Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-02-22
READING ABILITY TESTED

A set of standard tests in reading
has been used in the local schools,
and results are herewith given as a
matter of interest to parents. The
essential test of reading is ability,
to get thought from the printed
page accurately, completely, and
rapidly. With this idea in mind a
number of carefully graded exercises
in silent reading have been prepared
by Dean F. ]. Kelly of the University
of Kansas. and these tests have been
given to thousands of children in diff
ferent parts of the country. In this
way, there is a basis for compal ison
of one school with another school,
and of one grade with another grade.
The same set of exercises are given in
grades three, four and five, and
another set in grade six, seven and
eight. To have uniform conditions
for giving the tests, exactly five
minutes is given to answer as many
of the exercises as possible.
Papers are graded in terms of
points instead of per cent. For in
stance, at the class of the year 1916,
the tests had been given to 5034
third grade children, and these pupils
had an average score of five points in
the tests. The average score made
by our third grade children was
eight and seven tenths points. One
of the striking things noticed in CIV
ing the tests is the wide variation of
ability in this and in other grades.
In our third grade, for instance, the
scores ranged from zero to eighteen
and five tenths points. This wide
variation is found in all schools, not
only in giving reading tests, but also
in testing work in arithmetic, spelling
geography, language, and other sub
jects. 1t shows the impossibility of
measuring the work. of a school by
finding out what one pupil can do.
Only as one measures the ability of
an entire group or grade, can one ap-
proximate the results that are being
obtained by a school.
In testing fourth grade pupils, the
average score of 5,434 pupils in the
test is nine and four tenths points.
Our average score was twelve and 2
tenths points. The range in our
scores was from two and six tenths
points to twenty seven and three
tenths points.
The average score in the fifth
grade obtained by $685. pupils is
thirteen and four teEths points. Our
average score was fourteen and two
tenths points. Our variation was
from four and two tenths points to
twenty three and eight tenths points.
In the sixth, seventh and eighth
grades, as explained before, some
what more difficult set of exercises
was given. The average score for the
sixth grade. obtained by 1921 chill
dren is thirteen and eight tenths
points. Our average sixth grade
score thirteen and five tenths points.
The variation was from four and
three tenths points to twenty three
and nine tenths points.
The seventh grade average score
as determined by testing 4,39S seven
tn grade pupils is sixteen and five
tenths points. The average score of
our seventh grade was nineteen and
seven tenths points. The range of
scores was from seven and six tenths
points to thirty four and seven
tenths points.
In the eighth grade, the average
score obtained by testing 1919 chill
dren is nineteen and two tenths
points. Our eighth grade more than
met the expectations of the teachers
by obtaining an average score of
thirty five and three tehths points.
The reason for the high score in this
case is because nearly all of the
papers are uniformly very good The
variation in scores was from eleven
and five tenths points to forty four
and six tenths points.
One of the interesting things
proven by the tests is that in
general way. the pupils who do good
work in history, geography, and
language work, are the pupils who
obtained the better scores in the read
ing tests. This is to be expected,
however, as ability in reading will
largely determine the ability to get
the thought in these other subjects
also.