Comments on: 8th Grade Exam from 1895 (ouch!) http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/07/01/8th-grade-exam-from-1895-ouch/ The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be. - Pete Seeger Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:09:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: michael- http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/07/01/8th-grade-exam-from-1895-ouch/#comment-2420 Sat, 24 Sep 2005 22:56:44 +0000 http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/07/01/8th-grade-exam-from-1895-ouch/#comment-2420 Thanks anonymous, I did check Snopes.com, as I frequently do when looking at dubious info received via the internet. They don't really say that the test was not an 8th grade exam, but rather specifically counter the claim that, "An 1895 graduation examination for public school students demonstrates a shocking decline in educational standards." <blockquote>What nearly all these pundits fail to grasp is "I can't answer these questions" is not the same thing as "These questions demonstrate that students in earlier days were better educated than today's students." Just about any test looks difficult to those who haven't recently been steeped in the material it covers. </blockquote> from <a href="http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.htm">http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.htm</a> Having re-read the snopes opinion piece I would have to agree with them, and would not have posted this trivia, whether it be true or false, for the risk of supporting the meme of "curriculum is less today". I reject that idea, and didn't intend to promote it. Thanks anonymous,
I did check Snopes.com, as I frequently do when looking at dubious info received via the internet. They don’t really say that the test was not an 8th grade exam, but rather specifically counter the claim that, “An 1895 graduation examination for public school students demonstrates a shocking decline in educational standards.”
What nearly all these pundits fail to grasp is “I can’t answer these questions” is not the same thing as “These questions demonstrate that students in earlier days were better educated than today’s students.” Just about any test looks difficult to those who haven’t recently been steeped in the material it covers.

from http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.htm

Having re-read the snopes opinion piece I would have to agree with them, and would not have posted this trivia, whether it be true or false, for the risk of supporting the meme of “curriculum is less today”. I reject that idea, and didn’t intend to promote it.

]]> by: Anonymous http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/07/01/8th-grade-exam-from-1895-ouch/#comment-2418 Sat, 24 Sep 2005 21:05:10 +0000 http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/07/01/8th-grade-exam-from-1895-ouch/#comment-2418 visit snopes.com. this is not an 8th grade exam. visit snopes.com. this is not an 8th grade exam.

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