Passaic City record., 1891-02-05
Public School Examinations.
Censure and Suggestions for the
Committee.


With "all due reverence" to the
learned Board of Examiners we
offer this suggestion; that an exam
ination paper may be too searching
and may be eatfhy to the point of
positive unfairness. While one, or,
perhaps, two regular catch-quest-
ions in an examination series are
fair enough; to put five, eight or
SO in one paper is, we submit,
rather piling on the agony. We
do not hold the ancient notion that
'Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmatic
land very little of each) comprise
all a man need or ought to know;
at the same time we have no SYM
pathy with the forcing process"
so called-hot-house cultivation of
the intellect. While we commend
the Board as conscientious and able
officers, as gentlemen of high
accomplishments, we beg them to
go back over a series of years and
scan the published examination
papers of the colleges and of the
famous high-schools of New Eng
land-whose superiority to our
own we are compelled, though re-
1uctantly, to admit-and observe
what square, ordinary, though
sufficiently difficult questions, for
the most part compose them. Four
hours work on one examination is
far too much; seven hours is pre-
posterous. Yet many students re-
port having devoted from four to
seven hours to single examinations
during last week. Yet these exam
nations averaged only about ten
questions. Hence, the conclusion
is obvious that they contained a
large percentage of extremely
difficult ones. This is unfair. The
colleges limit the time for each ex-
animation to from one to two
hours, place before the candidate a
small number of fair, direct, aver
age questions, observe each person
closely and mark for 7ohat has 6een
done, taking carefully into consider
alton every circumstance which
might affect the result. Many
hold that examinations are a poor
test of scholarship at best; and in
certain New England colleges they
have been entirely abolished, fire.
auent and exhaustive reviews
being substituted. While we take
no side in the general discussion,
we do urge that only questions of
average difficulty be asked, that the
number be reduced, periods OF
examination firmly limited, and
marks given on what has been done
as being in itself complete, con.
sidering of course, the individuality
of the student.
In not few cases during last
week, examinations though moi
particularly difficult were merci
lessly h0ng. Here is the chic
mistake, Messrs. Examiners; fal
more harm than good must result
from keeping young people an en-
tire morning or afternoon or both
wading feverishly and desperately
through the long, dreary, tediou,
details of a single examination
paper. Let the chief study of ar
examining committee be to frame
a set of questions which student.
who have done faithful term work
can answer conveniently in a Ger
tain limited and comparatively
brief period. Let them, in the
second place--and this is of scarcely
less importance,-let them, we
say, keep their own learning in the
background and ask only plain
everyday, classroom questions
Moreover, the system should be
completely changed, at least in the
upper grammar grades and the
High School. These should have
four examinations per day instead
of two, the periods varying from
fifty minutes as a minimum to
eighty as maximum, an interval
OF enforced rest intervening in
every instance, and in no case
should pupils be allowed to work
over time. 1t would be extremely
difficult, no doubt, to perfect such
a system; but once scientifically
formed and rigidly adhered to,
justice would be done to the stu
dents, nor would the standard of
scholarship be lowered. And it
should be remembered that under
the present system our faithful,
long-suffering, and much abused
teachers are after all the most bur-
dened. In conclusion, much praise
is due the pupils in the upper
grades, and especially to the mem
bers of the High School, for attain
ing in so many instances very high
marks despite the disadvantages
OF this outrageous system.
"a Touch of Nature.n