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Indiana University Studies 



after children pass the Hmit of compulsory attendance, prob- 

 ably no teacher or superintendent who has had experience 

 with such children will deny. However, it is certain that a 

 number of other factors affect elimination and the relative 

 importance of the course of study is a problem which is 

 worthy of study. 



In the case of the progress of children in school the course 

 of study is not a determining factor unless it is thought of 

 as including standards of promotion. Standards of promo- 

 tion constitute a fundamental item of school policy. As they 

 are grouped for instructional purposes children differ widely. 

 There are a few who have relatively little ability and a few 

 who have exceptional ability. Those having average ability 

 are much more numerous. In general the distribution of 

 children according to their ability (both general and specific) 

 is represented by the normal curve which is shown in Figure 9. 

 The general shape of the curve is maintained thruout all the 

 grades. The most significant change is a slight flattening of 

 it as we advance thru the grades. 



Fundamentally, standards of promotion specify what per 

 cent of those children at the lower end of the curve shall be 

 called failures and asked to repeat the work of the grade 

 and what per cent at the upper end shall be permitted to 

 skip a grade. 



Teachers and superintendents probably do not think of 

 standards of promotion in these terms but they are the only 

 logical and defensible ultimate bases. What the per cent of 

 failures and the per cent of accelerations shall be is an item 

 of educational policy and should be treated as such. Ayres^^ 

 has pointed out that from the standpoint of equipment and 

 cost of instruction the greatest economy is secured when the 

 per cent of failures is equal to the per cent of accelerations. 

 Maintaining this balance, the standard should be set at the 

 point where the most favorable conditions for instruction will 

 be secured. It appears reasonable that the most favorable 

 conditions will not exist if retardation and acceleration are 

 reduced to zero and all children promoted. It is equally 

 reasonable that they would not exist if 40 per cent were failed 

 and 40 per cent were accelerated, leaving 20 per cent normal 



15 Ayers, L. P. "The Effect of Promotion Rates on School Efficiency," Bulletin E130, 

 Russell Sage Foundation. Also in American School Board Journal, May, 1913. 



