High Stakes Testing Essay -- Education School Standardized Tests Essay

High Stakes Testing Albert Einstein once stated, â€Å"not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.† High-stakes testing attempts to determine the knowledge a person has obtained throughout grades K-12. These standardized tests are being used to judge a person’s ability to graduate from high school and also judge if a child has enough knowledge to proceed to the next grade level. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how these tests do not accurately portray one’s intelligence, how they have increased drop out rates, and also show the damaging psychological affects they have had. High stakes testing does not accurately determine a student’s intelligence. In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences researched the appropriate and inappropriate uses of tests. They agreed that â€Å"no single test score can be considered a definitive measure of a student’s knowledge†(http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/news/histakes_test_position_statement.htm). To use these standardized tests to decide if a person has earned his/her diploma is unreasonable, and they have been proven ineffective. The Alliance for Childhood states that, â€Å"the use of standardized tests as the sole measure of whether students are promoted, are placed in low-track classes, or will graduate from high school is condemned as insupportable by every professional testing organization.†(alliance). In Arizona, the AIMS (Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards) test will soon be used in this way; high school seniors in the year 2008 must pass this test to graduate. A study prepared by the Arizona Standards organization states that, â€Å"the Arizona AIMS test, if implemented today, would fail between 50% and 75% of all high s... ... Standards (AIMS). Arizona Department of Education. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ade.state.az.us/ standards/aims/PerformanceStandards/performancelevels.asp 2. Testing and Grade Retention. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.fairtest.org/arn/retenfct.htm 3. High Stakes Testing Position Statement. Alliance for Childhood. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/news/histakes_test_position_statement.htm 4. Haney, Walt. The Myth of the Texas Miracle in Education. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41/ 5. What’s Wrong With High Stakes Testing in General and Aims in Particular? Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.azstandards.org/protestmaterials.htm High Stakes Testing Essay -- Education School Standardized Tests Essay High Stakes Testing Albert Einstein once stated, â€Å"not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.† High-stakes testing attempts to determine the knowledge a person has obtained throughout grades K-12. These standardized tests are being used to judge a person’s ability to graduate from high school and also judge if a child has enough knowledge to proceed to the next grade level. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how these tests do not accurately portray one’s intelligence, how they have increased drop out rates, and also show the damaging psychological affects they have had. High stakes testing does not accurately determine a student’s intelligence. In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences researched the appropriate and inappropriate uses of tests. They agreed that â€Å"no single test score can be considered a definitive measure of a student’s knowledge†(http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/news/histakes_test_position_statement.htm). To use these standardized tests to decide if a person has earned his/her diploma is unreasonable, and they have been proven ineffective. The Alliance for Childhood states that, â€Å"the use of standardized tests as the sole measure of whether students are promoted, are placed in low-track classes, or will graduate from high school is condemned as insupportable by every professional testing organization.†(alliance). In Arizona, the AIMS (Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards) test will soon be used in this way; high school seniors in the year 2008 must pass this test to graduate. A study prepared by the Arizona Standards organization states that, â€Å"the Arizona AIMS test, if implemented today, would fail between 50% and 75% of all high s... ... Standards (AIMS). Arizona Department of Education. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ade.state.az.us/ standards/aims/PerformanceStandards/performancelevels.asp 2. Testing and Grade Retention. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.fairtest.org/arn/retenfct.htm 3. High Stakes Testing Position Statement. Alliance for Childhood. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/news/histakes_test_position_statement.htm 4. Haney, Walt. The Myth of the Texas Miracle in Education. Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41/ 5. What’s Wrong With High Stakes Testing in General and Aims in Particular? Retrieved October 24, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.azstandards.org/protestmaterials.htm

Response to The Higher Circles

Mills' essay entitled The Higher Circles is about the existence and functions of the power elite groups in our society and how they affect, influence, or shape affairs of the society and the world. In a society or a nation, Mills argues that there are people more influential and powerful than the others and every decision or action they make holds significant consequences to ordinary men.â€Å"Within American society, major national power now resides in the economic, the political, and the military domains† and â€Å"they occupy the strategic command posts of the social structure† which include making decisions on how governments and social sectors operate (Mills). The powerful men who hold these elite positions are very different from the ordinary men for all their decisions, even their failure to make some, all have substantial effect and repercussions to other sectors of the society.The argument of Mills in his work is supported by facts and proofs of how significant are the higher circles in the society. He discussed how other institutions like schools, families, and religion become subordinate to these power elite groups. He emphasized that these men â€Å"occupy positions in American society from which they can look down upon, so to speak, and by their decisions mightily affect, the everyday worlds of ordinary men and women† (Mills).These elite groups dominate major decisions in the society and every action they do make up the structure of social conditions. Mills' work is accurate because it laid down facts and comparisons to prove his definition of the role of the power elites. As a whole, C. Wright Mills' article was very informative and insightful as it focuses on enlightening readers on the existence that the powerful men that lead the higher circles and it also highlights their different, significant functions to the society.The article gave substantial evidences how ordinary people perceive and accept these power elites into th eir lives. Adequate information about their effect to the different sectors of society also suffice to prove that these men are indeed on the top of the rule. Everything that these powerful elites do have important consequences on how the society will function for the other people. Work Cited Mills, C. Wright. â€Å"The Higher Circles. † The Power Elite. Oxford Press, 1956. Print.

The novels Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence

The novels Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence and Orlando by Virginia Woolf make interesting comments on sexuality and the gender roles defined by society and the class system. Through Orlando and the other characters of that story, Woolf depicts androgynous characteristics of men and women, highlighting the similarities between the genders. Lawrence’s characters, too, show an interrelationship between the sexes that belies the societal norms. Classification and structure of the societies in both novels denote a separation that, like that of gender, seems superficial as the main characters are able to transcend class by experiencing aspects of different strata. Many of the problems regarding gender and sexuality, it is found, persist regardless of the class. In both stories, therefore, one finds the depiction of relations in which class and conventions dictate the role of women and men on the societal level, yet on the individual level, the relationships between men and women a re often odd and confusing in defiance of these dictates.Though Orlando starts out sarcastically mocking its own direction with the words â€Å"He—for there could be no doubt of his sex [†¦]† (Woolf, 3), the descriptions of the characters and especially of Orlando in the novel demonstrate a fundamental likeness between the two sexes that is often overlooked in a society that stresses the salient yet superficial differences. In fact, Woolf at first draws attention to his being in the middle of slicing a Moor’s head—an action not conventionally considered suited to females, but then she traces his image by defining body parts that are common to both sexes and hold very little gender-differentiating characteristics. She describes his red cheeks â€Å"covered with peach down† (4). Though this â€Å"down† might be in reference to a (very thin) mustache, the delicacy of the description lends a feminine flavor to the entire portrait. Other cha racters are described in this way too. The archduchess Harriet is a very tall woman—who turns out to be really a man, and when Orlando first sees Sasha he is unable to determine her sex as she appears to be straddling both.Sons and Lovers can be seen to portray a similar view of the masculine children of the Morel family. The sons William and Paul are introduced in their youth, which is the time when girls and boys share many characteristics that are differentiated in the future. As they grow up, their co-dependence on their mother further attributes to them an appearance of femininity as they (especially Paul) are unable to make decisions that leave her out. In the sister Annie, too, has an element of the hermaphrodite, as she is described as a tomboy to whom Paul looks up. These facts prepare the readers for the further confusing roles of the sexes and the strange ideas of class and sexuality that come with them.At the beginning of the novels both protagonists (Paul and Orl ando) are pictures of sexual purity. Queen Elizabeth considers Orlando to be a picture of innocence. Soon, however, Orlando encounters Sheba, expresses freedom with his sexuality, and has trouble finding love. It is interesting to note that though Woolf ostensibly portrays the two sexes as only superficially different, Orlando’s sexual freedom becomes tempered once he changes from man to woman, and it is in his female state that he finds love. Paul, on the other hand, exhibits an initial restraint toward sex during his more youthful and effeminate period. It is later in his maturity that he becomes passionate and pursues sexual relations with Miriam. Both Orlando and Paul are met with difficulty in finding what Orlando terms â€Å"life and a lover† (Woolf, 90). Orlando is, however, able to reconcile his differences with†¦ the opposite sex. Paul cannot, however, and remains alone.The roles of the men and women in these two stories are atypical when compared with th ose defined by the class and society in which they live. It is noteworthy first of all that though the class distinctions existed, they all regarded women as members of the softer sex who were in need of protection and guidance from the opposite sex. In Sons and Lovers, Mr. Morel is a poor provider for his family as he dissipates his earnings on drink and lives in a house provided by his mother. His wife directs the path of his sons, and he plays a very small role in his family. Alongside him, Mrs. Morel appears less like the fireside, knitting woman and more like the man who solicits work for her sons and advises them on relationships.Miriam’s reaction to Paul is also one in which the woman expresses the desire to perform in a role that is conventionally reserved for men. He thoughts are, â€Å"Then he was so ill, and she felt he would be weak. Then she would be stronger than he. Then she could love him. If she could be mistress of him in his weakness, take care of him, if he could depend on her, if she could, as it were, have him in her arms, how she would love him!† (Sons and Lovers, 137) The role of protector is given to man by Western society, and in all classes men are seen as the stronger sex that exist to take care of women. Here Miriam wishes to fill that role, take Paul in her arms, protect and love him. Paul’s character, in turn, appears to be one that would fit well into this portrait, as he is already in a subordinate position with his mother.In Orlando, something can be said along these lines as well. The title character weaves in and out of the roles of women and men as though they were only superficially differentiated. He admits that at core he is the same, though by society’s standards he performs adequately in each role. Researcher Ruth Gruber writes, â€Å"There is almost no perversion in Orlando's bi-sexuality. As a man, he has a strong predilection towards women, makes violent love to princesses and lies with ‘loose women’† (87). He is accepted by female prostitutes and male archdukes alike, their genders allowing them no knowledge regarding the truth of this woman who once was man.The fact that the prostitute as well as the arch duke accepts Orlando leads also to the idea that class barriers are as superficial as the ones that separates the sexes—which renders them complicated but superable. Orlando himself declares that he feels attached to the low born, but when he goes to live among the gypsies, he realizes he does share some of the appreciations of the higher classes. This gives the idea that just as human nature transcends gender, so it also transcends class.This idea is reflected too in Sons and Lovers. Paul is also akin to the common people and tells his mother this when she expresses the desire for him to rise to a higher class. This mother, who had accepted a lower position in marrying Mr. Morel, has found little happiness in the descent. Lawrence writ es this in a letter to a friend: â€Å"a woman of character and refinement goes into the lower class, and has no satisfaction in her own life† (â€Å"Letter,† 28). Still, judging from his mother’s desire and that of Miriam who â€Å"hated her position as a swine girl† (Sons and Lovers, 137), it is put forth that the luxuries of the higher class were still (perhaps naturally) desirable to humans.Remarkably, the authors hit upon similar themes in two vastly different types of novels. Orlando, a fantastic piece written by Virginia Woolf, presents theories about gender, class and sexuality that show them to be complex and therefore not as easily defined as convention would have it. D. H. Lawrence’s more realistic tale is able to touch upon these issues as well. The novels challenge both reality and belief by depicting the characters with plausible emotions in their situations. Even in the case of Orlando, the handling of relationships rings authentic i n both his period as a man and as a woman. The class situations and the expressions of sexuality also assist in demonstrating that the complicated nature of the human being transcends barriers of sex and class.Works CitedGruber, Ruth. Virginia Woolf: The Will to Create as a Woman. New York: Carroll and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Graf, 2005.Lawrence, D. H. â€Å"Letter to Edward Garnett, 19 November 1912.† D. H. Lawrence’s Sons    and Lovers: A Casebook. Eds. John Worthen and Andrew Harrison. Oxford:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oxford UP, 2005.Lawrence, D. H. Sons and Lovers. New York: Signet, 1985.Woolf, Virginia. Orlando: A Biography. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth, 1995.

COOPER Surname Meaning and Family History

COOPER Surname Meaning and Family History The surname Cooper is an English occupational name for one who made and sold casks, buckets and tubs. The name derives from the Middle English couper, cowper, adapted from Middle Dutch kuper, a derivative of kup, meaning tub or container. Cooper may also be an Anglicized version of a similar sounding surname such as the Dutch Kuiper, or the Jewish Kupfer or Kupper. Origin and Popularity of COOPER Cooper is the 64th most popular surname in the United States and the 29th most common surname in England. The prevalence of the surname  is due to the cooper trades importance during the  Middle Ages throughout Europe.   As a Dutch surname, Cooper may have originated as an  occupational name for a buyer or merchant, from the Middle Dutch coper. Surname Origin:  English, Dutch Alternate Surname Spellings:  KOOPER, KOEPER, KUPFER, COOPERS, COOPERMAN, COPER, COOBER, COOPEY, COPPER Famous People With the COOPER Surname James Fenimore Cooper - 19th-century American novelistGary Cooper - American actor of the silent film eraMartin Cooper - American engineer who conceived the first mobile cellular phonePeter Cooper - American industrialist and inventor; best known for designing and building the first steam locomotive in the United StatesJackie Cooper - American  actor, director and producerBradley Cooper - American actor Where Is the COOPER Surname Most Common? Forebears identifies Cooper as the 927th most common surname in the world, with the greatest numbers of individuals with the name living in the United States, where the name ranks 61st. Based on surname density, Cooper is also a very common last name in England (where it ranks 35th in the country), Liberia (4th), Australia (43rd), New Zealand (37th) and Wales (67th). While the Cooper surname  is very common throughout the United Kingdom, WorldNames PublicProfiler shows it as most common in central England, especially in Staffordshire. Genealogy Resources for the Surname COOPER 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Cooper Genealogy DNA ProjectThe  Cooper DNA group project was begun in 2002 by Gary S. Cooper of Lexington, North Carolina, as a tool to use in conjunction with other written documentation in genealogy research to help identify and define different Cooper-Lines and validate existing Cooper family history. Cooper  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Cooper  family crest or coat of arms for the Cooper surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Cooper Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Cooper surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Cooper query. FamilySearchExplore over 6.7  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Cooper  surname, as well as online Cooper family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. COOPER Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Cooper surname. GeneaNet - Cooper  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Cooper  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Cooper  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Cooper  from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Average National SAT Scores for 2014

Average National SAT Scores for 2014 SAT Scores by StateSAT Score Frequently Asked Questions    In 2014,  1,672,395 of you high-schoolers out there registered  and took the SAT, which is the largest number of test-takers in recent history. And now that youve taken it, Id wager that youre interested in knowing what sorts of scores your fellow college applicants have earned. Am I  right? If youre anything like students before you (and probably those who will come after you, too), you want to know how you stack up!  Below, youll read several fun facts (and some shocking ones, too!) about the average national SAT scores for 2014. For some of you, youll be interested in knowing the average SAT scores for students entering the top public schools in the country, and others of you will be curious about scores for the top private schools. If youre just interested in SAT scores in general, then keep on reading, okay? Okay. Overall SAT Scores for 2014 Remember the math term, mean? Of course you do! Its just the average of a set of numbers. In this case, the mean is the average score of every student who took the SAT from the fall of 2013  through June of 2014. The overall score is down by just 1 point this year.   Here are the mean scores for all testers by section: Overall: 1497 Critical Reading: 497 Mathematics: 513 Writing: 487  (subscores: multiple-choice: 48.9  / essay: 7.0) SAT Scores for 2012 SAT Scores for 2013 SAT Scores By Gender Well, it looks like the boys have taken it again  this year in everything but the Writing section, ladies! Girls, you need to get it together! The boys are taking you to town on the Mathematics section! Critical Reading:Males: 499Females: 495 Mathematics:Males: 530Females: 499 Writing:Males: 481Females: 492 SAT Scores By Reported Annual Income It seems, kids, that if your parents are raking in the dough, then your odds of scoring higher on the SAT go up. Just check out the statistics. Now, be sure to use your best reasoning skills. This doesnt mean that kids with a little more cash are the smartest on the block. What else could those numbers imply? Perhaps parents with more wealth are more willing to purchase SAT prep? Perhaps they are more willing to shell out the moolah for retakes? I dont know. We could conjecture all day on this subject, but the stats do not lie; parents making more money produce kids with higher SAT scores. Look: $0 - $20,000Critical Reading: 436Math: 459 $20,000 - $40,000Critical Reading: 467Math: 481 $40,000 - $60,000Critical Reading: 489Math: 500 $60,000 - $80,000Critical Reading: 504Math: 512 $80,000 - $100,000Critical Reading: 516Math: 526 $100,000 - $120,000Critical Reading: 527Math: 539 $120,000 - $140,000Critical Reading: 531Math: 542 $140,000 - $160,000Critical Reading: 539Math: 552 $160,000 - $200,000Critical Reading: 544Math: 558 $200,000 and moreCritical Reading: 569Math: 588 SAT Scores By Ethnicity Although there is no causal relationship between ethnicity and scores, its interesting to take a peek at the differences among us when it comes to test-taking. Here are the mean overall scores by heritage. American Indian or Alaska Native: 1428 Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander: 1651 Black of African-American: 1278 Mexican or Mexican-American: 1354 Puerto Rican: 1349 Other Hispanic, Latino, or Latin-American: 1353 White: 1576 Other: 1504 No response: 1371    2014  SAT Scores Summary So, it would appear that if youd really like to knock the SAT out of the ballpark, youd better join a family who makes more than $200,000 per year, make sure to secure the male gender, and adopt the Asian ethnicity. If that doesnt work, you could always prepare regardless of your ethnic heritage or familial status. These statistics represent the mean, but do not, of course represent the individual - YOU. If you have nothing in common with the groups scoring the highest on the SAT, it does NOT mean that you cant secure a top-notch score. Start with some free SAT practice quizzes, grab some free SAT apps, and prepare yourself the best way you can. Good luck!

Medication adherence with clients with schizophrenia Essay

Medication adherence with clients with schizophrenia - Essay Example The prevalence of medication non-adherence has been reported to be almost half of the total population of patients with schizophrenia (Tabor & Lopez, 2004). The prevalence could even be higher considering that the figures do not count patient with schizophrenia who decline treatment or quit routine check-up. Hence, a frequent cause of treatment failure is medication non-adherence, and the most widespread kind of non-adherence is inadequate use of these drugs. The consequences of non-adherence involve disruption of work activities and home life, re-hospitalization, and recurrence of psychotic symptoms. Monitoring adherence to medications and evaluating side effects is an important medical task when caring for patients with schizophrenia (Higashi et al., 2013). This essay reviews the literature on medication adherence and non-adherence in patients with schizophrenia. Determinants of non-adherence to medication can be classified into four, namely, patient-based aspects (e.g. gender, age , income, education), health-based aspects (e.g. substance abuse, duration of ailment, symptomatology), aspects related to antipsychotic medication, and socio-environmental aspects (e.g. social support, relationship between healthcare provider and patient). The literature review of Higashi and colleagues (2013) explains that there are numerous studies that investigated the correlation between socio-demographic factors (e.g. gender, age, education) and medication non-adherence but discovered no consistent relationship. There are findings revealing that adolescents are less likely to adhere to medication than their older counterparts. Several studies have discovered no relationship between gender and non-adherence, but some researchers, like Tunnicliffe and associates (1992 as cited in Higashi et al., 2013), discovered that females have a greater tendency than males to adhere to anti-psychotic medication. It has also been reported that certain ethnic minority groups, such as African A mericans, tend to be noncompliant. But there are other researchers, such as Owen and colleagues (1996 as cited in Higashi et al., 2013), who found no correlation between ethnicity and medication non-adherence. The researchers conclude that almost all studies report little or no correlation between socio-demographic factors and medication adherence. Lack of insight is a major attribute of individuals with schizophrenia. It is easy to understand why individuals with poor awareness have showed a greater risk for noncompliance to medication. There is no definite explanation of awareness in psychotherapy, but usually, it means understanding of one’s sickness and its outcomes or effects (Kozuki & Froelicher, 2003). Rusch and Corrigan (2002) enumerate four features of awareness: cognitive features, adherence based features, symptom based features, and temporal features. Lack of awareness has major therapeutic, clinical, and social significance. Nevertheless, its repercussions on med ication adherence are most vital in the recovery period of schizophrenia. The patient’s extent of awareness of the disorder is directly associated with his/her attitudes toward or beliefs about the treatment. Rusch and Corrigan (2002) found out that psychological coping mechanism and neurocognitive problems may worsen lack of awareness. They also discovered that awareness predicted adherence to psychosocial therapies for

The FCC and Regardless of the Opinions of the Cable Industry Research Paper

The FCC and Regardless of the Opinions of the Cable Industry - Research Paper Example Today entertainment seekers have so many, sometimes overwhelming, options; not just through the variety of programming, but the means by which you receive that entertainment. Internet entertainment providers like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime are all competing with cable and satellite providers with original programming, competitive storylines, and respected actors like Time Warner, Comcast, and DirectTV, three dominant cable television providers. In the article by April Sperry, titled â€Å"Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Originals: Time To Cancel Your Cable Subscription.† explains that at less than 10 dollars a month the allure of the internet sites makes traditional cable and digital television far too costly. (1). The FCC, as explained in the article, â€Å"FCC to In,investigate Deals Between ISPs And Content Providers,† has taken interest in the situation when internet content providers claimed that companies, like Comcast, were intentionally making the ability of cu stomers to look at their sites purposefully diminishing their viewership (New York Times, 1). Of course, this resulted in an agreement between the two that the some say is unjust and sets a negative precedent. Regardless of the reasons, it seems fairly obvious that as technological change and innovates our means and ways of viewing entertainment will continue to change. The traditional route of cable and satellite carriers has become too costly and, no longer necessarily offers the best programming, which creates an economic and creative disadvantage to network and cable television networks, which includes the premium networks, like HBO and Showtime.