Faculty Group Hears Report Today On Advanced Credit and Standings

Many months of intensive study culminate today when the Faculty Committee on Educational Policy opens final discussion on a program that may radically change undergraduate education in the University.

The Committee, headed by Dean Buntly, meets this afternoon to approve a sub-committee report on all aspects of advanced standing.

It was learned yesterday that discussion will center around five major proposals.

The first is the possibility of admitting exceptional secondary school students after only three years of school instead of the usual four.

The second is possible improvements in the placement system to insure that entering students are taking courses that are as far advanced as possible. Recent reports indicate that many freshmen duplicate work already done in secondary school instead of starting with courses that tax their ability and experience.

There is also much concern that some students on scholarships take relatively easy courses because they fear that a lower grade in a more difficult course might prejudice their chances for renewed financial aid. Today's report may include suggestions for methods of casing this condition condition by allowing lower grades in the advanced courses.

May Credit Earller Work

Third on the agenda are considerations to grant University course credits for certain advanced secondary school work or language abilities. Under such a program, for example, pre-credit might be given for elementary language courses.

The most far-reaching single time under discussion will be a fourth proposal; admission of exceptionally qualified students directly as sophomores, thereby skipping the freshman year and placing the new students in the Houses. Sophomore standing might he granted a student who qualifies for advanced credit in at least three courses.

Lighten Senior Load

A fifth item concerns not admissions but seniors. The committee will consider the possibility of relieving carefully-selected honors seniors from a protion of the normal academic course load to allow them to devote their time to research or further study on their own.

Before the second World War it was possible for exceptional seniors to omit as much as a full course from the required total, but this practice was discontinued. And 30 years ago it was common for the Faculty to give incoming students credit for advanced secondary school work.

The Committee has been studying various proposals on advance standing since last spring. If any specific plans are approved in today's session, they will go to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for approval of February 16.

At the present time Yale College is also studying a proposed curriculum change which would include among other things, advanced standing for those qualified.

The Yale change was caused by a great disparity in secondary school background and set restrictions which include ROTC and language requirements as well as concentration demands.