Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-23
COMPLAIN OF EXAMINATIONS
Parents Say They Come Too Frequently
and Worry Pupils,
Mr.. Holman FAVoRS CHANGE IN SYSTEM
superintendent Pearse suEEests that
h Only students who suffer
Are Those who Remain
Up Late at Night.

Complaints have been made to member.
Of the Board Of Education by patrons o
several Of the grade schools that examina
tons are coming too close together. tn,
result being that a majority Of the pupil,
are kept under a constant nervous tension
which impairs their school work and en-.
dangers their health. One mother writes
My daughter, IA years old. is in continue.
dread that she will not pass these xamin
lions. She cannot sleep well nights be.
cause OF constant brooding over them, and
/ fear that IL this keeps on her health will
be undermined. The examinations seem tc
follow each other in quick succession. and
| don't believe there has been a week this
school year that some kind Of an examina-
tion has not been in progress. Kindly do
what you can to correct this evil, and
accept a mothers thanks"
w. r. Holman, chairman Of the committee
on teachers and examinations OF the Board
OF Education, said: Il am satisfied that
the examinations come too close together,
and / have been trying for a long time
to have the system changed. but the board
as a whole is slow to interfere with the
details of Mr.. Pearse's work. According
to the present system there are three kinds
or examinations, or tests, as they are
called. One is by the teacher, one by the
principal and one by the superintendent.
The superintendent tests come twice
every half-year, while those of the teachers
and principals. come whenever the exigen>
cies Of their work will permit. This some
times brings all three examinations so close
together that there is absolutely no inter
val between. Something should be done, IL
not to eliminate one or two Of the tests, at
least to prevent this punching Of them,
urhfah A-oHAI- ,,,,.a - .-z--. A-s II
nerves of the pupils, as we'll as inimical
to the best results in school work"
superintendent Defends System.
Superintendent Pearse said: 1T don't
think any of the pupils are suffering as a
result of the examinations, unless 1t be
those who remain up late nights at parties
or those whose attention is divided between
their school work and music lessons or
other forms of study. Sometimes find a
foolish teacher who is constantly goadlng a
pupil with warnings lest he fail to pass; l
never fail to reprove them for such an in
discretion.
The purposes of the examinations are
First, to show the teacher
whether the instruction she has been Civ
ing has been properly applied and assimi-
lated; second, it enables the pupil to show
whether he can on demand furnish the
knowledge he is supposed to have acquired;
third, 1t enables me to point out to the
teacher any deficiencies there may be in her
method Of instruction and to keep the sys-
tenn uniform throughout all the schools.
THE teachers give no tests In the fifth.
sixth, seventh and eighth grades, because
in these grades exercise books are used
for the written work and the pupil is
graded by them. 1t is only in the third
and fourth grades that teachers tests are
and these are very simple"