The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-24
BIRTHDAYS ATTACKED NOW
NOR 4 TRI'E TENr or I CHILD>
REiL lGF, TE iCHERS StI.
Maturity Tests Proposed a. a Substitute
tAprris SAY the Prr>rnI system
Does Not Prov k~ ~urtirIrutN for
thil,iren of Retarded he, riopmrnt

/ latlrrs ot IN. United States are 10 b' ass 4
/ 10 abandon the system of determining tie
age nf school children by means e their
birthdays aud to substitute IA r"f
/ system Ut maturity tests to d-t"rnIu''
their rial age, physiological aud IsyCho-
logical. as opposed To the mnrr chrome
logical age \ resolution tO that effect
was passed 10y the special education de-
partment OF the National FduCau,Hal
ASSOCIATION AZ IT, meeting in Boston early
: IA July The resolution viii D." sent "a
; the '-ducat ional authorities 81 the different
States. who will In asked to a-s4st IN
getting this innovation established
!, has for some time he"n generally
accepted among child study experts mat
AIMS real age is by no means determined
hy the number 81 summers che counts.
She may be a big. overgrown girl of ~.
but along comes the specialist, looks az
her wrist bones with an N-ray outfit
squaezes her hand few times TO dis
cover the quality OF her muscular co
ordination and control. aud puts nor
down "a in the class al avrraR" twelve
ysaT-olds
This immature development: has'not
IN any way hlndeied Ann from l"aNInS
school when she reaches the legal az"
Neith.r has the fact that AZ I? brother
Johnnie ~ intellectually and rhysiCalls
on parity with most lads al 10 mad" II
possible for him Ia go 10 WORK with IN"
consent Of the school authorIti"s
Now il il urged that concrete science
rather than abstract mathematics shall
IT, accepted as guid" IN d"t"rinutng
who IN the school population shall b" p''r-
mItted to 20 INTO the world at achievement
aud who must Continu" To II" directed
by specialists
suppose that maturity tests ~ the
equivalent OF average age fourteen.
chronolognrally speaking. should ts
adopted as necessary Ia he passed hcior"
the roy or girl may cease gong TO school.
IL would follow that II "a person Of "nty
or thirty orrven forty sumner has NOV vet
ia his physioloeica! ana psychological de
yelopment reached age fourteen a. de-
tsrmined 10y the maturity tests b" mast
still he treated a. a schoolboy
Large classes of adultS. among them
many of the criminals. DETECTIVES. feeble
minded and abnormal. arr found on "Naul-
ination to IT, still niantIe IN thsIr develop
ment The-.., according 10th" advocates
OF the maturity tests, zhoald Undergo pro-
cessss of education until either they hav"
reached the pres rIb,.d standard or t.s'
hop@lessuess 81 accomplishing anything
with them has l-aen proved Common
sense. the child study people corc'd".
mus, le injected INTO such a schem"
The continued ,pistoiianshlp oi the
state over individuals ~ arrested or re-
tarried growth who are not insane. do
generate or proved guilty 81 criminal cun-
duct would not necessarily Imply con-
fnernent IN tho schoolrcom for 80 many
hours 20 many DAYS IN the week ~
dav~lopNd Ann and many other such = =
sons will presumably BE- encouraged O."
earn their living in usual ways and thus
get the educational hnn".i' thai comes
from a galnful ocC. patton regularly = r.
sued The resolution, nevertheless. a.
adopted bv the educational a~-o"la' ON
suggests that these partially DEVELOPED
persons Ought to u" under an eNp-rt
guardianship which will not he RELAXED
until the individual shall have passed the
tests which denote average ordinary ma
turity OF body and mind
The pecia Cos lcal profession has long
been preparing to establish these tests
for physiological and psychological az
Their proper constitution has bern under
discussion for many years and the rumh r
Of convert, T. the idea ni administering
them has increased rapidly. a. wa shown
iy the practical unanItnIty with which the
favorlrg resolution was adopt II AT the
educational convention.
Ideas ot what the tssts should consist
Of were sci form AZ the meeting nv Dr
NJ y r. Gros 1mann. formerly sup"rn-
t.rd.nt Of the ethical culture schools IN
Nv York. and more lately director Of a
laboratory school for atypicAi children
a. Fairfield. y. j. an eduartnr VINO
for the last twr-tv years has been pro-
claiming the night ~ IN. exceptional
child ~ exceptional slp"rVisiun ard holp.
pr Grn-zrAnl's paDcr tafpr' 'he special
rduca,.pn department summed up tho
a r,al |. OF a sch' me- Of maturity ta'sIs which.
A, h,. believes will he accept II Nv 'h"s
WI, understand that the chronological
ag, and tho real aga DO not rcc- >sa-lv
coincide
Th.,r determinations a-a az affair
of professional trhl.s involving ~
w~,-tt,sts a ". -'t hy Ir Thnma Morgan
R,,,h of tn liza .vA-a medical school.
various MEASUREMENTS 20 tho muscles AMI
organs. examination of thn h,nNd lung
capacity. ".p.-aion and heart actor.
study II tho pr"-"nC" IT absence oi d.
nIsions and halluci nations. Inves CATIONS
" 20, hension. speech ard mental imagery:
II memory and precision IT judgment.
They arr part and parcel - a great ap-
Piled science which. started undur the
rame Of child study. ~ destined. so som"
people fancy. TO prepare Tia" way for
standardized humanity
The character 1T the maturity tests
II - be determined according - tRe
educat tors by commissions - prIag gJi.s
and physicians Their application will
n.c-ss,tat general segregation Of abnor-
NAL from normal. The mass of children
will be- educated together ~ now. getting
the undouht"d benefit of belonging , well
defined and Harmonious groups. Th'sH
whom IN" tests show - b. unfit to pro
c..ad with others q the same chrome
logical age will 10 studied with refer
enc" - their defects
Tn" distinctly d"frCtiv" " III be- assignee;
e. Lhe appropriate ins' ttJtIons the
d"rc=.sd and ifIotic - asylums IN"
.,.,ry,r~n apd ANN rnrtlv tpr.rrtgtIf,