14 BULLETIN 385, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUBE. 



work as well as on the study. Such a rank might average with the 

 recitation rank on the basis of from one-fourth to one-half, according 

 to circumstances as previously explained. 



In communities where no home stud}^ may be demanded it is 

 probable that most parents would encourage home project work so 

 closely allied to family interests. In this case the required course in 

 agriculture might, if required, be given additional weight for such 

 home work. If five credits are given for the recitation course then 

 seven or more might be allowed when the project work is completed 

 in a satisfactory way. This method dignifies such work and gives 

 it the rating of real school work. 



WJiatMnd of credit'^ — In the secondary schools each subject has 

 assigned a numerical value based upon the amount of work or the 

 number of hours of recitation each week, A minimum requirement 

 is made of the total hours of work necessary for promotion or gradu- 

 ation, and a pupil who elects to pursue a given subject knows how 

 much it comits toward this minimum. 



In the administration of rural schools it is imusual to find such an 

 arrangement of credits with a minimum for promotion, so there is 

 no obvious advantage to the boy who gets extra credits, so far as 

 school advancement is concerned. 



Any scheme of holidays, prizes, or other perquisites is evidently not 

 school credit in the sense in which we deal with arithmetic and 

 language. Either the rank given for home work must be applied 

 to the correlated study in school or the units of credit given for 

 home work must be based on units of credit in academic subjects 

 and so arranged that these credits advance him toward a school 

 goal. 



Where the home project is a required part of the study of agri- 

 culture this is of less importance, since the rank in agriculture in- 

 cludes the practical work. Whenever this may be optional, there is 

 an obvious advantage in giving credit that means something in 

 terms of school work. 



The school authorities may find it desirable to assign numerical 

 values to aU school subjects and place home projects in the list. 

 It is possible to fix a minimimi for promotion and to promote by 

 subjects rather than by grades in the rural school. 



In some cases other methods have been used, but the relation to 

 academic credit is not as clear. Among these might be mentioned 

 the following: (1) Hobdays given for a given number of credits; 

 (2) promotion at a lower grade; (3) automatic and arbitrary raising 

 of lower grades without reference to their relation to the project; 

 (4) honors or "cum laude" promotions, and (5) prizes and other 

 rewards. Since these credits bear Httle relation to the work done. 



