European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 4, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 5criticized education report shows declines Washington apr despite efforts at education Reform . Student achievement is continuing a decline that began three years ago the government said wednesday in a widely criticized report. The report an annual state by state comparative Survey commonly known by educators As the a Wall Chart a found that the average american College testing program test score declined nationally by 0.2 of a Point from 1988 to 1989, to 18.6. The average Scholastic aptitude test score declined by 1 Point to 903, in the same period the department of education said. The test scores Are almost universally used by colleges As a major Standard of admission. A perfect act score is 36 a perfect sat score is 1,600. The report also found that the National High school graduation rate declined to 71.1 percent from 71.7 percent Between 1987 and 1988. Education Secretary Lauro Cavazos said the annual state by state performance Chart a makes it Clear that As a nation we Are still not seriously committed to improving education for All  educators however sharply criticized the Survey for promoting what they called flawed data and making unfair state comparisons. A Young people Are simply too Complex to hang on a Wall a said Timothy Dyer executive director of the National association of secondary school principals. The Chart he said a has As much to offer educational improvement As the Edsel offered the automotive  officials said that even the White House argued for abandoning the 7-year-old Survey this year because president Bush and the nations governors had worked to develop National education goals and still Are devising More accurate forms of assessment. Bill Honig californians superintendent of Public instruction said the Chart a causes More mischief than Benefit because much of the data is a rehash of statistics already made  Keith Geiger president of the National education association said the Chart a Only continues to confuse and frustrate the  Monty Neill associate director of the National Center for fair and open testing said the Chart should include a consumer Protection Label a warning misuse of standardized test scores can damage the nations educational  Neill said the administration uses misleading and inaccurate scores from multiple Choice exams to rate the Quality of education. He said using standardized Isi Silliss education Secretary Lauro Cavazos makes a Point during his press conference wednesday. Test scores to compare school systems is a technique that even the tests devises oppose. Cavazos however defended the Chart. A it is the Only National measurement of educational performance a he said. A a it a the Best that we have. Until we develop other measures we will have to rely on the Wall  of the 28 states that offer the act the report said. North Dakota Alabama Nevada and Utah showed the greatest improvement Between 1982 and 1989. Improving in sat scores during the same years were South Carolina Hawaii the District of Columbia Maryland and new Jersey. States showing a decline in act scores were Alaska Minnesota Nebraska Wisconsin and Iowa. New York Florida Pennsylvania Vermont and Delaware showed declines in sat scores. The highest scoring states on the act were Iowa Wisconsin Montana Minnesota Colorado and Nebraska the report said. Highest scoring states on the sat were new Hampshire Oregon Maryland Connecticut and California it said. The report said the states with the highest graduation rates in 1988 were Minnesota with 90.9 percent North Dakota 88.3 percent Wyoming 88.3 percent Montana 87.3 percent and Iowa 85.8 percent. States with the lowest graduation rates in 1988 were Florida with 58 percent the District of Columbia 58.2 percent Georgia 61 percent Arizona 61.1 percent and Louisiana. 61.4  Rains drench North Central Texas Lubbock Texas apr after two years of drought the Lone Star state was badly parched. But when it finally rained it poured. Record downpours this Spring in North Central Texas have caused flooding claimed nine lives damaged crops and sent residents scrambling from their Homes. Drenching rain 60-Mph winds and tornadoes continued thursday. A not since 1922 have we had rain like this a said de Delgado spokesman for the National weather service in fort Worth. A we have seen some lakes Rise in water level by 4 feet overnight and there is More rain in the  rain on thursday caused or threat ened flooding from san Antonio northward and eastward into Oklahoma and Arkansas. In addition to the lives lost in Texas a 9-year-old Oklahoma City boy drowned wednesday in a rain swollen Creek authorities said. North Central Texas a which includes Dallas and fort Worth a is already closing in on its average yearly rainfall total. Some areas have had up to 7 inches in 24 hours. Twisters occasionally zapped the Region including one Early thursday that touched Down in Paris damaging 18 Homes and businesses and injuring seven people. Amid sheets of rain cars floated . Mining firm worker kidnapped in Ecuador through neighbourhoods bumping into each other. Muck settled on living room floors. While police evacuated flooded houses looters prowled abandoned neighbourhoods a in boats. A a it a a sad situation a said Lana Brueggemeyer a grand Prairie Homeowner whose Home has been flooded twice this year. A but its the elements of nature. You just done to guess. I would prefer not to go  two elderly men became the seventh and eighth fatalities of the weather wednesday morning in fort Worth after they apparently ditched their car and tried to Cross the Street in Rushing water police  of time Delgado said 22.05 inches of rain fell in North Central Texas during the first four months of the year More than double the average of 9.63. The yearly average is 29.46 inches. Only a 22.84-Inch total in 1922 surpasses this years four month total Delgado said. And there was heavy rain the first two Days of May. Bill Colbert spokesman for the Texas water commission said the Only Good news was that one of Texas major water supplies was being replenished. The Edwards aquifer which runs through southwestern Texas was in dire need of rainfall after Well below average Rains from 1986 to 1988, Colbert said. Peoria 111. Apr an american mining company employee has been kidnapped and an ecuadorean National killed by guerrillas in Ecuador government officials said. . Embassy spokesman Gregory Lagana in Quito said the Kidnap victim Scott Heimdal 27, has been missing since saturday the Peoria journal Star reported tuesday. Heimdal formerly of Peoria was travelling by boat along the Bermejo River on the Ecuador colombian Border when he was taken by rebels according to the newspaper. Ecuadorian armed forces launched air and land searches sunday. But . Officials said they believe Heimdal was being held in Colombia. Lagana said Heimdal was working in Ecuador for the International mining co. He was travelling with three ecuadorean and a colombian boat Pilot to a support Camp to seek medical treatment for an infected foot and bronchitis. Lagana said the boat was ordered to Stop by a Small band of guerrillas armed with automatic weapons. When the Pilot tried to flee the newspaper said the guerrillas opened fire killing one ecuadorean and wounding another then kidnapped Heimdal and ecuadorean geology student Edwin ten Eda 29. The kidnappers later released Ceneda with two letters written by Heimdal one to his wife and the other to his company. The letters contents were not  the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. May 4, 1950 a sen. Claude Pepper d.-fla., who once aspired to be president lost to a younger candidate rep. George Smathers of Miami in the states democratic primary election.30 years ago today. May 4, 1960 a the Senate approved a $4.1 billion foreign Aid program after refusing to Back away from its stand against an Arab ban on israeli shipping. The vote on final approval was 60-25.20 years ago today. May 4, 1970 a the biggest air strike against North Vietnam since the formal end to the bombing of that nation was conducted by about 120 . Planes to protect unarmed reconnaissance planes government sources announced.10 years ago today. May 4, 1980 a the Pentagon ordered a Start on full production of the bomber launched cruise missile and decided that the Boeing aerospace co. Would build All 3,418 weapons planned. The defense contract could yield some $2 billion Over a period of about seven years