Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1904 — Radical Change In Method. [ARTICLE]

Radical Change In Method.

Representative elect Frank B. Long, of Clinton oounty. is planning to introduce but one measure in the legislature, and that will be an act having to do with the state’s public schools. Mr. Long is a teacher, and his bill is designed to regulate the licensing of teachers and remove the elements of unfairness in the grading of examination papers and the granting of certificates cf the oounty license good in any county in the state. According to Mr. Long’s plan, the county superintendent will put no distinguishing mark whatever on examination papers except the number which has been assigned to the applicant. A number corresponding with that on the examination paper, together with the applicant’s name, will be prnced in a special book and retained by the superintendent. After each examination the superintendents of the different counties will send all papsrs. designated only by numbers, to the state superintendent, - He, in turn classifies them with bis own numbers in red ink (the other marks being blaok ink) and then apportions them to the differ ent county superintendents, taking care to see that no superintendent receives the paper of his oounty to grade. After they are graded they are returned to the state superintendent, who will issue blank license! to those who have passed, using numbers for his designation. When the papers are finally returned to their proper oounty superintendent be fills in the blank left for the name of the winner of the licenses. No superintendent will know by whom the papers of bis county were examined. The proposed bill is said to have received the indorsement of educators, and that an earnest effort will be made to push it through. However unless eome method goes with it whereby teachers receive credit for the kind of work they have been doing as teachers, along with their examination paper marks, this proposed system will still be far from perfect, though no doubt, in many respec's an improvement over the present system.