238 president's address — section j. 



from unjust criticism. By means of these objective measures dif- 

 ferences of opinion as between teacher, headmaster, and inspector 

 would be largely avoided. Further, it would be possible to mea- 

 sure more accurately the progress made by a class over a particular 

 period. But class progress and class achievements are in part 

 only due to the skill of the teacher, and we have to consider ail 

 the factors upon which scholastic attainments depend before we 

 can estimate the teacher's share in the production of the result. 

 Much depends, as all teachers know^ upon the innate ability of 

 the class group. This we can now measure with fair accuracy, 

 and so may arrive at some estimate of the quality of the teacher's 

 work. For a lower mark with a poorer class group' may be 

 evidence of greater teaching skill than a higher mark with a group 

 of greater scholastic ability. 



We have further, in estimating the class attainments, toi consider 

 not one subject, but all subjects, for it is easy to' secure a high 

 level of attainment in one subject by the relative neglect of others 

 which perhaps are not so carefully tested. What is needed to 

 'letermine the efficiency of a school or class group is some index 

 number, which will be so constructed as to exhibit the total 

 efficiency when all aspects of school life and work have been given 

 due weight. To pursue this matter further would involve a study 

 of the methods of school inspection and examination. Such a 

 study is greatly needed, for our methods of inspection are at pre- 

 sent much behind our methods of teaching. The recent surveys 

 of American school systems are very suggestive as indicating more 

 satisfactory methods than are at present in use in the Australian 

 States. One has cnly to read the inspectors' reports as at present 

 compiled to recognise that they tell little or nothing of the real 

 state of the school, or how it compares with other schools, in the 

 innate ability and achievements of its pupils, in character of 

 teaching staff, of buildings or of equipment. 



Reliable norms of scholastic performance would enable the 

 teacher to vary his time-table when he finds the level of the class 

 performance in any subject either above or below a reasonable 

 standard of performance for the individual or group. Thorndike, 

 for instance, points out that at present we are apt to teach 

 children to Avrfbe too well. School time is so short, and there are 

 so many things worth doing that it seems a pity to waste time 

 by demanding an unduly high standard of performance. 



Recent studies of the distribvition of scholastic ability have 

 shown in a very striking manner the heterogeneity of all age 

 groups, and even of the actual class groups into which a school 

 population is organized. The heterogeneity of the age groups has, 

 oif coiurse, been more or less recognised, since actual class groups 

 are always heterogeneous in respect of age. It was supposed, 

 however, that in ability a class group was fairly homogeneous, 

 and it is on this assumption that much oi our present practice 



