The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1959-09-03
Southern Students
Rank High in Tests

Southern high students scored
exceptionally high on the National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying Tests
administered to the group last
spring, Kenneth Johns. Principal,
announced today
The test, used to measure broad
aspects of the students general
educational development ond given
to cover $4,000 high school juniors
indicated the school is providing
a sound academic program for its
college bound students. Mr.. Johns
said. OF the twenty Juniors who
took the test, fifteen students in
Dictated very strong college level
ability while the remaining five
indicated some potential college
level ability.
The test, which was divided into
five different areas, showed the
students to be unusually strong in
science, mathematics and social
studies. Twelve students scored
above the 9Otn percentile in mathe-
mates while ten students scored
above the same percentile in the
science part of the test. Note: A
percentile score tells what per-
centage of students had lower
scores. For example, a percentile
score of so indicates that 500 of
typical second semester juniors had
scores at or below that score) Per-
centiles of rs to SO represent the
upper quarter nationally The 500
percentile represents typical" per-
Torrance among high school
juniors nationally.
Other results of the test indicated
the following: Eighteen of the
twenty students who took the test
scored above the 50th percentile in
English. Fourteen of this latter
group scored above the 10th per-
GENTLE. Only one student scored
below the 10th percentile in mathe-
mates. Sixteen students scored
above the 10th percentile in social
studies. Seventeen students scored
above the 18th percentile in science.
Lowest scores showed up in the
word usage part of the test; even
so 16 of the Southern students
who took thte test ranked above
the typical American high school
junior, Mr. Johns said.
All twenty students ranked above
the Goth pcrcentile in the total
composite score, eight of them
ranking above the Goth percentile
on a national basis. Only those
students who ranked in the upper
quarter of their classes took the
| test.
Shortly after school begins. the
results of the tests will be care
fully analysed by Ernest Spoerlein,
guidance counselor, and teachers, y
Mr.. Johns stated. Because the
test measured the cumulative eff
fort of educational experiences
over a long period of time, and
because the tests emphasize the
ability to use what has been
| learned. the National Merit Scholar
ship scores will serve both
as an excellent guidance instru-
ment and as a scholarship selec-
ton device. The results of these
tests have proved to be the
strongest predictor Of freshman
success in college," he concluded.
The three students who scored
the highest on the test were Ruth
Fox, 100; Maurice Brookhart, 129,
and Kenneth Martin, 124. A score
of 139 places student in the top
one per cent nationally.
Other students who took the
test were Thomas Bergner, Mary
Bittinger, Jack BroadWater, Mari
lyn Bucklew, Carl Calls, Gary
Friend, Willard Ann Glotfelty,
David Gender, Jane Hanst, Steve
Malone, Joyce McClung. Robert
Miller, Sandra Palmer, Carolyn
Spoerlein, Edward Umstot Doris
Updyke and Kenneth Wenger.
Mr.. Johns explained the five
tests used in the battery as in
cluling:
English usage, measuring the
students educational development
in understanding and using basic
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