Change in attitude may
increase SAT scores
The Michigan Daily-Sunday, October 4, 1981-Page 5
WASHINGTON (AP)- Educators say tougher standards,
a change in students' attitudes and even the graduation of the
last of the baby-boom generation all may be working
together to spark a turnaround in the nation's high schools af-
ter years of decline.
The latest sign was in the College Board's announcement
last week that for the first time since 1968, the Scholastic Ap-
titude Test scores of college-bound high school seniors did not
decrease.
The nearly 1 million students in the class of 1981 averaged
424 on the verbal SAT and 466 on math, the same as the class
of 1980. It is a long way from the 478 verbal and 502 math
national averages in 1963, when the long, steady decline
began.
A UNIVERSITY psychology professor, Robert Zajonc,
predicted several years ago that the SAT scores would start
to turn up in 1981 or a year or two later as the post-baby boom
generation began taking the test.
He reasoned that students from smaller families should
fre better and cited research in several countries showing
first-born children usually are better test takers.
"I have a hope bound up in some very encouraging signs
around the country that there will be gains in the SAT
scores," said Robert Cameron, executive director of resear-
ch and development for the College Board in New York.
"THERE IS A trend among students to be more serious
about learning" and more willing to submit themselves to
adults' judgments about what they should study, Cameron
said.
A voluntary questionnaire given to the nearly 1 million
seniors who take the test each year found that in the past four
years, students have been taking slightly more academic
courses. They now average more than four academic courses
per year, compared to less than four in 1977, and the extra
course more often was in math or the physical sciences.
Scott Thomson, executive director of the National
Association of Secondary School Principals, said, "There is
more focus on rigor in schools today than a few years ago.''
Thomson said relaxed 'course requirements as well as
changes in society conspired to bring about the drop in test
scores, and he believes stiffer requirements and changes in
attitudes on the part of parents and students will help drive
them up again.
1 VE SITY5MUSICAL 8OCIETY
October Calendar
"Don Gi oVc nnV'
6cx 6u OcL., 10 11
The Goldovsky Grand Opera Theatre re-
turns to Ann Arbor with a magnificent new
production of "Don Giovanni", in English.
With Boris Goldovsky personally conduct-
ing the orchestra, this fully staged combina-
tion of merry comedy, suspenseful drama,
and Mozart's music promises an entertain-
ing evening. Sat. 8:00, Sun. 3:00
Power Center
f_
:Democrats to fight B-1 and MX
WASHINGTON (AP) - President
Reagan's new defense plan envisions
layers upon layers of military har-
dware - missiles, countermissiles,
radar-eluding bombers, armed space
satellites - that the Soviets must con-
tend with should they attack the United
States.
The $180.3 billion program includes -
along with funds for myriad military
equipment and research - a number of
strategic options.
Conversations with Defense Depar-
tment officials indicate that, far into
the future, the Reagan plan might look
something like this:
DEEP IN A mountainside, 2,000 or
more feet below the surface, rests an
MX nuclear missile with a range of
8,000 miles.
Other such missiles, each with 10
warheads and a nuclear "throw
weight" of 7,900 pounds, are closer to
the surface in "hardened" steel and
concrete shelters, with anti-ballistic
missiles on the ground guarding them.
Also at the ready are updated B-1
bombers and the "Stealth" bombers
designed to be "invisible" to Soviet
radar. These carry cruise missiles that
fly at 550 knots and are accurate enough
to hit a football field at a distance of
1,500 nautical miles.
IN THE SEA are submarines
carrying cruise missiles or the new
Trident 2 missiles twice as powerful as.
0" the current generation of Tridents
whose accuracy is a government
secret.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats voted
- yesterday to fight Reagan's MX missile
and B-1 bomber plans, and one
legislator said not one senator spoke out
in support of either proposal.
"The B-1 was a turkey, is a turkey
INDIVIDUAL THEATRES i
5th Ae o libert.y 761U700
e' d 40~f WED. SAT. SUN
and always will be a turkey," said Sen.
Thomas Eagleton (D-Missouri), who
added that no Democratic senator en-
dorsed either plan at a meeting yester-
day.
SENATE MINORITY Leader. Robert
Byrd (D-West Virginia), said the MX
plan does not "close the window of
vulnerability" and the B-1 would be ob-
solete almost as' soon- as it was
produced.
Sen. Henry Jackson (D-Washington),
echoed Byrd's concern about the MX
proposal and predicted Reagan's plan
would be altered by Congress.
Byrd and Jackson said they favored
developing the "Stealth" bomber in-
stead of the B-1.
THE SENATORS lined up against the
B-1 and MX during a day of meetings,
panel discussions and speeches that
urged the Democratic Party to develop
alternatives to the president's policies.
Harris said the Democrats need
coherent policies on inflation, produc-
tivity, and competition from foreign
manufacturers. He said his polls show
most Americans consider the Japanese
superior in technology and production.
The "dazzling music making" of the Zagreb
Philharmonic, Yugoslavia's premire sym-
phony orchestra, opens the 103rd annual
Choral Union Series. The orchestra, which
is on its first extended American tour, is
under the baton of Pavle Despalj and fea-
tures his brother Valter Despalj as solo
cellist. Friday, 8:30
Hill Auditorium
Zagrcb
Philharmonic Orchestra
Friday, Oct.10.
Anthony di Bonaventura will perform the
world premiere of Alberto Ginastera's
"Second Piano Sonata" and will accompany
Aurora Natola-Ginastera, the wife of the
composer, in a performance of Ginastera's
"Cello Sonata No. 1." Sunday, 4:00
Rackham Auditorium
A
"A
A N T'HPNY I , . l_ O L A ~E 11
a US~
1
FALL CONTACT LENS SPECIAL
Extended Wear Soft Contact Lenses-$325
Wear for 2 weeks without removal
Soft Contact Lenses-$169
Hard Contact Lenses (2 pairs)-$150
With the purchase of a pair of contact lenses, all prescription
glasses are 30% off, sunglasses 50% off.
Includes all professional fees.
DR. PAUL C. USLAN, Optometrist
545 Church St.
769-1222 Offer expires October 16
'4.
A special University Musical Society/
School of Music collaboration featuring
Anthony di Bonaventura, piano; Aurora
Natola-Ginastera, cello;- Marilyn Mason,
organ; Leslie Guinn, baritone; Contempor-
ary Directions Ensemble; U-M Symphony
Orchestra; Carl St. Clair and Gustav Meier,
conductorsH. Tuesday, 8:00
Hill Auditorium
MVUS 11OI _
IUIDES )11AYM 0 _0
London
Ladl Music Group
FriDa y Oct. 23
Hailed as one of the most authoritative
groups in early music, these five musicians
combine their experience with music of the
Middle Ages and the Renaissance to create
a sound which "immediately catches the lis-
tener's fancy, then leaves an indelible im-
print on the memory." - Daily Telegraph,
London. Friday, 8:30
Rackham Auditorium
to~
$1.50 'Tit 6:00 PM
$0 EVERY DAY LOW PRICE
WHY WON'T ANY OTHER
THEATRE IN ANN ARBOR
SHOW THIS MOVIE?
/fi a
BECAUSE.. .
IT'S ABOUT A MAN AND A WOM.
AN IN THEIR SEVENTIES.
BECAUSE.. .
IT DEALS WITH THE THINGS YOU
CARE ABOUT, LIKE GROWING OLD,
FEARING DEATH INSTEAD OF PRO-
VIDING AN ESCAPE FROM REALITY!
MELVIN DOUGLAS
*LIVA KEDROVA
- a
s'.:2
DAILY-7:10,900
SAT. SUN-i1:30, 3:20, 5:20,
7-in O-tA
DISCOVERED.
"A gorgeous film of glowing scenes.
Transcends the ordinary."
-Gene Shalit, NBC-TV "Today Show"
"Absorbing, moving, deeply felt.
Brilliantly photographed. The battle
sequences rank with those in Kubrick's
'Paths of Glory'." -Jack Kroll, Newsweek
"Could well be the movie of the year. As
colorful as 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Exciting, involving and splendidly acted:'
-Dave Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
"Can take its place with pride next to
another World War I classic, 'All Quiet On
The Western Front'. Poignant, vividly told:
-Edwin Miller, Seventeen
"It is beautifully made and should be
waltzing with Oscar next spring!"
-Liz Smith, Syndicated Columnist
"Ambitious. Sweeping. A singularly
intelligent entertainment. A milestone in
the career of the talented Peter Weir."
-Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"The best picture of the year. A must see!'
-Marilyn Beck, Syndicated Columnist
The acclaimed Court Dance Theatre of
Okinawa affords Ann Arbor audiences their
first opportunity to see Okinawan dance.
Okinawa's beauty, as well as its historical
significance is captured with breathtaking
costumes and beautifully crafted props
that create a spectacular visual effect.
Wednesday, 8:00
Power Center
Okinawan
Dance Troupe
W28
Nathan Milstein
Violinist
ThursdayOct.29
"...this man has been an impeccable model
for all other musicians. In taste, execution,
style, and in the intangible area of express-
ive shading compounded of phrasing, tone,
and other indefinables, Milstein has known
no superior and few equals." - Washington
Post. Thursday, 8:30
Hill Auditorium
2nd & FINAL WEEK
"Martha Graham is genius recurrent. Her
dancers are tremendous ... The Graham
troupe, by whatever standards you care to
name, is quite obviously one of the greatest
dance companies in the world." - Clive
Barnes, New York Post. Fri., Sat. at 8:00;
Sun. at 3:00
Power Center
Martha Graham
Dance Company
Fri.,Sat .,Oct,.30,31
Sun., Nov 1
"A KNOCKOUT!
AVERY BIG,
BEAUTIFUL FILM.
THE BEST PER-
FORMANCE BY
AN ACTRESS
THIS YEAR."
-Vincent Canby,
New York Times
I I