Why can't Johnny read? Perhaps he has difficulty with his eyes or his ears.

On November 17, 1904, the Vermont Legislature passed legislation requiring students to take different kinds of tests...tests that were health related.

For the first time, Vermont public school children were required to take tests for both hearing and vision. Vermont supplied test cards, record books and other needed materials and distributed them to the appropriate health officials for each school.

Parents and guardians were to be notified of their student's test results in writing. The advent of this testing signified that school officials were becoming aware of relationships between physical conditions and learning abilities.

Image courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society.

November Archives | November 18