The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1922-09-08
STUDENTS OF HIGH QUALITY.


e That high quality of students at
tended the Lewiston State Normal
school during the summer session of
1922 was shown by tests given by
Prof. l. N. Madsen 70 these students.
Nine tests including the Terman
Group Test Of Mental Ability were
FUSED. In the test of mental ability,
5he average score was 162, which is
Eta points above the standard score
Tor this test. The results in this test
Are considered very satisfactory and
Gratifying, since many teacher train
ling institutions in other states are
that the brightest high
fschool graduates do not enter normal
school, but prefer other professions.
This was found to be the case in a
recent investigation in Ohio, where
several thousand normal school stu
|dents were given this test and were
found to score far below the stand
lard. 1t was also found that the high
school graduates in that state who
entered engineering, medical and law
school scored far above the standard.
Idaho is, therefore, considered very
fortunate in it's selection Of teachers.
Tests in arithmetic, spelling, read
ing language, grammar geography,
and history, were also given and
showed that these students were
above standard in all of these except
in geography and history. Since
practically all of the students are
products of Idaho public schools, this
reflects credit upon them as we'll as
upon the students themselves.
The most plausible explanation
that can be given for the high quality
the teaching profession in Idaho is
that the standards for the certificatiOn
of teachers in this state are high.
This would result in discouraging the
@ast competent and the poorly pre-
pared high school graduates from be-
ginning training. Professor Madsen's
results show that when these tests
Mere given to the entering students Of
1920, the average score was somewhat
below standard; during the summer
session of 1921, it was above stand
ard; during present summer it was
still higher. If this high standard
can be maintained, Idaho will soon
be in an enviable position in the
quality and preparation of her teach
ers.
OF the students taking the test, fif-
teen per cent were boys and eighty
five per cent were girls. Contrary to
the commonly held opinion that boys
preparing for teaching in the elemen-
tary grades are weak sisters. it was
found that they scored even more
above standard in the mntal ability
test than the girls. In the various
subjects test some interesting sex diff
ferences were found. The boys were
found to be better on the average
than the girls in arithmetic, geogra-
ply, and history; and the girls were
found to be better than the boys in
spelling, language and grammar. Such
differences are usually found also be-
tween boys and girls in the elemen-
tary grades and in high school and
seem to indicate that ;nese are perma-
nent sex differences in interest in
these subjects.
The students came from thirty-nine
different high schools, of which all
but eleven were in Idaho. Two
thirds of them had graduated from
high school in June, 1922, and the
remainder had graduated very re-
Gently. Only three had had any
teaching experience. The average
age was nineteen years and three
months and was about the same for
! the boys and girls.