Evening star., 1936-05-29
Timed Tests
Considered
Detrimental
Young Handicapped
by Excitement
and Fear.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

JUST why some supervisors insist
upon timing the children on
arithmetical operations is puzzle to
me. II child knows the right
answers Friday morning at $50. he
knows them. If he does not. forcing
him to try to find the right answers
under the pressure of stop-watch
sand a driving force in the teacher,
will not help him to know them. 1t
will drive out Of his head all that little
he did know and frIgnten him almost
out of his senses into the bargain.
One dislikes exceedingly what fright
ems one, and avoids it whenever pos
sible Those children who fail on the
Friday mornings speed test do not
improve from week TO week. They
usually get worse and the reason is
clear.
The worst of the whole mistaken
business is the reports the teacher
sends home Friday afternoon. Dear
madam: Your child failed again this
morning on his speed test in numbers.
Kindly see that he studies to improve
his marks. Unless there is consider
able improvement by the end of this
month his chances for promotion are
poor. Sincerely yours"
Now that threat Of non-promotion
is about the worst that can be held
over q child's head. 1t is the one
threat that many parents of public
school children take to heart. They
take it to mean a loss of six months
time, a threat of family disgrace, an
indication of neglect and wickedness
on the part of the failing child. Their
remedy for all this is a beating for
the child. Many children have been
brutally treated because they failed
to come under the wire at Fridays
speed test. Surely such result is
far from the desire of the worthy
supervisor who asks for rs per cent
of each class to answer 100 per cent
perfect under the stop-watch.
This speeding is no good even for
the children who can make the r6-
quired time Those who manage j
easily are not helped. They are ju
as fit as before, minus the ner,
energy and consequent strain OF
ordeal. Those whose nervous s.
are not so sturdy are badly sh' '-
The fear that they will make a =
take, that they will not haze /.
pencil down at the fateful ins
when time is called, brings On I:cc,-
confusion. They lose their hold
stumble blindly through the e.:
and suffer anguish the while it :
And afterwards for them to gct
note to take home. What yaiu
there in a speed test, that can c..
anywhere near making good, to -
children for the strain of its p
formance? I have never found an
Usually this test comes FridS
morning right after assembly, when
the children are at their best. BY Fri
day their best is bit frayed at the
edges under any conditions. This
test about finishes them, especially
the sensitive ones who are most
fatigued at the week end. The rest
of the day is spoiled by the thought
of the result, and the possible home
report and the failure on the record.
Children think a great deal of such
things; make no mistake about that.
The test that cannot be completed
by q child, however studious and
bright he may be, is another strain
children endure. These tests begin
with elementary facts in forms Of
questions or tables and finish high
in the educational scale. The pupil
in the elementary grades can do only
bit of such a test, yet he is handed
the sheet and told to do his best.
| Could one do his best when his jailer
gave him q broom to sweep the sea or
drown? There are many forms of
cruelty still practiced on helpless
children, and among them are some
forms Of tests
(copyrisht. 1850