80 Freshmen May Advance Course Level

Eighty qualified freshmen were recommended this fall for upper-level courses not normally open to freshmen, Harlan P. Hanson, Director of the newly-created Office of Advanced Standing, announced yesterday.

These recommendations represent the first step toward activating the Program of Advanced Standing passed by the faculty last spring. They went to 80 high school seniors on the basis of high scores on examinations taken last June to test their ability to handle upper-level work. These tests, called "Advanced Achievement Exams," were given to nearly a 1,000 students in 18 schools experimenting with advanced placement.

Whether these 80 now actually apply for advance placement, and are accepted, depends on their personal preference and the approval of the Department Chairmen. Hanson, who is a former teaching fellow in German, expects to have this information by the middle of October, when final study cards have been filed and course lists completed.

Full Program In '55

The Advanced Standing Program, of which this experiment in by-passing elementary courses is the first move, goes into full swing in the fall of 1955. It provides for the early admission of eleventh grade students, course reduction, and sophomore standing directly from high school with immediate entrance into the Houses.

This fall, advanced placement means that a freshman, who for example might be required to wait until his sophomore year to take English 10, a mandatory course for all English majors, may now take that course in his first year. It also means that science majors who satisfy the elementary requirements in their field can advance into upper level courses to the limit of their qualifications, and with the consent of the department.

In effect, the advanced placement permits a man to move ahead as fast as he can without wasting time in duplicating work done in school.

Individual Student Decides

Ten fields were covered in the June Advanced Achievement Exams. The average student took tests in two of these fields and this fall a number are being recommended for advancement in as many as three fields. Permission for advance placement were in English Composition (19 students), Mathematics (19), German (12), English Literature (11), Latin (10), Chemistry (6), Physics (5), and Spanish.

It is entirely up to the individual student exactly how far he carries the recommendations of Advanced Standing, Hanson explained. It is significant that the College is helping qualified students advance as rapidly as possible, but in no way are the recommendations of his office mandatory, he continued.