MATRICULATION TEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20595, 20 June 1930, Page 8

MATRICULATION TEST.

CHANCES OF CANDIDATES,

COMPARISON WltH RESULTS,

QUESTION OF ACCREDITING,

[BY TELEGRAI'H. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.3 "WELLINGTON, Thursday.

The widely-held opinion that the doora of the university should bo opened toi the youth of New Zealand with a bettcr key than that provided by the matriculation examination, has received close attention at the hands of the Education Department in the past few years.. Following upon a long scries of inquiries, the director of education, Mr. T. 8.. Strong, has received from Mr. E. Caradus, secondary school inspector, one of the most valuable reports on tiie quesi tion that has been compiled so far. After carefully canvassing secondary school headmasters, Mr. Caradus has aimed to show the relation between tlie opinions of responsible school principals concerning the chances of pupils in the matriculation examination and the actual results revealed in the decisions of the examiners. As a result of scientific treatment of the question the conclusion is apparent that there is a considerable disparity between the opinions of principals in the position to know the capabilities of their pupils and the opinions of the examiners. System of Investigation. It is shown that in 1929, the ycafi upon which the calculations based, the total number of candidates sitting for matriculation in the schools considered was 2975. Of" these 50.3 per cent, passed. The percentage of those who actually passed out of those selected in the various schools ranged from 20 to 100. If the standard is to be maintained it would apparently be unsafe to accredit moro than about 600 or 700 of the can-, didates. Mr. Caradus stales in a footnote td his figures that in most schools the recommendation can be accepted almost without reserve. Some would have to be very carefully scrutinised. For tho purposes of the investigation four groups were arranged for tho classification of candidates. The first comprised those who were considered by their headmasters to be undoubtedly fit to pass, and who would bo accredited if such a system were iu operation. A total of 683, or 23 per cent, of the total number of candidates, was placed in this group. It is significant that 90.1 per cent* actually passed. The second group included those candidates who were considered to have ai reasonable chance of passing. Of thesai there were 1041, or 35 per cent, of the total. The percentage of passes in this section was 60.9. Candidates who were thought by their principals to have only, a poor chance of passing numbered 822, or 27.6 per cent of the total. Of these there was a percentage of parses of 25.9* " Certain Failures " Pass. The fourth group was arranged to include those candidates who, it was considered, would certainly fail. They numbered 428, or 14.4 per cent, of the total.In spito of this tho proportion which passed was 8 per cent. . It is interesting to note that the" percentage placed in this group by the various principals ragged from nought to 47.1. It is stated in the report that thesa figures, which have been prepared with great care and comprehensiveness, indicate that the matriculation examiner is often at variance with the opinion of those who have the care of the pupil all the year round, and who are able to appraise his general ability with a considerable degree of accuracy. Whereas 9.9 per cent, of those who were considered "certainties" failed to pass the examiners, it is also significant that 8 per cent, of those who were thought completely unfit to go to a university, college were accorded that privilege through success at tho examination.

It is also interesting to note that other reports prepared for tho department show that in many subjects there is from year to year a great difference in tho average number of passes recorded in certain subjects. It has been held that) where the number of candidates for the whole Dominion is so large, this disparity in tho annual average passes should not vary as much as is 4he case.