MENTAL IS PHYSICAL

Even the seemingly almighty examination system is only mortal, and will soon pass out to use. So, at least, says Professor Thorndike, of Columbia, famous as the father of the psychological-test-for-entrance-to-college system, and who now proposes another scheme of education reform. The old system of grading is demoralizing to students, depending as it does, upon mere chance, or "the stupid conceit and sardonic indifference of the individual instructor". The shocking results of such a system, continues Professor Thorndike, are demonstrated by the scandalous fact that at Harvard As are thirty-five-times as common in Greek as in English courses. Such things must not be! Substitute for this unspeakable system the exact and definite methods of the scientist. Instead of giving a student an A or a C in a subject, give him his "A, Q,": i. e., his accomplishment quotient, which is his achievement score divided by his capacity measured in similar units. If his A, Q, is one or over, he passes: if it is below one, he "passes out".

The present grading system is not perfect by any means, and perhaps it works injustice. But that the A, Q, scheme will be a worthy substitute is not so certain, especially when we hear how it is to be conducted. Mental ability, claims Professor Thorndike, is a physical factor that can be measured as carefully as weight, lung capacity, or blood pressure. Education is human engineering, and should be carried on like other sciences, with the use of units such as the foot-pound, the volt, or the calorie. The exact units to be used for each type of mental test have not yet been fully determined, but when they are, our capacity and achievement will be recorded by means of scientifically accurate processes. Professor Thorndike does not give the details of the method, but states that in the "Contemporary Civilization" course, taken by all freshmen at Columbia, a "prepared instrument" for testing achievement was successfully employed. Does this mean that some day we shall be satisfying the requirements in English by reciting a given number of lines from Shakespeare with calipers across our forehead, a thermometer in our mouths, and a stopwatch in our hands?