Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-26
Miss Scrivener
Sees Boost to
'Mediocrity'
BY JAMES G. DEANE

A school official today at
tackled the District public school
systems new A-B-C report card,
charging it emphasizes medioc-
rity."
Miss Katherine Scrivener, sec
iond-ranking administrator Of
tine clty's elementary schools.
charged that the new card
which will go home with letter
grades for the first time Feb
ruary 10-represents "a change
in our whole philosophy" of
marking and teaching.
/ Sees Parents Upset
/ She predicted the new cards
would upset" many parents and
children and that they would
discourage children from doing
their best.
/ Miss Scrivener headed a COM
mittee which worked on revising
the report cards but, she said,
didn't approve the adopted one.
The new card, put in use last fall
on a one-year trial, was drawn
up by DR.. Carl F. Hansen, now
assistant superintendent in
charge of high schools. DR.. Han
sen until last year headed ele-
mentary schools.
The school system, from 1941
until last fall, used an elemen-
tary report with Outstanding
progress, satisfactory progress"
and needs improvement" plus a
series Of check marks as the
grades.
The new cards. in addition to
checks, are reviving the more
traditional letter marks. in this
case as follows: A, excellent prog
Iress for grade; B. very good prog
5ress for grade; C, good progress
! for grade; D. acceptable progress,
but improvement needed: U. I'M
satisfactory progress, much i'm
provement needed.
More Controversy Due
Parents already have put the
new cards under fire. and more
controversy is expected after the
letter marks go home next
month.
Miss Scrivener, who said the
school system is committed to
giving the cards a fair trial"
said she was not objecting to the
letter marks in themselves.
She said these were being re-
vived as the result of over
vhelming expression" by parents
and teachers who were dissatis-
fed with the old report. But
she declared:
Il don't think they had any
idea they'd be worked out this
way"
/ Two Main Objections
/ The school official said she had
two main objections. First. she
said, manv children with good
background and natural ability"
are likely to get A without de-
serving it. and thus won't be chal-
lenged to work hard.
/ Second. ne predicted that even
more children will get DIS and
US, and mat this will punish
children tor something over
which they have no contlol."
Our biggest problem" Miss
Scrivener predicted, will be to
keep those children who get D
and U continuing to want to
work and learn"
(. Basic flaw of the new system.
she added. is an arbitrary new
Icity-wide marking standard, I'M
der which most children, she pre-
Idicted, will get C's. The new
card. she declared. has "a pail
of mediocrIty about it,"
/ Sees Discouragement
IF you want a body of con-
tent mastered, then you can
mark" with A-B-Cs, according
to the new system, Miss Scri-
veneer said but she said the
Washington schools have been
oeared to developing attitudes"
toward learning She said the
new card would be discouraging.
Miss Scrivener the first school
official to speak openly in criti-
cism of the new card. expressed
her views in answer to questions
from reporters.
/ She said parents will be asked
to send comments on the new
card to principals by mid
February and that the card will
be submitted to the Board of
Education-possibly in revised
form-some time in the spring.