Evening star., 1955-11-17
School Principals Urged
To Act on Laggiing Pupils
Result of Tests
Are Disquieting,
Corning Says
BY JAMES G. DEANE

oupL. fzODdII M. NOI1AI4lS DOA4
principals today.
DR.. Corning said Washington
pupils have shown "disquieting"
lags on standard national
tests.
I'VE cannot take pride in the
results of standardized tests as
they were given last year." DR..
Corning told meeting OF the
principals. 81 am sure that fact
is a matter of great concern to
each of you and to your teach.
ers," he declared.
The superintendent said "our
emphasis needs to be changed
somewhat" urging that teach
ers put more stress on bringing
children UP to standard on each
grade level and not pass on
the responsibility for making up
deficiencies" to the next grade.
Kinks Voices Concern
DR.. Corning's admonitions
came on the heels Of a charge
by a Board of Education MEM
ber yesterday that the city's
schools are not maintaining
strict enough promotion and
graduation standards.
DR.. Rowland F. Kinks told the
School Board he was concerned
about public disclosures that pu-
pills have been advanced to jun
ior and senior high school with
out being able to read or write
on the third grade level.
DR.. Kinks quizzed DR.. Corning
at length after a talk in which
the superintendent said Wash
ington schools have a policy OF
flexibility on promotions. based
on differences in individual abil-
ity and growth. He said the
schools shun rigid standards, In
volving a high percentage OF
failures and retentions, that were
in vogue 80 years ago.
DR.. Kinks asked whether the
school system has what he said
should be some 'irreducible
standard" for promotions.
easy Courses" Denied
"Is it valid" he asked. that
the essence of education is de-
teriorating in the District be-
cause we're not maintaining aca-
demic standards, and that you
can advance practically on the
basis Of poundage and height?"
DR.. Corning replied "No" to
this question. He told DR.. Kinks
that "your basic concept is wrong
If you think we dilute things"
"a student can't get through
a Washington high school If he
can't read" DR.. Corning told the
board. He said Washington stu
dents "are subjected to disci-
pline, to hard work"
There's nobody going through
on easy courses" he declared.
He also declared that the
practice is not and never has
been to promote without regard
to standards" and he added that
the school system still fails, and
keeps back, appreciable numbers
of students.
DR.. Kinks asked whether a high
school graduate would not be
expected to know a minimum
amount in a certain number Of
subjects. DR.. Corning replied no
to this, adding:
Sees Barriers Removed
mo more than anyone in this
room will have an equal pro-
ficiency in mathematics"
DR.. Kinks inquired whether, II
a student can't do algebra, he is
given addition and that is &C.
cepted as satisfying the require
ments instead. He suggested the
schools might be diluting student
attainment "by every time they
meet barrier, removing it."
"We are doing our students an
injustice by not subjecting them
to a discipline" DR.. Kinks as
serted. II say there are certain
irTeducible intellectual require
ments that should go with the
educational process"
DR.. Corning agreed with this,
but he said DR.. Kinks was not ac-
curately representing the actual
promotion practices. At the same
time, however. he challenged the
idea of setting rigid require
ments, asserting that such a
system would ''kick out hundreds
of children before they ever get
to high school"
DR.. Corning told the board
there are students in both junior
and senior high schools who can't
read, but he said "there always
will be-"
Some children, he explained,
have reading blocks and, about
then, educators don't have the
answer"
That's why we have reading
Clinics" he said.
Can't Learn at Same Pace
In his prepared talk DR.. Cor
ming said schools used to insist
on having children learn a fixed
quota of subject matter before
being promoted to a higher
grade, but the result was an
enormous" number Of reten-
tions and over-age children in
every grade,
Children can't be expected to
learn at the same pace or reach
the same goals, he said, and so
teachers now try to teach them
when they are ready, Some
times students forget and have
to be retaught, he pointed out.
But children are kept back
II the teacher judges they won't
be successful in the next grade,
or If they fail too many sub.
iects. he said.