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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1997)
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Automobile pictured may not be identical to one awarded. lr Nestle TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY Rudder Fountain February 24, 11AM - 5PM February 25, 10AM - 4PM Locally Sponsored By MSC Variety Show Friday • February 21, Education members push to abolish TAAS testing AUSTIN (AP) — State Board of Education members who are backed by religious conservatives want to abolish the Texas Assess ment of Academic Skills, which is used to test student performance and rank schools. “When both parents and teachers are adamantly against something, elected officials better sit up and take notice,” board member Donna Ballard of The Woodlands said Thursday. Joining in the call to replace TAAS with periodic administra tions of another, nationally recog nized exam were: board members David Bradley of Beaumont, Richard Neill of Fort Worth, Robert Offutt of San Antonio and Randy Stevenson of Tyler, according to Ballard. All are Republicans. Their call to ditch the TAAS im mediately was opposed by a number of state officials, including House FYiblic Education Committee Chair man Paul Sadler, D-Henderson. “It’s ridiculous. I don’t know what world they’re living on, I really don’t,’’ Sadler said of the five members on the 15-member Education Board. Ballard said the TAAS has spurred unhealthy competition, pressure on students and the possibility of fraud. TAAS supporters, however, say it provides a state-based way to en sure students are being taught what they need to know and gives ac countability at a time of increasing local control of schools. The TAAS “has been cited all over the country as one of the hallmarks of the Texas system,” while the Texas Supreme Court in upholding the state’s school funding system said the test assures each student gets a basic education, Sadler said. Senate Finance Committee Chair man Bill Ratliff, former education head, noted the same board members have expressed great concern about the possibility of Texas getting cur riculum input from a national group. “I think it’s ironic that they don’t want some national group to be in volved in the curriculum, but they do want some national group to es tablish the test,” said Ratliff, R- Mount Pleasant. ‘I give up.” Education Commissioner Mike Moses called the five board mem bers’ position unfortunate. “Texas parents deserve to know of the progress their children are mak ing while at school. Additionally, Texas taxpayers want to know about the performance of their public schools. It makes sense to use a test made by Texans forTexans,” he said. On the other side, high school sci ence teacher Kerri Hatchett of Greenville, in a letter to The Associat ed Press, called the TAAS “a disaster.” “I see the beginning and the end results of teaching a test for 12 years of a child’s life. They lose all interest and enthusiasm for school. Learn ing one test for 12 years is boring! They do not know how to think for themselves. They do not trust them selves when the correct answer is not in front of them,” she wrote. Bodily fluid help plane land safely OGDEN, Utah (AP Three men used coffee,s and their own urine tot their single-engine planeaS its hydraulic fluid leakedo: Pilot John Strahanandti golfing friends were! Mesquite, Nev., fora nament on Feb. 6 when, half-hour out ofOgden,he ticed the plane hadlostitsl draulic fluid. He turnedl)! toward the airport. Two fire trucks and an bulance waited as Strafe unable to lower his front!; ing gear or to retract thel gear, circled the airport,tn to use up fuel. Eventual) would have had to plane on its belly. A mechanic in the control er told the men to find draulic fluid reservoir and din: any liquid they could find. "He said 'coffee, C blood, pee, whatever," Capt. Dan Harmon recall Strahan said he putco: and soda in. When that failed to do trick, the men passed aroun cup. Sure enough, the lam gear went into place. After the plane landed, men leaped out and kit the ground. *9 RHA Continued from Page 1 “With 800 residents living on campus, we have a lot of potential to do a lot for the community,” he said. Holly Martin, vice president for student devel opment and a junior finance major, said separate positions were added to alleviate the overwhelming responsibilities vice presidents faced in the past. “When the extension of power becomes too great, I think the committees will feellikethtl being neglected,” she said. “Under the ne\v:J l0r P' ,:c ^ ier: they will receive proper attention.” The Election Commission received thene j sitions, and applications to run for these posi in the upcoming student body election areoiii Czelusta said the amendments to the coni tion will help RHA in the future. N “I am very excited about the revisions, ” he I “We have laid the groundwork for ... RHAti good work.” Soft!: The Ewe Hall ftfiCOinH IT HAS ComeT^ To ooR *TTe«Tio^ THAy "euie Haul" Has HAtiu&fjoqe/a/e PROPeRTCS. TrtNTS Rt^tT fOLVS S * dost LICK THE SPOT HBKB ANt> STARE At the tw kd 1 ' Fram£ * 1 CliT, V '*» ’ l~tC K HERjE ... JWith a weel der its belt, the m (2-4) is i ' enjoy som Jsts the first tiOnal Tourna home debut t j^dy Aggie Sof HAside from I ^orado State U 'F y University and KaH Weekends;flniversity will ilind-robin ) Pg today at 1 •■Head Coaci ■do State wii wghest comp jColorado i pn we will b d. “They Pitcher who h Sk@teh By Quatn GiG’S UP, MAM. THIS BIT MAS? AtREAPY SEEN PONE. THE MANAGEMENT S£Z WE.YE GOTTA PUT AN ABRUPT END TO OUR timg BUSINESSES HERE I /?? YOU PONT SAY. YEP. APPARENTLY, THIS STORYLINE IS A BLATANT CARBON-COPY OF OUT LAMP'S "NAKEP IN THE PERI- W INKLE' 1 SERIES. YEAH, BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT XT ; NOTHING THESE PAYS IS REALLY ORlGlNAL GOT A POINT THERE, SQUIRT... MY THOSE PETUNIAS SURE ARE PURTYf WHAPPYA SAY? ONE LAST * GO-AROUNP? RECKON THIS IS WHAT Llfd ALL ABOUT? WEEPING OUTtf SMALL POTATOES ANP Alt! 4 PEF/NITELY,.. SO, /ft 1 1 WANNA GO SNORT 50*1 PANPELIONS uc.mg skills at the Rog Kaniie Johnso ihn ctiiic It's not too late to get in the '97 Aggieland FINAL DAY Don't miss out on this final opportunity to be in Texas A&M's Aggieland yearbook. Class makeup pictures will be taken 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. until Friday Feb. 21. Pictures being taken ON CAMPUS Bookstore in MSC basement across from University PLUS Hullabaloo Yearbook class portraits by A R Photography Call 693-8183 for more details Vocal Music Univ. PLUS g||^eraTBarber