Examining the Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing

Like many issues in public education, standardized testing can be a controversial topic among parents, teachers, and voters. Many people say standardized testing provides an accurate measurement of student performance and teacher effectiveness. Others say such a one-size-fits-all approach to assessing academic achievement can be inflexible or even biased. Regardless of the diversity of opinion, there are some common arguments for and against standardized testing in the classroom. Standardized Testing Pros Proponents of standardized testing say that it is the best means of comparing data from a diverse population, allowing educators to digest large amounts of information quickly. They argue that: Its accountable.  Probably the greatest benefit of standardized testing is that educators and schools are responsible for teaching students what they are required to know for these standardized tests. This is mostly because these scores become public record, and teachers and schools that don’t perform up to par can come under intense examination. This scrutiny can lead to the loss of jobs. In some cases, a school can be closed or taken over by the state. Its analytical.  Without standardized testing, this comparison would not be possible. Public school students in Texas, for example, are required to take standardized tests, allowing test data from Amarillo to be compared to scores in Dallas. Being able to accurately analyze data is a primary reason that many states have adopted the Common Core state standards. Its structured.  Standardized testing is accompanied by a set of established standards or an instructional framework to guide classroom learning and test preparation. This incremental approach creates benchmarks to measure student progress over time. Its objective.  Standardized tests are often scored by computers or by people who do not directly know the student to remove the chance that bias would affect the scoring. Tests are also developed by experts, and each question undergoes an intense process to ensure its validity—that it properly assesses the content—and its reliability, which means that the question tests consistently over time. Its granular.  The data generated by testing can be organized according to established criteria or factors, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and special needs. This approach provides schools with data to develop targeted programs and services for improving student performance. Standardized Testing Cons Opponents of standardized testing say educators have become too fixated on scores and preparing for these exams. Some of the most common arguments against testing are: Its inflexible.  Some students may excel in the classroom yet not perform well on a standardized test because theyre unfamiliar with the format or develop test anxiety. Family strife, mental and physical health issues, and language barriers can all affect a students test score. But standardized tests dont allow personal factors to be taken into consideration. Its a waste of time.  Standardized testing causes many teachers to teach to the tests, meaning they only spend instructional time on material that will appear on the test. Opponents say this practice lacks creativity and can hinder a student’s overall learning potential. It cant measure true progress.  Standardized testing only evaluates one-time performance instead of a students progress and proficiency over time. Many would argue that teacher and student performance should be evaluated for growth over the course of the year instead of one single test. Its stressful.  Teachers and students alike feel test stress. For educators, poor student performance may result in a loss of funding and teachers being fired. For students, a bad test score may mean missing out on admission to the college of their choice or even being held back. In Oklahoma, for example, high school students  must pass four standardized tests  in order to graduate, regardless of their GPA. (The state gives seven standardized  end-of-instruction (EOI) exams in Algebra I, Algebra II, English II, English III, Biology I, geometry and U.S. history. Students  who fail to pass at least four of these exams  can’t get a high school diploma.) Its political.  With public and charter schools both competing for the same public funds, politicians and educators have come to rely even more on standardized test scores. Some opponents of testing argue that low-performing schools are unfairly targeted by politicians who use academic performance as an excuse to further their own agendas.

Compare and contrast Ben Jonson’s ‘The Alchemist’ and...

The study will encompass the compare and contrast of two great writers’ literary works. It will take comprehensive discussion on â€Å"Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist† and â€Å"William Shakespeare’s The Tempest†. Jonson and Shakespeare were contemporaries with more immediately recognizable common ground between them than difference. They shared the same profession and brought forth their works from the matrix of common intellectual property. They appealed to the same audience and both gained popularity and esteem as accomplished playwrights. At the more social level, they were both struggling artists conscious of the need for patronage and support from their wealthier and more powerful peers. Both Jonson and Shakespeare experienced the trials and†¦show more content†¦The distinction between I and him is emphasized by Jonsons assertion of an answer to Shakespeares way of doing things. The quest for self-knowledge has been integral to the structures and evolution of human society throughout history. During the early modem period, the classical maxim of nosce teipsum operated almost universally, not only as a prompt towards, but also as a goal of, both individual and communal achievement and actualization. At one level, Hamlets tribute may be taken as an adumbration of the Renaissance engagement with the epistemological enquiries into the nature of man, and his place and function in the cosmic chain of being. â€Å"What a piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals. And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust?† Jonson explicitly bases their sense of the play’s similarity upon theories of comedy that imply such affirmation. In Volpone and The Alchemist, Jonson sues irony to expose how far short of the ideal is the world of the play, and thus celebrates the ideal indirectly. If the

Parenting Styles Authoritative free essay sample

Using observation, parental interviews and other  research methods, she identified four important dimensions of parenting: disciplinary strategies, warmth and nurturance, communication styles, and expectations of maturity and control,† (Cherry, 2012, para. 2). From these dimensions, researchers were able to conclude that most parents display one of four parenting styles. These styles are authoritarian, permissive, uninvolved, and authoritative. Each one of these styles has their positive side but authoritative is the most effective form of parenting. Parents will raise their child under these styles not knowing that they are also impacting the way their child will conduct themselves as an adult. The first of the four parenting styles is authoritarian parenting. This style of parent is known to have strict rules and expectations. The parent does not express much warmth or nurturing which was one of the four dimensions. The authoritarian does not give the child choices and utilizes punishments with little to no explanation. We will write a custom essay sample on Parenting Styles: Authoritative or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Integration of Faith and Social Works Essay Example Essay Example

Integration of Faith and Social Works Essay Example Paper Integration of Faith and Social Works Essay Introduction Social workers are group of people who involve themselves with social problems, their causes, their solutions and most especially their impact to humanity. They based their actions on social justice and human rights, and consider human factors like physical, emotional, physiological, social and spiritual aspects.Today, there is an increase in the number of social workers that based their purpose on their faith in God. They based their work on their own experiences, when their faith was tested and spiritual intervention. There are also social workers that based their purpose in the Bible’s teachings-which is to lend and extend a hand to needy persons.Why is there a person or group of persons that based their social works on their faith in God? Can faith and social works be combined as one? Finally, how can faith and social works be integrated to understand fully the purpose of their social acts?Principles of HelpingFrom the Bible, there are many verses that emphasize goodness, kindness, righteousness, morality and justice. According to the Bible, God is the Creator, Savior and Provider of all the needs of people on earth. The main medium for the purpose of the Provider for providing all the necessities of the people is the church. Also, many believe that the government can no longer resolve some social problems like poverty. They believe that the church has a big responsibility in resolving the said social issue (Watkins, 1996b).The principle of helping was based on some literature. The most popular literature is the Bible. Almost all the teachings in the Bible emphasize goodness and the principle of helping, like the popular story of the Good Samaritan. In the story, the Samaritan had extended a helping hand to a Jew though the two are considered enemies. Example of the verses that highlighted social works is from Galatians 6:2. The verse suggests that the act of bearing the burden and suffering of other person is the Law of Christ (The Bible). From the verse, people who has great faith in God and who do social work will be motivated to help other people. Another verse from the Bible that supports the first verse was from Ezekiel 16:49 which state that people who do not pity others nor help other people in need will commit a sin. From observation, a person who has a strong belief in God will follow the teaching of the Bible so as not to commit sins. The teachings from the Bible is a strong and efficient medium in strengthening the beliefs and faith of other people and also has high percentage why such people perform social works or acts (The Bible).Another verse is from Luke 10:27 which remind the responsibility of human beings to help those in need. The verse from the Bible can be reiterated as â€Å"forced kindness deserves no thanks, willingness to serve does not wait until it is asked for†. The phrase can be converted in to one word which is initiative. God wants us to have the initiative to help other people. God wanted to say to the people that sacrifice must come from our hearts to be able to help other people. Serving other people is one of God’s plans (The Bible).Social issues and povertyA survey was conducted by The Barna Group to determine the poverty condition of United States and also to determine the point of view on poverty of the citizens of the said country. From the survey, it revealed that approximately 75% of the total citizens of the country believes that poverty is a serious problem while 20% of the population said that poverty is the most alarming social issue facing the country. Part of the survey showed who is responsible in the poverty issue. An estimate of 4% believed that the responsibility is in the hands of the church (The Barna Group Ltd. 2007).Surprisingly, Barna showed from his survey that Americans who are devoted to God did not manage to respond to the poverty issue of the country. The survey surprised Barna because he believes that the sectors of the society w ho will take the first response to the social issue are the people who are engaged in church activities and indoctrination. The recommendation of Barna to the people who are devoted to God but somewhat has no attachment on the social issues is to have a hands-on in taking care of the poor. According to Barna, in this way the people who are engaged to God and to the teaching of the Bible will be awakened on the true situation of the country and also to apply their beliefs (The Barna Group Ltd. 2007).Faith and Social WorksIn the 1937 presidential inaugural address, President Roosevelt gave some reminders on the people of the country on the responsibility of each citizen to take the first step in responding to the people who are less fortunate. He also said that this action will help in the progress of the country. Given the discussion above, it can be observed that the speech of Roosevelt regarding responsibility of the citizens of the United States in taking part on the progress of t he country was based on the teachings and moral principles of the Bible (Watkins, 1996a).A good example of an integration of faith in God and social works is the life of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa committed her entire life in serving the needy people, helping the sick, poor, and orphaned people. Mother Teresa’s social and charity works was based in India. She was introduced to missionary work early in life. The environment where Mother Teresa grew made her aware on the social issues in other places. Stories about charity works of the missionaries amazed her. At early stages, because of the teachings of the missionary to her, she decided to commit herself in giving and lending hand to others who are in need of help. When Mother Teresa was involved in social welfare acts in India, there was a time that spiritual intervention occurred. She called this the â€Å"call within the call† (Spink, 1997). This was the time when she decided to have a fulltime commitment in servi ng the needy people in India. Her faith in God pushes her to do goodwill acts to people who are hungry, naked, homeless, crippled, blind, lepers, and all those people who feel unwanted. Mother Teresa wrote in her diary that her faith in the Creator served as her guidance in doing social welfare acts (Spink, 1997).â€Å"Our Lord wants me to be a free nun covered with the poverty of the cross. Today I learned a good lesson. The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food and health. Then the comfort of Loreto [her former order] came to tempt me. ‘You have only to say the word and all that will be yours again,’ the Tempter kept on saying . Of free choice, my God, and out of love for you, I desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single tear come.†Many studies have been conduc ted to determine the relation of faith and social works. These studies determined how faith in God affected the social acts of some people. According to Smith (2007), his study showed that there is an increasing number of social workers in the United States. Also, the study suggests that faith-based social workers are more effective in dealing with social issues in the society. The response of the faith-based social workers when dealing on the problems of the society like social and health care service is more efficient compared to the services given by the government. The main reason behind the better performance of the faith-based social workers is the commitment of the said organization in performing their duty to help others who are in need. Moreover, the study of Smith will try to understand and connect the role of faith in God of individuals and the social works (Smith, 2007).Because of the teachings from the Bible, some tend to respond to the social issues by making social wo rks to the needy people that is guided by the teachings in the Bible. People who chose this path were driven by their faith in God, thus following the lessons and teachings of the Bible. They believe that doing social works based in the sole purpose of the Bible will satisfy their minds and hearts.Ethical CodesThere is an association composed of social workers that is responsible for helping those in need. The association is known as National Association of Social Workers or NASW. NASW based their principles, preamble and code of ethics on the social justice and human rights. The association’s code of ethics serves as a guide in performing professional social welfare acts. Sets of standards must be met by the practitioners to follow the purpose of the NASW. This serves as guide in decision making when performing their tasks as social workers. The ethical standards of NASW as well as the purpose were based on the teaching of God and the Bible which is to extend hands to those in need (Workers, 2007).Known to be the biggest in the world, the NASW is an organization of professional social workers aiming to strengthen and unify the social work profession, promote its development, and advance sound social policies. NASW has 56 chapters with 160,000 members all over the United States, Puerto Rico, and abroad.Though faith and social works can be integrated and produce effective result in performing social welfare works, there are also drawbacks but not considered as danger when integrating the two concepts. Though the people who will perform the social welfare acts are engaged in God and believes in the teaching of the Bible and other religious books, there is still a chance that the person or group of persons that will do the said act will not perform well. There is a chance that temptation will occur. Take in the case of stealing the source of funds of the group. In performing social welfare activities, funds are needed to be utilized in performing the activ ities in social works. The person who is in charge of the monetary aspect may be tempted to steal the funds of the group.ConclusionThe paper tries to connect and integrate the faith in God and the social welfare acts. The paper examines why there are such people doing charitable works who does not expect anything in return.From the discussion above, the main fuel why there are such people or group of people that do social welfare acts is their faith in God. People have faith and belief in the Bible, church and God will tend to follow the teachings of the said religion. This is because of their faith which is the main fuel that turns them to help the needy persons. They follow the teachings of the Bible because they believe and adhere on the purpose and plan of God to humanity which is to save those people who need help. The Bible said that God is concerned with humanity. Those who believe in God do as well.The effectiveness of the faith-based social workers was also analyzed. From t he study, it was concluded that faith-based social workers are more effective in performing social acts to the society. This is because there is no social intervention in performing the said acts. It has a nature of pure intention. The social welfare acts are based on the teaching of God thus goodness kindness, righteousness, morality and justice prevails. Teachings of the Bible, as well as the other religious books, and faith can move mountains in concern with social welfare works. Integration of Faith and Social Works Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!