86 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
THE STATUS OF BIOLOGY IN ILLINOIS HIGH 
SCHOOLS 
FreD Hartin, RANKIN, ILL. 
The present status of biology in Illinois high schools is 
shown by the accompanying tables, which need only a brief . 
explanation. The data for these tables were gotten from the 
report of the High School Visitor of the University of Illinois 
and from 275 replies to a questionaire sent to each of the pub- 
lie high schools accredited by the University of Illinois. 
Table I shows the sequence of subjects in 169 Illinois high 
schools. Fourteen different arrangements are being used. The 
most common order of subjects is physiology, zoology, botany, 
this order being followed in more than half of the 169 schools. 
Two reasons are commonly given for using this order; first, 
that physiology is a science with which high school pupils are 
already acquainted and for this reason can be more profitably 
taken up first; secondly, because physiology is required by law 
to be taught in the ninth year. 
The second most popular sequence of subjects is botany, 
zoology, physiology. This order has been adopted by the 
Biology Section of the Illinois High School Conference as the 
most logical and most pedagogical. 
Table II shows eighteen different arrangements as to amount 
of biological work offered. The features of interest shown in 
this table are the fact that the half year arrangements is quite 
prevalent, that seven schools offer none of the three biological 
subjects, that twenty-nine offer no botany, forty-nine no physi- 
ology, and forty-seven no zoology. 
Table III shows the amount required in 250 schools. Schools 
requiring all three subjects are mainly small high schools in 
which no electives are offered. The ninety-eight schools that do 
not require any of the biological courses are mainly the larger 
high schools which offer two or more courses. The require- 
ment of some biology in certain courses in these schools is quite 
