European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes monday april 14, 1986 writing skills unsatisfactory Survey of . Students finds Baltimore a a federally financed Survey released saturday found that 62 percent to 80 percent of american 17-year-Olds demonstrated unsatisfactory writing skills depending on the Type of writing tested. Despite some recent improvements the 10-year study which also tested 9 and 13-year-Olds, concluded that american students writing skills remain in dismal shape. The study released at a National convention of Edu cation writers said there is Clear cause for concern about the writing proficiency of the nation s  despite an increased emphasis on writing at All Grade Levels during the decade students in 1984 appeared to be Only just regaining their 1974 Levels of proficiency it said. The report was issued by the National assessment of educational Progress established by Congress 17 years ago to test How Well the nation s schools Are doing in various subjects. For 2vi years Nap studies have been administered by the private non profit educational testing service in Princeton n.j., but the stud ies remain federally funded. The latest Survey tested 15,000 9-, 13 and 17-year Olds from around the country in 1984. It compared performance in three kinds of writing persuasive informative and imaginative with students similarly tested in 1979 and 1974. A total of 95,000 students took part in the three assessment years. Their writing was judged on two Levels first whether the student accomplished the Basic task that is was persuasive writing convincing was descriptive writing vivid enough and did imaginative writing evoke thinking or feelings. Second the writing was evaluated for organization Content grammar and usage spelling punctuation and Choice of words. Among the findings 76 percent of 17-year-Olds, 83 percent of 13-year Olds and 95 percent of 9-year-Olds could not write an adequate imaginative piece of writing. 62 percent of 17-year-Olds, 81 percent of 13-year Olds and 97 percent of 9-year-Olds wrote unsatisfactory informative prose. 80 percent of 17-year-Olds, 90 percent of 13-year Olds and two thirds of 9-year-Olds could not write a persuasive letter. For advantaged and disadvantaged students alike the proportion of competent writers remains distressingly Small it said. The report said schools seemed to be giving More attention to writing instruction in 1984 than in 1974. Still about one third of 17-year-Olds and 40 percent of 13-year-Olds reported receiving Little or no writing instruction. The report urged that elementary schools stress in formative and persuasive writing tasks and that older children be assigned More creative and imaginative assignments. As an example of what tasks students were tested on 9-year-Olds were asked to write a letter to their imaginary aunt May persuading her to allow the youngster to travel alone to visit her. One letter rated unsatisfactory read dear aunt May i know everybody say i to Little to travel but i m not if you sometimes give kids a Chance to prove something to you maybe it won t be so bad. Maybe we can help you to give kids a Chance. Yours truly your  a letter rated minimally competent was also Brief and occasionally ungrammatical but took a firmer More specific stand i m old enough to travel alone. Please let me come. The reason i m old enough because i be already trailed alone. Please Csc use me for not writing Long. Love countries ill prepared to handle nuke Plant deactivation f study says Washington a no country that relies on nuclear Power is adequately prepared to handle the potentially costly and dangerous task of retiring the highly radioactive plants a study released saturday says. Some 350 nuclear plants will need to be dismantled and their wastes disposed of in the next 30 years according to decommissioning nuclear Power s missing link writ ten by researcher Cynthia Pollock of the environmentalist world watch Institute. Nearly four decades and 400 Power plants into the nuclear age the question of How to safely and economically dispose of nuclear reactors and their wastes is still largely unanswered Pollock says in the study. Furthermore she says so Many utilities operated for so Long without collecting Money for the tasks that electricity customers and taxpayers will suffer the aftershock of paying for retired  worldwide 17 reactors built Between 1957 and 1972 were awaiting or undergoing decommissioning last year. Among them were Shippingport and peach Bottom in Pennsylvania Dresden-1 in Illinois Indian Point-1 in new York and hum Boldt Bay in California. The report says Only seven of the 17 Are scheduled to be dismantled before 1995. Pollock contends that National and International atomic Energy agencies have neglected the decommissioning dilemma while Industry emphasis is on creating new Busi Ness not on demolishing old  the biggest stumbling Block according to the study is that not one of the 26 countries with nuclear plants has a permanent disposal site for High level radioactive wastes from reactors. The reasons Are both political and technical Pollock said in an interview. Spent fuel and other High level waste must be shielded from the environment for 10,000 years and subterranean vaults must be Safe from groundwater and earthquakes. In addition she said no one wants the High level disposal Sites and some National governments May end up offering tax Breaks or other financial incentives for communities to accept them. In the United states which has 100 licensed reactors the department of Energy is planning two Sites. The first one is expected to be in Hanford Wash. Yucca Moun Tain Nev. Or deaf Smith county Texas. Estimates of How much it costs to decommission a re actor Range from $50 million to $3 billion according to potential nuclear waste Sites for first permanent location for second permanent location Chicago Tribune map source Chicago Tribune news reports Pollock. The nuclear regulatory commission in pro posed rules based on 1984 data suggested that utilities earmark $100 million per reactor. Pollock says most utilities Are financially unprepared for the coming wave of Plant retirements. She cites a 1985 study of 30 . Nuclear utilities that found 12 had not conducted site specific studies of decommissioning costs 20 were using the funds they had collected for other Pur poses and eight did not expect their funding method to cover their expenses. But Dave Harward environmental projects manager for the atomic Industrial forum an Industry Trade group said it s simply not the Case that the Industry is unprepared technically or financially. He said every nuclear Utility in the country is collecting Money for decommissioning based on project Esti mates that Are off by 15 percent at most. Harward said the 20 utilities spending the Money on other things Are making investments on which they will sell Bonds when the time comes to dismantle older plants. That is the least Cost to the ratepayer he said. However Pollock said the method does not ensure that Cash will be available when needed. To go out and sell Bonds for decommissioning May not be too easy she said. Investor Confidence in nuclear Power has decreased Over the years. There s Milch greater Assurance if the Utility sets the Money aside in a professionally managed savings or investment  stateside 6 Canoe club members rescued 12 hours after Craft overturns Honolulu a six members of an outrigger Canoe club took Roll Call and told jokes As they Clung to their swamped Craft for 12 hours before being rescued. I think we were All scared but we helped each other said mat Ratliff 25, one of the group. We knew somebody would come looking for  none of the six required medical treatment he said. The group set out for a 90-minute practice paddle he said. We got caught by the currents and the boat overturned and swamped Ratliff said. All through the night we tried up righting it and we were Drifting out to  the six were Clad in to shirts and shorts and none had life preservers he said. 3 major  airports served 78.1 million during 85 new York a a record 78.1 million passengers used the metropolitan area s three major airports in 1985, an increase of 4.2 million Over the previous year officials said. Philip d. Kaltenbacher chairman of the port authority of new York and new Jersey credited the increase to a variety of connecting flights at Kennedy International Newark International and Laguardia airports discounted air fares and a healthy regional  Domestic travel increased 6.7 percent to 60.4 million people while 17.7 million travelled overseas an increase of 2.2 percent Kaltenbacher said in a report. The figures include the total number of arrivals and departures at the three airports. The total number of passengers served by the port authority airports makes them by far the world s busiest regional Airport system Kaltenbacher said. Group Sells Copper bracelets to help find missing children los Angeles a a California group is Selling Vietnam style Mia bracelets intended to help find miss ing children. The group inspired by the bracelets distributed during the Vietnam War As a Way to remember servicemen listed As missing in action began Selling the Copper missing Chil Dren bracelets for $10. There was an awful lot of awareness due to the Mia bracelets. That s what we re trying to do with this said Jerry Mcgarvey founder and president of kids missing in America based in Rancho Cucamonga 40 Miles East of los Angeles. Each Bracelet lists the child s name Date of birth Hometown height weight and hair and Eye color and includes a Small photo. The proceeds will go to the National child safety Council which has organized the placement of missing children s pictures on milk Cartons and grocery bags nationwide. Expert in foreign policy named to White House press staff Washington up the White House and the . Information Agency seeking to Widen the spread of american views around the world have named a new press assistant to coordinate foreign Public relations. Usia staff member Don Mathes an expert on Central America was detailed on a permanent basis to the White House press staff under the Deputy press Secretary Edward Djerejian. White House spokesman Larry Speakes said Mathis a career foreign service officer with Usia for 26 years will serve both As a spokesman and a Liaison to communicate presidential policy to foreign reporters based in Washington and to . Embassies abroad. The Usia under Charles Wick already has begun a successful satellite Public affairs program to make . Policy Clear to television viewers in Europe. Michigan town oks ordinance criticizing Reagan policies Ann Arbor Mich. A voters in this University town have approved a City ordinance criticizing the Rea Gan administration s Central american policies and directing that tax dollars be spent for peaceful purposes officials said. Unofficial totals showed that the ordinance passed by a vote of 10,190-6,544, said Deputy City clerk Yvonne Carl. Ann Arbor a City of 100,000, is Home of the University of Michigan. The ordinance would direct the City clerk to Send letters to president Reagan and congressmen expressing the de sire that our tax dollars be spent on peaceful not military purposes in Central