Evening star., 1935-01-03
Union Representatives Tell
Board Method Puts
Premium on "ShoW."
RELATION OF BRAINS
TO JOB HELD IGNORED
Substitution of satisfactory
and Unsatisfactory" Cate.
gories Is Urged.

ability is practically negligible, If
present ratings and tests can be re-
lied upon, the Board of Education was
told yesterday as 1t listened to attacks
by teachers in the system Of grad
uated teacher ratings employed in the
District public schools
Representatives of the District of
Columbia Teachers Union charged the
ratings system is based on false values,
destroys professional morale and fails
to improve teaching standards.
Miss Selma Borchardt, national vice
president of the American Federation
Of Teachers. said that the alleged lack
OF relation between intelligence and
teaching was disclosed in recent studies
involving 2.750 teachers by the Fed
eral Office of Education. She cited
figures in support of her argument
that no accurate quantitative method
of measuring teaching exists.
The Teachers Union wants the
present graduated system changed so
the only ratings would be "satisfac-
tory" and unsatisfactory" They
claim the graduated ratings are i'm
practical and lead to frequent In
justices.
Relation Negligible.
The Once of Education studies
showed the coefficient Of correlation
between teaching success and intelli-
gence to be only .06. while any CO.
efficient below 80 is considered so
small as to show practically no CORE
lation at all, Miss Borchardt declared
Board of Education members, par
ticularly Henry I, Quinn and Henry
Gilligan. both lawyers, looked a little
puzzled at the use Of the phrase Co
efficient OF correlation"
Tell us in plain English what all
that means" requested Gilligan. while
Quinn nodded his acquiesence in the
plea.
Miss Borchardt, with the assistance
Of Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, board
member who once was teacher, ex-
planned the expression meant the re-
lation between the two rating scales
with one as the perfect correlation.
After spending the entire afternoon
listening to the union advocates, the
board adjourned with the understand
ing that the hearing would be con-
tinued January IA.
The union asked that each super
visory officer be required to submit
periodically to every teacher whom he
marks a detailed constructive criticism
of her work with specific recon-
nendations for improvement.
Dramatics Alleged.
Miss Borchardt charged that the
present rating system results in many
teachers resorting to shows" for the
benefit of visiting rating officers ano
attempting to make themselves ano
their accomplishments appear dra-
matte. She said these are the ones
who usually get the high ratings.
1t Is necessary for a teacher tC
show some dramatic" improvement
in order to have her rating increased
Miss Borchardt said. Miss Borchardt
said she knew of one case where a
, teacher joined three different churches
in order to please three superiors each
of whom was q member of a different
congregation.
This statement brought remark
from Quinn that he did not "see how
a teacher can do successful work In
school and so much on the outside
don't care how many degrees a
. teacher has as long as she is super
ior teacher"
Teachers seeking higher ratings
often are told that Franklin Schoo
will not allow us to give any more.
Miss Borchardt claimed.
DIR. Frank w. Ballou, superintendent
of schools, interrupted to deny the
implication that the school heads i'm.
pose any restriction On the number o1
particular rating which may be
given. He agreed, however, that rating
officers are required to submit justifi-
cations of all rating changes and that
these changes are approved or disap.
proved BY himself.
Holds Ratings Static.
Miss Borchardt said the system
causes ratings to be practically static
She cited 100 representative teachers
and said only had received rating
changes in the past four years.
The board was told that it is i'm
possible for supervisors to judge ac-
curately or rate evenly because rating
sheet listings include such vague
items as personality and "co-
operative spirit"
Miss Mary c. Dent, president Of
the Washington local, spoke against
the method of promotion into higher
salary classes.
Miss Dent charged that in some
cases members Of the Board of Ex-
aminers have been persons without
the breadth of view necessary to
evaluate properly the material SUBJ
mitted by teachers seeking promotion