Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02

wasted time learning what they already
knew-just for hours of credit.
Five experts in various college sub
jectS have been retained to work on
the construction Of these tests under
the direction of Ben D. Wood, who Is
working under the Committee on Per-
sonnet Methods Of the Council. A five-
year program will be undertaken. The
goal for the end of the second year is
the construction of from IL TO Is forms
Of preliminary experimental tests in
English, mathematics, foreign Ian
guages, physics, biology, botany, geology
and astronomy. This involves the con-
struction of more than SO 600 questions
and the printing Of more than 2,5oC
pages. At the end of the third year
it Is planned to have O similar basis
for constructing standardized tests In
chemistry, general science, civicS, gov
eminent, economics, American history
modern European, ancient and medieva,
history.
Besides working with the committee
on these standardized tests, DR.. Mac.
Cracker, one Of the country's foremost
specialists on higher education, viii
work with another committee OF the
council operating under a grant from
the RoSenwald fund for surveying the
field OF education and determining the
need OF research projects. One of the
plans before this committee Is to in.
augurate a system of measurement
which will determine the ability Of stu.
dents TO pursue certain studies and thu.
do away with great waste in the edu.
cational process.
Medical education. for example, is in.
creasingly costly, the courses increas'
ingly difficult and the medical college!
increasingly crowded. Almost ever
medical college must turn away hun.
dredS Of applicants every year. II {
student is admitted without the abilit,
to complete the course, there is grea
waste of time and money and denial o
opportunity to men who may be bette
qualified.
Has Tried Test.
An important step toward solvin,
! this difficulty has been made by DR.
| F. A. Moss, professor of psychology a.
! George Washington University, ant
himself q medical college graduate. whit
has devised and standardized on thou
sands Of students throughout the coun
| try a specialized test which determine
with almost uncanny accuracy whethe
or not a prospective medical studen
will make the grade" 1t is purely
measurement of one kind Of ability
to pursue medical studies. Prof Mos
can predict almost to certaint
whether q student will be "flunke'
out" in the first, second or third year
whether he will graduate at all o
whether he will graduate with honor:
Now the American council feels, say
DR.. Mann, that something simila
should be constructed for other form
of education. Medical colleges or
dinarily funk out about IS per cen
of their students. But engineering col
leges, where there is no reliable meas
ure of ability yet constructed, fun
out about rs per cent. Whatever tim
! and money is spent on this unfortunat
rs per cent may be considered almoi
as pure waste. With method simils
to that evolved by Prof. Moss, 1t
. felt, they could be eliminated befoI
they start and possibly directed to som
line where they would be almost Gel
| tain to make good instead Of startin
; out in adult life with 50 many waste
: years behind them and with the stigrn
. Of failure" upon them.