An Ancient Score Card
- Author:
Elmer E. Jones,
Director of the School of Education, Northwestern University, College of Liberal Arts, Evanston, Illinois.
Good teachers in all ages have tried to understand their students and shape their instruction according to individual needs. They have used various devices and methods for discovering interests, native abilities and aptitudes in their pupils, long before the more scientific methods employed now in educational measurements and mental testing were thought of.
The vocational aspects of education have always been close up in the background of the good teacher’s mind. It has never been possible for him to forget that training to live is the real, vital and consequential objective of instruction, even though the subjectmatter may have been purely traditional and intended as cultural only. The really efficient teacher has always endeavored to point out the usefulness and practicality of even the most abstract subjectmatter of instruction. The so-called cultural subjects have really made their strongest appeal in certain vocational turns given them by excellent teachers, who felt profoundly their usefulness. The question in education is not so much the mastery of a particular subject of a curriculum, as the mastery of the principles of living a large and useful and beautiful life.
The educational objective pertains rather to the future success of the student, his perseverance, his energy, the clearness of his vision, and whether he sees great and important problems that should be solved, and whether he has the capacity to work steadily and with precision at these problems that burn in upon his soul. Great teachers try to bring the curriculum of study into functional relations with achievement, rather than to give narrow technical information. To understand the youth and bring one’s own subject to him, full of living ideals for his own achievement seems to be the highest objective of successful teaching.
There is a danger that in our enthusiasm for the splendid things now being developed in educational measurements and mental testing, we fail to remember that in the past decades in American education teachers have endeavored to do precisely what is being done now far more scientifically. Teachers have been interested in mental traits, in the ambition of their students, their intellectual honesty, and in their ability to achieve. They have believed in a thorough diagnosis of their students previous to giving them instruc(26) tion. In fact, thay have had precisely the same objectives in mind that we now have when we talk about I. Q.’s and correlations. Some twenty years ago when principal of a large high school, the writer used a simple score card to check what appeared to be native capacities and abilities in students. At that time it proved very helpful in diagnosis and in assisting in certain phases of vocational and educational directing which we were undertaking. It was also extremely helpful in administrative problems which involved a thorough understanding of individual students and individual differences among students. It was also helpful in dealing with parents of atypical children, whether the brilliant or the stupid ones. The following score cards representing the actual markings for three students made over twenty years ago may serve to illustrate how such a study of each individual in the high school may function in directing the education of individual students. In developing this score card, we had in mind continually prognostic evaluations. It was our effort to have such a record of every child in the high school, in addition to his academic grades, that we could make some estimate of the future achievemnt, and the probable success of the individual. It was frankly assumed that success is quite dependent upon a combination of native powers and abilities, which will function well in the social situation of the present age. On the other hand it was also frankly admitted that the life success of an individual is many times quite dependent upon the environmental conditions that surround him. Many a youth possesses all of the requisites in native endowment, but is so handicapped by ignorant and lowly parents that he cannot rise above them. When youth lacks parental stimulation of the right sort, and receives community stimulations which are degrading, it matters very little how superior his native abilities and powers may be. Success for him is well nigh impossible. To this there are, of course, notable exceptions.
A study of these charts and later achievement of the pupils from this high school indicate quite clearly that poverty alone caused several of them to falter at the very threshold of an educational career. Sickness, death of a parent, necessary support of kin, economic necessity to work, even the failure of a particular crop are influences which have casued many youth to fail in achieving success. In judging of the future success of a student from his academic grades and from any number of mental and social educational tests great care must be taken. There is always the possibility that some unforeseen situation in the environment may completely change the life activity and hence the educational achievement and future success.
Notes on outstanding abilities or defects:
Best student in a series of years. Mathematics easy. Worked out many original demonstrations in geometry. Timid, rather bashful, yet manly. Great reader of fiction. Influence of father good. Not inclined to social activities. Poor speaker in public. Does not have to work hard to get any assignment of the school. Orderly, systematic, dependable. 1 predict for him great success.
Notes on outstanding abilities or defects:
An excellent student along literary lines and in dramatics. Successful in music and art. A leader among girls, though not dominating. Somewhat vain over personal beauty. Short story accepted by good magazine. Vivacious, full of energy. Good debater, sympathetic and trustworthy. A beautiful character. CHART No. 1. Score Card for High School Students. Name, No. 1. Age, 18 years. Class, ?. Rating of Student. QaV*?r Go ? A6-5 GQ 70 15 OR SO Z5 Cjo 03 Mtn-tal Capacity XwVe.UectuaHonesty AvrVprhcn Xridustfy Tnde-p^nderice S Original Promise ?y &UC-C-2SS CHART No. 2. Score Card for High School Students. Name, No. 2. Age, 17 years. Class, ?. Rating of Student. Qftlou; ?o_ G O ?o Z? IS 43”SO 55 qo Dental Capac+Y iTrV&Uec-Voal Honesty Energy Bmfihon. XndJ&+<-^ EI
X”rxi(ipeTi4e-nae. s. Ofi^inalil^ (romisfc. of success
Notes on outstanding ablities or defects: Dishonest, tries to bribe teachers, always in some disgraceful prank, takes pride in breaking school regulations. Cannot learn algebra or geometry. Fairly good in history. Very ambitious to be a bum. Disfavor by all students. Caught cheating several times. Politician, very active Democrat. Bad home training and environment. Chances for success in life are very slight. Very ambitious, but studies and prepares for bad career. Teachers have exhausted every effort to get this boy to see life’s problems differently but he seems bent toward perdition.
When we speak therefore of prognostic values we must always take into consideration limitations which might be placed upon the individual external to himself which may completely invalidate even the most scientific diagnosis. These score cards undertook to measure certain fundamental traits and capacities which seemed quite objective at that time as being necessary to success in life. By mental capacity we meant the clearness with which a student could think; his accuracy in securing information, the precision of his impressions from his observations and reading, and the quality of his memory and imagination, whether it is passive or productive; the sureness of his reasoning powers and the saneness of his judgments. Alertness and quickness in all the mental processes were also given consideration.
Intellectual honesty is probably one of the most necessary traits in educational achievement. Does the individual collect and use facts just as they are? Is he interested in the truth, just for the truth’s sake, and is he willing to work for the discovery of truth? Does this mere accomplishment bring joy? Is he ready to defend CHART No. 3.
Score Card for High School Students. Name, No. 3. Age, 16 years. Class, ?. Rating of Student. BeWu SSL GO 64&L 10 is -2& “30 SS” Qo qS” -Herrtal Capacity 2Gnt<s.Uectual HoncsTj ?.nei A*rit?t+ion Xndus+v-N 3ixieperd?nce a. Ongmalrty Rottusc of success the truth against great odds? Are his opinions based upon the truths that he himself has discovered and probably correlated and articulated with social demands, and does he make an honest search for truth? Does the individual possess a desire to hear all sides of a debate before reaching a decision, and is he fair to all opponents in a discussion? When the truth is known is he fearless in defending it? With reference to energy (the third item on the chart) we mean a quantitative and qualitative estimate of the student’s vitality? his endurance in a struggle, either mental or moral or physical; his grit, his stick-to-itiveness, whether he has the capacity to continuous effort without fatigue, and how actively these efforts are put forth in the accomplishment of educational and other tasks.
By ambition, we mean the ability of the individual to project himself into the future and the character of his desires for success. What are his thoughts concerning his future career, and how he regards his present achievements in relation to his future success, and the wholesomeness of his forward look toward his own life process. The fifth topic on the card deals with industry. Here we have reference particularly to school work?the persistency with which the student engages in all of the activities of the school, the organization and coordinations of facts, the seeking of opportunities to work and to gain new light, the ability to work alone and always to keep at it. Consideration also is given toward extra school activities and to those which are present within the school that pertain to the all around development of the individual. This problem deals with the whole investigative interest of the individual student. By independence and originality we mean the type of original investigations carried on by the student?the largeness of his thoughts, his mental freedom from textbooks and even his disagreement with ideas presented by teachers. This topic deals with the independence of the student in all intellectual matters, whether he can work if left alone and whether his opinions are arrived at independently or whether they are copies; how free is the individual from traditional ideas and traditional matter and how freely is his independence of spirit expressed in the presence of classmates and teachers.
The promise of success is the most difficult topic on the card, because here we are dealing with prognostic values. We can only prophesy of the success of an individual upon the conditions of success in general. Of course, we mean by this section of the score card those natural abilities for success, whether they are favorable or unfavorable. What are the social and environmental conditions in which the student is placed which will probably influence his future career? Is the student capable of overcoming serious obstacles and is he free from discouragements? Is his optimism able to overcome even the most serious difficulties? Does the individual possess tact in dealing with others, and has he a meeting personality? Does he have ability to fit into a scheme which society is demanding? Is he politic, gentile, and is he the sort of individual that invariably meets with success? These are some of the problems that confront one in deciding the probability of the success of an individual. After a lapse of twenty years it is comparatively easy to determine the validity of the score cards as filled out for diagnostic purposes upon high school students at that time.
The score cards indicate approximately the individual differences that we would expect to find among students. There are approximately five groups; a very exceptional group showing a high range of possibility for future success; a group just below which shows capability and efficiency but not quite so good as the superior group; a great middle group of those possessing average ability; a poor group just below the middle group having possibilities in certain directions but limited as to general capacity and leadership; and a fifth group consisting of those who show the lowest possibilities of success.
The three score cards filled out above may serve to illustrate something of their prognostic value. Number 1 is easily selected as one of the most distinguished students that ever attended this high school. The prediction made for him is “great success.” He was a most original lad, easily excelling in any subject in the curriculum, showing very great originality along all lines and having great learning capacity in general subject matter outside of the regular curriculum of study. He was a great reader and had apparently read most of the good books in all the private libraries of the city. He is at the present time a construction engineer for one of the biggest railroad systems in the United States. He is a most successful man. He attended a state university where he took many honors and won great distinction for his scholarship along engineering lines. Score card No. 2 represents a young lady who would be classed probably in the second class from the top, being just below the most distinguished group. Along certain lines she possessed very great powers and was successful both in music and art, was a rather thorough-going student and possessed all of these qualities which present the highest charms in true womanhood. She was absolutely trustworthy and her diagnosis at that time has proven to be correct in the main. She is at the present time recognized as a fine character in the community, extremely intelligent, an excellent mother and apparently has maintained her rank up to the present time. She has contributed several magazine articles to good magazines and has shown great civic interests in her community, and is regarded by all as an ideal mother citizen. I would still place her in the rank just below the most distinguished.
Score card No. 3 gives the record of a young man who has always presented a serious social problem not only to his own parents and his own home community, but to society at large. He has not made, thus far, a single wholesome contribution to society, but has always been regarded by everyone as a menace to it. This record is precisely what he promised in his high school days. At that time everyone despaired of his ever being anything but a “bum,” and so far as I can learn, he has fully lived up to everyone’s expectations. These three score cards have not been selected at random but have been chosen because of their rather great outstanding diagnostic value. However, it would not be difficult to duplicate numerous cases similar to these. It should be said that there are some surprises. Occasionally a high school student who showed little signs of distinguishability and was classed as low as the third or fourth group has achieved rather remarkably and may now be classed in group No. 2. For example, one student who absolutely failed in academic work in the high school because the work that was required for him to do was not at all suited to his particular needs, has gained distinction as a business man and a leader in the industrial world. He could not learn Latin and English; but he is probably the wealthiest man among all the students that ever attended this high school. By actual count, 62 per cent of the score cards that were kept in the series of years amounting to 380 students, show definite prognostic values, 10 per cent are relatively correct in diagnosis though certain outstanding errors in judgment were made; the remainder have doubtful significance as to their prognostic values, though certainly usable in administrative matters.
At a later period when it was my privilege to direct the study of graduate students in the university, I was confronted by many of the same problems that presented themselves when dealing with high school students.
The main question constantly recurring is “What is the future promise of this man?” How much energy has he? How hard and how long will he work at a particularly knotty problem? How deeply does he feel the tremendous questions eonfronting educational theory today? Will he keep on growing for years so that future achievement will be assured? These and many other questions continually present themselves, if one is really interested in properly directing the activAN ANCIENT SCORE CARD. 33 ities of graduate students. In order to keep a record of men who aspired to advanced degrees, I used the same score card previously used for high school students. The following three are fairly representative samplings of three different types of graduate students, and show some prognostic values.
Number 4, as his card will indicate, represents the finest type of mind; a personality full of charm and effectiveness, a prodigious worker, very energetic along many lines, and ambitious to achieve real success in order that his success may be of service to the educational world. He is now well known throughout the United States for his productive activity in certain lines of research, and is one of the outstanding men in the country in the newer movements in mental testing and educational measurements. It was perfectly clear to me when he was my student that he was an outstanding man and there was no doubt about his future success.
Number 5 represents a type of man who is applying for the degree of Master of Arts in the American university and occasionally aspires to the doctorate. A man full of ambition, but lacking in certain of the fundamental qualities for leadership in scholarship or research. He possesses a very great ambition, but mediocre energy and industry, and not having superior independence and originality, and only fairly good mental capacity, the success of this individual Notes on outstanding abilities or defects:
Excellent mind, hard worker, ingenious in use of apparatus, sympathetic and loyal, wholesome ambitions looking far ahead. There is no doubt in my mind that he will get some place near the top. He cannot escape success.
CHART No. 4. Score Card for High School Students. Name, No. 4. Age, 27 years. Class, ?. Rating of Student. IntaUtc+ua L VVonssrhf .sa Go ZQ S5j OoTcji” > “i?TM Ind u s?*Vvy f Xnd!epGv-jidi2n(!.e *s- Original rV-^ “R-orrusi sottess
Notes on outstanding abilities or defects: Too much talk about what he intends to do and be and not enough accomplishment. Just a little lazy. Indifferent when poor results are accomplished. Apt to be very optimistic or very blue. Will not be very successful unless some one is behind him prodding him.
Notes on outstanding abilities or defects: Poor thinker. Wants to be an investigator but has no idea how to go about it. Uses poor methods of attack. Little originality. Can never succeed in anyproductive educational activity.
CHART No. 5. Score Card for High School Students. Name, No. 5. Age, ? years. Class, ?. Rating of Student. Belouj 60 <0 5 -70 34. So ZS ?24 C|0 qs 3<k-i?2. Tf>ft.TvtaQrapao-h| :-n-re.lecJnjaHonesty Energy Ambl”hoa. Xr,dosiv| 3jndap?”ndc-nce. i Original‘“Hj Prarmse 0”y Suc-cass CHART No. 6. Score Card for High School Students. Name, No. 6. Age, ? years. Class, ?. Rating of Student. GO GO 6A. 6 5 7I I5 “5,0 Z-S rfen+aCapac.rt| InVaUecVDal VAones+j H-ne-rg-| i: T~nr< u stvvi Thicpt-nde-nce &.Ori^na1 dv| ^cmne Success ^5”
is not at all assured. But his score on the card and his later achievement proved that the diagnosis was correct. He wrote a fairly good dissertation for the master’s degree, but when thrown upon his own resources in a rather important position after taking his degree, he made a dismal failure, and at the present time is occupying a position of about the importance that his competency deserves. If this man had been fortunate in being placed in such a position in life that he would have been under the constant stimulus of others who were working, he might have succeeded far above his present status; but when thrown upon his own responsibilities, he failed. Such graduate students rarely secure the Ph.D. degree though they have little difficulty in securing the degree of Master of Arts.
Number 6 represents another poorer type of graduate student who sometimes secures the degree of Master of Arts, but more frequently labors along for two or three years in graduate studies making little headway with them and finally drops out of graduate study entirely. Occasionally, however, one of the caliber of G. M. may secure the Master of Arts degree by very hard work. This student had a relatively low mental capacity, was extremely honest m all his endeavors but lacked the fundamental capacities necessary for success in graduate study. It was apparently impossible for him to grasp much of the subject matter that was presented in graduate study. He showed no originality in going to sources or in taking notes upon important documents. He worked hard but to little effect. It was a great relief when he left the department and took a teaching position in a small town as principal of the high school. His mental capacity and training do not fit him for a position of greater importance. His score card rather clearly indicates the type of man he is, and is prognostic.
Recent investigations by Rugg, Stenquist and others show that individual scores given as a result of mental or educational tests are reliable only within a probable error so large as to render the score practically useless. The final judgments of efficiency placed m the score cards presented in this paper are the summaries of a large variety of tests, observations and experiences in dealing with these students for a period of one, two or three years. There is no doubt a probable error in such extended observation, and judgment, but in no sense is such judgment subject to the error of scoring an individual m a group by a single mental or educational test. Each score in each mental trait is the resultant of numerous previous judgments and comparisons in dealing with the student over an extended period of time.
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
Material currently under copyright, made available with a Creative Commons license chosen by the publisher.
Material that is in the public domain
Material identified by the Welcome Trust as an Orphan Work, made available with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.