Page 4
THE NEBRASKAN
Tuesday, March' 5, 1943
Survey Lists
Nebraska's
Air Program
Nebraska's aviation training
program for school children, lay
ing the educational ground work
for future generations of air
minded Nebraskans, has been
rated along with New York state
as "tops in the nation by a Chi
cago survey concern.
The program started from
scratch in 1940; was given a con
siderable boost during the war
by helping prepare high school
graduates for the air corps; and
is now enojoying a post-war avia
tion boom in over 75 high schools
offering aeronautics courses to
many thousands of young boys.
Nebraska educational training
plan has become somewhat of a
national model. In the past few
years a number of other states
have patterned their programs
after the Nebraska system. The
tools for the program textbooks
and teachers manuals were de
veloped at the University of Ne
braska Teachers college.
Interest Began in '40.
Aviation study interest began in
1940 when the stale aeronautics
commission offered to furnish free
text books to any high school in
Nebraska which would add the
subject to the couse of study. Over
160 high schools applied. But
there weren't enough books, and
the ones existing then were for
college students, not high school
boys.
Prof. Frank Sorenson of the
University of Nebraska Teachers
college organized a committee of
Nebraska teachers at the Univer
sity Teachers college summer
workshop in 1941. An 83 page
manual for high school boys was
produced for the high schools.
United Air Lines also asked for
250 for teaching kits they were
dis'ributing.
The manual so impressed Bruce
Uthus, Civil Aeronautics associa
tion educational director in Wash
ington, D. C, he came to Lin
coln immediately, and asked the
University of Nebraska to de
velop an aviation text book for
high schools. At the summer work
shop in 1942, Professor Sorenson,
Prof. Harold Wise and Prof. Ralph
C Dedell supervised work on a 555
page book, and a 113 page manual.
The book was published and be
came a best seller and widely
used in Nebraska high schools. It
told high school boys of the mys
tery of flight in simple language.
Contributing authors were: Ray
mond E. Collins, York, Harley F.
Glidden, Fairbury, Florence Jen
kins. Lincoln, LeRoy E. Smith,
Omaha, Edward Vacek, Beatrice,
Robert A. Wells, McCook, D. A.
Worchester of the university psy
chology department, and Victor P.
Morley, George E. Rotter, and
John H. St rake of the university's
extension division.
Request for Book.
Teachers also asked for a book
on the social significance of aero
nautics. The summer workshop of
1943 wrote such a book now used
in over 150 Nebraska high schools.
A revised edition of this book is
now being printed.
The university in co-operation
with other agencies, has also:
4 Developed 18 full page posters
to aid teachers understand the
principles of flight published by
the Nebraska Educational Journal;
developed a series of simple
pamphlets for elementary grade
students; supplied the National
Chamber of Commerce with ma
terial for aviation kits they art
distributing; urged the aeronautics
commission to finance visual aids
and model airplane kits for Ne
braska school children; developed
wider use of motion pictures in
teaching aeronautics.
Wilcox . . .
(Continued from pac 1.)
will create the means for its own
repayment. The $120,000,000 that
Britain will be required t: pay
back annually is only 2 percent
of the annual earnings of the
United Kingdom. Surely Great
BritaJn can be considered a good
risk, ' he added.
Answers Questions.
In answer to the Question that
- America cannot afford to make '
the loan, Wilcox pointed out that .
the loan would increase our na
tional debt only 1 percent. "We ,
would have spent this amount in
one week of additional wariare,
be said.
Dr. Wilcox is of the opinion that
a delay in passing this legislation
may result in our exporters being
Prof. O. Collins
Reports Seeing
Bright Meteor
Professor O. C. Collins of the
university observatory has ' had
some reports of a meteor seen at
sundown Sunday night, and is
interested in hearing from any
others who may have seen it.
According to reports received at
the observatory, the meteor was
very brilliant and resembled a
blowtorch in appearance. Facts
that should be known about the
meteor include time and place of
observation and the direction in
the sky lrom the observation post.
Position.
The azimuth and altitude of the
meteor should also be included, or
the horizontal distance and height
above the horizon. If it was visible
for any length of time, the obser
vatory would like to know the
azimuth and altitude when first
seen and when last seen, and also
whether it disappeared from view
in midair or below the horizon as
they saw it.
Information about the meteor
should be written on a postcard
and sent to Prof. Collins at the
university observatory, together
with the name and address of the
observer.
frozen out of world trade. That
will be the result if Britain is
given time to consolidate and
work out its trade policy.
"Failure to pass this bill will
likely cause international reper
cussions and leave no hope for
international co-operation," was a
statement issued by John Winant,
American ambassador to Britain,
according to Wilcox.
"If Great Britain and the
United States will collaborate in
working out trade problems, the
outlook will be bright for world
trade unity," Wilcox concluded.
Nebraska is the only state uni
versity with 33 college buildings
and 2 greenhouses.
One edition of the Warsaw
(Poland) Registered Times aver
ages 25,001 words.
Dr. W. Bailer, Guidance Head,
Judges Student's Aptitudes
BY TOM GREEN.
Dr. Warren R. Bailer's official
capacity on the staff of the uni
versity is acting head of the
denartment of educational Psy
chology and guidance consultant
m the junior division.
However, it is in his capacity
as guidance consultant that his
greatest influence is felt by the
student. Part of the work in this
job is concerned with the guid
ance and aDtitude tests which are
of so much importance to those in
the junior division.
Two Programs.
"There are at least two pro
grams of tests which are of some
importance to students, both of
which bear the term 'aptitude
tests' ", according to Dr. Bailer.
The first of these tests is the
series which are required of all
entering students below the junior
level.
This battery of tests serves to
facilitate the selection of appro
priate programs of study, lay a
foundation for later advisory
work, as well as to provide an
accurate means of classification
into the prope sections of study
corresponding to the appropriate
level of accomplishment of the
student.
Disagree.
According to Mr. Bailer, the ad
visors have learned that the uni
versity test results and the high
school grades do not always agree,
and therefore, their policy in as
sessing the relative value of the
test grades should not be limited
to one or the other but should
be a combination of the two in
dices.
The reasons for this conflict
between the two scores are varied.
It may be accounted for by con
sidering the close proximity of
personalities in the high school
as compared with that of the
university.
In regard to such a condi-
dition, Dr. Bailer makes it plain
that the personality which may
clash with the high school teacher
will not become evident to the
university professor, and there
fore the students personality will
not be an influencing factor
either in the recording of the
apptitude test or in the school
mark rewarded to the student.
Accuracy Test.
Another factor tending to
scuttle the accuracy of ths test
scores is those students who for
some reason or another are not
at their best when taking the
entrance tests. Last, there is the
difficulty inherent in the vary
ing . system of grading employed
in the different high schools of
the country.
Before the examination results
are of any use to the advisor, the
tests are scored by machine and
the raw scores thus determined
are converted into standard scores,
which are in turn based upon
the distribution of scores in the
average entering class.
The standard ratings are then
plotted on a standard form in' the
shape of a graph by which the
advisor may see at a glance the
level of accomplishment dis
played by the subject in the vari
ous departments which are cov
ered by the tests.
The raw scores may sometimes
bring to light defects in the tests
themselves. If the test does not
measure the height of ability and
the depth of ability present in the
group it cannot be an accurate
measure of the accomplishment
of the group. This is determined
by an examination of the scores
to see if the test is too hard or
too easy for some of those who
were subject to it.
Mary Variables.
"Our experience with the tests
has shown that prediction cannot
be made 100 percent, but neither'
can those predictions based on
high school grades," stated Mr.
Bailer. However, he went on to
say, "Those whose profiles are
consistently in the lower 7 or 8
percent manage to continue in
school beyond the first semester
in a very few instances about
one in ten." Mr. Bailer makes it
plain that there are many varia-
bles concerned In the prediction
which cannot be taken into ac
count. For example, a person whose
tests may show a low level of
mastery may effect real accom
plishments with motivation and
consistent effort. In this connec
tion, he says that the tests used
as entrance examinations are
largely a measure of mastery with
the exception of the college apti
tude test which is inserted in th
series.
Another significant fact is found
in his statement that, "Nearly
three-fourths of the students with
consistently high college grades
(85 percent and above) are found
to have scored above the mid
point in the entrance tests." Be
cause of the fact that the entering
class is taken from the upper half
of the high school class, predic
tion of this kind is very signifi
cant, according to Dr. Bailer.
Special Inventory.
After students get underway,
some are more and more uncer
tain of their vocational choice.
For this reason there are also
aptitude tests which may be taken
at the junior division. About 1,000
in a year ask to take these tests
to solve this problem. The tests
are administered in batteries to
inventory their special ability,
their interests and personality.
Consultation is then provided on
the basis of the results.
According to Dr. Bailer, the
individual profile of each student
is available for his examination
upon request.
Home Ec Club
Attends Ag Tea
All home ec club members will
be honored guests this afternoon
from 4:30 to 5:30 at a tea in
the home ec social rooms on Ag
campus, Marolyn Hartsook, presi
dent, has announced.
Tea will be served from 4:30
until the program begins at 5
o'clock, when Mrs. Frances Keefer
Atkisson will review the best
seller, "The Egg and I." Tea will
again be served alter tne re
view.
Members of the club will be
hostesses and Miss Winston Os-
born will preside at the service
table.
Ufa" v-m M t K "7
W r '. '11 ' ' I s '
i'ty, :;Vil?; 1
LI5TE KMTTH E
ALWAYS MILDER
l GETTER TASTING
(g COOLER SM0KIMG
6:00 P. U. 17017
tX3SZXS2Z2SS2S5ZZSS3XSS2SS5ESZ2Z3ZXSS:55!:X7!
i f m
M
M
THE RIGHT COMBINATION
OF THE WORLD'S BEST TOBACCOS "
CoprrV Ir46, Usot i. Mnu Towcco Co.
it
M
M
M
M
M
II
! M
!H
II
M
14
a. m
1
f i
M
II
M
