PROGRAMS OF STUDIES FOR BOROUGH AND TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOLS IN PENNSYLVANIA HARRISBURG, PA.: Wm. Stanley Ray, state printer 1913 t ( 2 ) DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. NATHAN C. SCHAEFFER, Superintendent of Public Instruction. A. D. GLENN, REED B. TEITRICK, Deputy Superintendents. C. D. KOCH, THOMAS S. MARCH, W. M. DENISON, J. G. PENTZ, High School Inspectors. ( 3 ) 4 ( 4 ) DEFINITION OF TERMS. (a) A unit : The national conference committee on Standards of Colleges and Secondary Schools defines the unit as follows : A unit represents a year’s study in any subject in a secondary school, constituting approximately a quarter of a full year’s work. This statement is designed to afford a standard of meas- urement for work done in secondary schools. It takes the four- year high school course as a basis and assumes that the length of the school year is from thirty-six to forty weeks, that a period is from forty to sixty minutes in length, and that the study is pursued for four or five periods a week ; but under ordinary cir- cumstances a satisfactory year’s work in any subject cannot be accomplished in less than one hundred and twenty sixty-minute hours or their equivalent. Schools organized on a different basis can nevertheless estimate their work in terms of this unit. (A four-year secondary school curriculum should be regarded as representing not more than sixteen units of work.) (b) A unit course in any study represents the work necessary for a unit of credit. (c) A half-unit course in any study represents the work neces- sary for a half-unit of credit. (d) A curriculum includes all the courses pursued by a pupil while in school. (e) The program of studies includes all the studies or courses offered by the school. (f) The school schedule is a tabular statement giving the time and the name of the instructor for each recitation. (g) Courses pursued through the year for four or five periods each week will count one unit of credit. Courses pursued through the year for two or three periods each week will count one-half unit of credit. REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION. First grade high schools should make sixteen units of work the basis for graduation, though a deserving pupil failing in ( 5 ) 6 a unit course during the high school period should be graduated on fifteen units of work. Second grade high schools should re- quire twelve, and third grade high schools should require eight units. It will be possible for able pupils in each grade of high school to secure additional units. Except in special cases pupils should carry a minimum of twenty forty-minute recitations of prepared work a week. Two periods of practical work, (such as bookkeeping, manual training or laboratory work, etc.), are required as the equivalent of one period of prepared work. No less than two units of a foreign language should be accepted for graduation. The Committee on the Articulation of High Schools and Col- leges gives the following: 1. Quantity should be subordinated to quality. 2. Overstrain should be eliminated from the atmosphere of the school. 3. There should be one unit leeway, inasmuch as failure in one unit in one year should neither cost the pupil an extra year nor tempt the principal to permit such a student to try to carry an extra unit the succeeding year. 4. Students of exceptional ability should be permitted to carry five units per year, thereby shortening the high school period by one year. 5. Students poor in ability should be required to spend five years upon the course, attempting and performing three units each year, thereby diminishing failure and reducing excessive per capita cost of instruction. THE SCHOOL DAY. It is generally agreed among educators that all day sessions with all the pupils in attendance is preferable to half-day ses- sions. In the majority of high schools the school day should be divided into two sessions with four periods in the morning and three or four in the afternoon. The eight period schedule has some advantages as it provides for a better distribution of classes and more time for study in school. The last period of 7 such a schedule should be used largely for study and recitations in practical work. This period could well be used to instruct pupils who for any reason are back in their studies. In schools where all the classes are large (twenty or more pupils), teachers should not be required to teach more than five recitation periods per day. When the classes are smaller six recitations may be assigned to a teacher. No class should have more than twenty-five pupils. It should be remembered that teachers of English need extra time to consult with pupils about their compositions. Laboratory science requires considerable time to prepare the apparatus. 8 *( TYPICAL PROGRAM OF STUDIES. REQUIRED. FIRST YEAR. ELECTIVES. English. Algebra. Drawing. Latin. German. French. Household arts. Manual training. History. Introductory Business. Civics. Agriculture. Commercial Geography. Physical Geography. SECOND YEAR. English Latin. Geometry. German. Drawing. French. History. Household arts. Manual training. Botany. Zoology. Biology.. THIRD YEAR. English. Latin. German. French. History. Physics. Commercial studies. Household arts. Algebra. FOURTH YEAR. English. Latin. German. French. Economics. Chemistry. History. Solid Geometry. Commercial studies. Household arts. Agriculture. English should be required in each year of the high school. In high schools of all classes at least one unit of science, one unit of history, two units of mathematics, and two units of a foreign language should be required. 9 A PROGRAM OF FIVE STUDIES WITH FOUR DAILY RECITATIONS OF PREPARED WORK Monday. English. *Latin. Algebra. Physical Geo. Tuesday. English. ♦Latin. Algebra. Physical Geo. FIRST YEAR. Wednesday. English. ♦Latin. Algebra. Drawing. History. Thursday. ♦Drawing. ♦Latin. Algebra. Physical Geo. History. Friday. English. ♦Latin. Algebra. History. ♦German or French may be substituted for Latin. ♦Domestic Science or Manual Training may be substituted for Drawing. SECOND YEAR. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. English. English. ♦Biology. English. English. History. History. History. ♦Biology. ♦Biology. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. Geometry. Geometry. Geometry. Geometry. Geometry. ♦German or French may be substituted for Latin. ♦Agriculture, Botany or Zoology may be substituted for Biology. THIRD YEAR. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. English. English. ♦History. English. English. History. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. ♦Latin. Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. Algebra. Algebra. Algebra. Algebra. History. ♦German or French may be substituted for Latin. Book-keeping may be substituted for History or Physics. Typewriting and stenography may be substituted for Latin and Algebra. FOURTH YEAR. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. English. English. History. English. English. History. Latin. I atin. Latin. Latin. Chemistry. Chemistry. Chemistry. Chemistry. History. Mathematics. Mathematics. Mathematics. Mathematics. Mathematics. Commercial Studies may be substituted for Latin, Chemistry and Mathemat Manual Training or Domestic Arts for Latin or Mathematics; German or French may be substituted for Latin. All laboratory work should be given double periods. In Physics there should be two double and three single periods each week. In Chemistry there should be at least two double and two single periods each week. The arrangement in historv assumes that elementary civics is taught in the eighth grade. If no civics is taught in the grades it is recommended that this subject be given in place of history in the first year in the high school. This should be followed with ancient history in the second year, modern with stress on English history in the third year and American history in the fourth year. PROGRAM OF STUDIES COVERING FOUR YEARS OF WORK WITH TWO TEACHERS. 1913. First-Year. Second-Year Third- Year. Fourth-Year. English. Latin I. History (Anc.) Algebra. Physical Geo. English. Latin II. History (Anc.) Geometry. Physical Geo. English. Latin (Cicero.) History (Am.) ♦Mathematics. Physics. English. Latin (Cicero.) History (Am.) Mathematics. Physics. ♦Solid Geometry and Arithmetic. 1914. First-Year. Second-Year. Third-Year. Fourth-Year. English. Latin I. Civics. Algebra. Biology. English. Latin II. Civics. Geometry. Biology. English. Vergil. History (Mod.) Algebra. Agriculture. English. Vergil. History (Mod.) Algebra. Agriculture. German may be substituted for two or three years of Latin. Book-keeping or In- troductory Business may be substituted for fourth year Latin. Physics should not be attempted without apparatus. For number of periods in each study see suggestive program on page (9). Plan of Alternation Explained. In 1913 the pupils of the first and second years may, if the classes do not number more than twenty-five, recite together in history and physical geography; the pupils of the third and fourth years may recite together in English, Cicero, History, Mathematics and Physics. In 1914 the pupils of the first and second years should take together Civics and Biology; while the pupils of the third and fourth years should take together English, Virgil, History, Algebra and Agriculture. These studies are taught on alternate years. Such a plan reduces the number of recitations for each teacher and allows more time to supervise study. Districts maintaining high schools covering three years of work with two teachers should take the studies of the first three years in the four year program. 11 PROGRAM OF STUDIES COVERING THREE YEARS’ WORK WITH BUT ONE TEACHER. 1st Year. Algebra. English. Latin I. Physical Geography £. Civics £. 2nd Year. 3rd Year. Geometry. Biology. Composition & Classics. Caesar. Caesar. Ancient History. 1914 1st Year. Algebra. English. Latin I. Physical Geography Civics i. 2nd Year. 3rd Year. Algebra. Agriculture. Composition & Classics. Caesar. Caesar. English History. 1915 1st Year. Algebra. English. Latin I. Physical Geography J. Civics h 2nd Year. 3rd Year. Geometry. Biology. Composition & Classics. Caesar. Caesar. Ancient History. 1. If apparatus is provided Physics may be substituted for Agriculture. 2. Mensuration and Book-keeping may be substituted for third year Latin. 3. For Courses in English see High School Manual. This program is planned for small rural high schools. Many districts with two years’ work are unable to meet the requirements of the law because of small en- rollment. The three years’ program meets “this difficulty and thus safeguards the district against the loss of the appropriations. Besides it offers other advantages, such as, keeping many boys and girls in high school for a longer period; educating them at home; giving them better standing in higher institutions; then too, it makes a much stronger high school. In 1913 the pupils of the first year will carry all the studies under 1st year. The pupils in the second and third years will recite together in all the studies except Latin. In 1914 the pupils entering the 1st year will carry the same studies as the the first year pupils did in 1913. The pupils in the second and third years in 1914 carry together different studies than those offered in 1913. In 1915 the program is the same as that in 1913. CURRICULUM FOR PUPILS PURSUING COMMERCIAL COURSES. REQUIRED. FIRST YEAR. ELECTIVES. English 4. Algebra 4. '“Drawing 2. Penmanship 2. ♦Introductory business 2 or ♦Book-keeping. Latin. German. French. Histo-y (Ancient.) Physical Geography or Introductory Science. Civics. English 4. ♦Book-keeping 2. Commercial Arithmetic 3. Commercial Geography 2. SECOND YEAR. Latin. German. French. Biology. Geometry. English 4. Stenography 2. Typewriting 4. ♦Book-keeping 2, THIRD YEAR. Latin. German. French. Physics. History (Modern.) % English (Business.) Stenography 4. ♦Office practice 2. Commercial Law 2. FOURTH YEAR. Latin. German. Economics. American History and Civics. ‘Double periods.