Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-01
THE EXAMINATION QUESTION.

EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN: was much sur
prised at the proceedings of the Board of Ed
ucation at its last meeting. The Board has
said to the pupils of our public schools that the
monthly examinations and class standing
shall be taken into consideration with their
annual examination, as a test for promotion
to 4 higher grade The children have per-
formed their work the entire year with this
promise in view. There are but few weeks
more of study, and now the Board breaks
faith with these children and decides that
the annual examination alone shall be the
test. IT'S true that they do this at the petit
ton of fifty seven teachers, who undoubtedly
have some reason for their request
But can it possibly be fair test of
scholarships few hours devoted to
a few questions, proposed by a few
persons, who are more or less competent,
and who spend more or less time, as the case
may be, on the selection of these questions.
This, under the most favorable circumstances,
cannot possibly be fair criterion of the
years requirement of the pupils. But we
contend that the circumstances of these ex-
aminations are not favorable. The examina-
lions are conducted by strange teachers, and
sensitive children are anxious and frightened,
as well they may be- for their position in school
for the ensuing year rests entirely on few
hours work. Conscientious children are
often placed at disadvantage, not availing
themselves of the INSCRIPTIONS methods of
obtaining answers to the questions, which it
is more than limited some pupils do not hest
tate to use. The yearly labor goes for naught.
Is not this fact in itself q bid for dishonesty?
1t is notorious fact, the truth of which
our physicins will corroborate, that the annual
examinations of the public schools in our city
are attended yearly with sickness, which has
many times terminated in death. After a
year of study, such important results, being
entirely dependent on the standing obtained
by the pupil at the final examination, proves
too severe a strain upon the young frame,
and it succumbs, and often times serious sick
ness is the result. Whereas, if the yearly
work was the test, and the final examination
bore only It's proportion of responsibility
namely one-tenth, there would not be this
anxiety which amounts almost to a terror
with some pupils. OF course, this only APP
plies to those departments of our public
schools which have already had eight month
" examinations every one of which has been
time of anxiety to faithful pupils, and
which are now to be counted as nothing in
the general result.
Another point: Superintendent Landes
recommends that errors in punctuation and
spelling be not charged against another study.
For example, in an examinationin arithmetic
| or geographic pupil shallnot be considered as
having in any sense failed because of an error
in punctuation or for misspeling a word,
This is already part of the school law, and
any teacher who has been accustomed in the
past to do other than as Mr.. Landes recon-
meuds for the future has violated a regula
ton now in existence, and the pupil thus de-
prived of its just marking has been defrauded
of its legal rights, but as the work of the
year is Of no Importance and does
not in any sense affect the promo
ton to higher grade, Of course this
is matter of no Importance. But think of
the strain upon child of pointing out the
process of long division and being required
to correct it so that the manuscript is COM
plete in detail without final omitted or a
capital misplaced? Or is it any wonder that
our cemeteries have so many short graves in
them? In many classes the teacher gives no
opportunity for study during the school
hours. Every lesson is acquired at home, and
the teacher occupies the hours by ascertain
ing how much the pupil knows. There is a
theory nowadays that the time might be
more proftably passed instructing the pupil
as to something it don't know. w.
| March 80, 1880.