Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-11
Do EXAMINATIONS EXAMINE?
The Subject Considered by the
Educational Association.
Teachers Give Form to Their Opin-
ions in Papers.
Mr.. Strine OF Dowpey Reads the Opsn-
ing Essay-Mr. Baker of This
City RepIies-Other Ar
guments.

The Los Angeles County Educationa1
association met at 10 O'Clock yesterday
morning, in the assembly room of the
high school building. President Leroy
d. Brown occupied the chair, and Mr.
Edward Hawthorn ably filled the posi-
ton OF assistant secretary.
After the reading of the minutes O,
the last meeting, several bills were or.
dered paid, and the mornings pro.
gramme was taken up.
Mr.. j. II. Strine of Downey read a
paper on Examinations. He said, in
substance: cit is unwise to abolish the
existing plan merely because it is imper-
feet. All human institutions are. and
forever must be imperfect.
Careless persons rail at eystems they
are unable to comprehend. Ii some
examinations are unfair it is the fault
of the examiner, not the sys-
tenn. 1t pupil has spent
much time in studying any branch
and is unable to give an intelligent an
swer to three.fourths of fair list of
questions thereon, it ia right that he
should fail. What right has anyone to
certify that he knows what he does not
know? Some test must be required and
as our educational system is chiefly
mental it is right that the test should
be mental. No set of questions will
show whether teacher can bring order
out OF chaos, nor can anyone teach with
order who has not had the necessary
mental training 1t would be unfair to
require all teachers to have normal
training. Our normal schools are, in
the main, excellent; yet they are soma
times crowded with persons who Wish
to teach merely because it is ''genteel,"
and who graduate because they lave
"served their time" California has ex-
cellent schools, and the high standard
is due more to the rigid tests given in
the examinations for teachers and pu-
pills than to any other one thing. If
other states have lower standard, it is
right for California to exclude incompe-
tent teachers by requiring rigid tests"
Prof. j. D. Graham of Pasadena read
q paper on the same subject. Professor
Graham's paper consisted mainly of
questions and answers given by the
teachers of Pasadena. Some of the
questions and answers are as follows:
shall the basis of promotion be the
county examination?
1.-The promotion should be by the
teacher. who must use both oral and
written examinations as basis.
1T is the province of the principal to
judge teacher, not primary pupils.
In the primary grades the teacher
should promote without written exam.
nations"
After reading his paper Professor
Graham said: Power is manifested
only by action. II the pupil is incapa-
BILE of action he is, 80 far, failure and
should not be graduated. Our system
OF examinations is imperfect, but it is
the result of t best efforts OF the
greaiest educators, and till something
better is found it should not be lightly
cast aside" "
Mr.. A E. Baker of Los Angeles said:
II believe in examinations, hut not for
the purpose OF promotion. Pupils are
not expected to be broad. We are to
teach wisdom, virtue, manners and
learning, Most of the questions asked
by examiners are unfair"
Prof. Lawson OF Los Angeles said: 81
believe in continual examination DUR
ing every recitation and including every
pupil
Prof. Hutton of Los Angeles said
I'VE spend too much time on such un-
necessary work as compound numbers
and 'stocks.' Let those who want tc
learn about incomes, inves' ments, in
terest, measures, ETC., take their own
time to learn them. In the normal
school we are compelled to waste about
three weeks on such trash, while i'm
portant things are neglected. Whoever
learns useless things throws eway his
time and too often he wastes the time of
other people
DIR. Hoose If Pasadena said: "What
are examinations What is test
What is the standard? How shall we
grade? Ii pupil writes one letter of q
word wrong, why do you mark off an
entire grade? Why do you mark off
only part of grade for such slight
mistake if made in arithmetic? What
is complete answer to any question
Is it all humbug?'
Mr.. Hamilton of Pasadena illuetrated
the working OF the system as used in
Pasadena.
Prof. Rowe'l of Redondo moved to
continue the discussion OF the same sub
jet at the next monthly meeting AS
the programme for the January meet
ing is ALREADY full, the subject will be
discussed at the meeting OF the second
Saturday of February.
President Leroy D. Brown proposed to
amend the constitution by dropping
the word June from the list of months
for meetings.
Prof Graham spoke in behalf of a
plan to send q fine Christmas gift to
Prof John Dickinson, who is now ill in
Arizona.
Misses Eva and Mary Fisher of Peoria,
H., won the gratitude o. the association
by skilifully performing a piano duet
from II Trovatore, also guitar and ban
jorine duet.
The society adjourned to meet on the
second Saturday in January.