5 0*5 768 3gram of Studies and rriculum Organization V" v>^ CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS Cleveland Junior High Schools One of a Series of Bulletins on What Cleveland's Public Schools are Doing The material presented in this bulletin was prepared during the school year 1920-21, by a committee of junior high school prin- cipals. It was later submitted to and ap- proved by the principals of the junior high schools. The proposed program of studies and curriculum of the ninth year, together with the accrediting relationship of the junior and senior high schools, were then submitted to a joint committee of junior and senior high school principals and later were approved as modified by both groups of principals. This bulletin has the approval of the su- perintendent of "schools and is therefore the official guide in the administration of the junior high schools. Members of the committee in charge of preparation of this material were: F. G. Pickell, assistant superintendent of schools; Clayton R. Wise, principal of Empire Junior High School; J. A. Crow ell, principal Fair- mount Junior High School; James B. Smiley, principal of Lincoln High School; P. H. Powers, principal of Rawlings Junior High School; Jennie M. Gaskill, assistant principal of South Junior High School. Program of Studies and Curriculum Organization of the Cleveland Junior High Schools The junior high school is still a new institution and many of its avowed objectives must be subjected to thoroughgoing experimentation and study. In view of the present status of this new school, the committee has thought it advisable to build the program of studies and the curriculum upon a state- ment of specific purposes. The first task undertaken was the formulation of such a statement, not only to guide the com- mittee in its work, but to provide definiteness and unity in the administration and class room work of the various junior high schools of the city. The purposes of the junior high school and the cor- responding characteristics of the curriculum, both of which are stated later, are important features of this bulletin and should be read and kept in mind by every principal and teacher. The statement of purposes is not intended to be dogmatic, but it is a declaration of faith up to date. At the present time three outstanding problems of the junior high school call for serious study. The first, inextric- ably bound up with the problems of the curriculum, has to do with the content and arrangement of subject matter. Care- ful study must be made to eliminate non-essentials from the various subjects and to rearrange the essentials to make for economy in teaching and in the learning process. The second problem has to do with the quality of teach- ing. We may offer a wider range of studies in the junior high school than in the old seventh and eighth grades, provide a higher type of school spirit, better utilize social activities for educational ends, but the junior high school in final analysis must expect its ultimate success to be measured largely in terms of the character of the teaching process. Better class room teaching must characterize the new school. -,-r 2O65641 The third problem has to do with the relationship of the junior to the senior high school. Surely we must avoid be- tween the junior and senior high school the kind of con- troversy that formerly obtained between the college and high school over the subject of entrance requirements. To avoid this situation the following program has been worked out : (a) The junior high school period covers the work of the seventh, eighth and ninth years. (b) Pupils completing the three year curriculum are admitted with full standing to the tenth year of the senior high school. (c) No work is carried in the junior high school with the view of senior high school credit. In other words, all work done in the junior high school is done for junior high credit. The junior high school actually covers the work of the seventh, eighth and ninth years, and while some subjects formerly taught only in the senior high school are begun in the junior high school, they are regarded as meeting the requirements for the completion of the curriculum set up for the seventh, eighth and ninth years. Acceleration is provided by sectioning the pupils upon the basis of ability. (d) The junior high school must prepare pupils specifically for senior high school work and avoid waste due to inarticulation of courses or repetition. Purpose of the Junior High School: The purpose of the junior high school is to provide edu- cational opportunity suited to the peculiar conditions of early adolescence. This is accomplished by adapting the curriculum, methods of instruction, and administrative policies of the school to make them harmonize with the widely varying needs of this critical period of the child's development. The curriculum must provide a wide range of activities in order to satisfy the adolescent craving for frequent change of interest; to provide a broad field for the exploration of his tastes and abilities ; to provide distinct glimpses of very many higher forms of desirable activities and thus lure him on to the pursuit of further experiences; and to allow each indi- vidual ampJe opportunity to develop along the lines which most attract him at a rate best suited to his ability. It must also guarantee to the pupils as wide a range of common experi- ences as may be necessary for mutual understanding, sympa- thy and co-operation. The teaching method must be so devised as to create in the pupil an absorbing and enthusiastic interest in his work; to develop initiative, independence of thought and proper habits of study; to reproduce in the school a replica of the worthy normal life and work of the world ; to awaken an in- terest in the manifest next activity of the boy or girl ; and to promote as great a degree of scholarship as may be secured without sacrificing any of the other avowed objects. The school should be so organized and administered as to provide for a large measure of individual freedom ; to develop self-reliance and self-control in social and civic life ; to develop individual responsibility for standards of conduct; to foster the spirit of co-operation and loyalty in group endeavor. It should make use of scientific methods of measuring the achievement of pupils, thus enabling them to be conscious of and interested in their own growth and progress. The school so organized and administered, should, if suc- cessful, find itself accomplishing certain very manifest results. It will find its holding power so great that it will lose few of its pupils; it will make worthy citizens for the community by pro- viding opportunity for participation in the social and civic activities of the school ; it will make easy the transition from the maternal atmosphere of the elementary school to the wider democracy of the high school; it will provide pupils with means for making proper use of leisure time; and will pre- serve and improve their mental, moral and physical health. Program of Studies and Curriculum : The curriculum has been developed in keeping with the purposes heretofore stated. Briefly, the following points char- acterize its organization: First The curriculum is of the single type with constants and variables. It is difficult to justify differentiated curri- culums in the junior high school. Second The work is uniform in the 7B grade. The ex- ploration of interest and ability during this semester is pro- vided through the organization and arrangement of subject matter and the variety of courses of study, while at the same time the uniformity in requirements guarantees to the pupils certain common experiences, thus meeting one of the outstand- ing purposes of the school. Third Specific and adequate attention is given, through a system of advice and guidance, to the choice of elective studies. Fourth Pupils may, by choosing their electives with care, prepare for specific curriculums to be entered upon in the Senior High School or, in like manner, for their life's work, if they must leave school at the end of the ninth year. Fifth The single curriculum extending through the ninth year permits pupils to postpone the period of intensive specialization until they reach the tenth or the first year of the Senior High School. SEQUENTIAL TABLI 7B Periods Per Required Week English 10 Mathematics 5 Geography 5 History and Social Prob- lems 4 Physical Education 2 Hygiene 1 Music 1 Art 2 Shop and Drawing. 4 Home Economics . . 4 8B Periods Per Required Week English 5 Mathematics 5 Social Science 4 Physical Education 2 Hygiene 1 Music 1 Art 2 Vocations 1 Shop and Drawing 4 Home Economics 4 Electives (5 or 6 periods) English 5 Latin 5 French 5 Spanish 5 Commercial 5 Shop and Drawing 6 Home Economics . . 6 7A Periods Per Required Week English 5 Mathematics 5 Geography 5 History and Social Prob- lems 4 Physical Education 2 Hygiene 1 Music 1 Art 2 Shop and Drawing 4 Home Economics 4 Electives (5 or 6 periods) English 5 Latin 5 French . 5 Spanish 5 Commercial 5 Shop and Drawing 6 Home Economics 6 8A Periods Per Required Week English 5 Mathematics 5 Social Science 4 Physical Education 2 Hygiene 1 Music 1 Art 2 Vocations 1 Shop and Drawing 4 Home Economics 4 Electives (5 or 6 periods) English 5 Latin 5 French 5 Spanish 5 Commercial 5 Shop and Drawing 6 Home Economics 6 TIME ALLOTMENT 9B Periods Per Required Week English 5 Mathematics 5 Music 2 Physical Education 2 Electives (10 to 16 periods) Social Science 5 Latin 5 French 5 Spanish 5 General Science 5 Applied Art 6-10 Shop and Drawing. . .10-16 Home Economics 10 Penmanship 5 9A Periods Per Required Week English 5 Mathematics 5 Music 2 Physical Education 2 Electives (10 to 16 periods) Social Science 5 Latin 5 French 5 Spanish . 5 General Science 5 Applied Art 6-10 Shop and Drawing. . .10-16 Home Economics 10 Bookkeeping 5 Notes 1. Pupils who satisfactorily complete the above curriculum of study will be admitted with full standing to the tenth year of any senior high school. 2. Pupils promoted to the senior high school before completing all of the requirements of the ninth year will be required to make up their deficiency. 3. Subject to the rules and regulations governing the choice of such subjects, all ninth year credit subjects carried satisfactorily in the senior high school will be counted toward graduation. 4. Pupils who are unable to do satisfactory work in mathematics may be excused by the principal from that subject in the ninth year and be permitted to substitute general science or social science. 5. Two periods per week shall be given to Physical Education and one to Hygiene in the seventh and eighth years. Of the three periods required in Music and Applied Art, one double period shall be given to the latter. Admission to the Junior High School : Pupils who complete the sixth grade are regularly ad- mitted to the junior high school. Over-age pupils and others who may reasonably be expected to be benefited may, upon specific recommendation of the elementary principal, be placed in the junior high school. Promotion to the Senior High School : A conscious .effort is made to send on to the senior high school the greatest possible number of pupils and a genuine attempt is being made to send them on with better prepara- tion than heretofore. The spirit of the junior high school, its courses of study, its class room methods, social activities all should prepare for the work of the next higher school and bet- ter guarantee success out in the world to those who must be- come earners. Pupils completing the ninth grade of the junior high school are regularly promoted to the tenth grade of the senior high school. Over-age pupils and others who may profit by the change may, by special arrangement, be sent to the senior high schools. Acceleration and Ability Grouping: Pupils are accelerated in proportion to their ability, but at no time are the enrichment and the purposeful planning of the child's educational program neglected in order to ac- complish this end. In many instances the enrichment of the courses of study more than offset the advantages of accelera- tion. Ability groupings are based upon intelligence and achievement tests ; also upon the teachers' rating. General Information Recitation Periods will be forty -five minutes in length un- less changed by the direction of the assistant superintendent in charge. A sixty minute period will be favored when condi- tions permit. (The maximum capacity of the building and the number of pupils to be accommodated will be the determining factors.) Directed Study should be the chief activity of the class period. The teaching process should emphasize directed study and the development of work, with a minimum amount of time spent in recitation of material memorized. At least one-half of each period should be devoted to study under supervision. 6 Home Study should be reduced to an absolute minimum, and in the seventh grade it should be the exception. If di- rected study is effective, the need of home study is removed. Counsellors Each pupil should be assigned to a teacher who will act as his counsellor in all of his school activities and provide systematic guidance, educational, personal and voca- tional. The counsellors will co-operate with the teachers of vocations. Vocations The study of vocations will be correlated with Social Science or English and be given special attention in the 8A semester. One period per week shall be given to this work. Laboratory Subjects Applied art, shop, drawing, and home economics should be scheduled for double periods. Applied Art will be correlated with the work in home eco- nomics and with the shop work for boys. Electives Electives should be chosen in the light of the manifest next activity of the pupil. Throughout the junior high school the pupil should be encouraged to plan his elec- tions ahead in order that he may study with purpose and also be better prepared for his work in the senior high school. Much of the adjustment to senior high curriculums should be made before the beginning of the ninth year. Careful attention should be given to those who must leave school. Courses of Study Courses of study giving the work in detail are being prepared or revised and these will be fur- nished to teachers and others who may be interested. They will set forth minimum essentials and provide adequately for the differentiation necessary where pupils are grouped upon the basis of ability. A 000 121 088 9 The Work and Interests ol tne Cleveland Public Schools From time to time the Board of Education will issue monographs on the work and interests of the Cleveland Pub- lic Schools. These monographs are published for the infor- mation of the citizens of Cleveland. (Monographs issued or in preparation:) *1. Adenoids and Arithmetic. By Dr. L. W. Childs, Director of Medi- cal Inspection. A bulletin concerning the work of the Department of Medical Inspection; School Nurses; Dental Clinics; Open Air Schools; School for the Crippled; Dispensaries. 2. Ancient and Modern Languages in the Schools. 3. The "Shift Plan." A plan to relieve congestion. 4. School Gardens. 5. Factory Schools. *6. Getting Out the High School Paper. A Cleveland Course in News- Writing By Clara C. Ewalt, East Technical High School, De- partment of English. 7. Cleveland's One-Story School Buildings. 8. The Continuous Census. 9. Pipes of Pan. Music in the Schools. 10. The Price of Education. 11. Art in the Schools. 12. Housing Cleveland's School Children. 13. The Kindergartens. 14. The Testing Period. The Junior High School. 15. The School Use of Cleveland's Libraries. 16. Teacher Training. 17. Smith-Hughes Work. 18. The Senior High School. 19. The Place of the Special School. 20. Technical Training. 21. All Year Schools. 22. The Field of the Commercial School. *23. Salary Schedules of the Cleveland Public Schools. As adopted by the Cleveland Board of Education May 24th, 1920. This bulletin also states the qualifications and conditions of employment of teachers, principals, supervisors and assistant superintendents. *24. A Garment-Making Project for Sixth Grade Girls. By Adelaide Laura Van Duzer, Supervisor of Home Economics. *25. Elementary Embryology for High School Girls. By Ann Criswell Arbuthnot, Department of Science, East Technical High School. *26. Program of Studies and Curriculum Organization in the Junior High Schools. Persons desiring monographs should address the Director of Publications, Board of Education, Cleveland, Ohio. * Issued. Published by the Division of Publications, Cleveland Board of Education, April, 1921.