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