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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^
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HAtiu&fjoqe/a/e
PROPeRTCS.
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dost LICK THE SPOT
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At the tw kd
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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