in its favour do not counterbalance these disadvantages is a matter on which they prefer to delay coming to a decision until they have some further experience. In any case, in prescribing a certain period or certain authors it would be necessary to allow considerable breadth of option to the schools in selecting the work to be taken up. They think that the following are points upon which the most competent judges would be in agreement, and they wish it to be understood that they will prevail in the conduct of the examination: 1st. The chief and most essential requirement in the examination will be a fair power of writing lucid and grammatical English, such as may prove the candidate to have had an adequate training in composition. 2nd. He will be expected to show such power of paraphrasing as may prove that he has been trained to read with care and thought, and to exercise his mental faculties in endeavouring to discover the meaning of a difficult passage. 3rd. He must also show a comprehension of grammatical principles, and a general acquaintance with the leading grammatical rules under some system in current use. 4th. In regard to English Literature, my Lords think that candidates may be expected to have some acquaintance with the authorship and period of the leading masterpieces of our literature. This need involve no multiplicity of biographical or bibliographical detail, and they think it may be acquired with no undue burden of time or labour. But any answers which show that the study of English Literature has been interpreted to mean the committing to memory of lists of authors, and their books, and the answers of pupils so trained seldom fail by an occasional absurdity to give evidence of such training-will be treated with the utmost rigour, and will not be held to compensate for deficiency in the essential parts of the examination. On the other hand such answers as show independent reading, careful and methodical instruction, or intelligent criticism, will be accorded full weight in adjudging marks in the case of the higher and honours grades. In the Lower Grade, my Lords cannot expect any such results, and they propose that this part of the subject shall form a comparatively unimportant element in assigning a certificate in that grade. 5th. With regard to History and Geography, my Lords have little to add to the remarks which they have made in previous years. These subjects enter largely into the curriculum of many schools; they are required by many of the bodies by whom the Leaving Certificate is recognised; and my Lords are unwilling to do anything which would discourage the continuance of such instruction. They endeavour to give a wide option in the questions set, and to afford opportunity to all who have not entirely neglected the subjects to show a knowledge of them in some branch or other. More than this they have not demanded, and do not propose to demand, as a necessary condition of a pass; but more extensive knowledge will receive ample recognition. December, 1898. MODERN LANGUAGES. My Lords desire to recall the terms of the accompanying note as to the papers in Modern Languages issued in 1890. They are aware of the great inconvenience that would be caused by any sudden or considerable change in the character of the papers, nor do they think that any such change is called for. But they think it right to state that the experience of recent years has shown that there is a strong tendency in some cases to prepare candidates to answer some of the literary questions by a course of instruction which can bring no educational benefit, and the superficiality of which is easily detected in the examination. My Lords think it right to give full scope for proving special literary knowledge; but they must also warn school authorities that superficial answers, based on such instruction as they have indicated, will not be counted as of any value, and will not be held to compensate in any degree for failure in the essential point of competent grammatical knowledge. Scotch Education Department, NOTE AS TO PAPERS IN MODERN LANGUAGES, With respect to the papers in Modern Foreign Languages, my Lords have received representations as to the extended scope given to these papers at the last examination by the introduction of questions on philology and literature. These subjects undoubtedly formed a new element in the examination; and, looking to this fact, my Lords did not feel themselves justified in making the successful answering of questions of this kind an indispensable condition of the issue of a certificate. As might perhaps have been expected, the results were not generally satisfactory, so far as these subjects were concerned. But it must be distinctly understood that in no case was failure to obtain a certificate to be ascribed to a deficiency in this respect. As an An objection, which my Lords do not consider to have any real foundation, has been raised to the wide range of questions in these subjects. It must be evident that this range is greatly in favour of a candidate. To prescribe special authors would introduce an element into the examination which my Lords are anxious to avoid. alternative to this, it is evidently most fair to the candidates to give a wide range of philological and literary questions, and to require that only a few questions, to the subject-matter of which any candidate may have given special attention, should be answered. With regard to the general question of the introduction of such subjects, my Lords think that serious injury would be done to the study of modern languages, were their philological and literary aspect to be entirely ignored. The position which this study is to occupy in school education is one on which opinions are at present widely divided, and the questions arising in regard to this and to the best practical means of attaining successful results have been the subject of careful consideration on the Continent, and might with great advantage occupy the attention of those amongst ourselves whose practical experience and educational authority is of weight. But if, besides giving conversational facility for practical purposes, it is intended to provide, through the medium of these languages, for certain pupils, the mental training which others obtain from classical studies, this end seems most likely to be attained, not by limiting their range to translation and grammar, but by adding to these the intellectual interest to be derived from study of the structure of the language, and from an acquaintance with some phase of the literature. My Lords propose to continue to set a certain number of questions of this character, but those set in the Lower Certificate Examination will be very elementary. Those set for the higher certificate will be rather more advanced; but in neither of these will the successful answering of philological or literary questions be considered for the present as a necessary condition of the issue of a certificate. In the case of honours, a wide choice of questions will be given, but a candi date will be expected to show that he has not neglected that aspect of the subject by which it may best become a means of intellectual training. NOTE AS TO LATIN AND GREEK PAPERS. My Lords have considered the various remarks submitted to them from time to time in regard to the examinations for the Leaving Certificate in Latin and Greek. In the past, complaints have been made that in certain grades the papers set have sometimes been of undue difficulty. Without pronouncing any opinion as to this, my Lords agree that it is undesirable to set any test which is of an involved or confusing character. But, while anxious to avoid undue difficulty, my Lords cannot hold out the hope that the test applied in judging the answers to such papers as may be set will be relaxed. One of the objections to undue difficulty in questions is, that this may very probably lead to undue leniency in the test applied. My Lords think it more desirable to reverse the process; and, while restricting the questions or exercises to a moderate standard, to be severe in exacting a certain amount of correct answering as a minimum. It is undoubtedly difficult, having regard to the diverse objects which these certificates have to serve, to fix the precise standard which ought to be maintained; but my Lords can only state that they continue to study the matter carefully in the light of experience, and in consultation with those best able to form an opinion. After full consideration it has been decided to make the following modifications in the present form of the papers. My Lords deem it highly desirable that every encouragement should be given to the teaching of continuous prose composition in Greek. In future, therefore, the Higher Grade Paper will contain an easy passage of English for translation into Greek. This passage will, in the meantime, be an alternative to the shorter sentences hitherto set. Again, the testimony of experience is in favour of a return to the earlier plan under which the Honours Papers in Latin and Greek were altogether distinct from those of the Higher Grade. It has been found that the system presently in use unavoidably entails a certain amount of repetition, and renders it exceedingly difficult to keep the length of the second paper within moderate limits. In the belief that the change will prove a distinct boon to candidates, my Lords have arranged that the first Horours Paper, which will consist mainly of composition, shall be entirely separate from that set for the Higher Grade Certificate. This notification applies to both Latin and Greek. Scotch Education Department, Circular 297. SIR, Scotch Education Department, 5th October, 1900. I have the honour to inform you that Mr. George Macdonald, M.A. Oxon., has been appointed to act as Assistant Director of Higher Inspection and of the Leaving Certificate Examination in Scotland. I am to state that it is not their Lordships' intention to modify in any essential particular the present system under which Higher Class Schools are annually examined, should the managers so wish, by specially selected Inspectors. At the same time my Lords desire me to say that they trust it may be found convenient that, in addition to such periodical examination, Mr. Macdonald should arrange to visit the various schools personally as the opportunity to do so may arise. These short visits would not be in the nature of inspections, nor would they be made the subject of any report of a formal kind. It is hoped, however, that by this means Mr. Macdonald would be enabled to familiarise himself with the circumstances of each school, to see its machinery in every-day working order, and, generally, to maintain a closer touch than has hitherto been possible between the Scotch Education Department and the existing organisation for secondary teaching in Scotland. My Lords rely with confidence on the cordial co-operation of managers in this endeavour to promote the welfare of a body of schools in whose progress and development their Lordships take a deep interest. I have, &c., H. CRAIK. French Syntax. Circular No. 299. Scotch Education Department. 13th November, 1900. SIR, My Lords have had under consideration the announcement recently made on behalf of the French Government regarding the simplification of the teaching of French Syntax. The document (Arrêté relatif à la simplification de l'enseignement de la syntaxe française) appeared in the Journal officiel of 1st and 7th August, 1900, and it has since been republished in separate form by Delalain Frères, Paris. I am to state that, in all future examinations conducted by the Scotch Education Department, examiners will be instructed to take due account of the changes thus sanctioned. Some of these are extremely important, and all of them are such as will probably be welcomed by teachers of French in this country. At the same time I am to point out that, so far as examinations are concerned, the decree in question is essentially permissive in its character. The new forms and the old inay continue to subsist side by side. The decision of their Lordships therefore, does no more than give to those interested full liberty of choice. I have, etc., H. CRAIK, Leaving Certificate. SIR, Circular 300. Scotch Education Department. 19th November, 1900. My Lords deem it desirable that the attention of Managers should be specially drawn to certain points to which I had occasion to allude in the Report laid before their Lordships on the results of the recent examination for Leaving Certificates. It is very important that there should be a clear understanding as to the scope and intention of the examination generally. Its first and principal end is to fix a standard for scholars who have gone through a course of secondary education, fairly suitable for the country as a whole. It follows that any school, well equipped and well organised for the purposes of higher education, ought to aim at the Higher Certificate for all pupils of its upper classes, and that it ought not to find the standard too high for a considerable proportion of them. Such a school ought not to be content merely with the Lower Certificate. At the same time, it should remember that the Honours Certificate implies not only thorough teaching but also individual ability beyond the average. It is obvious that, if the principles just stated are properly apprehended and consistently acted upon, any increase in the number of presentations should indicate that the advantages of secondary education are being more largely taken advantage of. Such evidence would be warmly welcomed by my Lords. Their Lordships, however, regret to find from the reports of those who have assisted in revising the papers, that candidates are frequently sent in for the Lower Grade Certificate at too early an age. The bad effect of this is twofold. It inevitably entails many failures and disappointments, and it causes a certain number of ordinary pupils to attempt the Higher Grade Paper before they have reached the normal close of the school curriculum. Again, there are signs that a serious misapprehension exists in some quarters with regard to the Honours Grade. It appears to be too often assumed that any pupil who has passed in the Higher Grade ought, after an additional year of study, to be in a position to pass also in Honours. Thus pupils of no more than moderate ability are encouraged to try what is beyond them, and their failure is apt to be misunderstood. If Honours Certificates are meant to be a recognition of exceptional aptitude and ability in individual pupils, it is plain that the number of those really qualified to study for Honours may vary from year to year in each school, and also that in the smaller schools such candidates may be found only occasionally. My Lords believe that, taken all over, the results of the Leaving Certificate Examination in any school furnish a very valuable test of general efficiency. It is, however, essential that, in applying the test, due regard should be had in each case to all the attendant circumstances. Unless the conditions are similar, mere numerical comparisons between one school and another may be quite misleading, and may foster an undue competition that involves grave dangers. In particular, their Lordships feel that it would be impossible to deprecate too strongly any tendency to gauge the quality of the teaching in a school simply by the number of Honours Certificates gained by its pupils. I have, etc., H. CRAIK. |