Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-03
TesttoCornpare
Pupil 10 With
Achievements
Reports on 10000
Third Graders to
Determine Log
BY JAMES G. DEANE


Washington's public school
system is preparing individual
intelligence and achievement re-
ports on all Of the city's 10000
third-grade pupils, The Star
learned today.
The school systems entire
pupil testing staff. has been as
signed to get the reports out to
teachers within the next two
weeks.
The reports, based on recent.
still untabulated city-wide tests.
will be studied to learn whether
pupils are doing the best work
possible and help counter publ
cized tagging achievement scores
DR.. Irene C. Hypps, assistant
superintendent In charge of test
ing. said this will be the first
time the schools have prepared
dual intelligence and achieve
ment reports.
Separately Before
Teachers have been able to
obtain achievement and 10
scores separately in the past, but
this viii be the first city-wide
distribution of combined reports.
DR.. Hypps said she hopes to
issue similar reports on ninth
grade tests to be given next
Monday.
Last summer 1t was disclosed
publicly that the city's pupils in
a number Of grades averaged well
below national standards on
achievement tests. The test
scores, however. showed pre-
dominantly colored schools aver
aging generally below those pre-
dominantly white.
School Supt. Hobart M.
Corning yesterday said last years
tests-the first uniform ones to
be given to colored and white
pupils throughout the city--came
too soon to- show any effects of
integration. He also took issue
with reports that standards have
dropped since integration.
But the school superintendent
has previously told principals
and teachers that special efforts
are needed to counter the
achievement lags. And the schools
are seeking funds to reduce class
sizes and increase special rene
dial classes.
Gives Glue for Help
The object OF the new reports.
she explained. win be to show
just how close each child has
come to achieving what his in
telligence test indicates he ought
to. Then steps can be taken to
see that extra help is provided
where needed.
Overall. the reports eventually
win show just how serious the
citywide achievement test re-
suits are and how much the
school system must do to i'm
prove them.
In the tests given a year ago.
ninth-graders on city-wide
basis were shown to be averaging
two to three years behind ma
tional norms in arithmetic and
one to two years behind in read
ing. City averages also we're UNI
der par in social studies, science
and English expression. Tests in
the other grades showed similar
lags.
OF $500 junior high school be-
ginners last September, for ex-
ample. nearly $500 were at least
a year behind in mathematics
and an even larger number SIM
ilarly behind in reading.
Gap Not New
All the tests indicated q lower
achievements average among the
city's colored pupils than white.
DR.. Hypps stressed that the
gap between white and Negro
averages was not
new last year. however.
Before Indignation, available
test results indicated a similar
gap. she pointed out. She at
tributed the difference to in
ferior school facilities and eco
nomic and social handicaps af-
fecting the majority Of colored
pupils.