LEARNING LIMITS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 837, 4 December 1929, Page 1

LEARNING LIMITS

STANDARDS SOUGHT IN DOMINION SCHOOLS TESTS EMBARKED ON To guide inspectors and to grade teachers as probable outcomes, an effort is to be made by the Education Department to determine standards of study for primary school classes. Approval of the scheme was given by the Auckland Education Board this morning. Advice from the department seid it desired to establish standards of attainment in various subjects. Auckland inspectors were asked to make suggestions regarding a test in arithmetic; this was done, and certain schools in the Auckland district had been chosen by the inspectors for the carrying out of tests in arithmetical reasoning. “I want to protest against any attempt to divide the children into classes of mentality that are known to themselves,” said Mr. H. S. W. King. Mr. King was assured by Mr. T. U. Wells that nothing in that direction was contemplated. The tests would be to define Dominion standards and they would give an indication of teaching efficiency in the various districts. The results taken from selected schools could be extended to cover the standard of a district. Similar tests could be taken in Wellington and a comparison could be made with the Auckland results. “The scheme is an effort to determine the extent of the standards in teaching results in various classes,” remarked Mr. D. W. Dunlop, the secretary.

The board gave its approval of the proposal.