Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-01-26
EDUCATIONAL.
The Result of AZ Exhaustive Investigation
on the Subject of Examinations
Recommendations.
An Opposition View Of the Question OF
Manual TraininC-The Art OF
Teaching.

Every city OF twenty thOusahu
inhabitants has been interviewed
through printed circulars by the New
ark, IN. ID Principals Association
on the subject Of examinations.
Superintendent Marble Of Worces-
ter, in reply to the question OF the
substitution Of rank marks or dcscrip-
tive terms for per cents. in cXamina-
tions, argues the question at great
length and very vigorously We pre-
sent below a condensation OF this argu-
ment, and may remark that Superln-
tendcut Marble does not look even on
the ranking by letters with much
favor:
"A few of the teachers think that
the members of the class can be wise
ly stimulated by marks with figures
all the way from to 100; if one child
is marked g. and another g., both viii
strive, they ttiuk. with all their might,
TO see which Will be ahead. In some
schools the plan has worked well, and
no injury has been apparent. In some
schools, on the other hand, the evils
Of that practice are apparent The
marking tends TO poor teaching, for
where every answer is to be marked
the question is likely to be framed
with reference TO marking the answer,
rather taan 60 instructing the pupil.
In preparing questions for written ex-
aminations ~ tendency is often seen to
frame them in sections of two, five, or
ten parts, like sausage links, so that
each section may be marked on a
scale of ten. All such calculations
interfere with the best teaching.
"Tho ranking Of school makes
prominent a low motive for study, that
is the wish to Guido ones neighbor;
and in the haste to do this. children
not unfrcqucntly deceive and lie. Now
let us ask what good comes of all this
barking, either in its extreme or in
its partial fOrmP this waste of time
aud strength, this false motive, and
this awakening of unamiublo passionsP
Either, it must be claimed, We arouse
the ambition and get more work out
of the children, or else it is good
thing in itself to compare children
with ono another; that is, it is part
of the teachers work to send a report
to Mr. A to say that his boy is smarter
on is not so smart rs the boy of Mr.. b.
As TO the ambition il is quite probable
that full as much harm il done in
school by oyeI-stimulating pupils as
by Understanding them, for the
trouble always is that the stimulus
most affects those who do not need 10,
aud affects not at all those whom it,
might benefit. Suppose ten dali boys
To be benefited ten per cent by the
stimulus, and one bright girl killed
by it, and the case can be t0HHd, on
which side do YOU think would the bal
ance stand? This comparing of one
pupil with another is very objection
able. If ono does his best, nothing
more should be required Of him,
though his ncighbor has done twice
as much. If another has done only
half he might have done he is TO be
blamed though no one else has done
half as much as he. The only Just
comparison is between what one has
done and what he can do. The only
just standard for any one is his own
possibilities.
I'm the written examinations ia
Worcester the idea has been aban-
doncd, as far rs possible, that tho eX-
animation day is u great day of reck-
oning, day OF final account, day
OF all days in the term most imports
ant
Each set of questions i'm the hands
of the teacher has ou the title page
this Legend '1deSa qgcsi,,9S arc not
deStgncd mainly as % tcst jhcy are
q. ~. d