COLUMBIA DEVISES NEW EDUCATIONAL POLICY

Again Columbia has taken the lead in devising a new educational policy, this time its activity being directed toward the devising of a new method of placement in college courses.

Dean Hawkes in his recent report outlined the system of mental tests in use in the college, and emphasized their importance as a measure of intellectual qualities. He then pointed out their weakness in ascertaining the new students' fitness for a particular course in a given department, and the resultant confusion and shifting of courses in the first few weeks of the fall term.

Under the present system of tests, the report states, both Washington and Shakespere would fall in English because of the spelling requirement, and their ability to command the language as a medium of expression would count for nothing. To remedy this condition Dean Hawkes proposed to give the students entering the English department separate tests in spelling, vocabulary, construction, and composition to discover his fitness in each of these branches. Then, if no fails in one of these fields, instead of being excluded from college for the deficiency the student will be required to take without credit some college course to correct the faults revealed in the placement examinations.

According to the Dean's report, this new system will be used in the divisions of English, French, German, and mathematics this year but will be extended no doubt for students entering in September, 1924.