Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Wednesday
November 5, 1980
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“Now that we have selected a president through the constitutional
process, we should rally behind him with our full support, for better or
worse, for at least a couple of days before we get on his back. ’
Standardized tests
By PATRICIA McCORMACK
United Press International
The National Education Association and
some other groups want to erase standardized
tests from the school scene to protect “the
kids.”
Kids would be the last to reject the idea, it’s
safe to say.
But there is another side to the coin. And
experts examining it at a national conference
said life without tests would be chaotic.
That’s not what foes of tests say. They qlaim
standardized tests discriminate and are, there
fore, unfair. Tests, say they, put lifelong labels
on kids — bright, dull, high achiever, low
achiever, mediocre, average.
The standardized test most often at the cen
ter of the attack is the Standardized Achieve
ment Test — SAT — widely used for college
admissions and administered by Educational
Testing Service in Princeton, N.J. One expert
said:
“The social consequences of not using tests
would be disastrous.’’
He is Dr. Robert L. Ebel, professor of educa
tion, Michigan State University.
“In schools and colleges, in business and gov
ernment, the information tests describe is vir
tually indispensible,” he said. “These institu
tions suffer not from too much testing but from
too little good testing.
“Critics of testing have chosen the wrong
thing to attack. It is not testing, per se, that is
harmful. It is the frequent use of poor tests. ”
Ebel took on two major opponents of testing
— the NEA and the NAACP, National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored People.
“The leadership of the National Education
Association (1.8 million member teacher union)
suggests that shortcomings exist in order to
protect their members, not to encourage indi
viduals to excel. Thus the opposition of the
NEA to testing makes sense in the short run.
It does not make sense in the long run. For
teachers and teaching to prosper in the long
run education must prosper.
“It has not been prospering lately in part for
want of sufficient concern for excellence in
learning. Tests have much to contribute in the
pursuit of excellence.”
As for “leadership of the NAACP” opposing
testing, Ebel said this serves their “immediate
and narrowly special interests.”
Reagan’s election may sting,
but bureaucracy will survivi
When John Hill lost the governorship in 1978
I felt rather like this: How could it happen?
How could semi-intelligent people elect the
person they did?
Then, of course, Governor Bill took office
and he’s turned out to be not as bad as ex
pected.
That’s what we can hope for Governor
Reagan, now President-elect Reagan. In Cali
fornia, we hear, he was somewhat able to sur
round himself with qualified administrators.
Perhaps he can do the same in Washington. He
certainly has some of the most dynamic people
in Congress on his side, such as Sen. Orrin
Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N. Y.).
And throughout the campaign he fine-tuned
his election pitch to meet more moderate, more
realistic stands. His great tax cuts, he now says,
are aimed for 1983 or 1984, not 1981.
Soon he will realize — as all those newly
elected to Washington find out — that he not
only “does not know where the bathroom is,”
but he does not know how Washington really
works. He will learn compromise is important.
Inside/outlook
partment of Energy will have the:
telling the new Reagan guys — the t
now “run” it — the same things.
By Liz Newlin
the new guys, will only be able to cornel
same conclusions the Carter guys camel
The only exception is that the guysj
Pentagon will get a raise, and more life
to play with, like bombs and airplanes.
He will learn he cannot dismantle the GOV-
ERNMENT BUEAUCRACY in four short
years. That bureaucracy is entrenched in the
five-story buildings that line Pennsylvania Ave
nue. And it’s not moving soon. The civil service
laws take care of that.
Reagan has said he would cut the budget by
elminating “waste and fraud” in the govern
ment. Remember, that’s what Carter said four
years ago. And see how far he’s gotten?
Like we said, Reagan has a lot to learn. In the
meantime, we suspect, things will go on about
as usual. The “E” for Education that was taken
out of HEW will not be extinguished. The De-
The people who supported Reag
Bush, hoping for the 20-year curse
him into office — are celebrating tod
fought off an underdog’s surge at the
won against an incumbent. They dohai
thing to be proud of.
But they should realize the goverm
and the mixed economy, semi-welfaresti shake B
created — was not built in a day. And! iRudder
Reagan, no matter whose majority isi se ll-Dan
side, will not be able to dismantle it inai wa s spoi
in four years. ... -
Governor Bill has been trying siira
And he hasn’t gotten very far either.
“They see tests as barriers facing poorly edu
cated minorities, barriers to opportunities for
further education and employment. They do
not see tests as unprejudiced assessors of com
petence, as powerful arguments for equality of
educational opportunity.
“The low scores that minorities often receive
on tests seldom if ever can be attributed to bias
in the tests. Almost always they reflect the dam
age inflicted by inadequate education.”
Ebel cited ways in which not testing in
schools and colleges would have harmful social
consequences. He said it would:
— Handicap communities seeking excell
ence in schools. Tests can reveal how much has
been learned of what was set out to be learned.
They can indicate how effectively the pupils
have been taught, and how successfully they
have studied.
— Handicap minorities. It would deny them
the help of objective evidence in their struggle
for equal access to opportunities for education
and employment. Tests are color blind. They
are essentially unbiased. Low scores on a test
for any group do not show that the test is biased
against them — simply that for whatever reason
— including lack of opportunity to learn — they
have not learned the information being tested.
— Handicap students seeking to learn. Pur
poseful efforts to learn require definite goals for
learning and definite indications of success in
achieving those goals. Good tests help to define
goals and provide indications of success.
— Handicap schools in their attempts to
select and retain competent teachers. To be a
good teacher one must know thoroughly what is
to be taught and how to teach it. The ability of
tests to measure the amount of relevant know
ledge a teacher possesses is not likely to be
quesfioned by those who are well informed and
reasonable.
Enemies of testing are not the mainstream.
Ebel said:
“Elimination of testing is advocated by rela
tively small numbers of people, some of whom
have relatively loud voices.
it’s Off-C
arbara S
er/resid(
College Stat
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WAS THAT MASKED
It’s your turn
Coaches need time to build programs
“It is not advocated by the public generally,
as a Gallup poll has shown.
“Within the enterprise there are a few lead-
Editor:
With all the talk pertaining to our football
season and particularly Coach Wilson, I wish to
submit some facts:
Since 1947 Texas A&M has had nine head
coaches. This works out to 3.6 years per coach.
First-year wins of these coaches is interesting:
1934 Homer Norton (2-7-2)
He later led A&M to the National Champion
ship in 1939 and four bowl games:
1940 Sugar Bowl (also National Championship)
1941 Cotton Bowl
1942 Cotton Bowl
1944 Orange Bowl
1948 Harry Stiteler 0-9-1
1951 Ray George 5-3-2
1954 Bear Bryant 1-9-0
Look at his record since 1954!
1958 Jim Meyers 4-6-0
Now Assistant Dallas Cowboy Coach
1962 Hank Foldberg 3-7-0
1965 Gene Stallings 3-7-0
Now Assistant Dallas Cowboy Coach — he was
last coach to win SWC, beating Alabama (Bear
Bryant) in Cotton Bowl in 1968.
1972 Emory Bellard 3-8-0
His record since then needs no explanation.
Darrell Royal, considered by many to be the
most outstanding coach the Southwest Confer
ence ever had, won six, lost three, tied one his
first year in 1957.
Frank Broyles had a 4-6-0 in 1958, his first
year at Arkansas.
Ron Meyers at SMU had a 3-8-0 record his
first year there in 1976.
Grant Teaff had a first year at Baylor of 5-6-0
in 1972; then a 2-9-0 in 1973.
It takes time for a coach to get his program
underway. How can we expect Tom Wilson to
tinually second guess and criticize his en
deavors.
It is sad that a coach’s average tenure at Texas
A&M is less than four years. Coach Wilson
must have time to build a winning program at
Texas A&M.
Barney Welch ’45
Soccer team has problems
Editor:
We would like to commend Richard Oliver
on the fine job he’s doing as sports editor. In the
past, sports other than varsity were given
minimal coverage; however, under Oliver’s
direction, all sports, and in particular soccer,
have been given fair time and space in The
Battalion.
The Oct. 28 Reflections column was a fresh
attitude we wish more people would take. The
soccer team deserves the same coverage as any
varsity sport, especially when you note their
5-3-2 record.
However, there are several problems facing
the soccer team and other Texas A&M teams as
well. It is our feeling that it’s high time the
University addresses these problems and
starts providing solutions.
First, the soccer team is recognized as a club,
not as a varsity sport. What does it take for a
team to acquire varsity status? The soccer team
petition
deavor I
lead or
iding pul
has the dedication, talent, and direction
of its players, assistant coach David Ffen read t!
and newly acquired coach Telmo Franco P ne - w ho
record reflects their ability to represeiP.
University in a winning fashion. SfemberTl
Without varsity recognition, the soccei| earer ^
is faced with several problems. Oneistki
tion of facilities on which to practice and:
They have been “removed” from the Pen!
complex by the Intramural Department
tramural football. Also, since it’s recognizf®re of tin
club, it receives minimal funding. ThisbMLwever
them from traveling to games and oftflPP tenant
players wind up shelling out the money»fr ir a P ai
should be provided by the University can onlv ',
Soccer is an exciting sport that’s
attention in the Bryan-College StationP[ n ot h er
Until the SMU game, the soccer teamkd&airman I
supported only by loyal fans consisting of|ortation t(
ly, friends, and children from the soccer interested
the team held this summer. Team iw™ 1 in the
were involved in camps locally and state 1 ®™ I>r() K r
The players’ involvement helps make if 4
. j tween 6:15
name for the team and the University.
It seems a shame that players can
after four years of the same rigorous
practice, and playing schedule as other
sports and not be recognized. We feel its
the University recognizes the soccer
varsity sport — it’s well-deserved.
Paula Hillf
uncan fie
PIS
ers and many followers who oppose testing out devote his undivided attention to the football
of a misguided egalitarian philosophy. team when some students and some exes con
Warped
By Scott McCullar
The Battalion
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