JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
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PROFICIENCY IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY A Method of Integrating the High School and College Program A. B. GARRETT The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
"hywe have one or two students each year who can pass
M A N Y T E A C ~ E R Sof high school chemistry ask take our high school chemistry if the student is required to take general chemistry in college anyhow?" That issue is a real one and to it I wish to address the following facts and remarks. For the past 18 years the teachers in The Division of General Chemistry a t The Ohio State University have been studying this problem. We feel that needless repetition of work well mastered should be aJoided regardless of whether the work was done in high school, in night school, in the boys' basement, or elsewhere. The important thing is the student's competency in the field of chemistry. To determine the degree of this competency we have been developing and using a variety of placement or proficiency tests. These tests are given to all students who register for the first course in general chemistry and who have had high school chemistry. As a result of the satisfactory performance in these tests we recommend college credit toward graduation (5 hours) for from 5 to 15 per cent of these students and have moved them up to the second-quarter work. This credit we call proficiency or Em credit, i.e., credit by examination. This same procedure is recommended for all departments in the university; the other departments who grant Em credit to an appreciable number of students are English and language.ln2 Some students wish to try for Em credit in the second quarter of college chemistry. This they can do and
this examination. We encourage students to try for this proficiency credit. Each new student is sent a booklet by the University Registrar describing the Placement and Proficiency tests with sample questions. It appears to be a reasonable method of integrating the high school work with the college work and of avoiding undue repetition. The soundness of this procedure can be judged since it is based upon a measured proficiency rather than upon academic credits submitted. TYPE OF TEST USED
We have tried a variety of tests by which we could obtain a measure of the competency expected. At one t i e we used data from the following tests: (a)a test covering general physical and chemical concepts; (b) a test covering the content material of the &st quarter's work in general chemistry a t the University; (c) a laboratory test on the actual performance of a laboratory experiment and the interpretation of data therefrom; and (d) The Ohio State University Intelligence Test. The data from such tests gave an excellent basis for selecting the superior student. However, we have found that the problem of securing all of these data quickly from the large group of students (approximately 1500) enrolled in the first-quarter courses in the fall of the year was very difficult; so much so that it re1 PRESSEY, S. L., Jm-l of Educational Research, April, 1945, quired a simpler procedure of examining the studentg. A study of the various examination results, when comp. 596. 9 I n evaluating credit obtained in regular courses as well as pared with the student's performance in the course Proficiency Credit it is well worth considering the forgetting fac- to which he was advanced, led us to believe that we tor which is described by LEARNED m WOOD"The Student and his Knowledge,'! Bulletin No. 29, The Carnegie Foundation for could choose these proficiency students on the basis of data from: (a) a short arithmetic test; (b) a chemthe Advancement of Teaching.
JANUARY, 1948
istry test over the fist quarter of work a t the Univer- SUBJECT MATTER FOR PROFICIENCY TEST sity (called a proficiency test); and (c) The Ohio The subject matter of the Chemistry Proficiency State University Intelligence Test. Test is chosen vith the specific objective of selecting This practice has been followed now for several those superior students who have a mastery of the subyears. The significance of the results from the arith- ject matter taught in the first academic quarter of metic test has already been established by our results chemistry. The following topics are covered: published earlier.3 Matter and Energy-Units of Measurement; Particles of We have guarded our procedure in the selection of Matter; Gram-Atomic Weights and Gram-Molecular Weights; the proficiency students by use of the Intelligence Test Gases-the Gas Laws; the Kinetic-Molecular Theory; Determainly in borderline cases since it serves as a useful mination of Molecular Weights; Oxygen; Hydrogen; The guide to predict the student's capacity for adjustment States of Matter and Their Transitions; The Atmosphere-the Rare Gases; The Spectroscope; Nitrogen; Carbon Dioxide; to the more advanced work. Water-Hydrogen Peroxide; Oxides and the Earth's Crust; Those students selected for Em credit are "those who Laws of Chemical Combination-Atomic Weights, Equations; received a grade of A or B on the tests as standardized Atomic Number-the Periodic Law, Isotopes, Radioactivity, the by a control group of students who have completed the Structure of the Atom; Solutions-Concentration, Molecnlar first quarter of this work a t the Univer~ity.~This Weights; Ionization in Solutions. requirement may be too high but it is a safeguard ARGUMENTS PRO AND CON against abuse. This plan will probably not meet with approval by ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE DATA all teachers in all schools. Some will argue that stuAn important factor that has validated our pro- dents will profit by repeating general chemistry in college cedure in selecting the proficienoy students is their success in succeeding quarters in chemistry. This is TABLE 1 shown in the results of a study made by Dr. Sidney Distribution of Grades i n Second Quarter College Chemistry * Pressey and his colleagues from the Department of Psychology from the class records of a number of our (Comparison of Grades of Proficiency Students with Other Students) students. A report of this study is summarized in Gmdes of all students in the Table 1. seeond quarter of College The data in Table 1indicate the soundness of giving Chemistry (called Chemistry proficiency credit to 365 students who did receive it Total LIZ or Chemistw Lj7) t -~ ~. Classes of students by " ' E number in 1939 through the school year 1945, in terms of their of proficiency testgroupings A B C D Ifailure), grades in the following course (either Chemistry 412 or 4: 4: 4 Ojg % studats 417-the second quarter courses) as compared with the I. Students hrwine grades of students who had had Chemistry 411 or 416 (the first quarter courses) in the regular classes (see ?Em) in the first 1 3653 uarterof College 50 30 17 1 legend of Table 1 for significance of course number). Ehemistrv (called Table 1also attempts some appraisal of the desirability ~ h e m i s t f i'411for years 193945 of giving proficiency credit to other students not heretofore given such credit. 11. All students except proficiency The following points seem worth mentioning. 11 904 students far the 8 20 41 20 (1) Eighty per cent of the students who had proschool year 1945 ficiency grade for Chemistry 411 made A or B in the whose next following course as compared with only 28 111. Students grades in profiOnly one per cent of per cent for all other students. 136 ciency test were 20 30 36 7 7 within 10 centiles those with proficiency failed the succeeding course as of those given Em compared with 11 per cent of those taking Chemistry merlit. 411. IV. Students in the (2) Proficiency credit could probably he given to a 768 centiles 1-79 of 5 19 42 22 12 the proficiency test few more students but it would appear that analysis of that data in Group I11 of Table 1would indicate that * We wish to acknowledge the work of Mrs. Marie Flesher who the chances of failure are becoming much higher in this compiled the data of this table under the supervision of Professor Sidney L. Pressey. group of students. t The Chemistry Course numbers have the following meaning: It is of interest to add that most of these students (a)Chemistry 411, 412-the fimt two quarters of regular , College Chemistry. who receive Em credit become our best students in the (b) Chemistry 416, 417-the first two quarters of College University. Chemistry for Engineers. This is somewhat similar to a G ~ R R E TA. ~ , B., AND H. FAWCET~, "Our students do not know arithetio," Ohio Schools, 23,200 (1945). Credit by examination is given in a number of other schools, among which are University of Buffalo, Syracuse University, Mills College, Antioch College, Muskingum College, University of California, and The University of Illinois.
Chemistry 411 and 412 but taught from the engineer's viewpoint. f Actually many more than this dumber of students received Em credit over this period of time. However, during these war years many of our students were drafted before they completed the second quartor of work, hence the5 record is incomplete and is not included in this report.
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
regardless of their proficiency; that this is double acceleration. The first two of these possibilities are bookkeeping by way of the credit used and allowed. usually followed by the proficiency students. Some contend that the college course should be stiffened to challenge these students. PROFICIENCY SECTIONS Nevertheless the present-day recognition of the Except for the war years, we have found it profitable merit of demonstrated proficiency in academic areas and stimulating to schedule these proficiency students in and the fact that proficiency levels can be reached by a section by themselves. This serves as an excellent other pathways than through the college classrooms method of giving special attention to the superior makes one take cognizance of the merits of this prostudent. Some experiences with these students have cedure. Furthermore such a plan gives a student been described earlier,5 free time for electing advanced courses in chemistry or for other electives with which he may wish to round out W, ~L, E ~~T~~~ ~ F ~ W. c,, L,~ L, QarLL, ~ his college education-it also gives an opportunity for JOURNAL, 14,427 (1937).
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