Retardation in Nebraska
- Author:
William Henry Stephenson Morton,
Superintendent of Schools, Asliland, Neb. II.
From the preceding discussion it is evident that if our pupils advanced regularly through the grades, reaching the upper grades by the time they were thirteen years old, there would not be much elimination in any but the higher grammar grades. But we have seen from table III that many of these older pupils are in the lower grades; and as their tendency is to drop out at thirteen or fourteen, many of them leave before they finish the elementary school. Since it is evident that many of the pupils are repeating their work, it is well to inquire in which grades it is occurring. Dr. Ayres assumes that most of the repetition occurs in the grades up to the fifth, and that there is none in the sixth, seventh, or eighth. Blan finds this to be entirely wrong. lie says,15 “It was found, upon careful examination of the individual records of 3865 grammar grade pupils in five city school systems, that the grade distribution of non-promotions increases from the first grade till the eighth, the seventh grades in all five cities recording the highest percentage of retention.” “The assumption then,” he continues, that “very few pupils who reach the upper grades fail of promotion and repeat the work of the grade is wrong. The facts demonstrate that the retarding force in the grammar grades is certainly no less than in the primary.”
Professor Keyes10 in his investigation found the greatest number of arrests to be in the third, fourth, and fifth grades; although contrary to Ayres, he finds them occurring in every grade. The 683 cases of arrest studied by Keyes are distributed through the grades as follows:
TABLE XIII. REPEATERS SHOWN BY GRADE AND SEX FOR A SCHOOL OF NINE GRADES. Grades Total Boys. 45 42 54 65 52 35 38 26 16 373 Girls. 47 23 39 52 53 42 r16 ;27 11 310 Total. 92 65 93 117 105 77 54 53 27 683 15 Blan, Louis B. : The Incidence of Retardation, p. 10. 18 Keyes, Charles H.: Progress Through the Grades of City Schools, p. 17.
Is it not altogether probable that the pupil who repeats in the primary grades will do the same in the later grades likewise ? It seems that for the same pupil retardation becomes all the more probable as he advances from grade to grade.
An investigation was made in the Ashland schools this year to determine in what grade the most repeating was done, with a view to finding out what grades were causing the most trouble to pupils passing through them. The following percentage for each grade was found by taking the total number of persons who had passed through any grade and multiplying it by two; this gave the total number of semesters that should have been spent in the grades by all pupils. The total number of semesters’ work that was repeated in the grades was divided by the total number of semesters the pupil should have spent. For example, there were 197 who passed through the second grade; this multiplied by two gives 394, the total number of semesters that should have been spent in this grade. It was found that there had been 92 semesters of work repeated in this grade by all pupils. This divided by 394 gives 23 per cent for the second grade. TABLE XIV. PERCENT OF REPETITION FOR THE VARIOUS GRADES OF THE ASHLAND SCHOOL BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SEMESTERS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPENT IN THE GRADE. Grade. Percent. 20 23 15.2 16.4 13 1.2 11.5 The data for the above table were obtained with considerable difficulty, for there were no definite records of the pupils on file. Each pupil was asked how old he was when he started to school, his present age, and in what grade he had repeated. Often the other pupils would help him out, or at times the teacher would remember, and in some cases the parents were consulted. Realizing that the data may not be quite correct, and recognizing that the number of cases studied was rather small, the results are yet worthy of notice.
The Ashland school seems to show a large per cent of nonpromotions in the second to the fifth and in the seventh grades. The table would indicate that if the pupil succeeds in getting into the sixth grade he is almost sure of making that grade, for promotion is surest here. This is the same condition that Blan found to exist. The seventh grade proves to be another sifting place; but it is a well known fact that if a pupil gets into the eighth grade, he will almost surely finish. The thought of finishing seizes him here, and he is carried over the goal by the combined forces of his own efforts and those of his environment.
Although many valid causes may be given for retardation, yet it appears that a great deal of it is due to the “lock-step” system of grading and promotion. As was stated before, every class has its bright pupils, its average pupils, and its dull pupils. The school grade is not static. The individuality of the child soon begins to show and readjustment must take place. Some are promoted to more advanced grades, some are demoted to lower grades, while others are left to repeat the work of the grade. This problem is a large one and many extensive studies have been conducted upon it.
The old type of ungraded school has had its day. It flourished at a time when universal education was not popular. It most certainly had one feature that is not found in the graded school, that is, the instruction was individualistic. But as soon as we began to educate the masses, it became necessary from our administrative standpoint to teach them in groups. It soon became evident that this plan was economical, so it has remained as a chief characteristic of our educational system. It is due to this that the individual is lost sight of in the mass. In a sense he is left to sink or swim, and too often our school machinery forces him to sink.
It must be conceded that the graded school has been a potent factor in levelling distinctions of social rank. The boy (or girl) from the humblest home may be the brightest in his class. He is allowed to compete on equal grounds with the child from the home of plenty. His station in life makes no difference; it is worth against worth; and when the child from the home of limited means outstrips his more fortunate brother and receives his well earned honors, we see social forces working at their best. It is this aspect of the class or graded plan that gives it vitality.
It is with the hope that all of the best in the graded scheme can be retained and much of the value of the old individualistic plan added to it, that the various investigations have been carried on.
The aim of the public school must be the development of the fullest, soundest mental, moral and physical life of which the particular individual is capable. Every child must be given a chance to become all that he is capable of becoming. He must be made as efficient as possible.
We have noted above that there exists in all our schools a great variation in the mentality of the members of any class, variation both above and below the average. Since this is known to be the case, we must provide for the exceptions. It is planned that the school may meet all conditions that might be classed as average, and it is for this class that it is doing the most, but it is not right that it stop here.
To be sure, much study and investigation, and considerable money and effort are being expended on the sub-normal class to raise them to a plane with the normal or average child. This is all well and good as far as it goes, but the work is not general enough. Too many schools give no attention whatever to this class, but let them drift along as best they may, eventually to sink and be lost in the undercurrent. Too often our schools tend to react harmfully upon certain children, generally of the sub-normal class. The teacher finds the pupil hard to deal with; he is slow, and always demanding her time. She becomes disgusted and decides that the boy had better not be in school, and soon, probably unconsciously, she is doing the things that tend to drive him away from school rather than to hold him. It is certainly unfortunate that this is the case, for it is from this class that the criminal comes. Society must in turn suffer for what it has positively done or wilfully neglected. But what are our schools doing for the exceptionally bright pupil ? We are glad to note that some few schools are doing excellent work for them, but in the main they are being overlooked, and no time is provided for them at all. It certainly ought to be as important for society to see to it that her gifted children as well as her deficient class, are developed to their fullest capacity, and yet we are spending many times more money and effort on the dullard than on the gifted pupil. The school certainly ought to be a place where the genius could go and find food for his thought and work for his hands. It always has been and always will be that society is led by men and women from the gifted classes, and we must see that the bright child is liberated.
If we look at him in most of our schools to-day, especially in Nebraska, we will find no special provision for him. We are under the “lock-step” regime and every pupil is taught to mark time. The same assignments and books are given to our gifted children as to our deficient. We are safe in saying that the “lockstep” system is not meeting the demands of these three classes of pupils as we find them in our schools.
Professor W. Franklin Jones summarizes twelve criticisms against the “lock-step” system as follows :17 17 The Psychological Clinic, Vol. V, No. 3, p. 81. “I. It loses the individual in the mass. ‘II. It does not classify students so that treatment may be readily modified to fit abilities. “III. It puts the emphasis upon the weak rather than upon the strong. “IV. It fails to work the strong students up to their reasonable limits. “V. It does not make promotion feasible. “VI. It does not facilitate well adjusted assignments of work. “VII. It fails to emphasize the individual inequalities. “VIII. It gives inadequate opportunity to regain loss due to absence. “IX. It fosters failure among the less capable students. “X. It is responsible for much elimination from school. “XI. It easily works beyond a safe limit, the slow but persistent student who is given to worry. “XII. It stands in the way of shortening the elementary school period for competent students.” There is at least one other criticism that can reasonably be lodged against this system,?that it tends to work the child most of his time in those subjects where he is weakest, and in the ones he dislikes most. For when the teacher finds him failing in a subject, she is sure to require him to do extra work in it, and often he is compelled to travel over an entire grade again to get a little more arithmetic, or grammar, or geography.
The criticisms above are all well taken and go to show that there are enough conditions within our schools themselves to cause all our retardation, not to mention the holding back of the student who could and would move rapidly.
It almost appears as if our pupils were being made to fit the schools, and not our schools the pupils. This must be changed. The individual must be freed. When our teachers awaken to the fact that they are teaching, in a sense, as many schools as they have pupils, we shall be in a position to do something. The pupils of our schools are like the different instruments of an orchestra. Every instrument is different from every other, and no two can be played upon alike if we would get harmony from them. If the teacher would get the best work from the child, she must see him in all his aspects: socially, physically, morally, and mentally, for he is always presenting these four aspects of his nature. The four fields are open for adjustment. We must look to his social conditions,?the home, the street, the school associates, and so on. His physical welfare must be carefully scrutinized. The school must come to his rescue with medical inspection. Iiis mental and moral development must be planned for daily, and results tabulated.
The problem is a large one and much time and study is needed to adjust the school to the individual. There have already been many plans evolved with the purpose in view of overcoming some of the evils of the present “lock-step” system, and to free the individual. Some of these are known as the Cambridge Plan, Elizabeth Plan, Denver Plan, St. Louis Plan, Double Tillage System, Peview Back System, Departmental Plan, and there are many others. This is all pointing in a hopeful direction, and shows that the school men and women are awake to the needs of this problem, and that efforts are being made to solve it. The great problem then that is now facing us is “how to adjust our programs and policies so as to free progress through the grades for all the children of all the people.”18 We must use wisely what information and knowledge we now have upon the problem, and set about immediately to ascertain accurately those facts and truths that lie deeply hidden beneath our school machinery.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
(Note: An excellent bibliography on retardation will be found in The Psychological Clinic, Vol. V, pages 117-119, at the end of Dr W. Franklin Jones’s article on “Grading and Promotion.” The following additional references have been gathered by Mr. Morton. Editor.) 1. Aley, Robert J.:?Care of Exceptional Children in the Grades. Proc. N. E. A., 1910, pp. 881-886. 2. Baciie, James A.:?Delinquency and the Responsibility toward it. Proc. N. E. A., 1909, pp. 1001-1005. 3. Baciiman, F. P.:?Elimination and Repetition. Ed. Rev., 1910, p. 48. 4. Balliet, T. M.Discussion. Proc. N. E. A., 1910, p. 800. 5. Brumbaugh, Martin G.:?Means of improving the Efficiency of the Grammar School. Proc. N. E. A., 1900, p. 108. 6. Carr, J. W.:?Discussion. Proc. N. E. A., 1910, pp. 798-800. 7. Dyer, F. B.:?What Consideration should be given to the Sub-Normal Pupils? A Discussion. Proc. N. E. A., 1910, pp. 167-168. 8. Editorial:?The Lock-step again. Nation, Vol. XXXV, pp. 298-299. 9. Ellis, E. Caswell:?The Percentage of Boys who leave the High School and the Reasons therefor. Proc. N. E. A., 1903, pp. 792-798. 10. Elson, William:?School Records, their Defects and Improvements Ed Rev., Vol. XXXIX, pp. 216-227. 11. Falkner, R. P.:?Retardation; Its Significance and Measurement Ed Rev., Vol. XXXVIII, pp. 122-132. 12. Fitzpatrick, F. A.:?Departmental Teaching in Grammar Schools. Ed. Rev., Vol. VII, pp. 439-447. 13. Frazier, C. R.:?At what should the Ungraded School aim? And for what should it provide? Proc. 1ST. E. A., 1907, p. 316. 14. Gasling. T. Warrington:?The Classification of Pupils. Ed Rev, Vol. XXXIX, pp. 394-400. 15. Gossett, J. O.:?Retardation in the Schools of Stockton, Cal. The Psy. Clin., Vol. IV, pp. 79-82. ? Keyes, Chas. H.: Progress Through the Grades of City Schools, p. 69. 228 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. 10. Greenwood, J. M.:?Retardation of Pupils in their Studies. Ed. Rev., 1909, p. 342. 17. Greenwood, J. M.:?Progress of Pupils through Elementary and High School. Education, Vol. XXIX, p. 270. 18. Groszman, M. P. E.:?What Consideration should be given to the Subnormal Pupil? Proc. N. E. A., 1910, pp. 100-107. 19. Gulick, L. H., and Ayres, L. P.:?Medical Inspection of Schools. N. Y.: Charities Pub. Com., 1908. 20. Harris, W. T.:?Class Intervals in Graded Schools. Proc. N. E. A., pp. 332-340. 21. Harris, W. T.:?How the School strengthens the Individuality of the Pupil. Ed. Rev., Vol. XXVI, p. 228. 22. Jones, W. Franklin:?An Experimental-critical Study of the Problem of Grading and Promotion, The Psy. Clin., Vol. V, pp. 03-90, 99-120. 23. Keyes, C. H.:?Progress through the Grades of City Schools. Teachers College, Columbia University, N. Y., 1911. 24. Kirk, J. R.:?Should the School furnish Better Training for the Nonaverage Child? Proc. N. E. A., 1907, p.. 221. 25. Kirkpatrick, V. E.:?Emancipating the Individual. Education, Vol. XXX, pp. 1375-1380. 20. Law, Frederick H.:?Age at which Children leave School. Ed. Rev., Vol. XX, pp. 40-49. 27. Luckey, G. W. A.:?Can we eliminate the School Laggard? Proc. 1ST. E. A., 1911, pp. 1040-1051. 28. Maxwell, W. M.:?Reports of the New York City Schools, 1907, pp. 133144; 1905, pp. 114-115, 420-434; 1903, pp. 110-117, 243-200. 29. Montgomery, Louise:?The Soil in which Repeaters grow. The Survey, Vol. XXIII, pp. 77-81. 30. Moore, Margaret Brown:?Inefficiency of Modern Schools. Ed. Rev., Vol. XXXVIII, pp. 302-307. 31. Parker, Frank W.:?Departmental Instruction. Ed. Rev., Vol. VI, pp. 431-442. 32. Parkinson, W. D.:?Individuality and Social Adjustment as Means and Ends in Education. Education, Vol. XXIX, pp. 10-24, 104-112. 33. Payne, I. D.:?Retardation in the Schools of Palo Alto, Cal. Tiie Psy. Clin., Vol. V, pp. 139-149. 34. Shearer, W. J.:?School Children in Lock-step. World’s Work, Vol. XIV, pp. 9254-9255. 35. Smith, Payson:?Admitting that our Schools are Defective, who is Responsible for the Present Condition? Proc. N. E. A., 1907, p. 200. 30. Strayer, G. D.:?Age and Grade Census of Schools and Colleges. U. S. Bureau of Education, Bui. No. V, 1911. 37. Swift, Edgar James:?Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Control. Psy. Bui., No. VI, pp. 27-29. 38. Van Sickle, James H.:?Provision for Gifted Children in Public Schools. Proc. N. E. A., 1910, p. 155. 39. Van Sickle, James H.:?Grading and Promotion with Reference to the Individual Needs of Pupils. Proc. N. E. A., 1898, pp. 434-442. 40. Witmer, Ligiitner:?The Study and Treatment of Retardation; A Field of Applied Psychology. Psy. Bui., Vol. VI, p. 121.
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