European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 14, 1990 the stars and stripes education business Community in . Seeks standardized Job test by the Washington Post Washington hundreds of american Compa Nies hoping to Weed out under qualified Job Candi dates plan to create a new standardized test for High school graduates that would measure an array of Basic skills and academic achievement. In what would be the business Community s broadest initiative yet to address problems within the nation s education system the idea is to establish a National computerized data Bank that would include information not Only academic but also occupational and personal skills about students. Although the tests would be voluntary business Hopes students would be motivated to take them be cause of the Prospect of obtaining better and higher paying jobs from companies that subscribe to the sys tem. For business the payoff would be better identification of qualified workers who would need less train ing once on the Job. Particularly in Basic skills such As Reading writing and arithmetic. The plan is being backed by the american business conference a group of entrepreneurial mid sired companies and by the National Alliance of business which builds partnerships Between the Public and Pri vate sectors. The idea has grown out of the belief that both the Quality of America s schools and students would improve if companies cared enough to Reward individual academic achievement. It s a great Opportunity for business to make a direct Impact and to signal to Young people that there arc benefits to doing Well and penalties for not doing Well in  said Roger w. Johnson chief executive officer of Western digital corp. In Irvine Calif. We never sent that signal before except to College level  most Corpora involvement in the nation s schools Habi in , education programs. The proposal is being considered at a time when sentiment is glowing among policy makers that goals should be set regarding the performance of american students on various achievement tests. The depart ment of labor announced a commission to develop National competency guidelines that would be used in school curricula and training programs. As envisioned the plan business is considering might include a Battery of assessments that covers the entire High school curriculum including document literacy to determine whether a student can read bar graphs and bus schedules. In some occupational areas students might be asked to demonstrate that they can repair a car or Cut someone s hair. Tests would be Given at various Levels of difficulty and they could be retaken and updated throughout a person s working life. Deadline near for scholarship applicants new Yorks a the application deadline is March i for the annual Elizabeth and Zachary Fisher foundation scholarships. The one year scholarships arc for the children of military personnel both Active and inactive. The Grants arc awarded for undergraduate studies in an accredited educational or technical school. Students May apply for a scholarship each year with a maximum of four consecutive scholarships per Stu Dent. Students who maintain their grades and continue to show need for the financial Aid generally arc awarded subsequent scholarships. The Fisher family is a frequent Benefactor of the military. Recently the foundation established a fund to ensure the College education of the children of the men killed on the battleship Iowa. Last year the foundation awarded 35 scholarships that averaged $1,500 to 2.0qo. There is no limit on the number of scholarships awarded each year. Applicants must be a dependent of a member of the armed forces either presently on Active or Reserve duly and in Good standing or retired honorable discharged or  Only other requirement strictly adhered to is one of financial need. Applicants must submit written proof of family Gross income. The March 1 deadline applies to the 1990-91 Aca Demic year. For applications and eligibility require ments write Zachary & Eli Abath m. Fisher armed services foundation intrepid sea air space museum. 12th ave. And w. 46h St. New York . 10036. S�5 a in a classroom close up Jonathon Sanchez 8, flings a foam snowball during a game with other children in Jean Payne s physical education class at Babenhausen elementary school in West Germany. Payne says such vigorous indoor activity helps Burn off some of the youngsters High Enterk and this leads to better behaviour in class. To help students prepare or the european wide spelling Bee the stars and stripes otters this weekly column on words their spelling meanings and origins. These words Are typical of those used i bees but May not necessarily be used in Competition. Spelling source is Webster s third new International dictionary the official dictionary of the bees. The column is prepared by Lawrence technological University. Audible adj audible Means capable of being Heird. Audible in derived from the late latin word Audi bilis and from the earlier latin  meaning to  if you speak in an audible whisper in the classroom when Jour teacher stalking you May gel into trouble. The latin Root a dire is used As a base for a Large vanity of word relating to hearing or sound. One meaning of  for example is of relating to or dealing with  return of school dress codes sparking new protests debates russian no must for poles Warsaw. Poland a Starling in september polish students will no longer be required to study rus Sian the ministry of education announced monday. Russian will continue to be offered but there will bean increasing emphasis on Western languages Accord ing to the announcement carried by the official Pap news Agency. By the associated press for More and More High school students mousse abuse is taboo. So is hair Down to there. And though they Don t necessarily have to dress for Success some say they must dress under duress. Along with perpetual peer pressure to Wear in clothes and sport the latest trendy haircuts whether it s a Batman insignia or a moussed up do Ameri can teen agers Are facing dress and hair codes that impose official ideas of fashion. In a Flashback to the 60s. Some students arc protest ing what they consider infringements on their right to free expression. It s very regrettable when educators fail to Sec that kids have rights and that breathing Down their necks about ways they should be Able to express themselves is not encouraging real education said Leanne Kats executive director of the National coalition against censorship. In Henry county ga., for example about 100 Stu dents picketed the school superintendent s office when dozens of boys were sent Home because their hair touched the Collar in violation of a new policy. The same Rule in Jasper ala., resulted in an angry school Board meeting. New dress codes Are in effect in several Texas school systems mostly to guard against offensive or suggestive to shirts and in Baltimore where furs costly jewelry and leather Coats were banned. Dozens of other systems including some in Michi  new York and Louisiana have adopted voluntary dress codes for their schools to consider. Gary Marx a spokesman for the american association of school administrators said stricter dress and hair codes have not yet become a National trend but sentiment is growing to strengthen such rules. We do Sec indications Here and there that schools Are thinking about dress codes and How students Are attired May affect their education and the education of others Marx said. I think there is a sense in society that we sometimes act the Way we  Lawrence tribe a Harvard University Law professor who spec Ali is in first amendment issues said the  supreme court has never dealt directly with the Issue and the lower Federal courts have ruled both the High court would Likely Side with school boards if it ruled today he  Baltimore schools spokesman Dick Holden said the new code was aimed at eliminating the uniform of the drug  he said the domes also Are Loo expensive for some students to afford leading to Vio  new Orleans school Board instituted a voluntary uniform policy for schools and spokeswoman Rose Peterson said about 100 schools have adopted some kind of  cited three reasons it s a Security Issue. When the schools Are wearing a uniform it s easy to recognize an outsider. For the parents they perceive it As a lot cheaper. And it takes the pressure off kids to Wear designer  Clovis . A one year trial dress code is in effect after students rewrote an old one that banned shorts for boys but allowed miniskirts for girls. In pro test some boys wore miniskirts to school. The new policy allows shorts and skins if neither is Shorter than 5 inches above the knee