves are used in scales .paint ing. . . 24. Brunettes are red • white 25. Hysterics are shown in control • sleep 26. Mars is a country .planet 27. Mosaic work reveals patterns .homogeneity . . . . str ipes . . . . 184 28. To Bewail is to applaud. ...... .beware ....... . lament 29. A Priceless book is useless .pr incely . excellent 30. Disproportionate amounts are rough .unequal . equal 31. To Tolerate is to permit .record 32. An Artless person is craf ty .artful .frank • CO CO A Depredation is a denravity . , . . . .deprecation. . . .robbery .gain 34. The Lotus is a lout .water-lily. . . .bird 35. To Frustrate is to balk . exc ite . ignore 36. A Harpy is a hobby .litany .monster 37. To Flaunt is to flay . taunt .reprove 38. Ochre is a nostrum .pigment ...... .feast 39. A Milksop is a mollycoddle , . . .flirt . .prude 40. An Incrustation is a coating .absorption. . . . indentat ion 41, Retroactive laws affect the f inane ial .past .future 42. Ambergris is used in candles ....... .fishing .medicine 43. Achromatic glass is tinted .frosted .uncolored 44. Perfunctory actions are mechanical .... .habitual . chance 45. The term Piscatorial applies to painting . sculpturing. . . .fishing .min ing 46. Casuistry is a science which deals with medicine .conscience . . . . stars 47. Sudorific substances cause blindness . sweating . hunger 48. Parterre i3 a term applied to flower-gardens .art illery . . . . .balconies 49. Shagreen is a color .perfumery . . . . .leather 50. A Complot is a compline .conspiracy. . . . garden On the next page you will find another she et of sen- tences very much like the ones you have just tried. When you are sure you have done all you can on this page turn over the page and 185 go to work on Test V. correct incorrect omitted Score Test V (For Grades III to VIII) 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . 19 . 20 . An Orange is a dress animal fruit ... . A Bonfire usually burns coal oil gas Straw grows from trees fish .oats A Roar is muddy .loud tall Haste is hurry red. little. . . A man is Afloat in a mine tower hospital . A Guitar is used to make toys glass music. . . . A Mellow apple is br ight sof t dark Impolite people are ill-bred kindly. brave. . . . Plumbing is made of pipes rubber glass. . . . Noticeable things are round plain little. . . A Muzzle is often put on snakes men dogs To Quake is to . sneer laugh cry A Reception is a party show game Majesty refers to dresses kings countries A Treasury is used to keep horses chickens money To Misuse is to save throw crush. . . . To Crunch is to burn whirl tear A Forfeit is a gift valley penalty. . A Sportive person is wild gay bold. .... hornet trash potatoes soft sweet boat furniture green young fruit brave kites tremble sleep climates snakes abuse crush f ind cruel 186 SI. Apish people are silly .cruel .wise 23. To Snip is to sew .paste . t ie 33, A Shrewd man is weak .dull . sharp 24. To Repose means to snore . sleep .dream 25. A Peculiarity is < a singularity. . . . .c ircuit .debacle 26. A Conscientious man is dust . consc ienceless .obedient 27. A Charter is* a map .grant 28. Coinage refers to seignior .bonds .currency 29. A Dilapidated thing is laminated .complete . subj ected. .... 30. A Promontory is a nroi eot ion .uromoter . incognito 31. Avarice is shown by egotism .covetousness. . .altruism 32. Gelatinous things are coot ile . round . j ellied 33. To Drabble is to exc ite .crowd . twaddle 34. A Philanthropy is a rel igion .creed .philander . . . . . 35. Irony is slander .metal . sat ire 36. To Embody is to blend . incorporate . . . .repudiate 37. To Swaddle is to swathe .waddle .bungle ........ 38. Exaltation is intoxication. . . . exhalation. . . . .admonition. . . . 39. To Infuse is to confuse .fuse . . . • . inspire 40. A Selectman is a confederate .... .off icer . .conspirator . . . 41. A Declivity is a slope .decent . deter iorat ion . . .hill 42. The Laity are the people .clergy . elders als 43. A Fen is a upland .bushland 44. To be Sapient is to be savory . sardonic .wise 45. A Cameo is a photograph .animal .dance 46. Theosophy is a philosophy of transmigration. .revelation nature predest ina- t. ion ♦ » . ... . . - . :1 - . ■■ . . . £ • ■ . . . 9 . .. ■ ... i • * ■. » - 187 47. Precipitancy prec ision . implies 48. Paleology is fossils . . . the study of . . . stones 49. A Homunculus homo tonus . is a 50. A Limpet is a shell-f ish correct incorrect omitted score . . , i . . Schedule F Name 188 Mental Survey Tests— Primer Scale Test VI (For Grades I to IV) Grade Age DOT PATTERN TEST * • * • * • * * * * * * * * * • * * * * ♦ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ♦ * * * * * ► * * ♦ * * * * * * ♦ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ♦ ****** * * * ****** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***** * * Indiana University DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY IL CLASSIFICATION TEST form board test A □ O O A n_r * o n O zl * CT3 AK o o J~L L J /\ U ^ V CJ L CuA \x IV. ABSURDITIES 189 Test VII (For Grades V to VIII) (Solve as many of these problems as you can in eight minutes.) 1. The boys' team scored 67 and the girls' 77. By how much did the girls win? Answer ( ) 2. Mother had 15 eggs. She sold 6 and then gathered 9 more. How many had she then? Answer ( ) 3. If 2 collars cost 25 cents how much must be paid for a half dozen? Answer ( ) 4. If a man receives $3.20 per day of 8 hours, how much is he paid by the hour? Answer ( ) 5. If a pencil costs 2c and is sold for 3c what is the per- cent of gain? Answer ( ) 6. If I paid 50 cents for railroad fare and 65 cents for dinner, how much change will I receive from a two-dollar bill? Answer ( ) 7. How many pencils can you buy for 40c at the rate of 3 for 10c? Answer ( ) 8. If a boy sells 4 papers to make 5c, how many papers will he have to sell to make 25c? Answer ( ) 9. John paid $3 for seed, $4 for plowing, $3 for planting an acre of corn. He sold his crop for $120. How much money has he left if he paid all expenses and $5 for rent? Answer ( ) jj 10. If 4 men can do a piece of work in 6 days, how long will it take 12 men? Answer ( ) 11. I bought a horse for $96 and sold it at a gain of 25$. How much money did I gain? Answer ( ) j 12. What is the interest on $1000 at 65 for 1 yr. 6 mo.? Answer ( ) 13. A man spent 3/4 of his money and had $8 left. How much had he at first? Answer ( ) ISO 14. It takes 8 ounces of flour to make one 10-cent loaf of bread. How many loaves could be made from 200 lbs. of flour 7 Answer ( ) 15. If $225 is divided between A & 3 so that B receives $25 more than A, how much does A receive? Answer ( ) 16. In Indiana the cost of macadam road is shared by the town, county, and state. The state pays 1/6, the coun- ty 1/6, and the town the remainder. If the state pays $1300, what does the town pay? Answer ( ) 17. I leave home at 7:30 and travel 6 3/4 hrs . At what hour do I arrive? Answer ( ) 18. If 2 7/8 barrels of flour cost $33, what will 6 1/4 barrels cost at the same rate? Answer ( ) 19. The rations of a soldier are 11/4 lbs. of bread per day and 4/5 as much meat. Owing to the loss of a ship, the supply of meat was reduced one-half. How much meat did each soldier receive per day? Answer ( ) 20. A car of wheat containing 93,500 lbs. is found to be loaded 1/9 over the permitted load. How many pounds must be removed? Answer ( ) 191 Test VIII (For Grades V to VIII) (Solve as many of these problems as you can in five minutes.) 1. How many are 30 men and 7 men? Answer ( ) 3. If you save $6 a month for 5 months, how much money will you save? Answer ( ) 3. If 34 men are divided into squads of 8, how many squads will there be? Answer ( ) 4. Mike had 11 cigars. He bought 3 more and then smoked 6. How many cigars did he have left? Answer ( ) 5. An army advanced 5 miles and retreated 3 miles. How far was it then from its first position? Answer ( ) 6. How many hours will it take a truck to go 48 miles at the rate of 4 miles an hour? Answer ( ) 7. How many pencils can you buy for 50 cents at the rate of 3 for 5 cents? Answer ( ) 8. A man walked 40 miles in five days. The first day he walked 9 miles, the second day 6 miles, the third 10 miles, the fourth 8 miles. How many miles did he walk the last day? Answer ( ) 9. If you buy 3 packages of tobacco at 8 cents each and a pipe for 55 cents, how much change should you get from a two-dollar bill? Answer ( ) 10. If it takes 6 men 3 days to build a 180-foot wall, how many men are needed to build it in half a day? Answer ( ) 11. A dealer bought some mules for $800. He sold them for $1000, making $40 on each mule. How many mules were there? Answer ( ) 13. A rectangular bin holds 400 cubic feet of lime. If the bin is 10 feet long and 5 feet deep, how wide is it? Answer ( ) 13. A girl spends one-eighth of her snare change for post cards and four times as much for a box of letter paper and then has 90 cents left. How much money did she have at first 7 Answer ( ) 193 14. If 3-g- tons of coal co3t $31, what will 5 ^ tons cost? Answer ( ) 15. A ship has provisions to last her crew of 500 men 6 months. How long will it last 1200 men? Answer ( ) 16. If a man runs a hundred yards in 10 seconds, how many feet does he run in one-fifth of a second? Answer ( ) 17. A U-boat makes 10 miles an hour under -rater and 20 miles on the surface. How long will it take it to cross a 100-mile channel if it has to go three-fourths of the way under water? Answer ( ) 18. If 214 men are to build 4066 yeards of pavement, how many yards must be built by each man? Answer ( ) 19. A certain business employs 3000 men, 15,000 women, and 1000 boys. If the business is expanded proportionately until there are in all 19,800 people, how many men will be added? Answer ( ) 30. A commission house which has already supplied 1,897 barrels of apples to a community delivered the remain- der of its stock to 28 dealers. Of this remainder each dealer received 47 barrels, what was the total number of barrels supplied? Answer ( ) 193 Appendix B - Standardized Tests Used at Danville A detailed description of the reading tests by Monroe and the arithmetic tests by Woody is omitted from this report. We have included, therefore, only such of the tests used as have not appeared in print, in the form used. 194 Test in History The test in history consists of ten informational questions taken from Buckingham's list. These questions were selected with reference (a) to the progressive difficulty for the different grades as expressed in the percent answering correctly and (b) with reference to the range of these percentages. Accompanying the ques- tions which follow, the figures show the percent of correct answers in each grade as has been determined by the author of this test in previous testing. No. Question Percent of Correct Answers Seventh Low Gra-de Hi ah Eighth Low Grade High 1 Jl • What tract of land was pur- chased by the United States during Jefferson's adminis- tration? 58 .6 77.3 85.4 83.4 3. At about what time was the first message sent by tele- graph ? 44.5 53.0 64.7 71.4 3. What political party came into power in 1801? 38.8 44.9 64.0 70.0 4. What is the main purpose of the Monroe Doctrine? 34.3 31.5 53.0 59.4 5. In general, what was the attitude of England toward the South during the Civil War? 53.4 59.0 66.0 80.9 6. To what section of the Un- ited States does the Ord- nance of 1787 apply? 39.1 34.9 63.8 67.9 7. Give the substance of one amendment to the Constitu- tion made as a result of the Civil War? 49.5 58.6 64.0 86.7 8. What problem arose when Kar sas applied for admission to the Union? L — 14.7 30.1 39.9 53.8 * 195 9. What is the provision of the Constitution regarding the number of members in the Senate? 31.7 36.4 50.4 61.2 10. Name three American generals in the Revolutionary War. 38.5 47.9 55.2 59,6 Test in Spelling January 1919 Grade III 1. The wagon belongs to the boy. 2. He ate too much cheese for supper . 3. I may send the sick girl a peach and an orange . 4. He saw the queen corning down the stairs . 5. I shall give the dog a bone. 6. On the way home he had to pass the office . 7. Please read me the story . 8. The man in the water could not reach the pole . 9. A goose has only two feet. 10. In the summer we can hear the birds sing. 11. The house stands on the hill. January 1919 Grade IV 1. I bought a picture of a canoe for a penny . 2. He will get here this evening before eight o* clock . 3. The ocean was very rough . 4. He gave a cheerful answer . 5. Be sure to watch the curtai n . 6. I am hungry for some oysters . 7. The fairy always comes in the night. 196 8. Truly , j heard the strange voice ♦ 9. The echo repeats the words. 10. The boy is get ting his lesson. 11. I know where to buy the best leather . January 1919 Grade V 1. You ought not to wear that style of collar . 3. The captain and his nephew made the voyage together . 3. The butcher has nice veal cnops. 4. The animal was caught in the trap. 5. She took the cabbage and the onion into the kitchen . 6. I shall not see you again until Wednesday . 7. Which man did you believe ? 8. She covered the dried apples with a cloth. 9. The men did not dare to touch the fierce lion. 10. The boy continued to be regular in his work. January 1919 Grade VI 1. He will receive a telegram from the society . 2. That grocery has a big business . 3. At recess they took a ride on the sleigh . 4. Electricity is the source of power for the trolley . 5. Since he is so hoarse . he should take medicine . 6. They decided to sing the old college hymns . 7. Neither his daughter nor his niece knew of his absence . 8. The charge against the man forced him to resign . 9. The anxious mother waited for the mailman's whistle . 10. He stumbled over a loose board and bruised his knee. 11. His di scoveri es made him famous. ; * .• Wt E . » 197 January 1919 Grade VII 1. The mosquito is responsible for yellow fever. 2. The attorney concealed his ignorance ♦ 3. The vegetable was delicious . 4. The calculation in the almanac was wrong. 5. It was apparent that the poor wretch was grateful . 6. The emperor owns an elegant yacht . 7. The mysterious character won a medal for bravery. 8. The experi ence of the volunteer made him appreciate the story. 9. When he attempted to interfere , they dropped the proceedings. 10. The piece of changeable silk slipped from the counter. January 1919 Grade VIII 1. Ke is a well known physician and surgeon . 2. They decorated the house with mistletoe . 3. The treachery of the financier was soon discovered. 4. The colonel did not di sapp cint his men. 5. The architecture of the building was exquisite . 6. He is a man of independent resources . 7. She wore a peculiar pair of glasses with tortoise shell rims. 8. Gasoline did not make the grease spot disappear . 9. The distillery was in a separate building. 10. The child offered the dog a morsel of banana . 11. He did not lose his accuracy . 12. On that occasion , everyone noticed his resemblance to his father . 13. The work proved beneficial in the siege . «■ 198 The underlined words in the foregoing sentences were se- lected from a large list which had been standardized by Dr. Buck- ingham in connection with his well known work in spelling. The range used by us in making this selection is 60.1 to 67.9 per- cent. Only words that showed progressive difficulty for the dif- ferent grades are included. The only exception to this rule is the word "siege" which shows a slight reversion in the seventh and eighth grades. The list of words by grades and the percents of pupils spelling each word in the respective grades (3 to 8) are given below. If a word appeared in more than one grade, it was assigned under the lowest grade in which the percent spelling it correctly fell within the range selected. The range was selected arbitrarily as that which, in our judgment, would give us a suf- ficient number of words and which would measure every pupil who belonged in the respective grades. Grade III Grade IV Percent 60.1 belongs Percent 6C.2 getting 60.3 pass 60.5 answer 60.7 orange 60.7 curtain, always 60.8 cheese 60.8 repeats 61.1 goose 61.0 know 61.2 office 61.8 truly 61.3 stairs, peach 62.3 watch 61.7 summer 62.4 evening 62.1 wagon 62.8 canoe, watch 62.2 only 63.0 leather 53.1 read 63.3 o'clock, strange 64.5 send 63.5 rough 64.6 bone, hear 64.2 cheerful 64.8 coming 64.3 picture 65.6 shall 64.5 hungry 65.9 queen 64.7 penny 66 . 3 reach 65.9 sure 66.6 stands, story 66. 3 echo 67.1 pole 66.6 fairy 67.3 much 66.8 oyster 67.5 water 67.1 before 67.6 supper 67.3 ocean Total 35 words Total 25 words Buckingham, B. R. Spelling ability. Its measurement and dis - * 199 Grade V Grade VI Percent 60.4 fierce Percent 60.5 bruised 60.8 continued 60.8 resign, electricity 60.9 together 61.1 discoveries 61.1 wear, regular 61.7 medicine, recess. 61.5 touch receive 61.9 onion 62.6 hoarse 62.0 dried, until 63.9 neither 62.6 collar 63.0 anxious 63.0 caught 63.2 society 63 . 6 covered, voyage 64.0 deceit 63.8 kitchen 64.1 business, absence 64.2 believe 64.4 source, college, loose 64.4 veal 64.7 whistle 65.1 captain 64.8 against 65.6 which 64.9 niece 66.3 Wednesday 65.2 sleigh 66.5 animal, cabbage. 65.5 hymn ought 66.1 grocery 66 . 6 butcher 67.2 telegram 66.7 st yle 66 . 9 nephew Total 25 words Total 35 words Grade VII Grade VIII Percent 60.4 experience 60,1 physician 60.7 mosquito, attorney 60.4 tortoise 60.8 apparent 60 , 8 siege 61.1 responsible 61.3 resemblance 61.3 volunteer 61.7 grease 61.5 medal 51. S banana 61.7 appreciate 63.0 architecture 61.9 mysterious 63.4 disappear 63.0 yacht 63.3 loose 63.0 vegetable 63.4 mistletoe 63.4 calculation 63.7 disappoint 63.8 interfere, almanac 64.0 colonel 63.9 character 64.3 financier, beneficial 64.5 ignorance, emperor 64.6 occasion 65.2 changeable 65.0 distillery 66.5 dropped 65.4 resources 65.9 concealed, grateful 65.7 treachery 67.3 delicious 65.9 surgeon 67.4 elegant 67.3 separate 67.5 wretch, slipped 67.4 morsel, accuracy 67.5 independent 67.8 peculiar 67.9 exquisite Total 25 words Total 25 words tribution. (Teachers College Contributions Columbia University, New York. to Education No. 59, ' 200 Standard Test in Geography (The following test is STEP Q in the Hahn-Lackey Geogra- phy Scale. The same questions are to he given to all the grades tested in geography and the percent scores given below are the standard performance scores for the different grades. 4th ready for 5th is 43; 5th ready for 6th is 58; 6th ready for 7th is 66; 7th ready for 8th is 79. Standard score for 8th grade is 79.) 1. Name four four-bearing animals. 2. Name four large rivers in Europe. 3. What two countries of Asia are noted for tea? 4. Give the capitals of Colorado and Massachusetts. 5. Name two kinds of food that we get from animals. 6. From what country do we get much of our coffee? 7. Which is the largest and which is the smallest, the moon, the sun, or the earth? 8. What country of South America has a climate similar to ours? 9. Why is it warmer in New Orleans than in Chicago? 10. Why are camels such useful animals for traveling in desert places? 11. What is the cause of day and night? 12. What do the rivers do with the soil that they carry? Directions . The pupils are to be given a chance to an- swer the whole list of 12 questions. The individual score will be the percent of all the questions the pupil answers correctly. For ease in scoring, each question will be given the value of 8 percent and each part will be a proportionat e part of the value of the whole question. For example, each animal named correctly, of the four called for in the first question, will count two toward the total score. ' . 201 ' Any answer will be taken as correct if it contains facts that will satisfy or meet what is called for in the questions. Comment ♦ Step Q was chosen because the scores for the different grades show a fairly even gradation of difficulty as com- pared with any other step of this scale. The questions have a wide range both as to the nature of subject-matter and as to coun- tries included. There is a balance of thought-questions and of factual-questions. And the scores compare favorably with the scores selected in other standard tests selected for other subjects and indicate that the questions are not too hard to allow a decent score and yet no pupil will likely get all the answers correct. . - 203 Appendix D, Forms Used The following compiling the same forms were used in gathering the data and for the individual pupils. Form E-R-6 Citv School Grade Teacher Date 1920 No. belonging to grade last dav of Semester No. Recommended for promotion Per Cent Promoted Pupils Recommended for Promotion Names (Last names first and in alphabetical order. Give the names of boys first. Skip no lines.) Probation (Check) Date of Birth e. g. 1-25-01 No. Sem. in School No. Sem. in This Grade Health (G. F. or P ) Final Scholastic Rating By Subjects Reading Arithmetic Language Geography History Spelling Average i 2 3 4 5 6 7 * 8 9 10 11 12 13 . 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 ■ I 1 203 Pupils Not Recommended for Promotion Causes of Non-Promotion Rank 1, 2, 3; 1 being most important sjootps psSuriQ SUOUipUCQ JCIDOg aooj sptuuiv jidnj guoj^ X[[KJU3J^[ 3AI}D3J3Q uoqipucQ jUDIS -Xqj 3AU33J3Q 3DUBpU344 V JBjn§3JJJ suoqipuo^ 3UI°H JOO cI Ratings in Standard Tests Final Scholastic Rating By Subjects Suiipds Ajojsij^ Al|dtUg03r) 3St;n8uBq DU3Ull|4UV Suipuajj ( d J E» apB-ia ui sjaisauiag |OOip§ UI SJ9}S3UI9S Date of Birth e. g. 1/2S/01 Names (Arrange alphabetically. Give names of boys first. Skip no lines.) z - - -f | - o 2 -f 1 - O - CO 2 o 204 M o-- T3 00 IjX ts 3 W , £ O o- u o t; 3 u, G C n CL -rt — D w 2 13-S J2 § ^ c ^ ° C‘£ . L CS (U & ^ rt ^ ^ J: ^ JH o ^ +-/ '*-’ 733 W) >- ^ q.'O > c •C.o^o u ‘ r* -C '53 H G qj O ~£. ' 3 -£ C/5 c 0/5 ■cc^ 3’ c S .S< 5! *-<*_. 3 £ <° rt.o^ > O ° T3 O y ~ ^ - C c3 C _0 O to 4-* C/5 y C to c/o _c 5 H m -jj o rt xS° « o -a -*- u r; L) C/5 i> Ss H 3« . "3 . OJ •X5 C 3 j_. 'T3 to s e-2 . *T3 3 y Cl, C Pt oS > ^ '-l &) Cl.SS X i— o rt -C O -»-. *-> JL 5PwO -C V _C C> -•3 O C/5 G ^ 3 _ - u G IU JO -O O 3 u _, *x: c (U ^ . -H ^ c T-t *-• . x . qj ^ 5.p^ o 2 c £ oj ^ U (U t/5 4— < gj 4-J qj x O -C CL qj *> D ^ | ^-s s ^ ^ „ O.S OT3 > ^ Cl, » JJ c ^ -C O ^ G 32 g ” ■§ 8 2 ^ >. d. & *- « a "2 «■ "S, o I G" ^ 1 £ cl_ u- rt 53 ^ ^ O . t/5 C/5 CL p V (U m vg o ^ rt 5 ^ „ >— 9 - x rt o OS : co & & - u ‘ c2 ^ n ^ u ra C O 4J > r ^ 11 9 2 5 u g g a 2 x a o ^ ^ Cl j_ -C qj t /5 rt ^ _c 'O as g c C ol » O M g S _ rt S"fl ■S-12 u S e 205 Bi w s o u* Z 0 h a. o 0. U a 0. D Q. > a. < z o h < m 0 K Q. cC o : tC CD DC Hi bD < PART II DEVICES USED TO AID PUPILS Week o° | CO *-0 CO v -in ,, Rp.m.