An Organized Mental Survey in Philadelphia Special Classes
By Norbert J. Melville, M.A., Psychological Laboratory, Philadelphia School of Pedagogy.
Early in 1915 the Philadelphia School of Pedagogy in co-operation with the Division of Medical Inspection and the Department of Instruction of the Public Schools organized a system of psychological testing of the pupils in the special classes. Although the public schools have had the advantage of the active co-operation of the Psychological Clinic of the University of Pennsylvania, it has been found impossible heretofore to arrange for a detailed clinical examination except for a comparatively small number of the 2700 pupils enrolled in the special classes, to say nothing of the 9000 pupils enrolled in the regular grades who are from three to six years over age for grade.
Consequently it seemed desirable that some system should be organized by which a certain number of standardized mental tests should be applied individually to as many of the pupils as could be reached during the year. In this way it would be possible within two or three years to have on record a tentative mental index of all the pupils in the special classes as well as of such backward and disciplinary pupils in the regular grades as could be reached. It was thought that such a tentative mental index, provided it was the result of standardized procedure, would serve as a first aid in psychological diagnosis, and would bring to light those cases that are most in need of thorough clinical examination. Moreover it was believed that these results, when carefully analyzed and interpreted, would be helpful along with the school and home records in determining provisional pedagogical treatment until a complete medical and psychological examination of the case could be made.
At the time some forty men were just completing a laboratory course in mental testing with special reference to the use of standardized series of tests. No student had been admitted to this course who had not completed in a satisfactory manner the fundamental courses in general and experimental psychology. Parallel with the course in mental testing, a course in child study was required. Each man was provided with the materials necessary for giving the Binet tests, some of the Knox tests, and certain tests of ability in reading and arithmetic. All such material was carefully inspected from time to time. A circular letter was sent out by Dr Oliver P. Cornman, Associate Superintendent having charge of the special classes, to all principals having such classes in their schools. The letter stated the purpose of the testing and requested those principals who wished to co-operate, to indicate whether or not rooms would be available for the work. With the exception of two or three schools where the conditions were not favorable, the principals expressed a willingness to have such tests conducted in their schools and gave assurance that accommodations would be provided so that the testing could go on without interruption. With the cooperation of Dr. Francis B. Brandt, Head of the School of Pedagogy, laboratory extension work was organized as part of the advanced work in educational psychology.1 A roster was arranged by which the students could be present one afternoon a week in the schools to which they had been assigned for the testing.
In order to insure the greatest possible standardization of procedure the following measures were adopted. The recommendations of the informal conference on mental testing at Buffalo were carefully studied and interpreted. Regarding the many questions of Binet procedure not covered by these recommendations, an effort was made by the writer to discover in what details his own methods agreed or disagreed with those of other clinical examiners. These efforts resulted in a tentative standardization of the details of Binet procedure, which has been tried out during the past year in over one thousand cases. Pinter’s standardization was followed in giving the Knox cube tests. To secure uniformity in the general procedure of mental testing, emphasis was laid on such matters as (1) setting the pupil at ease, (2) constant encouragement to effort, (3) application of definite rules in the matter of second chances, (4) completeness and carefulness in recording all responses for the purpose of later verification and study, (5) the reporting of any factors which might affect the results, (6) attention to the mechanics of testing, (7) consideration of such questions of school hygiene and administration as are related to the work of visiting examiners. In order to perfect the mechanics of testing and recording, special record blanks known as forms 43 and 44 of the Philadelphia Public Schools were prepared. These forms will be described in a later article on our proposed standardization.
Arrangements are being made to translate our proposed uniform method into several foreign languages so that foreign born pupils can be tested in their native tongue.
i See Am. Psych. Assoc., Report on Academic Status of Psychology, Dec., 1915. During the first part of the extension work the students retested such pupils in the School of Practice as had already been carefully examined. The practice-testing was done in the presence of the writer so that he could assist and render such immediate and later criticism as was necessary in training these student assistants.
This practice work was supplemented by a series of carefully planned written examinations on questions of standard procedure. The student-examiners were then given a series of lectures on their relation to the administration of the schools to which they would be assigned. Such questions as their obligations to the supervising principal, their duties in times of fire drill, the detention of pupils after school in order to complete examinations, the desirability of minimizing the interruptions of school routine, and other similar topics were considered. The student-assistants were instructed never to attempt an evaluation of results except in laboratory conferences under the direction of the writer, who made the final interpretation of results.
The student-assistants reported to the principals who assigned them rooms where the individual examinations could be made under satisfactory conditions. The examiner was held responsible for the pupil from the time of leaving to time of returning to the class; and following the regulation of the Division of Medical Inspection, it was provided that the testing of a girl pupil should always be done in the presence of a witness.
The results of all tests were brought to the psychological laboratory and there carefully evaluated during the term. At the end of the term reports were sent to each school, to the Division of Medical Inspection, and the Department of Instruction. During the spring term of 1915 three hundred and forty-two pupils were examined in this way; during the fall term of 1915 five hundred and twenty more, making a total of eight hundred and sixty-two tested during the year. In addition to these eight hundred and sixtytwo examinations over one hundred and fifty re-examinations were given. The following table and chart1 show the results of the Binet tests for the first eight hundred and fifty pupils examined. The results obtained with the Knox tests will be reported in another article on the development of a supplementary scale of performance tests.
In order that the total Binet age might not obscure certain important facts concerning the pupils tested, they have been classified in growth periods2 according to their ability to pass four out of 1 This chart was prepared for the Special Class section of the exhibit of the Committee on Feebleminded of the Public Charities Assn. of Pa.
2 cf. Ellis, F. W.p Report of Mental Examinations at Neurological Inst., N. Y.: 5th and 6th Ann. Rept. of N. Y. Probation and Protective Assn., 1913, 1914. 850 SPECIAL CLASS PUPILS CLASSIFIED BY MENTAL LEVELS AND AGE DIFFERENCES ACCORDING TO THE BINET SCALE (FINAL REVISION). Summary According to Mental Levels Total Summary According to Age Differences Group A -4 or more Group B -1 to -3.9 Group C less than +1 Group D +1 or more Level of Early Infancy 20 Level of Later Infancy 112 Level of Early Childhood 563 Level of Later Childhood 139 Level of Adolescence or higher. 16 Total Examined 1 850 18 51 160 35 1 265 2 59 337 82 10 490 2 63 20 5 90
five of the tests for III, VI, IX, or XII years, as shown in the chart. The pupil who fails to pass the III year tests is classified at the level of early infancy in his intellectual development through not necessarily in his emotional or volitional development. A pupil who passes III but fails on the VI year tests is classified at the level of later infancy, etc. This method of classification (1) reveals the fact that, certain highly diagnostic tests, e. g. the definition tests, have not been passed and (2) suggests one form of school grading.
As shown in the table, twenty, or 2 per cent of the pupils appeared to be at the level of early infancy i.e. they failed to show the intelligence of normal three-year-old children. All of the twenty should be given a thorough clinical examination with a view to the proper disposal of these cases for whom it would seem impossible to make adequate provision in the public schools.
One hundred and twelve pupils, or 13 per cent appeared to be at the level of later infancy i.e. they failed to show the intelligence of a six-year-old child. Further examinations will probably show that comparatively few of these pupils can be adequately provided for in the public schools.
Five hundred and sixty-three, or 63 per cent of the pupils tested at the level of early childhood i.e. they showed the intelligence of six-year-old children but not of nine-year-old children. One hundred and sixty of these, four or more years below age, call for special detailed examination particularly if developing signs of lawlessness. The remaining four hundred and three pupils, approximately fifty per cent of the total number examined, together with the one hundred and nineteen pupils of higher levels who are at age or less than four years retarded, represent the type of pupil for whom the state cannot at the present time hope to make institutional provision. Of the one hundred and thirty-nine pupils tested at the level
(7to 18 Years Old} 20 PUPILS TESTED ROMAN NUMERALS INDICATE YEAR5 OF MENTAL GROWTH ACCORDING TO THE BINET ? SIMON SCALE 850 Special Class Pupils classified by mental levels and age differences according to the Binet Scale (Final Revision). 264 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. of later childhood, thirty-five tested four or more years below age. According to some investigators this group would probably contain the cases most likely to become defective-delinquents. Such would be the pupils having a physical development corresponding to adolescense but a mental development corresponding only to the level of later childhood i. e. pre-adolescence. The sixteen pupils who tested at the level of adolescence like the five pupils to be mentioned later in group D were usually of the disciplinary or ill balanced type. Together with disciplinary cases belonging in groups B and C many of these would be best provided for in probationary classes or in a parental school.
As already mentioned the pupils are grouped within each level according to the difference between their Binet age and their chronological age. Four groups are made on this basis, namely, Group A? pupils four or more years below normal according to the Binet scale, Group B?pupils from one to three years below normal, Group C? pupils having an age difference of less than plus or minus one, Group D?pupils one or more years above normal according to the Binet scale.
Although Binet and other psychologists suggest that a mental retardation of three years is indicative of serious mental deficiency, the writer has considered it best to include in Group A i. e. those most likely to prove feebleminded upon further examination, only such pupils as test four or more years below age?a mental retardation corresponding to more than one growth period. As shown in the table two hundred and sixty-five pupils or 31 per cent are included in Group A, fifty-five of the pupils in this group tested from seven to twelve years below age. Such cases call for further examination with a view to institutional care and treatment. Group B contains all the pupils having age differences ranging from minus one to minus three and nine-tenths inclusive. The majority of these four hundred and ninety pupils or 57 per cent are found to bs at the early childhood level and seem to constitute the main problem of special classes in our public schools. Groups C and D,1 containing ninety-five, or twelve per cent of the pupils, represent the most promising cases for possible restoration to regular grades when given thorough clinical examination and adequate treatment.
All the cases of re-examination thus far studied merely confirm the previous testing with the exception of two cases. One of these pupils is troubled with a serious speech defect and has shown a gain ‘These “approximately normal” pupils are the younger children at each level who have thus far failed in the regular grades.
of 1.6 years within six months. The other pupil passed the tests of memory span and association in the higher years when first tested but failed to do so when retested six months later, thus lowering his Binet age by two years. This second record was accompanied by a note stating that the pupil was in poor health. An immediate effort will be made to have both these pupils given detailed psychological and medical examination. An analysis of these changes in Binet age upon retesting revealed the fact, however, that in neither case were the changes of such a nature as to alter the classification of these pupils. The retesting confirmed their original classification in mental levels and their grouping by age-difference. A further study of retesting is in progress.
Upon request from a school, the writer has analyzed the results of a given examination in conference with the examiner and has submitted a report based on the detailed analysis. Later conferences with the school authorities have confirmed the value of such reports. In certain instances another series of tests has been applied in our supplementary studies. In our practice school, each of the special class pupils was tested one hour per week for five successive weeks. This testing included experiments in learning the regular school subjects.
It is important to emphasize here that the results of this survey are based upon the Binet-Simon scale as revised by its authors in 1911. Unlike the earlier revisions still generally used in this country, Binet’s final revision corrects for the most part the errors in mental ages X to XII inclusive, pointed out by Brigham1 and by Thorndike.2 Their criticisms, though published in 1914, do not refer to Binet’s final revision of 1911, recommended by the Buffalo conference, but to an earlier form of the scale.
Conclusions. The Binet-Simon and other scales administered under careful supervision provide a standard method of: 1. Selecting cases for detailed clinical examination. 2. Detecting eligibility of pupils for special classes or for institutional care. 3. Grouping pupils within the special class. 4. Investigating the causes of delinquency. 5. Registering data concerning the feebleminded. 1 J. of Ed. Psychol., Vol. V, pp. 439-448. 2The Psychological Clinic, 1914, Vol. VIII, pp. 185-189.
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