The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 293

N7 THE BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE SEPTEMBER 20, 1908 Library group to honor 5 children's book authors at awards ceremony play, the scenery is laid out; with books, you invent your scenery. Kids get to create characters in their own heads." When Maclachlan's son reached junior high, she discovered that "He just didn't like to read." The revelation disturbed her, Maclachlan said, so she rummaged around her bookshelves for a book that would appeal to her son. "I worked hard to find something that spoke to him on some level," she said. meetings where a second-grader will get up and ask 'What do you do about writer's Advocates for children's literacy and authors agree the best way to interest kids in reading is to have a parent guide them through the world of the written word. According to Maclachlan, family members, who used to be traditional storytellers, have been replaced by televisions.

"A child participates more in a book," said Maclachlan. "In a screen plump dog who gains the gift of gab and rarely shuts up after eating a pot of alphabet soup. "Kids are wonderful, especially if they're loud and rambunctious," said Meddaugh recently during a telephone interview. "When I was growing up, I never thought about who made the books," said Meddaugh, who added that meeting young people face to face encourages them to read and write on their own when they realize, "Here is a person like my mother English-language test sites and fee who is writing these books." Patricia Maclachlan a former English teacher, is used to haying youngsters fire a salvo of questions at her when she visits schools. "Kids are really earnest, they want to know where ideas come from, and what you like about writing and what you don't like," said Maclachlan, who is best known for "Sarah, Plain and Tall" a story about a mail-order bride from Maine who travels to the prairie to be with her new family.

"I have been at to changes in lastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, and the Pre Scholastic Aptitude Test, or PSAT, given to more than 4 million high school students last year, will go on computer. He speculates that it will take a "decade or longer" to move the two tests to computers. In the meantime, he says, computer-based tests like the new English-language one offer advantages. They can be given year round, instead of on a few worldwide dates. In addition, the tests are "computer-adaptive," which means the level of difficulty of questions is based in part on answers to previous questions.

The format is supposed to provide a clearer picture of the test-taker's abilities. The new English-language test also will include an essay-writing requirement and improved methods of testing the ability to understand spoken English. When the changes were an By Jason Pring GLOBE CORRESPONDENT Children, the prevailing wisdom goes, would prefer to spend their afternoons perched in front of a television channel-surfing, wandering the World Wide Web, or playing Nintendo anything rather than reading for pleasure. With so many options out there, books can rarely register a blip on most youngsters' excitement meter. And parents, who want their children to read more, are stumped.

There is a solution. Next Sunday, the Associates of the Boston Public Library are pulling no punches and bringing in the heavy hitters of children's literature for the first "Children's Literary Lights" awards. Organizers say youngsters will get to rub elbows with five award-winning authors and read some of their books. The honorees include: Jane Yolen, Patricia Maclachlan, Lois Lowry, Yoko Kawashima Wat-kins, and Susan Meddaugh. The event, for which tickets cost $45, will begin with a procession of children, who will present a crystal book to each author at 3 p.m.

in the Boston Public Library. Then all will traipse across the street to the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotelfor high tea and a question-and-answer session. Organizers hope the encounter will generate a literary buzz among young readers who may just decide to write stories themselves. Susan Meddaugh says she's visited many classrooms since 1992, when she wrote and illustrated "Martha Speaks" a tale about a Some object HTEST Continued from Page N5 transition from paper and pencil to computer. But Ed Tate, director of media relations at Educational Testing Services, or ETS, which created and owns the test, says it is all part of the inevitable computerization of the more then 9 million ETS tests given annually in the United States and 180 other countries.

The Graduate Record Exam, or GRE, has been moving to computers since 1993, and the Graduate Management Admission Test switched to computers last October. The English test, which almost a million students took last year, moved to computers in July in the United States and several other countries with large number of test takers. Some 70 percent of the tests are given overseas. Eventually, Tate says, the Scho and we intend to remain nonprofit," he says. "Sylvan offers an efficient, businesslike way to handle the test sites." But some critics are still not happy with the changes in the English-language test Pamela Breslin is director of international student programs at Miss Hall's School in Pitts-field, where about 20 percent of the 145 students come from outside the United States.

In the past, students taking the English-language test went to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and last year to a college in Albany. This year they will go to a mall in East Longmeadow. "The distance is an inconvenience, but the main complaint is that the price has gotten so high," Breslin says. "It seems so much like a money-making proposition and so remote from anything academic." At Boston's English High School, nounced early this year, there was a flurry of criticism from groups that work with international students. They said that the proposed fee of $125 outside the United States and Canada would be a significant barrier to students in poor countries, as would the lack of accessible computer facilities.

The critics also asked for a phase-in period longer than the two years allowed for 14 countries outside the United States. ETS responded by setting a $100 fee for all countries and adding test sites. In the United States, there will be 100 "institutional" sites at universities and ETS offices, in addition to the Sylvan Centers. Tate emphasized that Sylvan has only a "vendor relationship" to ETS. He says what ETS pays Sylvan for administering the test is "confidential information." "We are a nonprofit organization, liUIIIIUil! CLASSES one LEARNING-SCHOOLS START NOVEMBER 7 Tangible results In year.

Real managers require measurable performance and effective teamwork. Results they can count on and career advancements they can count on. Instead of a traditional Master's thesis, our graduates produce real results in one year. And they can prove it If that's the result you want for yourself, begin to earn it November 7. Her solution was to deposit Robert Parker mysteries in her son's path until he picked one up and opened the pages.

Now, Maclachlan says, her son probably reads more than she does. "He realized that a book could be something that spoke to you, where it almost seems as if the book was1 written for you and the author was speaking directly to you," said Maclachlan, who added that the trick in getting young people to read is finding the right book. which has 400 students in bilingual programs, guidance counselor Mar-' gerita Peres says the old $55 fee was too high for most of the students. Only 10 to 15 students took the-Test of English as a Foreign Lan-" guage last year, Peres says, while' most of those going to college took -the English Language Proficiency Test, which costs only $7 if students" get waivers based on income. ETS officials say the increased cost is a result of developing a new', and improved test that college ad-(i ministrators said they needed.

During a debate over the test, last spring, ETS vice-president John, Yepp said, "The fact is that organizations and institutions were pushing the use of computers in assessment They felt that computers would give the universities a better and that's what ETS's job is to, make a better test." INFORMATION SESSIONS ENFIELD, CT Hariey Hotel Sept 22, 6-7 PM ANDOVER Ramada Rolling Green Sept 24, 6-7 PM FOXBORO Days Inn Oct I 6-7 PM BRAINTREE Sheraton Tara Oct 14, 6-7 PM ANDOVER Ramada Rolling Green Oct 1 5, 6-7 PM RESERVE YOUR SPACE. CALL 800-838-2580 TOD WOSCf STW POIVTKMK STITUTt 1 j- Get your high-tech MBA from the people who practically invented it. Master of Science Quality Systems Management THE f. You can earn your degree in either Worcester or Waltham, or through our Advanced Distance Learning Network. For more information, attend one of our upcoming Open Houses.

To reserve a space, call the Graduate Management Office at 508-831-5218 or e-mail, wpigmpawpi.edu. ALMOUTH While many schools are now offering a high-tech MBA, WPI has been offering one since 1970. As the nation's third oldest technological university, we are uniquely qualified to prepare you for any challenge you'll face throughout your career. Full- and part-time programs include: Graduate Degree Programs Master of Business Administration MS in Marketing Technological Innovation MS in Operations 6 Information Technology Graduate Certificate Programs Information Technology Management of Technology Technology Marketing Customized Certificate WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Worcester Waltham The World Founded in 1865 admissionstilmouth.org www.falmouth.org 800-838-2580 p. Hi 9: i SIGN UP NOW FOR THESE COURSES ft INSTITUTE OF QUALITY SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT I Build Your Career in Information Technology Certificate Programs In: ClientServer Technology Hands-on modules cover: ClientServer Architecture ORACLE RDBMS Design Windows NTNetwork Systems GUI Development Tools Visual BasicPowerBuilderSQL Master Application Development Project UNK SystemCC Hands-on modules include: Fundamentals of UNIX Shell Programming UNIX System Administration TCPIP Networking CC Object-Oriented Programming UNIX Software Development Tools Classes Start Soon.

Attend an Information Session Sept 23, 1:80 pn-WaiSiam Sspt 24, 100 pra KesrJiort Reserve your space on-line at www.wpi.eduCE nrsxzm7axti Attend Our FREE TECH NIGHT October 15, Burlington Call Today to Register! 1-800-BU-TRAIN (1-800-288-7246) Fti-Tme DaysPart-Tune Evenings Job SearclVfinanaal Assistance Amiable COMPUTER CAREER PROGRAMS mum nuun 1111 922 Supporting MjcrowftWinJowi NT 4.0-Core Tedinologio Sept 28 688 Internetworking MS TCTIP on MS Windows NT 4.0 Sept 28 803 Administering Microwft Windowi NT 4.0 Oct 3 689 Supporting Mictosoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Oct 5 832 System Administration for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Oct 5 181 Domino 4.5 ind Notes 4.5 System Administration 1 Oct 6 160 Lotus Notes and Domino 4.54.6 Mobile and Power User Oct 30 933 and Object-Oriented Programming Oct 1 928 Internetworking with TCPIP Oct 5 936 Object-Oriented Analysis Design Oct 13 959 Contmeporary Trends in Information Technology Oct 13 982 Una Shell Programming Oct 15 START DATE DIE PRICE Days Days Days Eves. Days Eves. Days Days Days Days Days Days $1995 $1995 $1195 $1995 $1995 $1440 270 $1795 $895 $1495 $1195 $895 unless otherwise noted. tncww Corporate 8c volume discounts available. 1-800-BU-TRAIN Today! AWARD WINNING CAREER TRAINING IN: IntraNet Developer-JAVA, HTML Microsoft Windows NT Administration (MCSE) PC Service ft Support Speclallst-A ClientServer Applications Development Windows Development Visual CMFC UNIX System Administration Novell IntranetWare Administration (CNE) Novel if dusts held at 1 2 Post Office Square, Boston Visit our web site at http:butrain.bu.edu.

Call IT CORPORATE EDUCATION CENTER ntcal Visit our web site at http:butraln.bu.edu I Put Our Training to Work for You! US- ri ESL-.