Evening star., 1963-05-04
Amidon Proving Ground

= Superintendent Hansen has right
to be proud of the phenomenal" per-
formance of Amidon School pupils in
the 1862 national achievement tests.
The Amidon scores exceeded national
norms in 96 per cent Of the cases COM
pared. About 20 per cent more Of the
Amidon scores achieved this goal than
in the previous year. And nearly 81 per
cent Of the pupils did better than
would be indicated by their 10 ratings.
There was some skepticiSm in pro-
fessional circles about the high scores
rolled up by Amidon year ago. The
latest returns, which are considerably
better, demonstrate that the 1861 results
were not a one-year wonder. They also
argue strongly for the success Of the
pilot program at Amidon, which Is based
on an organized, highly disciplined cur
riculum, emphasizing the attainment Of
Skills in the basic subjects.
The more intriguing and important
consideration for the community, how
ever, is what significance these results
hold for the District school system as a
WAAOACs SCAbd4llAy OllC OOOICo dLC
much higher than the average, and few
individual schools in Washington are
expected to equal them. A question,
however, still remains: Is Amidon
merely an experiment-Something of a
freak? Or is it reasonable to believe that
its essentials are generally applicable,
with commensurate benefits, to any
school? We think the answer to the
latter question is yes.
r-. There is no doubt that Amidon
receives special attention. 1t is con-
stantly under the eyes of the school
administration, and, indeed, of educa-
tors from all over the country. It's
faculty presumably is entirely sympa-
thetic to what it is doing-and this is
a great advantage. Further, its students
realize they are in special category,
under magnifying glass, so to speak,
and it is natural, we suppose, for this to
have beneficial effect.
On the other hand, while about half
Of Amidon'S enrollees come from out
side its normal Southwest school dis
trict, these outsiders are selected with
out regard for their excellence as stu
dents. They come from all parts of the
city. About IS per cent of the total of
645 pupils are Negro-and almost
third of the total live in low-cost public
housing projects. That this interplay of
vastly different social and economic
backgrounds has not impaired the edu-
cation of the total group, but, on the
contrary, has been beneficial, would
seem apparent Indeed, officials work.
ing with the program contend that the
Amidon teaching technique is partic-
ularly useful, for reasons not fully
understood, to children who come from
under-privileged homes.
Technically, the Amidon concept
already is in effect throughout the
elementary school system. Actually, it
is being applied in varying degrees. DR..
Hansen has not attempted to ram it too
forcefully down the throats of princi-
pals and teachers-probably because, as
a practical matter, it would be impos-
sible to do so. Consequently certain
amount of hauling and tugging is still
going on. The superintendent argues
that the latest test scores, however, pro-
vide a convincing new reason for NOV
ing more rapidly toward adoption Of
the total Amidon plan throughout the
city. We think he is entirely right.