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FORM XV

GRADE PROGRESS BY NUMBER OF YEARS RETARDED OR ACCELERATED

[For annual-promotion schools]

Total...

No. Pct. No. Pct. No. Pct. No. Pct. No. Pct. No. Pct. No. Pct.

HOW TO MAKE A SUMMARY OF AGE-GRADE-PROGRESS DATA

To this point the summaries have been made either for age-grade statistics or grade-progress statistics. In order to see more clearly the interaction and relationship of the two types of data, summaries of total age-grade-progress situations should be assembled. This relationship is seen best if the data are assembled by grades. Form XVII has been constructed for this purpose. Illustrations follow showing the form filled in for grades 6 and 10, with the same data used in previous illustrations. In the illustration for grade 6, the three pupils in the first cell are those below the age of 10 years 9 months, who have spent less than the normal 6 years in school. The other cells represent the other possible combinations of age levels and progress of pupils.

FORM XVII

GENERAL SUMMARY OF AGE-GRADE PROGRESS IN A SCHOOL

SYSTEM-ANY GRADE

(For use with either annual- or semiannual-promotion schools)

SAMPLE DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS ON FORM XVII FOR GRADE 6— GENERAL SUMMARY OF AGE-GRADE-PROGRESS IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM

(For use with either annual- or semiannual-promotion schools)

SAMPLE DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS ON FORM XVII FOR GRADE 10GENERAL SUMMARY OF AGE-GRADE-PROGRESS IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM

(For use with either annual- or semiannual-promotion schools)

CHAPTER IV: SOME PROBLEMS ARISING IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF PUPILS BY GRADES

One of the questions which might arise in the preparation of agegrade statistics in some school systems is the definition of first-grade pupil, second-grade pupil, etc., in the elementary school, and of eighthgrade pupil, ninth-grade pupil, tenth-grade pupil, etc., in the junior and senior high schools. In the regular elementary grades there is usually little difficulty in classifying a pupil. The only problem arises with the children in ungraded classes and with the children in primary units in which grade lines are more or less obliterated.

The pupils in ungraded classes or schools cannot be reported on the forms presented here because of the lack of definite classification. The percentage of pupils in a school system enrolled in such classes is a factor, however, in considering the total picture of pupil progression. It is probable that the larger the percentage of pupils (within limits) enrolled in such classes and schools, the higher the appreciation of the problem of pupil adjustment. For this reason provision should be made to report separately the number of pupils enrolled in ungraded classes or schools whenever a study of pupil progression is made.

When units of progression greater than a grade are in operation, it is only necessary to change the form to fit the greater number of years and the difference in the normal age limits. No particular difficulty should be encountered in making these adjustments. The most involved case will occur when there is overlapping in a unit between elementary school and the kindergarten. In some schools, for example a unit is being developed out of 1 year of kindergarten work and the first 2 years of the elementary school. If in such a case the kindergarten year is considered as an integral part of the school program, the calculation of progress is on a different basis than in school systems which begin their pupil-progress accounting with the first grade. The forms here given could be changed by adding 1 year to the report. Thus the primary unit would cover 3 years instead of 2, and all progress of pupils would be figured upon the basis of 13 years instead of 12 years. Since the normal age limits would include younger children, the total picture of grade placement should not be changed materially, and comparisons with other school systems could still take place.

Schools having such a primary unit may, however, for purposes of studying pupil progression, omit reference to the kindergarten section of the unit by assuming that pupils entering at 6 (5 years 9 months as of September 1) are first-grade children, and pupils entering before 6 are kindergarten children. This would make the data on progression very nearly comparable with data gathered in other cities.