Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Milford, Massachusetts 1890-1895, Part 38

Author: Milford (Mass.)
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 788


USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > Town Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Milford, Massachusetts 1890-1895 > Part 38


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Repairs


1,000 00


Books and supplies.


1,800 00


Incidentals


1,400 00


Superintendent's salary


1,600 00


Transportation of pupils 150 00


Salaries, unpaid .. 500 00


$26,550 00


GEORGE L. COOKE,


H. D. BOWKER,


J. J. DUGGAN,


CHAS. MACKIN,


JOHN T. McLOUGHLIN,


GEORGE E. STACY,


School Committee.


SECRETARY'S REPORT.


RECEIPTS.


Appropriation $25,000 00


One half of the dog tax


306 51


Tuition


10 00


Sales at the office


12 41


$25,328 92


EXPENSES.


Teachers' salaries, day schools 16,493 81


Janitors' salaries, day schools


1,138 50


Teachers' carriage hire.


282 00


Transportation of pupils.


123 60


Superintendent's salary


1,600 00


Supplies


1,791 08


Fuel


1,318 91


Repairs


751 22


Incidentals


1,406 80


Evening school :-


Teaching for term ending March 16, 1894 180 00


66


Feb. 1, 1895 .. 204 00


Janitor


24 00


Supplies


15 00


25,328 92


Carried over :-


One week's salary for teachers 464 36


Bills approved, not paid. 31 67


496 03 At a meeting of the Committee held Monday evening, Feb. II, the Secretary's report was accepted, and it was voted to adopt the Superintendent's report as a part of the report of the School Committee.


S. F. BLODGETT,


Secretary.


SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.


TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE OF MILFORD,


GENTLEMEN : I submit to you the eighteenth annual report of the superintendent of schools.


STATISTICS.


Population of Milford in 1890 8,780


Number of children between 5 and 15 years of age, by


census taken in May, 1894 1,202


Decrease from last year


63


Number enrolled under 5


5


Number between 5 and 8


386


Number between 8 and 14


754


Number between 14 and 15


127


Number between 5 and 15


1,267


Number over 15


228


Total enrollment.


1,500


Average number belonging


1,261


Average daily attendance


1,190


Per cent. of attendance to number belonging


94.3


Number of days' absence in all schools


12,780


Number of cases of tardiness.


2,330


Number of cases of dismissal


2,372


Cases of corporal punishment


29


Cases of truancy reported by teachers


92


Truants sent to truant school


I


Visits by superintendent


619


Visits by others


891


TEACHERS.


High school (I male, 3 female)


4


Grammar schools (I male, II female) 12


Found to be truants. 39


7


Primary schools. 16


Special teachers (music and drawing) 2


Evening school (I male, 2 female) 3


Assistants and substitutes


3


Number of different teachers employed


45


REMARKS ON THE STATISTICS.


A comparison of the table of statistics with that of last year's report, will show the following facts :


The number of children in the town who were between 5 and 15 years of age in May, 1894, was 63 less than the number returned for May, 1893, and the number between 5 and 15 years of age enrolled in the schools, shows a decrease of 32.


The total enrolment is 13 less that last year, the average membership has increased II, and the average daily attendance has increased 45 over that of last year.


This has raised our per cent. of attendance to 94.3, an increase of 2.7 per cent.


In my last report I made an appeal to the parents for their co-operation in our attempt to secure more regular and punctual attendance of the children in the schools, and at the commence- ment of the spring term, as an incentive to the pupils, I promis- ed them that in this report I would publish a roll of honor, giving the names of those who should be neither absent nor tardy for an entire term ; this roll of honor will be found in the appendix to the report.


As a further inducement, I secured a banner to be contended for each month, and to be awarded to the school which should have the highest percentage in regularity and punctuality.


This banner has aroused a very desirable spirit of rivalry among the schools in the matter of attendance, and has been won as follows :


In the month ending June 8, by seventh grade in the Park school ; in September, by the first grade in the Chapin street school; in October, by the ninth grade at the Park, and in No- vember and December, by the Hoboken school, grades one and two.


8


The results obtained seem to justify the means employed, for last year I reported a total of 37,076 absent marks, or 18,538 day's absence, and 2,824 cases of tardiness; this year we have 25,560 absent marks, equal to 12,780 day's absence, and 2,330 tardy marks, which is a decrease of 5,758 days of absence and of 504 in the cases of tardiness.


It would be unjust to claim all the improvement in attend- ance as a result of the causes which I have mentioned, since the community has been very free from contagious diseases during the year, a condition of things which is favorable to regular at- tendance.


But tardiness is not caused by sickness, it is rather a disease in itself, and from its abatement we may fairly judge of the effi- cacy of the remedy.


The tardiness of this year is 18 per cent. less than last year, and the absence is 31 per cent. less, and we may fairly claim, as the direct result of our efforts, all the improvement in punctual- ity, and more than half of the improvement in attendance.


The number of cases of truancy reported by the teachers and investigated by officer McKeague is one less than last year, and the number of actual truants is five less.


Early in the fall term one boy was brought before the court and convicted of being an habitual truant. He was sentenced to the county truant school for one year, and his conviction has had a noticeable effect in the abatement of this evil.


During the year the superintendent has issued 35 certificates of age and schooling to children who wished to work in the shops. Of this number 6 were given to children under 14, and 29 to those over 14 years of age.


Following are the monthly reports of the truant officer, and a table showing the attendance in each school.


-


9


TRUANT OFFICER'S REPORT.


February,


Reported by teachers, 17


Found to be truants,


5


March,


66


66


II


April,


66


66


17


66


66


6


May,


66


66


16


66


66


7


September,


66


66


66


66


6


October,


66


66


14


5


November,


66


66


2


66


66


I


Total


93


39


TABLE OF ATTENDANCE.


School.


Grade.


Total


Enrollment.


Average


Number


Belonging.


Average


Attendance.


Per cent.


Attendance.


High,


182


121


118


95.9


Park,


9


50


38


37


97.4


Park,


8


44


35


34


97.1


Park,


7


58


43


42


97.4


Park,


6


52


50


47


94


Old Town House,


5


47


43


41


95.3


South Grammar,


8 and 9


52


45


43


95.5


South Grammar,


7


52


43


42


97.4


South Grammar,


6


54


47


46


97.8


South Grammar,


5


60


55


53


96.3


Plains,


7 and 8


40


32


30


93.7


Plains,


5 and 6


31


30


28


93.3


Plains,


3 and 4


36


33


31


93.9


Plains,


1 and 2


69


53


47


89


Purchase Grammar,


5 to 9


41


30


28


93.3


Claflin,


4


41


37


35


95


Claflin,


3


41


37


35


95


Claflin,


2


44


38


36


94.7


Claflin,


1


55


47


42


89.9


Claflin,


3 and 4


42


40


39


97:5


Claflin,


1 and 2


45


40


35


87.5


Chapin Street,


3 and 4


48


45


43


95.5


Chapin Street,


2


33


30


29


96.6


Chapin Street,


1


41


35


34


97.1


West Street,


3 and 4


37


34


32


93.8


West Street,


1 and 2


52


48


44


91.7


Hoboken,


1 and 2


34


33


31


93.9


Fountain Street,


1 to 4


34


31


29


93.5


Purchase Primary,


1 to 4


17


14


12


85.7


Silver Hill, two terms, All


grades


13


8


7


87.5


City, one term,


8


7


6


87.1


Bear Hill,


14


12


11


91.6


Braggville,


66


22


19


17


89.4


Deer Brook,


66


11


8


6


75


9


66


66


66


7


6%


66


4


December,


Daily


of


5


66


IO


EXPENDITURES.


DAY SCHOOLS.


Teachers $16,775 81


Transportation of pupils


123 60


Superintendent


1600


Fuel


1318 91


Care of buildings


1138 50


Current expenses of day schools including the above items


-$20,956 82


Incidentals


$1406 80


Repairs


751 22


Supplies


1,791 08


3949 10


Total


$24,905 92


EVENING SCHOOL.


Teaching (16 weeks) 384 00


Supplies


15 00


Care of building


24 00


423 00


Total


$25,328 92


AVERAGE EXPENSE PER PUPIL.


Total expense of day schools 24,905 92


Expense per pupil based on enrollment (1500) 16 60


Expense based on average membership (1261) 19 75


Expense based on daily attendance (1190)


20 92


Expense of evening school 423 00


Expense per pupil, based on attendance (30) 14 10


FREE TEXT-BOOKS AND SUPPLIES.


Total expense, day school


$1,791 08


Sales 12 41


Net expenditure $1,778 67


Expense per pupil based on enrolment (1500) $1 18


Expense per pupil based on average membership (1260) I 4I


Expense per pupil based on average attendance (1190) I 49


PROMOTIONS.


In our course of study, the work below the High School is divided into nine grades, and pupils are promoted from grade to grade once each year.


Promotions are decided at the close of the spring term, in June, and the promoted pupils take their places in the higher grades, at the commencement of the fall term, in September.


By this system, the majority of our pupils are fairly treated, since the course of study is so arranged that children of average ability are able to accomplish the prescribed amount of work in thirty-six weeks of the school year.


But experience has proved that the system of annual pro- motion is unjust to two classes of pupils, neither of them includ- ing a large number of children but large enough to demand our attention and consideration.


The first is composed of those pupils who have more than average ability, and who could easily accomplish more than the required amount of work in the school year.


These pupils have no opportunity to advance more rapidly than their classmates, except by making up the work of an entire year, and that is a step so difficult that it is seldom advised and rarely undertaken.


The second class comprises those who, although not quali- fied for promotion, are yet so well advanced that it is unjust to require them to repeat the work of the entire year. The cause of their not having secured promotion may be, absence on ac- count of sickness, frequent change of residence, attendance at poor schools, or a condition of health, which, while it permits attendance at school, renders them unfit for the necessary mental exertion. In making the annual promotions, I have taken special care in the consideration of such cases, and each year have pro- moted several children whom the teachers have reported as un- prepared for advancement. Of those so advanced about 50 per


I2


cent. have been able to do creditable work in the higher grades. Several remedies have been tried for these evils which arise from the system of yearly promotions.


The city of Cambridge has provided a system of parallel causes for the grammar schools, which is so clearly and briefly explained in that city's annual report for 1893, that I have taken the liberty to quote it verbatim.


COURSE OF STUDY FOR THE CAMBRIDGE GRAM- MAR SCHOOLS.


"The course of study is divided in two ways : (I) into six sections ; (2) into four sections; each section covering a year's work. Pupils pursuing the six years' course are classified in six grades, called the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. Those pursuing the four years' course are classified in four grades, called A, B, C, D. When pupils are promoted to the grammar schools they begin the first year's work together. After two or three months they will be separated into two divi- sions, but they will remain in the same room under the same teacher.


One division will advance more rapidly than the other, and during the year will complete one-fourth of the whole course of study. The other division will complete one-sixth of the course.


During the second year the pupils in grade B should be in the same room with the sixth grade. At the beginning of the year they will be five months (one-half the school year) behind those in the sixth grade. After two or three months grade B will be able to recite with the sixth grade, and at the end of the year both divisions will have completed one-half the course of study-the one in two years and the other in three years. The plan for the last half of the course is the same as for the first half, the grades being known as C and D in the four years' course, and as the seventh, eighth and ninth in the six years' course.


There are also two ways of completing the course in five years : (1) any pupil in the four years' course may at the end of


I3


two years be transferred to the seventh grade, and finish the course in three years; (2) any pupil in the sixth year course may at the end of three years be transferred to grade C, and finish the course in two years. In both cases the changes can be made without omitting or repeating any part of the course."


This system has been on trial about three years, and obviates many of the evils I have mentioned.


The school committee of the city of Fitchburg have also at- tempted to solve the problem, and the method employed appears to be less complicated than the one used in Cambridge.


A few years ago the committee established an ungraded room in one of the large schools of the city. This room . was placed in charge of a skilful teacher, and into it were gathered all the "misfits" from the several grades in the building, those who were capable of advancing more rapidly than their mates, and those who had fallen behind. In this room no attempt is made to grade the pupils, but each one is permitted to advance as he is able, until he is qualified to return to one of the regular grades.


The success of this school was so marked that similar rooms were organized in two other large buildings, and it is proposed to extend the system to include all the large schools of the city.


Another way of meeting the difficulty, and one more gener- ally adopted, is by means of semi-annual promotions.


If promotions were made twice each year, pupils who fail of promotion would be required to repeat only one-half of the year's work, and those of unusual ability could more easily accomplish sufficient extra work to entitle them to double promotion.


I hope that this subject will be considered during the coming year, and have taken this opportunity to bring the matter to the attention of the citizens, who are always interested in the im- provement of our schools.


STATE CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS.


Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1894, approved April 28, 1894, reads as follows :-


. SECTION 1. The state board of education shall cause to be held, at


I4


such convenient times and places as it may from time to time designate, public examinations of candidates for the position of teacher in the pub- lic schools of the Commonwealth. Such examinations shall test the professional as well as the scholastic abilities of candidates, and shall be conducted by such persons and in such manner as the board may from time to time designate. Due notice of the time, place and other condi- tions of the examinations shall be given in such public manner as the board may determine.


SEC. 2. A certificate of qualification shall be given to all candi- dates who pass satisfactory examinations in such branches as are re- quired by law to be taught, and who in other respects fulfil the require- ments of the board; such certificate shall be either probationary or permanent, and shall indicate the grade of school for which the person named in the certificate is qualified to teach.


SEC. 3. A list of approved candidates shall be kept in the office of the secretary of the board, and copies of the same, with such informa- tion as may be desired, shall be sent to school committees upon their re- quest.


SEC. 4. The certificates issued under the provisions of this act may. be accepted by school committees in lieu of the personal examination required by section twenty-eight of chapter forty-four of the Public Statutes.


SEC. 5. A sum not exceeding five hundred dollars may be annually expended for the necessary and contingent expenses of carrying out the provisions of this act.


Acting under the provisions of this law, the State Board of Education, on Dec. 14, 1894, adopted a plan for the state exam- ination and certification of teachers. The plan provides for two classes of certificates, probationary and permanent, each granted for three grades of subjects, namely, elementary, secondary and special, making in all six grades of certificates. The pro- bationary certificate is valid for three years, and at the expiration of that period, may be once renewed for three years, when the holder will be expected to take the exami- nation for the permanent certificate. I append a copy of the rules governing the examinations, and a list of subjects in which examinations will be held for candidates for certificates of the lowest grade. The entire list of subjects for all the grades would require more space than can be given in this report.


Secretary Hill in his report to the Board of Education rec-


15


ommending the adoption of this plan, made the following state- ment : "It should not be forgotten that the diploma of gradua- tion from the regular two years' course of a state normal school really indicates the minimum of attainments and preliminary training the state is willing, under its present policy, to recognize as satisfactory in any candidate for a teacher's position. If hum- bler local standards are permitted, it is in deference to conditions which it is desirable to improve."


The law quoted at the commencement of this portion of my report, is not mandatory, but permissive, so far as it affects the action of school boards in the choice of teachers.


The State Board of Education is making an earnest attempt to improve the condition of our schools, by demanding a higher standard of ability and training in those who wish to become teachers, and this law affords an opportunity for school commit- tees to second their efforts in the best possible way, by deciding to employ only those who hold a normal school diploma, or a state certificate.


RULES FOR THE STATE EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS.


I. No candidate for either the probationary or the permanent cer- tificate of qualification required to be given under the provisions of the law shall be exempt from examination.


II. The probationary certificate shall be granted to any candidate who passes the prescribed preliminary examination, the permanent certi- ficate to any candidate who passes the prescribed final examination, or who, being eligible under the rules, passes a prescribed complete exam- ination.


III. Certificates, both probationary and permanent, shall be granted for three grades of subjects, namely, (a) elementary, (b) sec- ondary and (c) special.


IV. Candidates for certificates shall give evidence of good health and character ; and the examinations both for the probationary and the permanent certificates shall test (a) their scholarship and (b) their pro- fessional ability.


V. The qualifications of teachers shall be determined (a) by writ- ten tests, (b) by oral tests and (c) by inspection.


VI. The secretary of the Board of Education shall make all need-


16


ful arrangements for conducting the examinations, including the prepa- ration of questions for the written tests and the general plan for oral tests and methods of inspection ; and for this purpose he may avail him- self of the experience and skill of the agents of the Board, the princi- pals of the normal schools or of such other experts as he may see fit to consult.


VII. To be eligible to the examination for the elementary-grade probationary certificate the candidate must satisfy the following con- ditions :-


(a) He must be a graduate of a high school of good standing, or he must have received the equivalent of a good high school training.


(b) He must be a graduate of one of the State normal schools of Massachusetts, or of the Boston Normal School, or of some approved State normal school, or he must have had at least two full years' experi- ence in teaching.


VIII. To be eligible to the examination for the secondary-grade probationary certificate the candidate must satisfy the following con- ditions :-


(a) He must be a graduate of a college or of an institution of as high a grade, or he must have received the equivalent of a college train- ing.


(b) He must also have received preliminary professional training satisfactory to the examiners, or he must have had at least two full years' experience in teaching.


IX. To be eligible to the examination for a special-grade proba- tionary certificate the candidate must have received adequate special training at some approved institution in the subject he wishes to teach, or he must have had at least two full years' experience in teaching his special subject.


X. The probationary certificate for any grade shall be valid for three years from its date unless revoked earlier for cause. At the ex- piration of such period it may be once renewed for three years, upon satisfactory evidence that the holder continues to do acceptable work as a teacher.


XI. The holder of a probationary certificate shall receive a perma- nent certificate for the corresponding grade, provided,-


(a) He shall have had at least three years' successful experience in teaching after receiving his probationary certificate, a part of which shall have been in Massachusetts under such conditions as to enable the examiners to inspect his actual work in school.


(b) He shall have passed an examination in such additional subjects as may be prescribed.


I 7


(c) He shall have submitted a satisfactory thesis on some pre- scribed theme.


XII. To meet the cases of scholarly and successful teachers whose preliminary training has not been of the kind designated and encouraged by the Board, and who would therefore be ineligible to take examina- tions for probationary certificates, as well as the cases of those whose service has been so long that they can hardly be expected to seek for probationary certificates, the following rule is adopted :-


Permanent certificates for the several grades may be granted to other candidates than those who hold probationary certificates, pro- vided,-


(a) They shall have had at least six years' experience in teaching, a part of which shall have been in Massachusetts under such conditions as to enable the examiners to inspect their work in the schoolroom.


(b) Their scholarship and experience appear to be of a conspicu- ously meritorious character.


(c) They shall have passed an examination in such subjects, ap- propriate to the several grades, as may be prescribed.


(d) They shall have submitted a satisfactory thesis on some pre- scribed theme.


SUBJECTS OF THE REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS FOR CERTIFI- CATES.


Elementary Grade : Probationary Certificate.


Examination .- The candidate should have a good elementary ac- quaintance with the subjects of the six groups that follow,-such an ac- quaintance as may be presumed in a capable person who has done the prescribed work of a good grammar school and a good high school, and who has duly profited either by his normal school course or by his two years of experience in teaching :-


1. Languages, including (a) English, with its grammar and litera- ture, and (b) the elements of one of the three languages, Latin, French and German.


2. Mathematics, including (a) arithmetic, (b) the elements of alge- bra and (c) the elements of plane geometry.


3. History and geography, including (a) the history and civil gov- ernment of Massachusetts and the United States, with related geography, and (b) the history of England, with related geography.


4. Sciences, including (a) physical geography, (b) physiology and hygiene, (c) physics, and (d) any one of the following : botany, zoology, geology, chemistry and descriptive astronomy.


5. Drawing, including (a) mechanical and freehand drawing, and


18


(b) any one of the topics, form, color and arrangement. The candidate should also be able to make diagrams and sketches to illustrate his ans- wers to questions that may be asked in other subjects.


6. The principles of education, including (a) the aims and means of education, (b) the elements of psychology, (c) methods of teaching the specific subjects of an elementary course, including physical culture and the rudiments of music, and (d) school management.


THE HIGH SCHOOL.


The school is under the same corps of teachers as last year, and is doing good work in all departments.


The two lower classes are unusually large, and it has been necessary to separate several classes into two divisions for recita- tion. This has so increased the number of recitations that each teacher is obliged to hear seven recitations daily instead of five, and the time for each recitation has been reduced from fifty min- utes to thirty-five.


Under these conditions it is unreasonable to expect the re- sults to be as satisfactory as they were before the change was made, and Mr. Williams has presented to the committee a writ- ten statement, in which he has clearly shown the necessity for the change, and has asked that an additional teacher may be ap- pointed.


The committee did not feel that they would be justified in incurring the additional expense of another teacher, unless the town should be willing to appropriate sufficient money to meet it. They decided to ask for a sum sufficient for this purpose.


MUSIC AND DRAWING.


The work in these departments is under the supervision of special teachers, Mrs. S. E. Whitney, teacher of music, and Miss E. I. Curtis, of drawing. The work in both branches is commendable.


Following are their reports on the work of the year.


19


REPORT OF MUSIC TEACHERS.




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