committees would make their selec- 

 tions on the basis of the dossiers of 

 the candidates which would be sup- 

 plied to them by the national office, 

 plus such other material as the State 

 committees may decide to gather and 

 use. The national office, on the basis 

 of the tests of scientific promise and 

 the applicants' school records, would 

 select twice the State's quota and re- 

 port the names and records of such 

 candidates to the State committees. 

 The State committees would make 

 the final selections from among these 

 candidates. No candidates who do 

 not attain a certain minimum na- 

 tional standard should be certified to 

 the State committees. 



In the selection of the general ad- 

 visory committee, and also in choos- 

 ing the membership of the technical 

 committee or committees, the persons 

 and oreanizations that have had the 

 greatest experience in constructing, 

 administering and interpreting the 

 particular kind of measuring instru- 

 ments to be used in this program 

 should be consulted. Such organiza- 

 tions include the committee on 

 Measurement and Guidance of the 

 American Council on Education, the 

 Cooperative Test Service, the Col- 

 lege Entrance Examination Board, 

 the Graduate Record Examination 

 Office of the Carnegie Foundation, 

 the Measurement and Guidance Proj- 

 ect in Engineering Education, the 

 Examination Staff of the Armed 

 Forces Institute, and the University 

 of Iowa Examination project. Direc- 

 tors, and in some instances, other 

 staff members of these agencies are 

 among those who have had the great- 

 est amount of experience in prepar- 

 ing measurement instruments of the 

 type necessary. To make certain that 

 the selection instruments are as ade- 

 quate as they can be made, it will be 



essential to draw upon the combined 

 experience and technical knowledge 

 and judgment of these persons and 

 agencies. The whole job must be 

 done at the highest possible level of 

 professional competence. 



//. Bases of Selection} 



It is proposed that there be four 

 principal sources of information and 

 judgment upon which final selection 

 of the Scholars should be based; but 

 that only the first two of these be 

 used in the preliminary screening: 



(1) Score on test of scientific 

 promise. 



(2) School record, especially rank- 

 in-class. 



(3) Candidate's application in- 

 cluding an inventory of ac- 

 tivities and interests. 



(4) Recommendation of principals 

 and teachers regarding candi- 

 date's ability and personal 

 qualities. 



It is strongly recommmended that 

 these tests and examinations be un- 

 dertaken on an experimental basis 

 and be continually revised and im- 

 proved in the light of actual experi- 

 ence and of the performance of stu- 

 dents selected. The first few years of 

 the program especially should be con- 

 sidered experimental so that new and 

 promising methods can be tried out, 

 particularly for the discovery of the 

 candidates' interests and personality 

 characteristics, including evidence of 

 some concern for social understand- 

 ing and responsibility. 



For the present, and subject to 

 change in the light of experience and 



1 This section applies especially to the discov- 

 ery of talented youth who are attending high 

 school. The committee, as indicated in the body 

 of its report, recognizes that there is also the 

 problem of finding, and giving opportunity tcx 

 talented youth who are outside high schools and 

 that, for them, variations from standard proce- 

 dures will be required. 



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