Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/530

 464 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO J. R. Angell, Dean of the Faculties of Arts, Literature, and Science, made, at the close of 1915, the following interesting statement: The University has for several years been attempting to contribute to the solution of a problem recognized as universally significant, i.e., the problem of eliminating the wastage of time and effort in our present educational organi- zation, thus securing a material lessening of the period required by the indi- vidual of good natural ability to complete his formal training and to enter upon his permanent life work. In conjunction with this effort the University has also made a consistent and aggressive attempt, both by the raising of its entrance requirements for the colleges, and by the more perfect organization of its own work, to secure a higher quality of accomplishment on the part of its students. The first object it has sought to attain by such adjustments with the sec- ondary schools as will allow students of marked capacity to have the high quality of their work taken into account as well as the quantity of it, .... so that, by receiving more than the usual amount of credit from this high-grade work, they may materially reduce the time now required for graduation from high school and college. After speaking of the saving of a year of the student's time in the University's elementary school, Mr. Angell goes on to say: In connection with this general type of reorganization of work the Univer- sity has attempted at several points to take cognizance of the individual varia- tion of students and to provide facilities whereby the abler students may advance more rapidly than the less able. So far as this experiment has pro- ceeded, it likewise has been attended with marked success. The sum total of the savings represented under the present arrangement, in the time consumed by the student of good ability, is something over one year by the time the Bachelor's degree is received, as contrasted with what has been the common practice in this part of the world. We are confidently expecting to secure the saving of at least one more year for the student of distinguished capacity and industry. The second object, i.e., the improvement of the quality of work done by students, has been sought in part by eliminating from the entering class in the Colleges the lower portion of the students graduating from accredited high schools. A careful study was made in 1912-13 of the scholastic record of students who, having been admitted to the Colleges, failed during the first year to maintain themselves, and were thus eliminated. A standard for the student's school record was then set for entrance at the point which would have prevented these unsuccessful students from entering the University. The result of this procedure has been to bring us a better trained group, with whom we can expect to do better work We have also made a careful study of