II. ARITHMETIC TESTS IN THE RURAL SCHOOLS OF 

 FIVE INDIANA COUNTIES 



By Paul R. Mort. 



Introduction 



This study is based upon Courtis Arithmetic Test reports of 

 the tests made in the spring of 1915 in the counties of Wabash, 

 Huntington, Lake, Warren, and Randolph. Wabash county was 

 reported by Superintendent Robert K. Devricks; Huntington 

 county by Superintendent CHfford Funderburg; Lake county 

 by Supervisor E. A. Whitney; Warren county by Superintendent 

 Harry Evans. Superintendents Funderburg and Devricks made 

 much of this study possible by cooperating in giving a question- 

 naire in their schools. 



The first part sums up the general conditions in these counties 

 and points out a few comparisons. The second is a discussion of 

 some of the factors influencing achievement in the fundamental 

 processes of arithmetic. The third is a discussion of the results 

 obtained from retarded pupils (i.e. those who have failed one or 

 more times) in eight townships. 



Two plans were followed to insure dependability in the con- 

 clusions of the second part. In the first place, no conclusions 

 were drawn from any set of comparisons unless the induction 

 from those comparisons agreed with that from the comparison of 

 the '^regulars" (i.e. those who are in the classes with which they 

 entered school) in those eight townships for which the distributions 

 of the scores were made on the basis of retardation. This eliminat- 

 ed the influence of the retarded pupils. In the second place, no 

 conclusions were drawn that were not borne out by the results 

 in at least two counties, and thus by two widely different sets of 

 conditions. 



The limitation arising from the small number of cases con- 

 sidered is offset to some degree by the large representation of 

 schools (67 schools in 8 townships, alone). This tends to eliminate 

 the influence of abnormal local conditions. 



