E.—lb

8

29-8. Last year, having kept only the total number of exceptions, without reference to particular classes, I cannot compare the percentage of failures in each standard in 1836 with that in 1885 ; but, on calculating the percentage of passes on the number examined, not omitting exceptions, I find that Standard I. has advanced from 63-7 to 771, Standard 11. from 637 to 69-8, Standard 111. has remained much the same, while the percentages in the higher three standards have declined, more especially those in Standard VI. and Standard IV. Undoubtedly much of the work (above all, the arithmetic) in Standard 1., Standard 11., and Standard 111. has greatly improved during the year, and I am not prepared to say that that of the remaining standards, geography and grammar excepted, has at all deteriorated, although the percentages are not so high as formerly. Certainly I do not know that the examination cards were any more difficult as regards subject matter than hitherto, except that there was rather more on the cards. This increase of matter, coupled with the fact that marks from 0 to 50 were used, not from 0 to 10 as formerly, may, perhaps, have made the examination more searching and thorough, and consequently more difficult, than hitherto in the higher standards. Pupils were generally allowed a failure in one subject unless it was very serious failure in reading, spelling, arithmetic, or grammar. Ido not think that a pupil, when the majority of his work is intelligent, should be thrown back a year because he fails by a few marks in one subject to reach the limit number required for a pass in that subject. Sometimes I find that the arithmetic of a boy who works only three sums out of seven is superior to that of him who manages four sums. Much the same remark will apply to dictation with reference to the number of misspelled words. Ido not, therefore, lay down any hard and fast rule with reference to passing and failing for a standard, provided only that I adhere to the spirit of the standard regulations. The following table (Table D) shows the number of pupils examined and the percentage passed in each of the seven pass subjects : [Not reprinted.] On comparing the table with the corresponding one of last year the most striking points are : The improvements in the reading results in the lower three standards ; the serious decline in the spelling results in all classes but Standard I. and Standard 11., where they have improved by 9 per cent, and 4 per cent, respectively; the improvement in the writing results in every class ; in the arithmetic results the improvement in Standard I. (12 per cent.), Standard 11., Standard 111., and Standard V., and the serious decline in Standard IV. (sixty-one to forty-nine) and Standard VI.; in the grammar results the decline in all classes ; and, lastly, the extraordinary falling off in the geography results in Standard V. (seventy-eight to forty-eight) and Standard VI. (eighty-nine to fifty-five). I shall now refer more particularly to the various subjects under their separate headings. Beading.—As already stated, I paid particular attention on my visits of inspection to tiie teaching of this subject in the lower classes, and it has, in consequence, I am glad to be able to say, much improved in Standard I. and Standard 11. at those schools where pupil-teachers are employed. I limit my remark as regards improvement, because I find in the majority of schools under one teacher the same old errors that I have been fighting against for three years are perpetuated, and no effort appears to be made to eradicate them; in fact, reading is merely heard, not taught. In such schools pupils, when familiar with the words, rush along regardless not only of the logical divisions of the sentence, but also of the period and paragraph ; and, as the sentence generally begins with an easy word, it is after such word that the pupil comes to a stop. Thus, in Standard I. reading-book, in the sentence, " Edith took her little sister to play on the sands by the sea shore," I get from the very backward boy the sentence read word by word; from the boy familiar with the text, the sentence raced through; from the ordinary boy, the following: " Edith tooker-little sister to—play on the—sands by the-seasho." But this is what is wanted : " Edith took-her little sister —to play —on the sands —by-the sea shore." [The short dash illustrates a slighter pause than the long dash.] Neglect of pauses and stops is due, firstly, to their not being attended to on the reading cards in the preparatory classes, and, secondly, to the teacher, in place of setting the pupils a good model when they advance into the standard classes, allowing them to jerk out at their will as many words as they know at first sight, and to spell those with which they are not familiar. In Standard IV. I have now for three years found so many pupils unable to make out the words of the text that I must come to the conclusion that either the book in use is too difficult, or that sufficient time is not devoted to reading. This inability, however, to make out words is due in a large measure to pupils not being trained from the first to recognise the sounds of letters and syllables, and to look before them at the end of the sentence and paragraph. In Standard V. and Standard VI. pupils seldom read as if they thoroughly understood the sense of the passages and the parts of the sentence. Not only would reading, but also composition and grammar, be materially benefited if a great deal of attention were paid to analysis and synthesis. A senior boy who is unable to see at once the principal verb in a sentence, and to distinguish the enlargement of a subject from a co-ordinate sentence, or from a clause, or a participle from a finite verb, cannot, in my opinion, read intelligently. Some pupils have got into such a habit of disregarding the pauses and of slurring the final and initial consonants that they have contracted quite a lisp. lam afraid the subject-matter of the reading-lessons —the truly intellectual portion of the work—received little attention during the year. Seldom could I obtain more than the meaning of one word (often net that), and even then only a corresponding word given, without any statement. Thus, at five schools examined on successive days I put on the Sixth Standard at each school in the same piece, " Colonial Loyalty;" but not one pupil in the five classes could tell what the title meant. Again, in Standard IV., in the piece, " Anecdotes of Washington," to tell who Washington was or the meaning of "anecdotes" was beyond many. Again, in Standard 111., in a chapter on Wellington and Bonaparte, many pupils failed to tell who such men were, or for what they were remarkable. There is, therefore, no doubt that if the regulation with regard to intelligent reading had been rigidly enforced, the percentage of passes in the subject would be lower than it now is. Some people say that by enforcing this regulation Inspectors can bring the reading in schools to whatever pitch of excellence they wish. This statement, however, assumes that all teachers are able, and have time, to teach