Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-03
Why Only Four Out of
Every 100 Children Are
Excellent Students

- HERE are few things In Our public school sys.
tenn which cause more trouble, not only to
4 the children themselves but to their teach.
and parents than the grading OF pupils accord
ing to the ability they show In their studies.
In spite of ell the care that may be used. great
deal of injustice is undoubtedly done under the
present methods OF grading, and this often has
serious results. Many boys and girls leave school
long before they should either because they dis
couraged at not attaining passing grade or be-
cause they feel they have been given grade lower
than that to which they are entitled.
Prominent educators who have been investigat.
ing the matter find that the giving of grades to
pupils Is too valuable means to certain ends to
think OF dispensing with it. The grading should.
however. be much more carefully, integently and
uniformly done than Is usually the case.
Psychology suggests method OF grading which
ought to be generally adopted. According to a we'll.
known principle. when sufficiently large numbers
of persons considered, their ability In general
in any particular line is distributed in the form
OF bellshaped technically known as the
probability curve
Letting the base line OF this curve represent the
five degrees Of ability from poorest to best and the
vertical lines the numbers OF persons possessing
each degree Of ability It clear that there Is but
a small number Of students with excellent ability
larger number with good ability relatively large
number with medium or average ability a smaller
humOer with sub-medium but passing ability, and
still smaller number with distinctly unsatisfac.
tory ability.
There are. OF course, sharp dividing lines be.
tween these different groups. and any such lines
tnat are drawn are arbitrary But when the base
line Is divided into five equal steps, representing
therefore five approximately equal steps of ability
the numbers Of each 100 students that fall into each
group are approximately follows:
Excellent (A). 4; good OBJ, "a; medium (C) a:
sub.medium CD. "a; failure (E), 4.
In grading 100 children the teacher who u.e.
this understanding the four best as EXCELLENT"
the "a next best as good" and so on-wil artain
very close approximation of perfect Justice
OF course this principle holds only in the long
rum In any particular class especially a small
GLASS; the percentages in the various CLOUDS might
be slightly different from those given teacher
cannot apply this principle mechanically, but must
learn how to recognize excellent ability good sbi
ity, and on.
When grading is incorrectly done the educat,ona,
equilibrium OF the school is disturbed and Injustice
Is done to the earnest and conscientious student
The less serious the students are the mora thew
tend to gravtate toward the teachers that give the
higher grades and the injustice that this tends N
work upon the conscientious student when it comaa
TO the awarding of honors and the recommending
for positions is obvious. The giving OF many higb
grades. furthermore. gives many students a false
and exaggerated notion OF their ability.