The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-03-17

Anent the discussion on report cards
for school pupils which has been bruited
from all angles with varying effects,
the following written by Karl F. Nolte
of Hibbing for the Minnesota Journal
of Education, will be of interest.
Mr.. Nolte heads his article "Hibbing
Develops a New Type of Report Card"
Being of the high school faculty in
that city, he knows the ms and outs of
the subject. He says:
There has been much controversy
during the last few years concerning
report cards, and one will note the
report card wave" has net yet sub
sided. Although the matter of report
cards is not so crucial in that the sue
cess or failure of the school depends
upon the type of reports made to
parents, yet the manner in which the
work of pupils is evaluated by teachers
and in turn reported to parents is of
vital Importance.
Considerable prograsS in report cards
has been made from the early report
ing by per cents to the present widely
used reporting by letter grades. How
ever, the appraisal of pupils work in
terms of an A, B, c, D and F, is still
inaccurate as we'll as inadequate.
Hence, schools set about to find better
ways of reporting pupils progress to
parents In some instances the pen
dulum has swung over to no report
cards at all. In such cases a personal
letter or conference with the parent
is the procedure followed.
| Changes in report cards are due in
part to better methods of determining
the accomplishments of school children.
Intelligence and achievement test re-
suits have revealed wide differences in
the capacities of individual school pu-
pills. The schools are now attempting
more and more to meet the require
ments of the individual pupil, that is
to develop each child according to his
own ability. If each child is to progress
at his own speed, then the competitive
basis of rating children must neces-
lSarily be eliminated and each child en-
Icouraged to compete with and surpass
his own previous record, thereby work
ing to the limits of his own ability and
capacity.
Those who favor the old marking
system with its honor rolls and awards
may not accept the new type report
Icard. But the schools of today are more
concerned about the individual progress
of each child, rather than comparative
ratings. Moreover, in developing the
individual the emphasis in the schoo
program is not placed so much upor
school subjects as upon the whole child
his nature, and his needs. This in
wolves the development of character
and the type of training which will pre-.
J pare the child for life in and out o.
> school.
1t is with these principles in minc
that the Hibbing public schools Sc
about the preparation of a new re.
port card for grades 1-6 A COMMITTEES
comprised of teachers, principals anc
supervisors began work in the sprins
of 1886. During the summer month:
report cards were collected from 10t
representative cities in Is states. II
addition to examining these cards, ths
+. committee surveyed much of the litera
ture pertaining to recent development
in report cards. The card now in us,
, in the Hibbing schools was designed a.
a result of this intensive study and {
consideration of local needs. The care
was first issued as an experimental
card and put into use during the schoo
year 1861. 1t was then revised tt
its present form.
The revised card, called Progress
Record" is divided into two parts, q
E Individual and Social Adjustment, ant
90 School Achievement. Under Socia
adjustment are listed the traits con
sidered essential for proper adjustment
:. of the child, namely, self-control, con
fidence, reliability, work habits and at
titudes, promptness, thrift, orderliness
respect for authority, cooperation, cour
tesy, interests and physical well-bein
and appearance. These traits are de
fined on separate sheet and enclose,