The Detroit times., 1915-01-13
ONLY FOUR OF
100 CHILDREN
EXCEL in SCHOOL
Twenty-Four Out of Same Mum
Der Are Entitled TO Good
Rating"
FORTY.FOUR MEDIUM,
"a SUB-MEDIUM
Four Failures Complete List, as
Found in Average
Practice

There are few things IN our puDllC
school system which cause more trou'
BILE, not only 10 the children them
selves but to their teachers and par
ents, than the grading of pupils &C
ccrcing 10 the ability they show IN
their studies,
In spite OF all the care that may
he used great deal OF injustice IS
Undoubtedly done under the present
methods of grading, and this often
has serious results. Many boys ana
girls leave school long before they
should either because they are ais
couraged al not attaining passing
grade or because they feel they have
been given a grade lower than that
20 which they are entitled.
PROMINENT educators VINO nave
been fuyestigatinE matter hnu
that, tho. giving grad io pnplls Is 700
yaluifbif means 20 certain ehds 10
think GA dispensing with II. Inc grau-
ing should however, be much more
carefully. intelligently and uniformly
done than Is usually the case. !.
Psychology suggests method OF
grading which ought 10 be geheralF
dcpted According to 4 Wel-knoNh
principle, when sufficiently large num-
bers of persons are considered their
ability in general or in any particular
line is distributed in the form or
bells shaped curve technically known
as the probability curve.
Letting the base line or TINS curve
represent the five degrees oil aollly
from poorest TO best and the vertlcSl
lines the numbers of persons possess
ing each degree OF ability, IL rs clear
that there is but small number OF
students with excellent ability, larg-
er n mber with good ability, relative
ly large number with medium or aver
age ability, smaller number WIN
sub-medum bat passing ability, and
a still smaller number with distinctly
unsatisfactory ability.
There are. Of course. no sharp diyid-
Ing lines between these diherens
vroups. and any such lines that are
drawn are arbitrary. But when the
haso line is divided into five equal
steps. representing therefore ave ap-
prossmately equal steps OF ability. the
numbers Of each 100 students that iail
intaFacb group are approximately as
folloVs)
EXCELLENT ca, 4: good OBJ. "a; me
Oiup NtNl. - SuD-AuCuiuh NL'f -
faiISrs tE), 4.
In grading 100 children the teacher
who uses this Misunderstanding the
four hest as excellent" the q next
best as good" and so on--will attain
very close approximation OF perfect
justice.
r or course this principle holds only
in the long run IN any particular
class. especially small class, the
percentages in the various groups
might be slightly different from those
given. A teacher cannot apply this
principle mechanically, but must learn
how to recognize excellent ability.
good ability. and so on.
When grading is Incorrectly done
the educational equilibrium OF the
school IL disturbed and injustice is
done TO the earnest and conscientious
studenS. The less serious the students
are the more they tend 20 gravitate to-
ward the teachers that give the high
er grades, and 1.-THE injustice tends TO
work npon the conscientious student
when IL comes 10 oe awarding OF hon
ors and the recommending for posi-
lions Is obvious The giving OF many
high, grades furthermore. gives many
students = false and exaggerated no
ton OF their ability