The Battalion
State
Page 6 • Wednes;
SUMMER SCHOOL FOR PEOPLE
ON THEIR WAY TO THE TOP.
If you didn’t signup for ROTC as a freshman or sophomore,
you can still catch up to your classmates by attending Army
ROTC Camp Challenge, apaid five-week course inleadership.
By the time you have graduated from college, you'll have the
credentials of an Army officer. You'll also have the discipline,
experience and self-confidence you need to succeed in college
and beyond.
For details, contact Captain Robert Magee at (409) 845-2814.
UhceuehcU
ARMY ROTC
THE SMARTEST COLLEGE COURSE YOU CAN TAKE
And Special Guest i
SETH WALKER
ON E^BJCT^ PARTY
THURSDAY • APRIL 22 nd SHADOW CANYON SALOON
I TICKETS IN ADVANCE SUGGESTED ON SALE STARTING 9 AM
TOMORROW AT DIXIE CHICKEN • ROTHERS BOOKSTORES
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TONIGHT!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 th
jingalong
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iiilii liilii hilh hi
3-year old
finds victims
of murder-
suicide
CLEBURNE (AP) — A man
shot his wife to death, then fa
tally shot himself at a home day
care center with 11 children in
side.
Cleburne police have offered
counseling to the children who
were at the home during the
murder-suicide Monday after
noon.
Police believe none of the
children saw the attack.
The children ranged from in
fancy to age 11. Police said a 3-
year-old found the couple dead
in the backyard and told an 11-
year-old, who called 911.
Investigators say 53-year-old
Manuel “Michael” Gigis and his
wife, 41 -year-old Judy Rae Gigis,
were having marital problems.
Mrs. Gigis, a home day care
provider, was watching the chil
dren when she was shot. Sgt.
Terry Powell said the couple’s
14-year-old son was at school.
A neighbor of the couple,
Stephanie Schultz, said Mrs.
Gigis was a soft-spoken, kind
woman who loved children.
Ms. Schultz said she and her
5-year-old son arrived home
from a Texas Rangers baseball
game Monday to find police and
ambulances filling the street.
“We didn’t have any indica
tion that there was anything
wrong,’ ’ Ms. Schultz told the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram. “We had
occasion to be in their home.
Everything appeared to be nor
mal. They really were very nice
Vl/E^’X/F?
Ww ■■■ W ■■■
Hi4IR DeSIGM
694-9755
118 Walton
MOVED
School administrators’ resignr
demanded over TAAS test disho
The _
HOUSTON (AP) — In Houston,
resignations have been demanded
and prosecutors are investigating
whether criminal charges are war
ranted. In Austin, 17 indictments
already have been issued and one
person has entered a plea.
Who are the accused in probes
shaking cities across Texas? Not
hardened criminals, but teachers,
principals — even a deputy superin
tendent and an entire school district.
Their alleged crimes? Cheating
on the very test state officials use
to grade Texas’ public schools and
assess the academic performance
of students.
The recent controversies with
the Texas Assessment of Academic
Skills Test, or TAAS, have prompt
ed some to question whether the
so-called cornerstone of the school
accountability system is crumbling
under the pressure to succeed.
“Our major complaint is it is such
high-stakes testing — careers are on
the line,” says Annette Cootes,
spokesperson for the 80,000-mem
ber Texas State Teachers Association
(TSTA). “You can be fired if the chil
dren aren’t performing.”
The atmosphere, Ms. Cootes
warns, is conducive to corruption.
“U’s human nature,” she says,
adding, “The cheating has to stop,
because we all lose faith and we all
lose credibility. We all hurt.”
Supporters of the TAAS maintain
the problems are isolated and that
the test itself remains a viable way
to measure school achievement.
“I don’t think it reflects on the
system as a whole. That’s like say
ing if you have one child in a class
room that cheats on a test, let’s do
away with tests,” says state Rep.
Paul Sadler, a Henderson Democrat
who chairs the House Public Edu
cation Committee.
Sadler says he “absolutely” be-
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lieves the accountability system
has integrity and accurately reflects
what’s happening in Texas schools.
“Is it perfect? No, it’s not per
fect. You’re never going to have a
perfect system. But it’s the best sys
tem going right now,” he said.
Texas schools are rated as exem
plary, recognized, acceptable or low-
performing based, in part, on how
their students score on the TAAS.
Educators say there have long
been suspicions of TAAS tampering
at some campuses. But the rumors
were little more than that until last
“Our major complaint
is it is such high-
stakes testing —
careers on the line”
— Annette Cootes
TSTA spokesperson
fall, when alleged improprieties
within the Austin Independent
School District came to light.
The Texas Education Agency
lowered the performance ratings of
three Austin elementary schools a(-
ler an audit suggested officials had
manipulated TAAS results to make
it appear the schools performed
better than they did.
The audit said central adminis
trators and principals changed the
identification numbers of students
who performed poorly on the test,
knowing their results would be
thrown out because the ID num
bers didn’t match previously as
signed numbers.
A criminal investigation ensued,
and in March a former district em
ployee pleaded no contest to tam-
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Then last week,j
sued a 16-count lag
menl against a dept
dent and 16 otbe
against the districN
first time inTexasq
have been filed $
district.
In the meantime^
dependent Schools
state’s largest-hi!
own investigation:
number of erasures:
TAAS tests, with a
changed from wrori:
The Austin and ty!
prompted the TEL
own examination'll
problem, and ini
agency asked 11 ofCtl
school districts to :i|
campuses that ha; ?!
erasures in 1996-l£: f
Three Houston^,,
Houston, Fort Bent::
est — reponed fimh;,
improper adminir .
TAAS at 11 campt
tions ranged fronnr^
ly erased answers
“ systematically chej
answers from wrori.
One fifth-grade
Fort Bend had IS:
utable to only 14
ing 132 that were,
wrong to right.
A principal and r
resigned in Fort Ben:
has demanded
The Ten
Softbe
a principal and r- p 1 '' 1 '
North Forest says fcfl
Bobca
II I Vyi tOl JujJ .
non is forthcoming
Five districts four.
doing: Laredo, Pkr Wecln _
Alamo and San Fr P ni :
Consolidated in So:: 01
Ector County and Cl ® ch< f c 1 l
Texas. doub! «
has
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Happily marnfii Th <
couple eagerlytheir i
to love, nurtBir,Jtt! vers h 'h
Financially andawiKi’''-
househol&wa#*
graduates ofTAMW
Mom, devoted D*L i
extended family araM
Call Tim andAshlet
anytime: 1-800-355-?!
Legal/medical aft
wgggr i t / • ’.
mm
\
«1
Bring your family to the home of
Dr. Melon Southerland
Vico President for Student Affairs
Come and tour his residence
from 11 am to 4 pm
this Saturday, April 17th.
Light refreshments will be served.
The house is located at 100 Throckmorton St.,
across from the Sanders Corps Center.
For more information call 845-4728.
Interested in going
Come to a
Rush 99 Informational
Paid for by Panhellenic
I 15th @ 8
Rudder 502
MSC 228
z*?*?*? /?*« 77^ 1/
"It's the last one of the millennium
5K/10K
Run/Walk
Register}
lair
10:004 ^
or:
Classifi
Stay for Wine & Roses Festiu
Music, Fun, Wine Tasting!
April 17 9:001
Ul i
Sponsored by Texas A&M Roadruni
and Messina Hof
Race Forms on-line @ http://recsports.tamu.edi# :
Crr
Cm
Act
Lifes
Ik
SOUTHWESTERN BLACK STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Wants YOU!
COME BE A PART OF THE LARGEST Sit
RUN ORGANIZATION IN THE NATtf Hi
Assistant Directoi
Applications
Are available in MSC 137
DEPARTMENT OF MULTICULTURAL SERVICES
Applications are due April 16,1999
5:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, please call TamikaSM
845-4565.
I