European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Case highlights single parenthood courts seen As reluctant to Force duties on plead with judges to make fathers take physical custody of a child for a period of time simply for a break from by Ron Jensen Nti Niberg Bureau the murder of 2-month-old Acilien r. Byrd by her Soldier Mother last summer in Ansbach Germany is an extreme example of the pressures of single Moth Rhood a spokeswoman for a woman a rights group said. Quot that kind of Case is rarely heard about a said Kim Gandy executive vice president for the National organization for women. A a what a More common is the children Are grossly  pfc. Cassie r. Byrd a Soldier with the 3rd inf div left her 4-week-old daughter in a closet last summer before going on a three week leave to the United states. She pleaded guilty to premeditated murder at a court martial feb. 25. Her sentencing is scheduled for 9 . Tuesday at William o. Darby Cavern in Firth. A looking at my own 2-week-old daughter its hard to imagine leaving a baby in the closet a a said Gandy in a Telephone interview from her Washington Home where she is on maternity leave. Quot but you never know another person s  the father of Byrds baby was never identified in court. It was stated Only that he had not accepted any responsibility for the baby born May 20,1992. That left Byrd with the Legal duty to provide for the baby a needs. When she stopped the baby died and she was charged with  the certainly seems to be getting off Scot free a Gandy said. But Gandy said courts rarely place on a reluctant father any responsibility for providing Basic necessities even in the United states where the Law spells out that duty. A even when you know who the father is a when you can absolutely establish paternity a the Law will not Force a father to take other than financial responsibility a said Gandy a lawyer. In her practice she said she has seen mothers who the pressure. A the courts simply will not do it a she said. A however if the Mother stops primary care she will be in court for not providing care. The father can simply say 1 done to want  a if she said a child becomes a juvenile delinquent the single Mother can then be held legally responsible for the child a actions. A a it a crazy a she said. A it always keeps coming Back to the  now is a Strong proponent of abortion rights. Saying she did not want to assume to know Byrds thoughts when she discovered her pregnancy Gandy said it is possible the unavailability of abortions in military hospitals led to the eventual murder of the baby. The ban on abortions was lifted by president Linton but was in effect under the Bush administration when Byrd became  disturbed by strategy of viewing tests by Jimi Jones education writer a teacher at a military overseas school in Germany has called the practice of viewing a test before administering it to students an Quot inherently dangerous and unethical strategy to improve standardized test scores. Marva Campbell a fifth Grade teacher at Spang Dahlum Middle school said in a february letter to the stars and stripes that the schools administrators have asked the schools faculty to identify areas of weakness in student performance on the comprehensive tests of Basic skills then design an action plan to improve instruction and student learning. She said teachers had been Quot strongly encouraged to Analyse the school needs assessment profile or snap and look up specific test items on which the students had performed poorly. Campbell said she is uncomfortable with that concept since it a promotes teaching to the test. Quot maybe that a not the Dodds intention but the Only thing you can do in two months time is focus on those items. 1 can to see How any teacher could not do that a Campbell said in a Telephone in Leview. The annual test is to be Given in department of defense dependents schools Germany this month. A administrators at Span Dahlem did not return Calls to the stars and stripes concerning the Issue. The skills test is designed by the educational publishing company Mcgraw Hill and is intended to help schools measure student learning by comparing test results with students of similar Ages in other . Schools. The snap is a report that the company provides to each school that indicates by Grade Tevel student responses on each test  the testers new rules govern what teachers in the military a overseas school system can an cannot do when if comes to preparing students for Basic skills tests. Following Are some of the actions considered ethical and unethical under the new guidelines ethical \ a training in test taking skills a practising various testing formats a increasing student motivation by appealing to parents students and teachers. A reviewing directions and procedures a following specific directions for examiners. A observing timing guidelines. A assisting students with mechanical acts such As finding the Correct  a developing a curriculum based on the specific Content of the test. A using virtually identical or superficially changed questions or items from current or past tests. A teaching to specific questions or tasks on the test. A limiting instruction to a particular Type of question format. A a photocopying tests As a whole or in part for any purpose. A prompting students to find the Correct answer to any question except samples. A providing assistance that will inadvertently indicate an answer. A indicating the Correct response to any item except Sample items. A reviewing actual test items with students before or after the test. Source Dodds Germany Region controversy brewed in Dodds last year when a teachers Union charged that a unethical preparation of students in the Panama Region was part of a pattern showing that Dodds officials were directing teachers to find ways to raise standardized test scores. The allegations came after at least five teachers at Balboa High school in Panama used copies of a current cubs to prepare pupils for the test. In addition student test results were invalidated at two High schools in England after officials discovered that teachers used All or parts of the tests during practice exams. Sas since that time a directive governing the test has been written Dodds officials said. Representatives from All Dodds regions teachers unions stateside schools and Mcgraw Hill took part in the rewrite. The policy expanded from a single Page to a Book of about 13 pages said Gerard Akkerhuis the Germany Region s evaluation and special projects coordinator. A we tried to spell out what we Felt was ethical and Correct a Akkerhuis said. A copies of the draft Are in All schools getting ready for testing this month. The policy allows teachers to see the test at their desks for 24 hours he said. A there is a consensus a he said. A a we support that policy  but reviewing the test which has no bearing on academic records is a new procedure for Many Dodds teachers. Campbell for example has taught for 10 years six with Dodds but said this Marks her first year of reviewing the test or using the snap report to review. Campbell said she Felt a a threatened when she questioned school administrators about the test. A my initial reaction was that my performance Standard would depend on following through on something i thought was wrong a she said. A it really worries me that so much emphasis is placed on cubs tests and that it s getting to the Point that teachers May be evaluated on now their students  however officials from the overseas education association the Union that represents teachers in Germany investigated the situation at Span Dahlem and found no intent to teach to the test. A the association at this time does t believe that there is any real teaching to the test being directed in the Germany Region a said Union spokeswoman Jan Pepelnjak. A but there is a real Fine line. I do think there Are schools that Are zealous in viewing the test and aligning the curriculum in order to have their students improve in the test but the real blatant offences a things that Arentt ethical a i done to believe Are going on anywhere in the Germany  since discovering school procedures Are Legal Campbell has pulled out supplemental materials and is a teaching the Dodds curriculum a she  lifts secrecy on Wii chemical tests Washington a the Pentagon says . Soldiers knowingly used As human Guinea pigs in world War 11 chemical weapons tests can now talk about their experiences ending decades of secrecy. The Pentagon is lifting a prohibition against military personnel involved in the tests from disclosing what happened it. Gen. Robert m. Alexander a Deputy assistant Secretary of defense told a House subcommittee wednesday. Alexander also said the Pentagon immediately will begin reclassifying information on the locations dates and people exposed to chemical weapons in All tests prior to 1968. He said the people involved should be identified by August. A we share your concerns that Many of the individuals exposed May not even know they were exposed a Alexander told the veterans affairs subcommittee on compensation pension and insurance. A we also Are aware that others May feel constrained to speak out because of written or Oral oaths they May have taken or because of guidance they May have received at the  the program was intended to produce better protective clothing and masks for Mustard Gas which cat hundreds of thousands of deaths in world War i. Wednesdays hearing was the first by a Congress panel since the Institute of Medicine concluded in uary that More than 60,000 veterans were expose Large doses of Mustard Gas during the program w the government did no to admit existed until last year. The Institute part of the National Academy of ence found that Many of the soldiers were Force participate in the program and had been sworn to Crecy with the threat of imprisonment