Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-07-25
FAILURE NOT NECESSARILY FOL-
Lows LOW MARKS IN TEACH
ERS' ExAh1l NATIONS.
STATE UPERINTENDENT RIGGS
OFFERS AN EXPLANATION
Defends Both Questions and Aspiring
Teachers Who Failed in First Tests
M any Will Succeed in Securing
Certificates at Second Triai-Effort
to Raise Teaching Standard.
Special to rsnles-Republtcan.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 25.-There has been
80 much of ,nistnfo rmation given cir
culatton in regard 10 the minarions
for teachers cerut1 Gates that at the re-
quest of your cores poTlGezlt, State
Superintendent John T. Riggs has
made some computations that will have
q bearing on The case. one essential
feature in these examinations has not
been mentioned in the press except in
this CORES pondence, and that is the
fact that the rules of the state board
OF examiners give TO every applicant
for a certificate two trials If she wishes
it. A large per cent of the applicants
avail themselves of the two trials and
it is IN the June alnir1ations each
year that the largest number make the
first trial The absolute number of GER
tifcates issued as a result of the last
June examination is very misleading
as a large number of applicants who
were low in one, two or three branches
will write ia these only in the July
examination. and If the experience of
former years is repeated many OF them
will receive certificates who seem now
to have failed. Mr.. Riggs states:
The number attempting the exami-
nation in June was very large. $751;
This was the first exam ination with
1856 Of them. There We're issued 216S
certificates and there are 1,1S4 addi-
ttoral certificates available upon the
call Of the county superin1endents,
a he .al
S,352 or 52.s per cent of the total mum
Der examined.
While on the face of the returns 1t is
shown that ~ out of 100 failed in the
June examination, this. as already
shown, Is not an accurate statement
since no doubt many of these will sue
coed at the second trial this week 1t
would require great deal Of extra
labor to go thru the record of the g.
So Individual statements submitted by
applicants to determine how many are
high school graduates. We have, how
ever, secured the figures for four coun-
ties. two of them where there are large
high schools and two where the high
schools enroll from 80 to $50 each year.
In Polk county. Ell out of 1874 apph-
cants report four years attendance in
some high school. Twenty eight out
Of this group Of 81 received certificates
and additional certificates may be
called for by the county slrperinten-
dent, making 81 in all. or sos per cent
The graduates of the three Des MONIES
high schools in this group Jared rather
better. IL per cent of them securing
requisite grades for a certificate
In Scott county 81 out of 60 appli-
cants report four or more years in
some high school. The possible GER
,tifcates for this group number % or
II per cent.
In Decatur county. 4s out Of 11s APP
plicants report four years in some
hi gh school; the possible certificates
for this group number 33 or III per
cent.
In Mitchell county II out of 23 ap-
plicants report four years in some high
school and some of them additional
time in academy The possible cercit-
Gates for this group mum Der 9, or s1.3
per cent.
In view of the present discussion of
the high schools as related 70 teacher
preparation a suggestion raised in my
annual address before the State Teach
>
be worthy of consideration said Ir.
Riggs In that address I said: Near
ly one-ffth Of our high school gradu-
ates enter the school room as teachers
Immediately after graduation. The
high school course does not now and
perhaps viii not IN the future recog-
nize to any considerable extent the
particular work for which such stu
dents are fitting. Besides many of
these young people are too young at
graduation to enter at once upon the /
important work of teaching Would It (
not be of immediate value 70 the dis
Nrict schools tfor 1t is in the district |
schools that these graduates find en-
ployment) to have one strong school |
In county comm i5sioned by the state /
and in part supported by the state to
offer an additional years work Of |
special kind 10 SUCH high school grad |
mates of the county as are to engage in |!
teaching""
The erroneous impression which Ger
tain unreliable newspapers have sought |
20 spread abroad in the state that the |
high school grad yates are not being ed
ucated at all, is thus shown to have |
little m crit. The fact Is that the state |
board Of examiner is striving to main |
tain a fairly high standard. and by |
having the state board the opportun- |
ity for certification of many who are |
not properly fitted is eliminated.