The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-03-06

except the memorlzlng of facts from
printed pages. 1t was the exception
for the teacher to put questions cal
culated to arouse interest, or to COM
pei thought. or to bring out the mean
ing of what had been memorized. Less
than half of the 400 teachers visited
! by the surveyors in 1915 knew the
facts themselves, but taught with
eyes glued upon the books.
Higher standards of teaching have
been set up and maintained by the
county supervisors:
(a) Through teachers meetings,
when the supervisor instructs the
teachers concerning county education
al policies, concerning the subjects
to be taught and the proper amount
of time to be given each subject, and
concerning effective methods of plan
nings lessons and of teaching les
sons-thus securing coordination of
effort and direction throughout the
county and setting up high standards
toward which to work. At many of
these meetings a class of children is
taught by either the supervisor or
strong teacher, and the teaching pro-
cedure carefully analysed 80 that
teachers are definitely shown how to
apply right principles and effective
methods.
(b Through visiting the school,,
observing the work of the teachers
for the purpose of making construc-
tive suggestions that will assist the
teachers to reach high standards,
sometimes teaching the class to illus
trate certain principle or method.
III.
Definite standards for the progress
of children are held up and accom-
plished where formerly there was no
guide.
Instead of merely estimating the re-
suits of their teaching efforts, as was
the case before the advent of super
vision, teachers can now by means of
standardized tests tell whether their
pupils are accomplishing as good re-
suits as are being accomplished by
pupils in other states. When stan
dardized tests in reading were given
three years ago in several Maryland
counties, it was found that through
out the grades children were from
half-a-year to three or four years
behind in that subject. More than
half of the children were leaving the
seventh grade of the elementary
school without being able to read as
we'll as fifth grade children in more
progressive States.
Tests in reading given in October,
1928, to more than 5000 seventh grade
children show that they are now about
where they ought to be in the grad
ed schools, but are still nearly year
behind in the one-teacher schools. BY
tn end of this year there is every rea-
son to believe that the one-teacher
schools will be practically at stand
ard. This same remarkable improve
ment has taken place in all Of the
grades in the elementary school. 1t is
not too much to expect Maryland chill
dren to rate above standard in the
fundamental subjects.
This progress is due primarily to
the fact that the teachers, under
direction of their supervisors, care
fully analyzed from the test papers
the reading difficulties Of individual
pupils and adapted their teaching to
overcome these difficulties. Super
visors have shown teachers how to
group children according to their
needs instead of giving every child
in the class the same type of teach
ing. Thus the application of teach
ing to the individual child has come
about.
Three years ago, when tests were
given in arithmetic, Maryland pupils
were from one to one and a-half years
below standard in the speed with
which they could add, subtract, null
tiply, and divide, and what IS worse,
in the accuracy of such computations.
Now the State is above standard.
Charles county will illustrate what
happened. In October, 1922, the chill
dren of Charles county were far be-
low standard in both reading and
arithmetic. This county had never
had a supervising teacher. When
measured the following May, 1928, at
ter careful work had been done by
the teachers under good supervisory
direction, the pupils were above STAN
dard in arithmetic; and although not
up to standard in reading, they had
improved in the upper grades just
twice as much from October to May
as children usually do improve in that
time. They had covered practically
a years work in six months.
The graded schools of the State are
we'll above standard in arithmetic
reasoning. The rural schools are eX-
pected to be up to standard by May.