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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1978)
THE BATTALION MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1978 Page 7 ? I Education Basic skills weak in Texas ’’"ture of tit Antonio w| | acin g theti, :ar °l McCg| le l will be Ilin g smote;I V for studen;! 5380 or 822.1 Me mbenJ f 7:30 p.m, °f Fun anl| Jnbelievablfl •xperimentill e Basement I at 5:30 p.m I the MSC. f oollegaiteini p m. for all in learninJ African Ciifl rently teadl ■y ofllbnoiil iewofa-paitl m. in ] flower sei fessor Audrey Hi bidder Hu H.:- United Press International AUSTIN — A $1 million study by the Texas Education Agency shows students in Texas public schools demonstrate “distressingly low performance” on tests designed to measure mastery of basic read ing and mathematics skills. Achievement levels are particularly low among minorities and stu dents in the state’s seven largest school districts, educators said Fri day. Test performance was noticeably lower among students in the largest urban districts and small rural districts. Suburban districts’ students scored better than students in other city school and nonmet ropolitan areas. ^ “We don’t know the reasons why,” said Charles Nix, associate commissioner for planning and accreditation. He said further study is needed to determine why certain groups score poorly and how educa tion programs need to be changed to help them learn. According to the study only 13 percent of sixth graders have 12 percent minimal math skills. For blacks the figure is 4 percent, for Mexican Americans 6 percent. Among 11th graders, 32 percent demonstrate mastery of essential everyday mathematic skills such as the ability to add fractions or use a map scale to determine distances. For blacks the figure is 9 percent, for Mexican Americans 22 percent. In reading, only 33 percent of sixth graders and 43 percent of 11th graders have mastered fundamental vocabulary and comprehension skills. Among blacks researchers reported 13 percent of sixth graders and 18 percent of 11th graders meet minimal skill levels. For Mexi can Americans the figure was 21 percent and 22 percent respectively. Researchers also found significant declines in scores of children' who watch a lot of television, come from low income families, do not speak English at home or have access to few reading materials at home. Also, males scored poorer than females, especially among sixth graders. Educators said further study is necessary to determine reasons for the difference and develop remedial programs to help students reach minimal skill levels. Researchers tested 110,000 students at 2,234 schools in April and May for competency in skills judged essential by Texas educators and for comparison with performance of students in national tests scores. Results of math and reading tests administered to 60,000 sixth and 11th graders were reported to the State Board of Education Friday. Scores on writing and citizenship tests will be announced Nov. 11. 1 Texas students are achieving in mathematics and reading very nearly like their counterparts in the nation as a whole,” Chairman Joe Kelly Butler of Houston said. “Some Texas students, like their coun terparts in other states, are not achieving satisfactorily. Distressingly low performance of some students is present in all types of school districts.” Butler noted, however, that many Texas students are achieving above the national average, including students from all types of school districts across the state. This tells us that public school education in Texas is basically sound,” Butler said. Nix cautioned that the statistics represent general standings of stu dents and are not intended to gauge the performance of individual school districts. Education Commissioner M. L. Brockette said the so called “essen tial objectives” measured in the tests represent skills Texas educators feel all students should achieve — not competencies aimed at college preparation. “Flowers for ... All Occasions” ' s Petal P^tch 3 T*xas 707 Phase II 7U/MS *71 I I«UI I atUi" , PIPES SNUFF SPITTONS PIPE RACKS ROLLING PAPER CIGARS - IMPORTED AND DOMESTIC MGHTERS/FLUID IMPORTED CIGARETTES CUSTOM BLENDED TOBACCO ^ 3709 E. 29TH (TOWN ft COUNTRY CENTER) M O H k; o. > Pi Grow with Public schools undermined United Press International CHICAGO — The most serious obstacle to good education in public schools is the large number of “functional illiterates” who graduate from colleges each year to become teachers, a leading educator says. Max Rafferty, former superintendent of public instruction in California, said Friday many public school children are unable to read, write and do simple arithmetic, because their teachers are unable to teach the basics. Speaking to 1,600 educators at the seventh annual convention of the American Association of Christian Schools, he said a shift toward relevance and more liberal teaching methods in the last two decades has undermined the entire public education system. Rafferty, now dean of the School of Education at Troy University in Alabama and the author of several books on basic education, said private schools offer a better basic education because parents have more input than in public schools. Rafferty predicted it will be at least 12 years befor public schools return to quality basic education. “The push is starting now,” he said. “But it takes 12 years to put a student through our schools.” jf ChemicJ land at' ow in ' drift Fai Process - be Houstel i 312, Nail at Zachry. a Educati municatio'J :30 p.m. il nutson ml )n Center World productivity called solution Energy executive blasts president rill meets eting d will haul AggielaD(i| Bldg. iuiii A director of the U.S. National Committee World Energy Confer ence criticized the Garter administ ration’s energy policy proposals here last week and painted a grim picture of future energy production in the United States. Howard Boyd, chairman and chief policy officer of a multi-billion dollar energy corporation in Hous ton told a Texas A&M University audience that energy problems that will confront the nation in 10 years are his problems now. He said productivity is the an swer. Boyd, who deals extensively with worldwide energy for the El Paso Co., repeateldy took the Carter energy policy to task. The president’s solution to the energy problem is suspect from the start, he said. It is dependent on conservation. Conservation is obvi ously good; on the other hand, economic stagnation is not suitable either. We must move forward with productivity,” he said. The success of the 1973 Arab oil embargo alerted the Arab nations to the power within their grasp, he said. Before the embargo. Bond said, no group on earth had had more trouble front. begin a liquefied natural gas opera tion in Algeria. Boyd said the natural gas industry will not be the one to save the Un ited States, either. “How are we going to meet that demand? The Lord only knows,” he said. “It won’t come from natural gas.” In the last 10 years, the United States has consumed twice the amount of gas it has discovered, he said. LNG holds some potential, but environmental and regulatory agen cies are slowing its use, the Houston executive said. Boyd said regulation of the sale of natural gas has created a demand load that gas industries cannot pos sibly meet. Now more than half of America’s population is somewhat dependent on natural gas for energy. “Deregulation is coming,” Boyd said. “Congress in the last 30 days has decided to deregulate gas. “Well, that’s commendable. But you just can’t turn off the gas sup ply. The best you can do is phase it out.” Energy problems will be here for some time, he said; the most con servative estimates state that by the year 2000, the energy demand will increase to 75 percent above its pre sent level. Boyd was at Texas A&M as part of the College Business Administra tion visiting executive speaker series. Texas Eastern is offering career opportunities to individuals anxious to grow with one of the nation’s leading diversified energy com panies. We are aggressively seeking graduates with the following degrees. Petroleum, Engineering—exploration and production, process engineering, supplemental fuels development. Accounting—corporate forecasts, financial reports, auditing, accounting, taxes. Computer Science—systems engineering, computer systems & programming. MBA—corporate planning. Outstanding pay plus benefits: Insurance plans, stock purchase and retirement plans plus on-the-job training enhanced by professional development programs. If you want to be an individual, not a face in the crowd, we’re your kind of company At Texas Eastern, people are our greatest asset. Contact: Texas Eastern Recruiting P.O. Box 2521 Houston, Texas 77001 On Campus interviewing October 27, Placement Office for location. Engineering. Contact An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F le presenting a unified I s! ted But the Israeli situation crys- talized the Arab goal, Boyd said. I don t know what the answer is, hut the problem is not going to go aw ay, the chairman said. “Just as important, though, is that the lead time puts any alternative years away.” For example, as long as 13 years roay be needed to get a nuclear power plant on line, seven years to °Pen a coal mine and nine years to AGGIE SPECIAL Maroon and White “TERRY” travel trailer GO TO ALL THE GAMES NO RESERVATIONS NEEDED NO CAFE BILLS ALL CONVENIENCES WITH YOU New, Used & Repo Mobile Homes Sandpoint MOBILE HOMES COLLEGE AVE Texas)Mobile Home Outlet INC Phone 822-9140 EAST BYPASS EARN OVER $ 650AM0NTH RIGHT THROUGH YOUR SENORYEAR. If you’re a junior or a senior majoring in math, physics or engineering, the Navy has a program you should know about. It’s called the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate- Collegiate Program (NUPOC-C for short) and if you qualify, you can earn as much as $650 a month right through your senior year. Then after 16 weeks of Officer Candidate School, you’ll receive an additional year of advanced technical education. This would cost you thousands in a civilian school, but in the Navy, we pay you. And at the end of the year of training, you’ll receive a $3,000 cash bonus. It isn’t easy. There are fewer than 400 openings and only one of every six applicants will be selected. But if you make it, you’ll have qualified for an elite engineering training program. With unequaled hands-on responsibility, a $24,000 salary in four years, and gilt-edged qualifications for jobs in private industry should you decide to leave the Navy later. (But we don’t think you’ll want to.) Ask your placement officer to set up an interview with a Navy representative when he visits the campus on Oct. 17-19, or contact your Navy representative at 713-224-5897 (collect). If you prefer, send your resume to the Navy Nuclear Officer Program, Code 312-B537, 4015 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. 22203, and a Navy representative will contact you directly. The NUPOC-Collegiate Program. It can do more than help you finish college: it can lead to an exciting career opportunity. NAVY OFFICER. ITS NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S AN ADVENTURE.