conditional on successfully passing the committee's national examinations or on having received committee accreditation. I suggest that in assessing the state of American education the committee be requested to confine itself to scholastic attainments. We will not win the cold war, nor meet economic competition from the Common Market countries, nor obtain urgently needed skilled workers, technicians, and professionals by having swimming pools or school dances or even delightfully poised young people. It is in academic excellence that our schools must be brought to a point where the education they offer is at every ability level—at least equivalent and preferably better than in any other country. No extraneous considerations ought to intrude when it comes to determining what is or what should be the technical task our schools must accomplish. Because it lends itself to examination at different scholastic levels, I recommend the English GCE as a model which we might like to adapt to our own needs. I am firmly convinced that in a country where children, where everyone is "status conscious," the raising of scholastic levels in the public schools will most effectively be brought about by starting from the top. Once you have the college-preparatory high school students aiming at a nationally set standard, it will not be too difficult to get those with somewhat less academic ambitions to want a similar national goal to work for. This is exactly what is happening in England. First the GCE was a Grammar School examination. Then a few Secondary Modern School students attempted to obtain some GCE passes; then more took the exams each year. This led employers and professional bodies, as well as technical schools, to require that applicants have several GCE passes. At the moment another exam, very like the GCE but academically slightly lower, is being developed. The same spiraling of educational objective would, I feel sure, happen here. Any examinations so established would, to my mind, have to aim at least as high scholastically as do similar examinations abroad. The criterion is not that every child should be able to meet the examination standards but that there be several levels at which children may be tested. If we wished to do as well as England currently does, we should have to have 1 million students take a GCE-type examination each year. I do not know how many English students take the exams at each of the three levels, but this could easily be ascertained. Most of them would be at ordinary level. We should also have a national examination comparable to the Secondary Modern School exam now being developed in England which could be taken by high school graduates who do not enter college. I believe such national examinations would contribute greatly to a rapid raising of scholastic standards for all types of ability levels. A committee to set standards, to keep watch over the state of American education, to point out peril points, and to keep us fully informed on our competitive position in education-this is what I suggest would aid in correcting the deficiencies in our school system. Mr. CANNON. Thank you, Admiral. Admiral RICKOVER. May I ask one thing, sir? Mr. CANNON. If you will, Admiral Rickover. Admiral RICKOVER. I would like the permission of this committee when I put in these enclosures, since some of them are examination questions, that instead of being printed in small type, it be done so they can easily be read. Mr. CANNON. That will be done. You may supplement your remarks when your transcript comes to you and you may include such other reference matter as you consider pertinent. We would like to have a full reply to every question. Mr. ALFORD. Admiral Rickover, I wish to correct an impression that may have been erroneous. As I said, the only reason that I brought up the story that I had heard relative to the Mayo brothers, I wanted to make the point that in setting up examination standards that would strike across the Nation, whatever field it is in education, would we be drawing the line too severely and would your system of examination or standards that we are setting cut out some boy or girl forever, for example, of ever having an opportunity? Admiral RICKOVER. No, sir. I mentioned the experience in the city of Manchester, where they found that out of 10,000 students there were mistakes in only 12 percent but even those were ultimately corrected. The examination system I propose would of course be permissive. Mr. ALFORD. I want the record to show that I am for high standards. Admiral RICKOVER. I am not for reducing anyone's opportunity for a good education. Mr. CANNON. Mr. Flynt of Georgia. FREE EDUCATION IN EUROPE Mr. FLYNT. At one time in your remarks you referred to the fact that in Russia all higher education was free. Admiral RICKOVER. Yes, sir. Mr. FLYNT. And that in England 80 percent of it is free. Admiral RICKOVER. Eighty percent of English university students are on scholarship; primary and secondary education is available at no cost. Mr. FLYNT. And either by direction or indirection you implied that in the United States it had to be paid for. Admiral RICKOVER. Some of it does, sir. Mr. FLYNT. I would like to make the observation that there is no such thing as anything being free. It has got to be paid for by somebody and it has to be worked for if it is to be of any value. Admiral RICKOVER. Yes, sir. The point is this, in Russia all education is free. On the Continent practically all education is free. In England it is free except for about 20 percent of students in the universities. Certainly somebody has to pay for it. It means in England and on the Continent a consensus has been reached that the cost of education should be socialized. They have reached consensus that no one should be barred from education by lack of money. Mr. WILSON. The old Chinese proverb, "Cut your own wood and it will warm you twice" is just as good today as ever. It is the same with the student. You cannot give him an education. He needs to work for it. I am one who feels we have done too much in giving them an education. Mr. CANNON. Gentlemen, we have run far beyond our allotted time. Thank you, Admiral Rickover. Admiral RICKOVER. Mr. Chairman, may I again thank you and members of the committee for the privilege of appearing before you. Mr. CANNON. Without objection, the committee stands adjourned. ANNEXES FOR TESTIMONY 1. Samples English General Certificate of Education (GCE) "ordinary," "advanced," and "scholarship" level examinations. 2. Samples of classroom work and test papers in Fourth Form of Secondary Modern School, Manchester, England, by pupils in slightly above average, average, and bottom ability "streams" of the school. 3. Article by Theodore Guerin, "Is This American Education?", Ladies' Home Journal, February 1959. 4. Samples of test work in composition as shown in Talent Survey of half a million American high school students, reprinted from Chemical and Engineering News, November 21, 1960. 5. Samples of compositions by American elementary and secondary school teachers taking an English refresher course at a Midwestern University, "Can Our Teachers Read and Write?", by James D. Koerner, Harper's Magazine, November 1954. 6. Sample English "11 plus" examination, British Information Services, July 1961. 165 ANNEX 1 GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (GCE) EXAMINATIONS While a few of the brightest Secondary Modern School pupils succeed in obtaining one to three passes of the GCE "ordinary" level, this examination is designed for Grammar and Technical School students. For the scholastic attainments of Secondary Modern School children consult Annex 2. The GCE "ordinary" level examination is taken at the end of the fifth form (eleventh school year) at age 15-16; in rare cases at age 14. The "advanced" and "scholarship" level examinations are taken at age 18, at the end of two, occasionally three, years in the sixth form. Normally, a student will need, as a minimum, an IQ of 110 to obtain one or more "ordinary" passes. About 30 percent of the 15-16 age group have the required intelligence, though not all of this 30 percent obtain such passes. For the "advanced" and "scholarship" level GCE a minimum IQ of 120-125 is ordinarily needed. About 10 percent of the 18-year olds have the required intelligence and again not all of these obtain advanced or scholarship passes. |