A A _ ^^ — A^ — o = — c ^^ —1 — — X o 9 r\ ^ = IBS - — — 3 = / a 1 m A = _^_ r^ *+ = — "" ' 9 = 4 = 7 = ^_^ r— _^_ ■ 9 = School Survey Over~a<§e and Progress gTATE NORMAL SCHOOL 106 ANGELES. CALIFORNIA Southern Branch of the University of California Los Angeles Form L 1 LB 3063 D > b'l C \. ip-O-rrv. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS IN THE Public Schools of Dayton OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS IN THE 277 2. <7 Public Schools of Dayton MADE IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE Ohio State School Survey Commission BY THE Bureau of Municipal Research DAYTON, OHIO 1914 March 25th, 1914. Mr. E. J. Brown, Supt. Dayton. ( >tii« >. My Dear Mr. Brown : Enclosed is a copy of the study in over-age and progress in the Dayton schools, which was made in co-operation with the Ohio State School Survey Commission. The facts have been used to support a number of recommendations, although a part of the suggestions are already in operation in Dayton. I believe that you will be interested in the data, relative to over-age, progress and corellated facts. Of even more value, perhaps, would he a comparison with the conditions of the present year. Should you desire to make a similar study. I should he glad to place such means as we have at your disposal. I want to thank you for the co-operation you have given in this in- vestigation, and express my appreciation of the interest which has been shown by the teachers upon whom the labor largely devolved. Very truly yours, (Signed) L. D. UPSON, Director. April 2, 1914. Mr. L. D. Upson, Director of Municipal Research, Dayton, Ohio. My Dear Mr. Upson: I write to thank you for the report of the over-age and progress study made by your Bureau in our schools. The report contains much data of value to us and the recommendations, several of which, as you suggest, are already in operation in Dayton, present matters for careful, thoughtful consideration. Your offer to give the assistance of the Bureau of Municipal Re- search for another over-age and progress survey of our schools, is grate- fully received. 1 am sure the work will have the continued cordial co- operation of our teachers and school officers, if you decide to make an- other efficiency survey. Personally, I thank you for the helpful service you have rendered, for your uniform courtesy, and for your appreciation of the good work of our school-., shown by your words of commendation at various times. Very truly yours, . (Signed) E. J. BROWN. T) 55 FOREWORD N ORDER to furnish a basis for possible improve- ments in the Dayton schools, the Bureau of Mu- nicipal Research at the request and under the direction of the Ohio State School Survey Commission, and in co-operation with the superintendent of schools, E. J. Brown, made an "over-age and progress" study for the years 1912-'13. The information contained in this report though in- sufficient in itself to warrant absolute deductions con- cerning these problems, is adequate to indicate tenden- cies and as a guide for further and more thorough inves- tigation of the problems uncovered by this survey. Conclusions drawn throughout the report are based upon the assumption that the year 1912-'13 was a typical year, portraying conditions as they existed in past years. Especial thanks are due Dr. Horace L. Brittain, di- rector of the Ohio State School Survey; Mr. E. J. Brown, superintendent of instruction in Dayton ; and to the school teachers of the city, for their courtesy and co- operation. The collection and tabulation of the data, and the writing of the report was done by Mr. Arch Mandel, as- sisted by Miss Irene Dilks of the Bureau. L. D. UPSON, Director. DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH How Survey Was Conducted The data in this report was compiled from information furnished by the teachers upon special tabulation sheets devised by the Ohio State School Survey Commission. All children enrolled in the normal elementary grades during the last year were accounted for, except those who died or were transferred to other schools. In this latter case they were counted once. The kindergarten, high schools and special classes were not included. The ages of the children were taken as of September 1, 1912. Over- age was determined by employing the following age-grade standards : First Grade 6 Second Grade 7 Third Grade 8 Fourth Grade 9 Fifth Grade 10 Sixth Grade 11 Seventh Grade 12 Eighth Grade 13 to 7 8 9 10 11 12 18 14 yrs. A child is considered as being of normal age for Grade I. until it has reached its seventh birthday, after which time it is over age for the grade ; for Grade II. a child is of normal age from its seventh birthday up to its eighth. On the eighth birthday, if still in Grade II., it is over age. This method is followed through all the grades. Separate tabulations were made for the five upper grades of the Pat- terson school because it is the only school in Dayton where promotions occur semi-annually. It was felt that comparison with the other schools of the city would prove interesting. OVER-AGE OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS Summary of Findings 2772^ 42% of all the children in the elementary schools are older than the Normal Age for their grades; 45% are of Normal Age; 13% are younger than normal for their grade The rate of over-age pupils increases from 29% in Grade I. to 52% in Grade V., then drops to 42% in Grade VIII. Normal age pupils decrease from 58%, in Grade I. to 35% in Grade V., then increase again to 44% in Grade VIII. 29% of the pupils in Grade I. are above Normal Age, and altho over- age pupils tend to drop out in Grades VI. and VII., yet 42% of the chil- dren in Grade VIII. are over-age. Entrance of pupil to Grade I. in the middle of the year is not en- couraged A greater degree and a larger percentage of over-age exists in Grade V. than in any other Grade 1281 or 26% of the over-age children are from one to two years be- hind the grade and 791 or 16% are more than two years over-age, the re- mainder are less than one year over-age. PROGRESS 91% of the pupils have made normal progress in their grades last year; 7% have been in their grades longer than the normal period; the remaining 2% were in their grades less than one year Grade I. has the highest percentage of pupils making slow progress; Grade VII. the lowest A higher rate of "Normal Progress" exists in Grades VI., VII. and VIII. than in the lower grades There is a marked tendency in failing, to fail for a whole year rather than for a part of a year. For example, 14 r , of the slow pupils are one and one-half years or less but over one year in the grade; 43% are two years or less, but over one and one-half years ; 4% are two and one-half years or less, but over two years; 36' ; , three years or less, but over two and one-half; 3% over three years. PROMOTION AND NON-PROMOTION The promotion rate for all grades is 85% ; non-promotion 7% ; elim- ination 8% r Grade I. has the lowest rate of promotion (75%) and the highest of non-promotion (14%) The comparatively low promotion rate in Grade I. is probably caused by : 6 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH a Non-promotion of 22', of "Under Normal Age" pupils b Non-promotion of 21' , of pupils absent over 25 half days for the half year c High rate 35', of over-sized classes, the non-promotion rate in these being 15' , Grade VIII. has the highest rate of promotion (91', ) and the low- est of non-promotion (1' , ) The high rate of promotion in Grade VIII. is probably due to the fact that the fittest survive the whole school course For every grade except Grade I, the rate of non-promotion in the "Older than Normal" group is higher than the rate in either of the other age groups In all grades the rate of promotion is lowest for pupils who have been in the grade less than the normal length of time. The rate of pro- motion is lowest and non-promotion highest for pupils who have been absent more than 25 half days for the half year Promotion rates are lowest and non-promotion highest in classes having over 50 pupils DROPPING OUT— ELIMINATION 8', of the pupils dropped out of school from September, 1912, to June, 1913. The rate for Grade I. is 11', — the highest rate of all the Grades 61', of the pupils eliminated dropped out in Grades I. -IV. ; 39', in Grades V.-VIII. The high mortality rate in the lower grades was caused by the temporary dropping out of children after the flood of March, 1913. These children returned to the schools in September at the beginning of the next school year. In all grades the rate of dropping out is highest for pupils in the "Older than Normal" group In all grades the rate of elimination is highest among pupils who have spent less than the "Normal Time" in their grades; 66', of such pupils dropped out. The elimination rate is also heaviest for pupils who have been absent more than 25 half days for the half year NATURE OF FAILURES In Grade I., 100', of pupils failing are deficient in language In all the Grades except Grades I. and II., mathematics causes from 100 to 150' , more failures than either language or the informational sub- jects The "Younger than Normal" children lead in language failures; the "Older than Normal" lead in mathematics and "informational" failures OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 7 NUMBER AND SIZE OF CLASSES 57';; of the classes contain under 40 pupils; 32% have from 40 to 50; 11% over 50 pupils Grade I. has the lowest rate (30'/; ) of small sized classes and the highest rate (35' y ; ) of classes ''over 50." The high rate of failing in the grade is due in part to this condition Promotion rates are lowest in the "over 50" classes Pupils are not classified according to age or ability 61% of the pupils completing Grade VIII. are of the normal age or younger PATTERSON SCHOOL Promotions in this school are made semi-annually Compared to the other schools the rates in the three age groups are : Under Normal Normal Over Normal Patterson School 40% 21', 39% Other Schools 13', 45% 42% The degree of overage is less marked in this school than in the other schools Over 95';, of the pupils made normal progress; this is 4% higher than in the other schools Promotion rates are higher for the five upper grades of the Patter- son school than for the same grades in the other schools ; non-promotion lower In the first half of Grade VIII. the rate of promotion drops to 76% ; 24% dropped out; the non-promotion rate is zero 8 DAYTON r.l'REAU OF Ml'NICIPAL RESEARCH Recommendations That an age study be made at the beginning of every school year for purposes of classifying pupils properly That an over-age and progress study be made at the close of every school year. Wherever possible pupils be classified according to age and ability That the nature of the failures be investigated in order that special attention may be given whenever necessary to the subjects in which the rates of failure are high That the environment of pupils in different schools be investigated — social and economic That the course of study be sufficiently flexible to conform to the needs of various groups of children That special practical courses be arranged for pu- pils who are marking time until reaching the legal working age That the causes for the dropping out of pupils be noted, and measures taken to diminish them if prevent- able That semi-annual promotions be inaugurated in all schools in order to reduce the length of time lost in case of non-promotion and to make possible the en- trance of pupils to Grade I. in February, thus saving from one to six months of each child's life. This would tend to reduce over-age in that grade That some person be delegated to analyze and in- terpret principal's reports and to make investigations of problems arising. In some cities this study is the work of a definite Bureau of Reference and Research OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS Table I. — Shows the number of children by age and grade — Grade 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Total I 309 1308 451 128 52 11 6 4 2 1 2272 II 203 906 372 115 52 30 8 2 1688 III 188 823 455 169 73 45 19 2 2 1776 IV 168 621 414 224 113 43 19 2 2 1606 V 2 179 .475 307 236 111 51 6 1 1368 VI 4 148 439 344 166 69 16 5 1 1192 VII 8 158 430 318 159 26 5 1104 VIII 1493 1426 1277 8 104 334 993 221 524 84 136 10 23 2 3 763 Total 309 1511 1545 1245 1284 11769 Table I.A — Shows the number of children by age and grade in the five upper grades of the Patterson school. 7 8 8 9 9 I 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 Grade 1 1 y 2 8 7 1/2 \ V2 1 l V2 l A V2 y* Total IV-B 4 23 IV-A 3 13 18 10 11 5 3 4 2 1 70 V-B 7 12 2 4 4 2 1 32 V-A 10 14 4 8 2 1 1 2 1 43 VI-B 10 6 10 1 7 34 VI-A 4 24 8 9 1 3 i 50 VII-B 2 9 6 8 6 4 3 2 1 41 VII-A 5 6 12 6 7 2 38 VIII-B 1 2 5 8 12 5 2 1 1 1 38 VIII-A 1 4 21 25 27 41 28 54 37 33 4 39 15 39 13 36 11 21 4 6 4 6 2 3 1 53 Total 422 The number of children enrolled in the Dayton schools for the years 1912-'13 shown in tables I. and I.A, minus the transfers from one school to another in the city, was 12,191. As is usually the case the first grade contains the greatest number. 10 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH & ra.de, I HI IT -vr Met Fn-voll w\«kI" in. Cack Grade too Uoi* t>oo 800 loao i^Jo IU-00 )&oo IJjj Xjw 2.2.0J t ■ I ' I I «*«»»- The Elducatiortal Fade-Awa^ OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 11 NUMBER OP CHILDREN/ OF EACH AGE. - A&e 5 6 7 8 Q 10 II 12 13 14 15 IS \7 \2 DAYTON BUREAl OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH OVER-AGE Table II. — Shows by grade the number and percentage of pupils under the normal age, at the normal age, and over the normal age. Younger than Older than Grade Normal Normal Normal Total No. % No. % No. % No. % I 309 13 1308 58 655 29 2272 100 11 203 12 906 54 579 34 1688 1 HI 188 11 823 46 765 43 1776 IV 168 10 621 39 817 51 1606 V 181 13 475 35 712 52 1368 VI 152 13 439 37 601 50 1192 VII 166 15 430 39 508 46 1104 VIII 112 14 334 44 317 42 763 Total 1479 13 5336 45 4954 42 11769 100 Table 2 shows that out of the 11,769 children in the grade schools, exclusive of the upper grades in the Patterson school, 1,479 or 13% are younger than the normal age for the grade, 5,336 or 45% are of normal age and 4,954 or 42% are older than they should be for the grade. The number of over-age children almost equals the number of children of normal age for their grades. The lowest percent of over-age (29'/* ) is in Grade I.; it increases to 52'',, the maximum in Grade V. after which it gradually decreases to 42% in Grade VIII. This over-age may be caused by, 1. Late entrance to the first grade 2. Slow progress through the grades How important a part the first cause plays in the amount of over- age may be estimated from the fact that 29% of the children in the first grade are over the normal age. This is especially significant because promotions are made but once a year — a feature necessitating many children to wait an additional half year before being allowed to enter school. How many of these entered after the 7th birthday is not known. However, retardation is no inconsiderable factor in over-age when it is seen that this 29% in the first grade increases to 52% in the fifth grade — and a similar decrease from 58% to 35% in the percentage of normal children during this same period. The drop in the percentage of over-age children after Grade V. is ex- plained by table 7, from which it appears that these pupils leave school. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 13 Ur\d€v ^ IVor ma I a.«\■> 100 IV- A 34 4!) 10 14 26 • • i 70 V-B 7 12 13 4 1 •m V-A 24 56 4 9 : 5 4:; VI-B 10 29 6 18 VI-A 28 8 16 14 28 50 VII-B }', 41 8 20 16 39 41 VTI-A 11 29 12 32 15 9 • VIII-B 8 21 8 21 22 - - VIII-A 19 36 13 24 21 40 53 Total 168 40 88 21 166 39 422 100 In contrast to the results shown by table 2 are the over-age figures in table 2A, which show that in the five upper grades of the Patterson school where promotions occur semi-annually, although 39% are over- age, 40% are below the normal age or ahead for their grade. This in face of the fact that only 15$ entered the first grade of this school be- low the normal age and that this school is located in a foreign neighbor- hood. Though based on comparatively few figures it seems fair to assume that there is some relation between this favorable showing and semi- annual promotions. At the end of the fifth year there were in this school 35% over-age children as against 52' "■', in the other schools, while 56'/, were below normal age as against 13% in other schools. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 15 Table III. — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pupils according to the number of years under and over the normal age. Grade No. of years younger than Normal Age Normal Age No. of years older than Normal Age 1-2 0-1 Total „-, 1-2 2 and over Total I II III IV V VI VII VIII 5 2 4 8 8 309 198 188 168 179 148 158 104 309 203 188 168 181 152 166 112 1308 906 823 621 475 439 430 334 451 372 455 414 307 344 318 221 128 115 169 224 236 166 159 ^4 7<; 92 141 179 169 91 31 12 655 579 765 817 712 601 508 317 Total 27 1452 1479 5336 2882 1281 791 4954 In support of table 2, the above shows that 58% of the over-age pupils are less than a year behind their grades in age, 26% from one to two years and 16'/< are over two years above the normal age. Conditions appear to be at their worst in Grade V., where the percentage of pupils over two years too old for the grade is highest — 24% — double that of the first year; the percentage of pupils less than a year over age is low- est, being 43%. In other words Grade V. shows the highest percentage for bad conditions and the lowest percentage for the better conditions. The improvement after Grade V is undoubtedly due in large meas- ure to the dropping out of retarded pupils and not so much to any in- creased school efficiency above that grade. 1,281 children were from one to two years older for the grade than they should have been, and 791 were more than two years behind their grade. 16 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH Table III. A — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pupils according to the number of years under and over the normal age in the five upper grades of the Patterson school. No. of years younger No. of years older th an Grade than Normal Age Normal Age Normal Age 1-2 0-1 Total 0-1 1-2 2 and over Total IV-B I V-A 1 3 9 31 10 :;4 7 10 \ 16 1 7 1 3 6 26 V-B V-A 7 24 7 24 12 4 6 10 4 2 3 o 11! 15 VI-B VI-A li) 28 10 28 6 8 1 ! 10 7 4 18 1 1 VII-B VII-A 2 11 17 1 1 8 12 10 13 5 2 1 16 15 VIII-B VIII-A 1 7 19 8 19 8 i.; 17 15 ■ > 6 2 22 21 Total 7 K.l 1 68 88 1 !'.' 41 13 L66 Patterson school shows the great majority (67%) of its over-age pupils less than a year too old for their grades; _'5'< from one to two years above normal age. As in the other schools Grade V. seems to be the worst offender. It has the lowest percentage (46%) of pupils least over-age and the highest rate (239? ) °f pupils above the two year mark. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 17 PROGRESS Table IV. — Shows the number and percentage of pupils according to the length of time spent in the grade. Time in grade on June 20. 1913. Grade Less than More than Normal Normal Normal Total No. % No. % No. 10 No. % I 60 3 1917 84 295 13 2272 100 II 30 2 1547 91 111 7 1688 <« III 40 2 1605 91 131 7 1776 a IV 41 2 1440 90 125 8 1606 a V 36 3 1247 91 85 7 1368 u VI 20 2 1127 94 45 4 1192 a VII 13 1 1068 97 23 2 1104 a VIII 14 2 718 94 31 4 763 u Total 254 2 10669 91 846 7 11769 100 It appears from this table that the largest number and percentage of repeaters are in the first grade, where 13% of the pupils have been in the grade longer than the normal time required to complete it. The rate drops to 7% in Grade II. and remains so thru Grade V., after which it de- creases to 4 c / ( . Again it is observed that the mortality is greatest in the fifth grade when the repeaters, apparently of age for work, drop out. This point will be brought out more fully in table 7. The increase of 2% between the eighth and seventh grades can probably be explained by the fact that pupils at this stage wait to complete the elementary school course. In the five upper grades of the Patterson school 95% or 402 of the 422 pupils have been in their grades the normal length of time. In the last half of the eight grade 10 pupils out of 43 were in the grade over one semester, bearing out the theory that pupils generally wait at this time to complete the grade school. 18 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH Table V. — Shows the number of pupils according to the length of time spent in the grades. Time in Grade on June 2 o, 1913. Less Than Normal More Than N ormal Norm'l Grade Total One Half Year or Less One Year or Less But Over One Half Year Oae and Ooe Half Year or Less But Over One Year Two Years or Less But OverOne and One Half Year Two and One Half Years or Less But Over Two Years Three Ye-ars or ' Less But Over Two and One Half Years OVT Three Years I 60 1917 41 1 15 11 112 16 22 11 30 1547 30 39 1 41 1688 III 40 161):. 21 40 .") 64 1 1776 IV 41 1440 14 48 18 41 4 1606 V 36 1247 7 16 30 • > 1 368 VI 20 1 127 . 4 31 ■> 8 1 1 92 VII 13 1068 q • > 10 9 1 1 104 VIII 14 718 i 29 1 ital 25 1 10669 121 '. '. ~l 8 37 • 306 24 1 1 769 Table 5 presenting in detail the progress of the pupils points out the • that of the children remaining in the grades longer than the normal period, by far the greatest number are retarded two and three full years, comparatively few 1 ' ... _" .. and 3'_. years; 121 and 37 pupils have been in the grades 1 ' ■ and -'_• years respectively; 358 and 306 have been re- tained 2 and 3 years. Annual promotions it can be assumed are account- able for this. < >f the 24 children in their grades over three years. 16 were in Grade I. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 19 Table V.A — Shows for the five upper grades of the Patterson school the number of pupils according to the length of time spent in the grades. Time in Grade on June 20, 1913. Less Than Normal More Than Normal Norm'l Grade Total One Semester or Less But Over One Half Semester One and Two Two and Three » One Half Semester or Less One Half Semester or Less But Over One Semester Semesters or Less But Over One and One Half Semester One Half Semesters or Less But Over Two Semesters Semesters or Less But Over Two and One Half Semesters Over Three Semesters IV-B 23 23 IV-A 3 65 2 70 V-B 32 32 V-A 39 4 43 VI-B • 34 34 VI-A 50 50 VII-B 41 41 VII-A 38 38 VIII-B 1 37 38 VIII-A 43 10 53 Total 4 402 14 o 422 In this table the significant contrast between the Patterson and the other schools again appears. Out of the 422 children in the five upper grades of this school, 402 made normal progress, while 14 were behind but \ l / 2 semesters. Pupils in this school, due to the system of semi-an- nual promotions, lose but a half year at a time if retarded. 20 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH Age and Progress Chart of Children in Elementary Schools (Exclusive of Patterson School) Younger than Normal Normal Age Older than Normal Age Age Less than Normal Length of Time in Grade 18 82 154 Normal Length of Time in Grade 1451 5163 4085 More than Normal Length of Time in Grade 10 91 715 OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 21 PROMOTION AND NON-PROMOTION Annual promotions in all but the five upper grades of the Patterson school is the prevailing system in Dayton. In lieu of semi-annual pro- motions the superintendent of schools has devised a method by which pupils who are deficient in February are permitted to go on with their classes in all subjects, but receive special attention in the subjects in which they have failed. By the end of the year, according to the super- intendent, the great majority of such children are proficient and eligible for promotion. The coaching of these children is done by assistant teachers — re- cent graduates of the local Normal school. ■ The record of the Patterson school seems to indicate that this method is not nearly so efficient in decreasing time lost to pupils as is the method of semi-annual promo- tions. A combination of the two methods should be more effective than either. Table VI. — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pupils promoted, not promoted and dropped out. Grade Promoted Not Promoted Dropped Out Total No. % No. % No. % No. % I II III IV V VI VII VIII 1708 1497 1545 1354 1157 1041 960 696 75 89 87 85 84 87 87 91 314 77 126 116 107 61 37 5 14 4 i 7 8 5 3 1 250 114 105 136 104 90 107 62 11 rt 6 8 8 8 10 8 2272 1688 1776 1606 1368 1192 1104 763 100 a a ti a a Total 9958 85 843 7 968 8 11769 100 Table 6 shows that the lowest rate of promotion (75%) exists in the first grade and the highest rate (91%) in the eighth. It seems natural that such be the case in the eighth grade because the fittest survive the entire school course. The low rate prevailing in the first grade cannot be explained so readily. It may be due to— 1. Immaturity 2. Over size classes 3. Absence To which of these causes it is attributable will be brought out in tables 7, 9 and 10. The reason for the heavy dropping out in the first grade (11%) can- not be determined definitely from the data at hand. Due to the closing T DAVTcX BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH of the schools for a month at the time of the flood which occurred in Davton in March, 1913, many of the younger children dropped out, not to return for the year, after the schools were- reopened. Many families left their homes in the flooded districts, and did not send their children hack to school for the two remaining mouths of the term. The 10' < of dropping out which occurred in the seventh grade is probably normal for that grade and is due to the children having reached the w< irking age. Table VI.A — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pu- pils promoted, not promoted and dropped out in the five upper grades of the Patterson school. Grade Promoted Not Promoted Droppc (! ( hit Total No. % No. % No. % No. % -B IV-A 64 96 92 1 :; 4 4 3 4 23 70 ]00 V-B V-A 31 40 97 93 l 3 3 7 32 4:; • VI-B VI-A 34 50 100 100 i 34 50 VII-B VII-A 37 93 3 1 7 3 •11 38 i VIII-B VIII-A 29 48 76 90 1 ■> 9 4 24 8 34 53 4 . ital 9 93 !) g 20 .» 41':.! too The rates of promotion in the upper grades of the Patterson school were all over 90^5 . except in the first half of the 8th grade, where it was , . Here it will be noticed that 2A< , of the pupils dropped out. The rate of promotion in the other schools was 85' < . OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 23 Table VII. — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pupils promoted, not promoted and dropped out according to whether they are under the normal age, of normal age or over the normal age. Age in Relation Number of Children Grade N ot Dropped to Grade Promoted Promoted O lit Total No. % No. O) No. % No. I Under Normal 219 71 67 22 23 7 309 Normal 1005 *. 7 169 13 134 10 1308 Over Normal 484 74 78 12 93 14 655 Total 1708 75 314 14 250 11 227 2 II Under Normal 184 91 10 4 9 5 203 Normal 825 91 36 4 45 5 906 Over Normal 488 85 31 5 60 10 57 9 Total 1497 89 7 7 4 114 7 1688 III Under Normal 1 65 88 13 t 10 5 188 Normal 746 91 42 5 35 4 823 ( >ver Normal 634 83 71 9 60 8 765 Total 1 545 87 126 7 105 6 1776 IV Under Normal 147 87 10 6 11 7 168 Normal 552 89- 5 38 6 621 Over Normal 655 80 75 9 87 11 817 Total 1354 85 116 t 136 8 1606 V Under Normal it:; 95 5 .i 3 2 181 Normal 44? 95 15 3 13 o 475 Over Normal 537 ; 5 >7 12 88 13 712 Total 1157 ^4 107 8 104 8 1368 VI Under Normal 143 93 6 4 3 3 152 Normal 412 94 13 3 14 3 439 Over Normal ' 486 81 42 7 7 3 12 601 Total 1041 87 61 5 90 8 1192 VII Under Normal 157 95 2 1 7 4 166 Normal 406 95 10 o 14 o o 430 Over Normal 397 78 25 5 86 1? 508 Total 9 CO 87 37 3 107 10 1104 VIII Under Normal 110 98 1 1 1 l 112 Normal 315 >4 19 6 334 Over Normal 271 SO 4 1 42 13 317 Total 696 91 5 1 62 8 7 63 Totals Under Normal 1298 87 113 8 70 5 1481 Normal 4708 88 318 6 305 6 5331 Over Normal 3952 80 412 593 12 4957 Grand Total 9958 85 843 7 968 8 11769 Table 7 shows a distinct causal relation between non-promotion and over-age in all grades except the first. In Grade I., where the pro- motion rate is lowest and non-promotion highest, it will be observed that 24 DAYT< >N BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH 22' , of the pupils too young for this grade have failed of promotion, pointing out the fact that immaturity is a noticeable factor in the re- laxation of pupils in Grade I. This rather explains the high rate of non-promotion for this grade. It is still to be seen how significant in this respect arc absence and over-size classes. The only instance in which the rate of non-promotion is not the highest for the "< >ver Normal Age" group is found in Grade I. In all the other grades the failures anion-- the overage pupils are higher and the promotions are lower than those of the "Under Normal" and "Normal" pupils combined. In Grade V. the non-promotion rate in the ••( Uder than Normal" group is 100', higher than that of the "Normal" and "Younger than Normal" pupils combined. In all the grades except Grade I. the rates of promotion and non- promotion of the "Under Normal" and "Normal" groups are equal or vary 1', or 2' , either way. The highest percentage of elimination in every grade occurs in the ••( iver Agi iup. it is also true that in all grades except the first, the number of "i >ver Normal Age" pupils dropping out exceeds that of the other two -roups combined and doubles them in the upper grades. What becomes of these children who dropped out below the fifth grade cannot be determined from the data at hand. It is presumed that they returned to school either in Dayton or in some other city. I Isually it is found that in Grade I. the children who are too young for the grade drop out. The reversal of affairs, according to this table, v. here the dropping out for "< >ver Normal" children is 100'; greater than that of the "Under Normal" children, cannot be explained from available irmation. However, the abnormal conditions in Dayton last year must be taken into consideration. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 25 Table VILA — Shows for the five upper grades of the Patterson school the number and percentage of pupils promoted, not promoted and dropped out according to whether they are under normal, normal or over the normal age. Age in Relation X urn be r of C hildren Grade X ot Dropped to Grade Prom oted Promoted Out Total No. % No. 10 No. '' No. IV-B Below Normal JO 1 00 10 Normal G 86 1 14 7 Above Normal 6 100 6 Total 22 96 1 4 23 IV- A Below Normal 32 1 3 1 3 34 Normal 9 90 1 10 10 Above Normal 2 88 1 4 2 8 Total 64 92 3 4 3 4 70 V-B Below Normal Normal 7 12 100 7 12 Above Normal 12 92 1 8 13 Total 31 1)7 1 q 32 Y-A Below Normal Normal 03 4 L00 1 4 24 4 Above Normal 13 37 2 13 15 Total 4 1 93 :; 7 43 VI-B Below Normal Normal Above Normal Total 10 6 18 34 LOO 100 L00 100 10 6 18 34 VI-A Below Normal Normal Above Normal Total 28 8 14 50 100 100 100 100 28 8 14 50 VII-B Below Normal Normal 16 8 94 100 1 6 17 8 Above Normal 14 88 2 12 16 Total 38 93 3 1 41 VII-A Below Normal 11 100 11 • Normal Above Normal 11 15 92 100 1 8 12 15 Total 37 07 1 3 38 VIII-B Below Normal 8 100 8 Normal 1 87 1 13 8 Above Normal 14 64 8 36 22 Total 29 76 9 24 38 VIII-A Below Normal Normal 19 13 100 100 19 13 Above Normal 16 76 i 5 4 19 21 Total 48 90 l 9 4 8 53 Totals Below Normal 1 64 98 2 1 2 1 168 Normal 84 96 2 O 2 2 88 Above Normal 145 87 5 o 16 10 166 Total 393 93 9 o 20 5 26 DAYTON BUREAU ( >F MUNICIPAL RESEARCH In the five upper grades of the Patterson school where 40$ of the pu- are below the normal age, the promotion rates in all of the age groups range from 87$ to 100$ . in Grade IV. only, does the rate fall to and 76* , . These occur in the over-age group, from which the pupils dropped out. But one pupil in all of the three upper grades failed to ad- vance last year, and only three pupils dropped out in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades. For all grades the rate of promotion For "Under Normal" children 98$ ; for "Normal" 96%, and for "Older than Normal" 87 r ; . In the last named group 10$ of the children dropped out, the heaviest elimination taking place in the first half of Grade VIII. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 27 Table VIII. — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pupils promoted, not promoted and dropped out according to the length of time spent in the grade. N ot Dropped Grade Time in Grade on June 20, 1913 Prom oted Promoted Out Total No. % No. ( : No. % No. I y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 11 18 6 10 43 72 60 over y 2 yr. 1453 75 277 15 184 10 1891 Over 1 yr. 242 83 31 10 23 7 321 Total 1708 7 5 314 14 250 11 2272 II y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 11 37 19 63 30 over y 2 yr. 1382 89 71 5 92 6 1546 Over 1 yr. 104 92 6 5 •J 112 Total 1497 88 77 5 114 i 1688 III l / 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 16 4'..' 4 t 20 50 40 over }/ 2 yr. 1424 22 113 10 75 5 1612 Over 1 vr. 105 85 9 7 10 ^ 124 Total 1545 87 126 7 105 6 1776 IV y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 13 32 3 ( 25 61 41 over y 2 yr. 1237 >-: 108 g 95 i 1440 Over 1 yr. 104 85 5 4 16 11 125 Total 1354 85 1 1 6 r- 1 136 8 1606 V y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 9 25 3 8 24 67 36 over y 2 yr. 1077 87 100 C 68 5 1245 Over 1 yr. ;i 81 4 ■". 12 14 87 Total 1157 SJ 107 1 104 8 1368 VI y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 4 20 2 10 14 70 20 over }/ 2 yr. 1000 89 56 5 71 6 1127 Over 1 yr. 37 82 3 t 5 11 45 , Total 1041 87 61 ' 90 8 1192 VII y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 2 15 1 I 10 77 13 over y 2 yr. 939 88 36 V 93 9 106S Over 1 yr. 19 83 4 17 23 Total 960 81 • J < 107 10 1104 VIII y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 1 r 1 I 13 93 14 over y 2 yr. 692 93 5 1 49 6 746 Over 1 yr. 3 100 3 Total 696 91 5 1 62 8 763 Totals y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less, but 67 26 19 8 168 66 254 over y 2 yr. 9182 86 768 7 727 7 10675 Over 1 yr. 709 84 5S 73 9 840 Total 9958 85 843 i 968 8 11769 DAYTi >N BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH As would be expected, the percentage of promotions in all grades is lowesl For pupils in the grade less than the normal period, the rates ranging from 7' , in Grade VIII., to 40', in Grade III. The highest rate of promotion, except in Grades 1.. ! 1. and VIII., occurs among pupils spending the normal time in the grade. In all but the three grades mentioned the rates of promotion for pupils spending more than the normal period in the grade or repeaters are lower than the rates for those who have been in the grade but the normal period. In grades I.. II. and VIII, the percentage- for the "Normal Period" pupils are 76%, 82* I and S'", respectively, as against 92%, 'AV , and 100',; respectively for the repeater.-. The average rate of promotion in all grade- is highest Eor "Nor- mal Period" pupils, being 86%. The next in order is the "Over Nor- mal" with 84', and lowest the "Under Normal Period" pupils with 26« ! . The effect of time spent in a grade upon eliminations is made apparent by the high percentage of dropping out among pupils who have been in the grade less than the normal period. The rate is 66' J for all the grades as against the 7', for pupils in the "Normal Period" and 9% in the "( >ver Normal Period." The lowest rate of elimination for the "Under Normal" pupils exists in the Third Grade, where 50% drop out, and the highest in the Eighth Grade with 9Z% dropping out. Conversely for these two grade-, it appears that a pupil can make up the work most rapidly in the former, while it seems most difficult to be- come proficient in the work in Grade VIIL, the rate of promotion being highest for the "Under Normal" period pupils in Grade III., and lowest in Grade VIIL OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 29 Table IX. — Shows by grades the number and percentage of pupils promoted, not promoted and dropped out according to number of half days absent during the half year. Grade II III IV V VI VII VIII Half Days Absent Totals Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total Less than 25 25 or more Total N< Dt Dropped Promoted Promoted Out Total No. % No. % No. % No. 1481 76 245 13 215 11 1941 227 68 69 21 35 11 331 1708 75 314 14 250 11 2272 1352 89 62 4 99 7 1512 145 82 15 9 16 9 176 1497 89 77 4 114 7 1688 1392 87 113 7 86 6 1591 153 83 13 8 19 9 185 1545 87 126 i 105 6 1776 1246 86 90 6 110 8 1446 108 68 26 16 26 16 160 1354 85 116 7 136 8 1606 1036 86 78 7 80 rf 1 1194 121 69 29 17 24 14 174 1157 84 107 8 104 8 1368 941 90 46 4 63 6 1050 100 70 15 11 27 19 142 1041 87 61 5 90 8 1192 897 89 27 o 80 8 1004 63 63 10 10 27 27 100 960 87 37 O 107 10 1104 664 92 5 l 52 7 72l" 32 70 10 30 42 696 91 I 5 l 62 8 763 9009 87 666 6 782 7 10457 949 72 177 14 186 14 1312 1 9958 85 843 7 968 8 11769 An absence of 25 half days for the half year was decided upon arbitrarily as being a sufficient number of days to affect the pro- motion of pupils. According to this basis the figures in Table 9 show consistently for all grades that the rate of promotion for pupils absent less than 25 half days for the half year, is decidedly higher than the rate for the pupils who were more irregular in attendance. The difference in these two rates ranges from 4% in Grade III. to 22% in Grade VIII. For all grades, 87% of the pupils absent less than 25 half days are pro- moted ; only 72% of the others advance. This is a difference of 15%. Non-promotion rates are from 1% to 10% higher for children absent over 25 half days. Elimination rates for frequent absentees are from 2% to 23% higher than for pupils attending regularly. ar\oC Dropping Qut AliSen.1' less lkct»\ /Use*^ m«vc tk^ ZS kalj* d 13 16 70 4 17 23 Above Normal 22 18 79 65 21 17 122 Total 28 19 98 65 25 16 151 VI Below Normal 4 40 5 50 1 10 10 Normal 6 32 11 58 2 10 19 Above Normal 5 8 38 63 17 29 60 Total 15 17 54 61 20 22 89 VII Below Normal 2 50 2 50 4 Normal 3 16 8 42 8 42 19 Above Normal 20 34 24 41 15 25 59 Total 25 31 34 41 23 28 82 VIII Below Normal Normal 1 50 1 50 2 Above Normal 3 37 3 37 o 26 8 Total 4 40 4 40 2 20 10 Totals Below Normal 92 rts 38 28 6 4 136 Normal 2:;:3 62 121 32 24 6 377 Above Normal 218 37 285 4s 92 15 595 Total 542 49 444 40 122 11 1108 32 DAYTON BUREAU ( »F MUNICIPAL RESEARCH '€ r c e r\ To. gc of railoreS ^>* La»\gucLge / 'a.1: he »r\a. (Ties aa4 In j«t mcv.t\©»\al OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 33 Failures are divided into three groups: those occurring in language, in mathematics and in informational subjects — history, geography, etc. In Grade I., 1007< of the failures are in language — this being the chief subject taught. These failures probably include foreign children who comprise about 15% of the pupils in some schools. Sixty per cent of the failures in Grade II. are in language. In all the other grades mathematics causes from 100% to 150% more failures than either language or the informational subjects. The relationship of the various age groups to failures shows that in language the highest rate of failure (68%) occurs among the "Younger than Normal" children. In mathematics the "Older than Normal" group leads with 48% of failures; the "Normal" group follows with 32%; the "Under Normal" 28%. In the informational subjects the rate of failure in the "Over Age" group is 15% ; the "Normal Age" group, 6% ; the "Under Normal" 4%. Of all the failures 49% occurred in language; 40% in mathematics and 11% in the informational subjects. This high average rate in language is influenced in great part by the 100% language failure shown in Grade 1. There seems to be no significant relationship between the grade and the nature of the failure or the age group, except that in the four upper grades the language failures are located among the "Under Normal Age" pupils. There were 15 failures in the five upper grades of the Patterson school. The over-age pupils made up over half in all three groups com- bined. 34 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH Table XI. — Compares promotion rates in classes having less than 40 pupils; between 40 and 50 pupils; and over 50 pupils. Less than 40 40-50 Over 50 Grade P. N. P. D. O. P. N. P. „D. O. P. N. P. D. O. % i % % % % '<_ % % % I -- i .j 9 16 77 15 8 74 14 12 II .-s 5 7 90 5 5 89 5 6 III 92 5 3 84 9 7 85 6 9 IV 89 5 6 82 9 9 80 6 14 V 84 8 8 87 7 VI 88 5 7 88 4 8 89 9 2 VII 87 3 10 91 3 6 VIII 89 1 10 95 5 All Grades 87 5 8 85 8 i 80 10 10 P. — Indicates "promoted." N. P. — Indicates "not promoted." D. O. — Indicates "dropped out." According to the above table promotions are highest in the smaller sized classes. In the classes containing less than 40 pupils the rate of promotion is 87', ; in classes of 40-50 it is 85%, and in classes of over 50 pupils the rate drops to 80' , . Non-prumotion increases from ?'/< in the small sized classes to 10% in classes over 50. Dropping out of pupils increases in the same proportion, 5%, 8% and 10% respectively for the three groups of classes. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 35 DROPPING OUT Table XII. — Shows the number and percentage of pupils dropping out in the lower and higher grades. Grade Number Per Cent. I-V 712 73 VI-VII-VIII 276 27 I-IV 608 61 V-VIII 380 39 The figures given above represent the number of pupils who dropped out of the Dayton schools between September, 1912, and June, 1913, i. e., during the school year of 1912-'13. Of the total eliminated JS^ dropped out below the sixth grade. This excessive percentage in the lower grades, as explained under table 6, is due to the fact that many of the younger children did not return to school after the flood which occurred in the spring of 1913. One school, all the pupils of which lived in the flooded district, shows a dropping out of 20% of the net enrollment of the school. It seems apparent, therefore, that these figures do not portray typical conditions. However, even under these circumstances, the fact that 39% of the pupils eliminated, dropped out in the four upper grades, is worth noting and investigating. Elimination at this time may be caused by 1. The necessity of these children to earn money as soon as the working age has been reached. 2. Slow progress through grades. 3. Over-age. 4. Uninteresting curriculum. 5. Dissatisfaction generally because of the latter three conditions. The increase, by a recent statute, of the minimum working age for boys and girls will diminish dropping out much before the completion of the elementary school course. 36 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH SIZE OF CLASSES Table XIII. — Shows the number and percentage of classes in each grade according to the number of pupils in the class. N umber of Classes Grade Under 40 40-50 Over 50 Total No. % No. % No. % No. % I 15 30 17 35 17 35 49 100 II 25 54 12 26 9 20 46 III 25 51 19 39 5 10 49 IV 22 48 21 48 2 4 42 V 30 71 13 29 41 VI 25 71 9 26 2 3 34 VII 25 56 10 44 43 VIII 22 79 5 21 24 Total 18!) 57 106 32 35 11 330 100 There were 330 classes in the elementary schools last year. Of this number 189 or 57'7, contained under 40 pupils ; 106 or 32'/[ had from 40 to 50 pupils and 11 % of the classes had over 50 pupils. Grade I has the lowest percentage (30 r / ) of small grades, and the highest rate (35'/, ) of "Over 50" classes. Grade VIII. has the highest percentage (79'/ ) of small classes. There are only two classes contain- ing over 50 pupils above Grade IV. These two are in Grade VI. OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 37 Per c e *v to. g € o^ S^all 9 r\ed<.otr* ar»a La^^c Classes in Ecv Aae OVER-AGE AND PROGRESS 43 PROGRESS TABLE Table II. — Shows by schools the number and percentage of pupils according to the time spent in the grade. Schools Central F r anklin .... Garfield Harrison .... Hawthorne Huffman .... Irving Jackson Longfellow McKinley .. Van Cleve .. Washington Weaver Vvhittier .... Willard Allen* Edison* Emerson* . Patterson* . Ruskin* Schiller* Webster* ... Total Time in Gradi ; June 20 , 1913 y 2 yr. or less 1 yr. or less. Over lyr. To al . but over y 2 yr. No. C7 /O No. % No. % No. % 33 6 472 89 29 5 534 100 3 1 406 86 59 13 468 a 1 1 440 92 33 7 474 n 2 1 213 93 14 6 229 a 293 99 4 1 297 a 15 2 609 94 24 4 648 a 20 4 412 92 19 4 451 a 19 9 194 88 6 3 219 a 656 97 23 3 679 (t 36 5 607 92 22 . > 665 n 5 1 495 97 12 2 512 a 25 3 623 S4 101 13 749 a 2 1 87 8 89 106 10 986 u 185 88 26 12 211 a 540 90 58 10 598 tt 18 3 526 90 39 7 583 " 9 2 439 90 41 8 489 " 11 1 775 91 65 8 851 * * 17 688 94 31 4 736 18 3 559 90 41 7 618 11 2 531 90 40 8 591 tt 13 2 530 88 60 10 603 a 258 2 11071 91 862 7 12191 100 44 DAYTON BUREAU OK MUNICIPAL RESEARCH PROMOTION TABLE Table III. — Shows by schools the number and percentage of pupils promoted, not promoted and dropped out. Schools Central Franklin Garfield Harrison Hawthorne . Huffman Irving Jackson Longfellow . McKinley ... Van Cleve ... Washington Weaver Whittier Willard Allen* Edison* Emerson* .. Patterson* .. Ruskin* Schiller* Webster* .... Promoted Total. No. 381 439 419 218 593 408 179 6 ! 9 563 480 6 1 6 801 L96 488 : 405 704 659 524 1 15 404 % 71 !>4 89 95 92 82 91 85 93 . 81 93 87 83 85 67 85 Noi Promoted No. 19 19 34 9 22 22 4 35 48 13 52 90 9 50 39 35 4:; 76 91 852 % 4 4 i 9 4 8 : 8 10 ."> i 13 15 Dropped Out N >. L34 10 21 2 24 24 i 25 54 19 - 95 6 60 35 46 62 42 51 20 108 988 25 2 4 1 8 5 5 16 4 8 4 11 10 Total No. 534 468 4?:; 229 297 648 451 219 679 665 512 749 936 3 211 10 598 6 583 9 489 7 851 6 736 8 618 3 591 18 603 8 12191 % 100 100 IRO MOTION l\ ATE WiUaurd Weaver W«Jbst«r ACCORDING TO OCHOOLfi 607. 7,o7. 307. 907. W 7. <*>•/. 7«X soy. 90% 'oo*/t 46 DAYTON BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH NATURE OF FAILURES Table IV. — Shows by schools the number and percentage of pupils according to the class of subject in which they failed. Fa lures Schools Language Mathematics Informational Total No. % No. % No. % No. % Central 13 15 23 6 13 14 16 2 30 34 7 29 67 7 30 23 22 49 28 29 34 56 45 52 50 60 50 50 52 40 64 51 4L 51 51 64 48 59 53 42 64 53 35 42 12 41 4 4 7 1 1 2 6 4 8 2 1 18 1 2 6 12 4 11 13 19 14 14 15 10 4 7 19 8 12 12 2 14 9 3 15 10 9 20 13 15 29 29 46 10 26 28 31 5 47 67 17 57 131 11 6:; 39 41 118 44 55 97 132 100 Franklin 10 16 12 12 9 3 13 25 8 27 46 •t .» 31 16 13 57 12 15 50 57 34 35 30 46 43 *v y 60 28 37 47 47 35 27 49 41 48 27 27 52 43 it Garfield Harrison a a Hawthorne Huffman a Irvins . u . Jackson a Longfellow McKinley Van Cleve Washington .... Weaver a a a a a YVhittier « VVillard it Allen* Kdison* a a Kinerson* Patterson* Raskin* a a a Schiller* ti Webster* .*.... it Total 547 49 450 40 126 11 1123 100 Publications of the Bureau of Municipal Research : Organization of the Bureau of Municipal Research. (Folder.) Shall we change our Form of Government? (16 p.p.) Appropriation Ordinance, — first half of year 1913. (30 p.p. A Plan to Place the Water Works upon a Self-Sustaining Basis. (28 p.p.) Government by Deficit. (3 folders.) Organization and Administration of the Department of Health. (97 p.p.) Health Bulletins. (8 folders.) Appropriation Ordinance, — 2d half of year 1913. (30 p.p.) Reprint of the Dayton Charter. (64 p.p.) Motor Fire Apparatus Bids. (Foider.) A Complaint-Suggestion Bureau. (Folder.) The City Budget— 1914. (42 p.p.) The City Manager Plan of Government for Dayton. (8 p.p.) A Charter Primer. (24 p.p.) Some Acid Tests of City-Manager Government (Folder.) Survey of Over-age and Progress in the Dayton Schools (46 p.p.) Medical Inspection in Dayton Schools. (In press.) AA 000 714 947 i;i;:;;;i;,