Essay about Schools Must Reduce Their Use of Standard Tests

I’m sure you have felt personally victimized by the law of No Child Left Behind and some sort of state-mandated standardized testing. Growing up in Pennsylvania, we had the PSSA’s, 4 Sights, and Keystone Exams. They always had felt trivial, but they did serve some purpose as far as immediate impact to our school days. The use of standardized testing as a quantitative tool of measuring student’s performance took off in 2002 with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (â€Å"Standardized Tests,†2003). Standardized testing was part of the initiative to become the highest academically ranked country in the world, surpassing the current highest ranked country of China. The ultimate goal of NCLB was to ensure that all students score a†¦show more content†¦Sometimes, teaching to the test may not be as terrible as we think. Having standardized testing focus on essential content and skills that student’s need to master to be prosperous in society is what should be the basis of NCLB. (â€Å"Standardized Tests,† 2003). The exams should also provide good insight as to what subjects schools need to focus more forms of remediation on to improve the education standards of students (â€Å"Standardized Tests,† 2003). Standardized testing also helps schools that desp erately need extra funding. When used for the RIGHT reasons, this extra funding gives tremendous advantage to the students in general; especially those who are economically disadvantaged. With all these controversies over NCLB and standardized testing, it makes you wonder how the most educated country in the world is able to successfully utilize standardized testing. I started researching China’s academic policies, and what I found was surprisingly normal. One of the most recent education reforms passed in China seems uncommonly liberal for such a conservative country. New rules such as no homework, reducing testing, and the prevention of expediting the process of learning seem so mind-bottling simple (Strauss, 2013). What makes them so much more academically prosperous than us? Personally, I think it has a lot to do with our mismatch of culture. In our every-man-for-himselfShow MoreRelatedCommon Core Ineffectiveness1022 Words   |  5 PagesThe Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was first implemented in 2010, nine years after I graduated from high school. Although I wasn’t personally affected by the new academic standards, it has a direct impact on the current and future generation of leaders, innovators, and world changers including my future children. The initial purpose of the Common Core Standards is to set high-quality learning goals designed to prepare students to be college and career ready. Given the current controversies surroundingRead MoreThe Harmful Effects of No Child Left Behind1420 Words   |  6 Pagespublic schools by introducing accountability. Supporters of the act claim that it will increase the performance of all school children by raising the standards and allowing parents greater freedom in choosing the school they want their child to attend. The act also puts in place a system of punishment for schools if their student body does not perform to the standards set down by the National government (NCLB act). As well as increasing standards, this act also encourages teachers to use a curriculumRead MoreCommon Core Should Be Enforced Across The United States1523 Words   |  7 Pagesidea, it is unnecessary , that America has done just fine without it. The Common Core is not working how it should and schools should go back to the way it was before. Many professors and researchers agree that the Common Core does not work and might even be hurting the youth of America. Parents who disagree with the Common Core have started pulling their children out of public school resulting in national education to be even less standardized, which is the opposite affect than what the Common CoreRead MoreInstructional Practices for Standards-Based Curriculum Essay1575 Words   |  7 PagesFOR STANDARDS-BASED Instructional Practices for Standards-Based Curriculum Brandi R. Woods Grand Canyon University EDA 561 - Curriculum Development for School Improvement October 24, 2010 Instructional Practices for Standards-Based Curriculum George W. Bush put into action the No Child Left Behind Act to ensure that all children were giving the right education and succeeding. With this, many states adopted a standard-based curriculum approach that required for all schools to haveRead MoreThe No Child Left Behind Act1124 Words   |  5 Pages(NCLB) was authorized by and signed into law in 2002. NCLB was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. NCLB was meant to hold schools to higher standards, enforce accountability, and close achievement gaps that had existed in education since ESEA was enacted. Nevertheless, the rigorous standards and goals set forth under NCLB were never attained. ESEA Flexibility could be attained from the U.S. Department of Education starting in 2012. The accountability plansRead MoreEssay on Aca Task 302.2.3-01-081674 Words   |  7 Pages1. The most advantageous filing status for spouse A and spouse B to use is married filing jointly. 1. Spouse A and B may only choose from the married filing jointly or married filing separately statuses. Under married filing separately the spouses would start accruing taxes against their income sooner. For example under married filing separately a spouse would only be able to earn $8,925.00 of taxable income before they would be progressed to the next tier of the income tax bracket. Under marriedRead MoreImproving Student Performance While Addressing Student Learning Needs774 Words   |  4 Pagestalented students. It makes sometimes difficult for teachers to meet all students needs. Some of the students are learning quickly and some – need extra help and extra time. How can a teacher help students to reach the same academic goals and standards? Probably, data-driven instruction, an efficient approach when students’ performance data is used to improve their learning, might become the solution. March (2006) defines data-driven instructions as the systematic collection, analysis, and applicationRead MoreStandardized Tests With End Of Year Subject Tests1575 Words   |  7 Pagesmoment in the high school. She needed to walk around the stage to the flash of the cameras and the smiles of her family like her classmates. So she collected her proud family members form the Chicago and Washington to come to share in her joy. The problem is that she had not passed one of the four subject regions in the graduation test of the state, which students must pass to receive the regular diploma. She is not alone. Lots of the students failed during the graduation test across the state. (TorresRead MoreNo Child Left Behind Act Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagesteachers were blamed for low test scores and failing schools. However, many did not taken into consideration overall what was needed in order for the teachers to successfully teach and for the children to retain information (United, 2010). This raises the issue of addressing budget concerns. Teachers were not given enough federal funds to obtain materials to successfully teach children. When there was not enough federal funds the amount of materials given to the schools was not acceptable, leavingRead MoreThe Importance of Driving Education1057 Words   |  4 Pagesfor all drivers before they get their driving license. Driving education is a course of study, as for high-school students, teaches the techniques of driving a vehicle, along with basic vehicle maintenance, safety precautions, and traffic regulations and laws. In Malaysia, all drivers need to pass two tests to get their driving license which are rules and regulation test as well as driving test. However, in a sign of the times, people changed, culture changed, and society changed. Nowadays, many teenagers

Does Music Affect the Growth of Plants Essay Example For Students

Does Music Affect the Growth of Plants? Essay Question Does music affect the growth of plants? Hypothesis If the frequency of sound increased, then the growth of plants will increase. Classical music tends to be of higher frequency I believe that classical music will increase the growth of plants Materials 9 bean seeds mammal of distilled water One meter stick One clock 3 flower boxes Fluorescence light bulbs Music players Sound-proofing materials Procedure 1 . Measure 13605 grams of soil by measuring the weight of each plant in pounds, and converting it into grams. 2. Place the soil in the flower box, and mix with hands, and flatten the top of the soil. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 twice. 4. Poke three 3 CM holes in each box with finger. 5. Place a bean seed in each hole. 6. Cover each hole with soil. 7. Place the three boxes on a table. 8. Place sound-proofing materials in between each Does Music Affect the Growth of Plants? By Allocate 9. Put a music player playing rock music towards one of the boxes. 10. Put another music player playing classical music towards a different box. 11. Play 12 hours of music each day for the certain boxes of bean plants. 12. Put light bulbs in the sockets, hanging over the plants. 13. Provide 12 hours of light each day for the plants. 14. Give each seed mall of water each day. 15. Measure the growth of plants every 2 days 16. Record any other aberrations. Experiment Setup Experimental Groups Rock Music No Music Classical Music Observations No steady growth patterns recorded. No music plants grew to be 40. 5 CM tall. Classical music plants grew to be 36. 1 CM tall. Rock music plants grew to be 40. 8 CM tall. The rock music plants leaned over to get more light. Trial 2 in rock music experiment didnt grow at all. There was a cut in the stem of trial one in the classical group. My hypothesis was incorrect If anything, the sound waves disturb the bundle sheath cells in the plants The sound frequency was increased, and the classical music group grew the shortest This confuses them and throws them off guard If this were to be true though, then the rock music group wouldnt have grown up to be the tallest Conclusions The only explanation left would be human error Light distribution might have been off if the plants on the far ends were lean towards it Volume level wasnt even Sound-proofing wasnt strong

The Hobit Essay Example For Students

The Hobit Essay The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is set in a fantasy world that has differences, as well as similarities, to our own world. The author has created the novels world, Middle Earth, not only by using imagination, but by also adding details from the modern world. Realistic elements in the book enable readers to relate to the setting, yet have the ability to imagine exciting events and organisms not found on Earth. The majority of differences between Middle Earth and todays world are found in objects and the actions of characters that can not be carried out or created in our world. The most abundant example of this in The Hobbit is the presence of magic. Gandalf, the wizard, is able to help the adventurers out of a number of dangerous situations by using his magical powers to harm their enemies. He set Wargs afire while he was trapped in a tree and created a bolt of lightening to kill many of the Goblins who had surrounded the group in a cave. The magical ring, which was a key to helping the group succeed in the book, allowed he who was wearing it to become invisible to others. Also, there was a black stream in Mirkwood that made he who drank out of it suddenly very drowsy and forgetful of previous events. All of these examples of happenings and objects found in Middle Earth are physically impossible in a world such as ours. Several of the organisms in the book are not known to exist on Earth. Hobbits, of course, are fictional characters, as are dwarves, elves, goblins, and trolls. Many species of animals are able to vocally communicate with humans and dwarves in the novel, which is not possible on our planet. Beorn, a human who is able to morph into other creatures at an instant, is an excellent example of such fiction. The dragon, Smaug, is the main adversary of the fourteen adventurers and is a type of creature that has long been used in fantasy writing. Although most of the characters species are merely creations of the author, they all exhibit a sense of realism th at causes them to seem almost human. There is a vast difference between Middle Earth and the modern world, but there are also several similarities. In Middle Earth, there live humans, and hobbits, which are very much similar to miniature people. The language spoken and food consumed in the novels world are found in modern society. Also, the fact that Thorin Oakenshield is heir of the throne of the King under the Mountain and inherits all of the riches of the kingdom is like the parliamentary system of England. The environment and terrain thegroup passes through on their adventure is primarily the same as lands unchanged by humans and surrounded by nature appear today. In the novel, there are forests with miles of trees, high, rocky mountains, and flowing rivers just as there are here on Earth. We will write a custom essay on The Hobit specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now It is not possible that a fantasy story such as The Hobbit could occur in real life. However, I do believe that fantasy can effectively teach us about reality. There are morals, lessons, and themes to be found within the text that can help us gain knowledge and live our lives more productively. Bilbo Baggins took a stand and raised enough courage to do something he had never thought of doing before, going on a great adventure. This choice caused Bilbo to gain endurance, bravery, an appreciation of his life, and many valuable experiences thatmade him a wiser person. Thorins selfish act of not wanting to share the dragons riches with the other towns citizens caused only bad events to occur. This teaches us that kindness andgiving to others will not only benefit them, but will also cause you to feel more content inside. When the group of fourteen was staying with Beorn to rest, he gave them suggestions andinformation about the journey that lie ahead of them. He informed them about a black stream out of which they should never drink, no matter how thirsty they may be, for it would put them to sleep for days. If they had not listened to his words, their adventure

Higgins, Pygmalion essays

Higgins, Pygmalion essays Professor Higgins is seen throughout Pygmalion as a very rude man. While one may expect a well educated man, such as Higgins, to be a gentleman, he is far from it. Higgins believes that how you treated someone is not important, as long as you treat everyone equally. The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in Heaven, where there are no third- class carriages, and one soul is as good as another. -Higgins, Act V Pygmalion. Higgins presents this theory to Eliza, in hope of justifying his treatment of her. This theory would be fine IF Higgins himself lived by it. Henry Higgins, however, lives by a variety of variations of this philosophy. It is easily seen how Higgins follows this theory. He is consistently rude towards Eliza, Mrs. Pearce, and his mother. His manner is the same to each of them, in accordance to his philosophy. However the Higgins we see at the parties and in good times with Pickering is well mannered. This apparent discrepancy between Higgins' actions and his word, may not exist, depending on There are two possible translations of Higgins' philosophy. It can be viewed as treating everyone the same all of the time or treating everyone It is obvious that Higgins does not treat everyone equally all of the time, as witnessed by his actions when he is in "one of his states" (as Mrs. Higgins' parlor maid calls it). The Higgins that we see in Mrs. Higgins' parlor is not the same Higgins we see at the parties. When in "the state" Henry Higgins wanders aimlessly around the parlor, irrationally moving from chair to chair, highly unlike the calm Professor Higgins we see at the ball. Higgins does not believe that a person should have the same manner tow ...

Definition and Usage of Union in Mathematics

Definition and Usage of Union in Mathematics One operation that is frequently used to form new sets from old ones is called the union. In common usage, the word union signifies a bringing together, such as unions in organized labor or the State of the Union address that the U.S. President makes before a joint session of Congress. In the mathematical sense, the union of two sets retains this idea of bringing together. More precisely, the union of two sets A and B is the set of all elements x such that x is an element of the set A or x is an element of the set B. The word that signifies that we are using a union is the word or. The Word Or When we use the word or in day-to-day conversations, we may not realize that this word is being used in two different ways. The way is usually inferred from the context of the conversation. If you were asked â€Å"Would you like the chicken or the steak?† the usual implication is that you may have one or the other, but not both. Contrast this with the question, â€Å"Would you like butter or sour cream on your baked potato?† Here or is used in the inclusive sense in that you could choose only butter, only sour cream, or both butter and sour cream. In mathematics, the word or is used in the inclusive sense. So the statement, x is an element of A or an element of B means that one of the three is possible: x is an element of just A and not an element of Bx is an element of just B and not an element of A.x is an element of both A and B. (We could also say that x is an element of the intersection of A and B Example For an example of how the union of two sets forms a new set, let’s consider the sets A {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and B {3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}. To find the union of these two sets, we simply list every element that we see, being careful not to duplicate any elements. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 are in either one set or the other, therefore the union of A and B is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 }. Notation for Union In addition to understanding the concepts concerning set theory operations, it is important to be able to read symbols used to denote these operations. The symbol used for the union of the two sets A and B is given by A ∠ª B. One way to remember the symbol ∠ª refers to union is to notice its resemblance to a capital U, which is short for the word â€Å"union.† Be careful, because the symbol for union is very similar to the symbol for intersection. One is obtained from the other by a vertical flip. To see this notation in action, refer back the above example. Here we had the sets A {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and B {3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}. So we would write the set equation A ∠ª B {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 }. Union With the Empty Set One basic identity that involves the union shows us what happens when we take the union of any set with the empty set, denoted by #8709. The empty set is the set with no elements. So joining this to any other set will have no effect. In other words, the union of any set with the empty set will give us the original set back This identity becomes even more compact with the use of our notation. We have the identity: A ∠ª ∅ A. Union With the Universal Set For the other extreme, what happens when we examine the union of a set with the universal set? Since the universal set contains every element, we cannot add anything else to this. So the union or any set with the universal set is the universal set. Again our notation helps us to express this identity in a more compact format. For any set A and the universal set U, A ∠ª U U. Other Identities Involving the Union There are many more set identities that involve the use of the union operation. Of course, its always good to practice using the language of set theory. A few of the more important are stated below. For all sets A, and B and D we have: Reflexive Property: A ∠ª A ACommutative Property: A ∠ª B B ∠ª AAssociative Property: (A ∠ª B) ∠ª D A ∠ª (B ∠ª D)DeMorgan’s Law I: (A ∠© B)C AC ∠ª BCDeMorgan’s Law II: (A ∠ª B)C AC ∠© BC

Compare TWO different approaches to the study of food, and discuss Essay

Compare TWO different approaches to the study of food, and discuss what you find attractive or unhelpful about them - Essay Example Furthermore, an underlying framework cannot remain constant since it is susceptible of transformation under external stimuli. Both structuralism and post-structuralism tend to provide a theoretical framework that can help in understanding how cultures are affected by their food and cooking practices but post-structuralism provides a relatively flexible approach that accepts human influence and effects of historic events on culture. In order to understand the nature and behaviour of food with the help of structuralism, it is important to analyze the framework of this approach. Structuralism is an inspired phenomena hailing from Gestalt psychology. Gestalt’s theory attempts to find out a rationale ground of how human mind works and derives patterns out of random or unobvious events. This approach further explains that events, individuals or objects having same attributes tend to form an alliance and stay together. Similarly, structuralism is an approach through which human behav iour can be analyzed with the help of different frame of references networked together. This network of relationships helps in identifying the actual position of a norm, ritual or an object in human life. Through this framework, early linguists and anthropologists tend to identify the signs showing common indications. Therefore, structuralism became synonymous with semiology. These semiotics or doctrines of semiology helped the literary thinkers to deduct common patterns from folk tales that helped in understanding relations of cultures to each other and their further evolution along with rationales of various norms and traditions. Although this approach was a result of literary research performed by Ferdinand de Saussure and Vladimir Propp however it was given a broader definition in 1960s by Claude Levi-Strauss. Levi-Strauss used this approach to analyze human patterns of kinship and myths. This research was further extended by various others such as Mary Douglas. Levi-Strauss per formed his further research to identify the reasons for existence of similar myths present in different cultures. He explained that no myth has a value in its singular form and in order to have a meaning; it is supposed to have a certain place in myth’s network or structure. Hence, myths exists universally and they are source of resolutions to social conflicts. Along with myths, rituals and traditions, food and activities related to it play a vital role in understanding relationships existing between cultures. Levi-Strauss (1966, 1970) helped in identifying common patterns among different cultures and segregated the manner of culinary art of cooking in three fundamental categories i.e. boiling, roasting and steaming. These fundamental cooking principles indicated that through norms and methods adopted by a group of people, a meaning is produced in a culture which is reproduced and evolved through other peripheral practices. Activities as diverse as food preparations and exist ence of millions of recipes concluded that there were some common factors underlying in these cultures and they indicated a particular pattern of kinship that is known to different groups and individuals existing in a society, operating at unconscious level

Feminism and Kate Chopin's The Storm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Feminism and Kate Chopin's The Storm - Essay Example Louis, Missouri, all of whom were women of determination and intellect. This probably pointed her towards the path of feminism. Chopin lived and wrote her impressive repertoire of short stories in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the still patriarchal society revolved around the firmly rooted tenet that the ultimate goal of a fulfilled woman’s life was to be the ideal wife and mother and to adhere to the glorified virtues of submission and sacrifice. The feminist movement was very much in its’ nascent stages and centered round the demand for equal rights for women in the legal, political and educational spheres. Even before these issues could be resolved, Chopin’s stories delved into the complex threads of a woman’s life, including love, marriage, sex, women’s alcoholism, motherhood and autonomy. She was â€Å"a pioneer in her own time, in her portrayal of women’s desires for independence and control of their own sexualityâ₠¬  (Emily Toth, cited in Kate Chopin, n.d.). The concept of freedom for women, let alone their freedom to explore their own sexuality, was far beyond the comprehension of that age. Chopin wrote ‘The Storm,’ in 1898 but, perhaps anticipating a ‘storm’ of protest and condemnation, the story was published only after her death. In this portrayal of a woman’s extramarital affair, beautifully orchestrated to match the cadences of the storm raging outside, Chopin boldly asserts a woman’s freedom to explore and delight in her own sexuality, to participate in the sexual act as an equal partner and to fearlessly adhere to the same standards of sexual morality as a man. ‘The Storm’ begins its’ depiction of its’ protagonist, Calixta, as a woman who conforms to the mother and wife stereotype of that period. Her life, confined within the four walls of her house, is apparently quite satisfactorily filled with domestic chores like sewing and the laundry. She