New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-11
WEAK IN ARITHMETIC
City Pupils Make Poor Showing
in Experts Tests.
FAST. BUT INACCURATE
Remedy Suggested Is to Modify
System So as to Allow More
Individual instruction.

New York schoo. children. "as com
pared with those IN eighteen other cities.
are slightly better in speed. worse in &C.
curacy and very poor IN reasoning" is
the opinion expressed by Stuart 4 Cour-
It's. expert investigator for the Commit
tee on Scuo,l inquiry. after testing $3.50
children ON the simplest problems in
arithmetic.
The efficiency of school work as CON
Quoted az present in the New York schools
is very low" SAYS Nj Courts. 80 far
as any individual child is concerned. To
say that hc has completed the course In
arithmcti, In the public schools is to con-
vcy mo- Information rs To- his ability IN
even the simplest work. lie may be- al
most an absolute incompetent. 50 far As
practical work is concerned. OF he may
have acquired degree of skill that would
Doe adequate Tor any situation in which
h. IS likely To- lind himself
Mr. COURTS found children 300 the pri-
mary grades of the elementary school OF
every level oi ability. ranging from hose
who could do none Of the examples to
those who could do them all The same
test given 10 nigh school pupils showed
that only per cent could nuish it in the
time allowed Therefore b" concludes
that the high school pupils have no more
ability iu practical reasoning than those
of the primary grades
Too much attention Is paid 10 abstract
work aud not enough To- the training ~
tho reasoning faculty. Is one of his crti-
cisms llr declares that iu So far as
children of ever, level of ability are
found 100 every grade th" New York pub
De- schools are very inefficient. To COM
peel every child to- nt one course iu city
like Ncw York. where children OF all ma
tioualltics. of widely different home con
ditions. and possessing various mental
and physical traits. attend school. IS. ac-
cosding to Nj. COURTS. positively dIsas-
trous.'
lie would have the courses 90 study in
arithmetic determined absolutely by the
childreu's native abilities. The factor
of individual differences. p" asserts "i-
the basic factor In all school work. and
H., methods which do not recognize this
factor are wastcful IN the extreme.
ACCORDING To Mr. COURTS. the result
attained liNlll llH li'if ~ A'FAN ili'i' Aihi
iustiu.s the seVcrest criticism Of the e.
ncienry Of the training in arithmetic ar
fordcd by the public school that has yet
been made bS the man on the street The
sole question at issue bee maintains.
"i, the degree To- which the teaching is
efficient. To what degree does a public
school education. through tn" grammar
grades. insure tu those VINO complete II
mastery of th. simplest abilities IN afith-
mctic7
The answer. IN the light Of the tests.
must be that the efficiency Of school work.
as conducted at present. is very low. In
spite of TN, strenuous and conscientious
efforts Of the New York teachers. 50 slight
an advantage has resulted That Inc
fluctuations show plainly that accuracy
has been sacrificed 20 speed. and that
the emphasis ON the abstract work De
youd u certain point has been idtaI u"
proper growth I'm reasoning
Mr. Courtiss remedy FOR IN, present
unsatisfactory school training lies IN 50
modifying our system OF group instruc-
ton rs To- provide ion supplementary III
diyidual INSTRUCTION. In this. ne says. lies
the one hope of any radical Improvement
i'm general teaching efficiency.
rho second ~. ton OF Mr.. Courtis's re-
uort will be published tomorrow. TINS
aualysis will include the results Of tests
performed by Nh Courts ON iorty-siS
pairs of twins. and on forty-on" employees
rcpr, tenting seven different types oi places
IN a city department store, comparisons OF
the ,bilit, of IL, boys and girls In public
school. effects of foreign parentaSe' etc
Some of the examples which MIR C"urtls
nut before the pupils We're:
Add -. $50 and ~ substract 10" from
: iec Multiply 2Ol2 by 2l3. Divide loS.'ei
bv Ig2 Divide 27.2i7.ls2 by 6.