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For reference -- this is Bullitt County, Kentucky. It is just south of Louisville, and is now a part of the greater Louisville metropolitan area. At this point

For reference -- this is Bullitt County, Kentucky. It is just south of Louisville, and is now a part of the greater Louisville metropolitan area. At this point in the county's history, it had a population of approximately 10,000 people. The Louisville & Nashville railroad passed through the county and had several stops, plus some fairly good quality roads linked the county with Louisville and other towns in the region, so the area was rural, but not particularly isolated. Its school district was well established but generally stopped at the 8th grade. The school system was a collection of various small schoolhouses located around the county. In short, it was probably representative of most of rural America in the early 20th century. As a graduate of the public schools in that county, I can't say that I received the same rigorous education that the test here indicates was once the standard. It's very strange to me to see this pop up now and then on the internet as an example of "look at the standards we once held our children to".

talmand 12y ago
I would say it's possible that they did not receive a more rigorous education since we may not know what they were educated on beyond these questions. What if the students of the era were specifically prepared to answer these questions for this test much like how US children are educated today? A good portion of my children's education is tied solely to passing standardized tests. Sometimes to the detriment of a more balanced education.
- jff 12y ago
  On the website it says seventh grade students were encouraged to start studying for it, so focus on the test was high even then.
- engi_nerd 12y ago
  It's clear from this test that the curriculum was defined and a body of knowledge was expected to be mastered. That's what I mean by rigor. My experiences in that same school system starting some 77 years later did not reflect a similar rigor (and was not complete in your sense, either).

talmand 12y ago

I would say it's possible that they did not receive a more rigorous education since we may not know what they were educated on beyond these questions. What if the students of the era were specifically prepared to answer these questions for this test much like how US children are educated today? A good portion of my children's education is tied solely to passing standardized tests. Sometimes to the detriment of a more balanced education.

jff 12y ago
On the website it says seventh grade students were encouraged to start studying for it, so focus on the test was high even then.
engi_nerd 12y ago
It's clear from this test that the curriculum was defined and a body of knowledge was expected to be mastered. That's what I mean by rigor. My experiences in that same school system starting some 77 years later did not reflect a similar rigor (and was not complete in your sense, either).