Evening star., 1954-06-10

IL really 10 SURPRISING now
many high school graduates are
poor Spellers," Mr.. Taylor said.
whether it is worse than for
merly I couldn't say. At least,
I can't see any Improvement"
DR.. Hobart M. Corning, super
intendent of the Washington
schools, told of criticisms on
the score Of spelling, said en-
ployers should get the schools
recommendations. Those grad
yates recommended will be
found able to spell, he said.
There is another indication
the high school diploma does
not have the meaning the public
expects to find.
A. r. Laney of the Washing
ton Gas Light Co. told of the
employment of typists after
tests. The supervisors with the
final word on employment ap-
parently decided that some other
skillS outweighed skill in SPELL
ing. Presumably it was assumed
an intelligent typist would 20
to the dictionary when she was
doubtful of the spelling of a
word.
Mr.. Laney said that, of 4s
tested, % were given jobs. OF
the "a above-average spoilers,
IL were hired. Almost as many,
II. were hired from the group of
"a below-average spoilers.
One who takes a bright view
OF what the schools are doing
is L. r. Chase of the personnel
department of the Potomac Elec-
tr1c Power Co. That company
has been giving tests to job ap-
plicants for seven years. They
are aptitude tests. but Mr.. Chase
is convinced the scores are in
f1uenced by the schooling the
applicant has had.
Test papers of applicants who
were high school graduates but
had gone no further were taken
from the files for 1947 and 1854
so at random in each group.
The average of the 1947 scores
was 20.96; the 1854 average was
21.64.
This seems to indicate there
is Improvement in the overall
knowledge Of the average high
school graduate of today" Mr..
Chase said. 1--WE have found q
high school education is a SUBJ
stantial background for future
development. 1t generally en-
ables an employe to advance ia
the highest types of skilled
work"
Mr.. Chase pointed out that
schools vary and their graduates
vary, but he said, when ii
comes to some schools, I would
cheerfully argue with the people
who say the youngsters are not
getting a better education than
they were in former years."
Test of Enlisted Men.
Come now to the Nations big
gest employer and the results OF
the testing of enlisted men in
World Wars I and II. ~
First, the statistics showed the
phenomenal increase In school
ing in the period between the
wars. Here is a table giving the
educational background of the
Selectees of the two wars, by
percentages:
World World ,nId World
High school grads 2 d
s High school non-srads.- u SO
Grade school men, 80 20
The World War II figures are
as Of June 80, 1914.
Together with this marked
increase in educational status
has occurred a greater, and per-
haps more significant, increase
in the mental aptitude for learn
ing OF the soldier population of
the second war;" the Army re-
ported. This does not sound like
the result of deteriorating
school system.
Tests Compared.
A method was worked out to
convert the scores Of the Army
Alpha Test of World War I to
the scale of scores in the Army
General Classification Test of
World War II.
This table, in which Grade 1
includes the highest scores and
Grade B the lowest, was then
worked up to divide the Selectees
by general learning ability ac-
cording to the percentage dis
tribution by ACCT scores:
World World