A general examination to test eighth grade students in Kentucky's Bullitt County school system in 1912 has stumped some adults and ignited a debate over the intelligence of children today.

[Cincinnatus]

A general examination to test eighth grade students in Kentucky's Bullitt County school system in 1912 has stumped some adults and ignited a debate over the intelligence of children today.

The arithmetic, geography, civil government, physiology, grammar and history questions range from 'What is a personal pronoun?' to 'Who first discovered Lawrence River?' and 'Define Cerebrum'...

There has been no shortage of claims in recent years that education within America has declined.

In 1995, the U.S. ranked second after New Zealand in terms of college graduation among 19 countries with comparable data. In 2010, it ranked 13th among 25 countries with comparable data.

Critics of the comparison between students of today and those in 1912 KY complain

'Most of these questions are memorization-based. They prompt memorized answers with specific words that would have been used in classes back then.

'There are very little critical thinking questions or any other questions that require more than rote memorization to complete.'

Another woman, under the name of Leah Jaclyn, agreed, writing: 'Often people who think our kids are dumb fail to realise that rote memorisation is a skill that is not often required anymore.'

My guess is the students of today would have trouble reading the test much alone answering the questions and that is not an issue of "intelligence" so much as the quality of our current educational system as compared to theirs.

For this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2381482/Were-children-smarter-century-ago-Test-eighth-graders-Kentucky-dated-1912-ignites-debate-kids-intelligence-today.html

For the test: http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/07/no_author/a-101-year-old-test-for-8th-graders/

[GourmetDan]

Critics of the comparison between students of today and those in 1912 KY complain
My guess is the students of today would have trouble reading the test much alone answering the questions and that is not an issue of "intelligence" so much as the quality of our current educational system as compared to theirs.

And, the debate will be limited to how much more money we will give to the government schools without even recognizing that, in 1912, school was privately administered and was not government controlled.

Of course, the government school-educated parents will be the ones accepting the opinions they are given by the media because the private school-educated people are all dead by now...

 

[jmyrlefuller]

'Most of these questions are memorization-based. They prompt memorized answers with specific words that would have been used in classes back then.

'There are very little critical thinking questions or any other questions that require more than rote memorization to complete.'

Another woman, under the name of Leah Jaclyn, agreed, writing: 'Often people who think our kids are dumb fail to realise that rote memorisation is a skill that is not often required anymore.'

I find this utterly hilarious.

So we used to teach our kids facts, then let them figure out how to put them together.

Now we teach "ways of thinking," so that they can write and speak so much without knowing what on earth they are talking about.

We have created a nation of  artists.