Omaha daily bee., 1915-01-03
Why Only Four Out of
Every 100 Children Are
Excellent Students

TT HERE are few things In our public school sys-
tenn which cause more trouble not only to
q the children themselves but to their teach.
ers and parents than the grading of pupils accord
ing to the ability they show in their studies.
In spite OF all 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.
Outraged at not attaining Q 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-
ting the matter find that the giving Of grades to
pupils is too valuable q means to certain ends to
think of dispensing with it. The grading should.
however be much more carefully, intelligently and
uniformly done than is usually the case.
Psychology suggests method Of grading which
ought to be generally adopted. According TO q well.
known principle. when sufficiently large numbers
Of persons considered. their ability in general
in any particular line is distributed in the form
Of a beiLshaped curve technically known a. 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 II Is clear that there is but
small number OF students with excellent ability.
larger number with good ability relatively large
number with medium or average ability, q smaller
.numOer with sub-medium but passing ability, and
still smaller number with distinctly unsatistao-
tory ability.
There are. Of course, no sharp dividing lines be.
tween these different gr0ups, and any such lines
that are drawn are arbitrary. But when the base
line rs divided into Ave equal steps, representing
therefore i've approximately equal steps OF ability
the numbers Of each zoe students that fan into each
group are approximately follows:
Excellent (A). &; good OBJ, "A; medium (Cl a:
sub-medsum Cd, "a; failare (R), T.
In grading 100 children the teeeher who uSsa
this understanding the four best as "excsilept"
the "a next best ~ good" and 50 on-will aFtain
very close approximation Of perfect Justice
OF course this principle holds only IN the Iona
run. In any particular class, especially q 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 abi.
tty, and so on
When grading IL Incorrectly done the edueataonaI
equilibrium OF the school Is disturbed and nustica
is done to the earnest and conscientious student
The less serious the students are the more thew
tend TO gravtate toward the teachers that give The
higher grades and the injustice that this Tends 10
work upon the conscientious student when n comes
70 the awarding OF honors and the Recommending
for positions Is obvious. The giving OF many MIR
grades furthermore. gives many studenta a faIsa
and exaggerated notion OF their ability.