The New York herald., 1921-12-25
COLLEGE GRADING
CALLED INACCURATE
Ben ID. Wood Of Columbia
Points Out Glaring Faults
in System.
----------
REMEDIES BEING SOUGHT
Old Type of Examination to Be
Discarded as Archaic
and Unfair.
REMEDIES BEING SOUGHT

Does the student who is Informed by
his instructor that he must repeat the
course because ne has fallen two points
below the passing grade really get fair
treatment? Dean Hawkes. or Columbia
University is frankly skeptical. and
through his assistant reports that col
lege grades and high school marks in
this country are notoriously Inaccurate
and unreliable. An investigation now
being made at Columbia shows the fu-
tility OF the existing system OF n1easur-
ing college work.
Glaring faults in the giving Of marks
prevail generally in American colleges,
says Ben ID. Wood. assistant 10 Dean
Hawkes. The old type of examination.
he declares, has been found archaic and
unfair and must be thrown overheard.
The investigators at Columbia propose
10 substitute a method which takes ac-
count OF the principles Of mental meas
urement and which makes use OF modern
technical devices.
Results of careful inquiry in numerous
colleges and high schools show that the
manner in which marks are distributed
to pupils varies enormously from teacher
10 teacher and from school to school In
one test a final examination paper in
first year high school English was
graded by f42 teachers in 142 high
schools. The paper was marked all the
way from 64 to SO per cent Another
paper OF the same kind was rated by
the same teachers and the marks ranged
from SO TO SO.
A final examination paper in Anaeri-
can history was graded by seventy
teachers one assigned it a grade of 4S
and another 80: dozen teachers rated
il as so or above. and another dozen
scored II as below So. A final paper in
geometry marked on the basis OF 100 as
perfect, received a grade as low as 2S
and one as high as o.
Results not unlike these were obtained
in such universities as Cornell. Harvard,
University of Missouri, University of
Wisconsin and Dearborn. They tended
TO show that 'the present marking sys-
tenn is thoroughly unreliable. even in
the hands OF undoubtedly competent and
careful instructors" Mr.. Woods adds
"A measuring device which in the
hands Of one competent person gives
the length of an object as 80 feet, and
III the hands of another equally COM
petent person indicates that the length
Of the same object is only 2s or 80 or
80 feet, cannot be relied on"
Columbia University authorities found
conditions so grave that for the past
year exhaustive studies have been car
fied on in an effort to rid education of
the evils of the present examination
system. The results of the mental tests
which are used as q part OF the exam
ination for admission have been corre-
lated with the work OF the students dur
ing their freshman year.
The comparison of the results of tho
mental tests with the grades given by
the individual instructors shows that
the correlation is only s. per cen:
"T'lis." says Dean Hawkes., "is a gen.
eralization made from 1000 cases. and
one wonders at the confidence with
which an Instructor informs the tremb-
ling student that his mark Is I or 2
per cent. below the pass mark and that
he must therefore spend another year
In the study of the subject
The only saving grace in the situa-
ton rests in the probability that If the
young mans work is seriously under
criticism It will do him no harm to re-
peat it. But 1t is likely that many
others should also be asked TO repeat
the work who are allowed to proceed
with the next course by the loose and
Inaccurate system OF grading.
Not only is the present system Of
grading unsatisfactory on account OF
the variations due to the personal
equation. but also owing 20 the fact
that there is no agreement, even among
members OF the same department in the
same Institution. as TO what they are try
l1g TO measure. what units they propose
10 use and where the zero point should
be placed
During the coming year. Dean Hawkes.
says, Columbia proposes to make n
vigorous attack upon the whole problem
Of grading students.