Nathan Nguyen Professor Mary Composition I 14 September 2012 In the article “The Case Against Grades,” Alfie Kohn argues that grades make students afraid of explore new things; tests and quizzes are not the ways to measure knowledge .“Assessment-based grading” creates an allusion on how well are students doing in a numerical way. The effects of grading can come in numerous ways. Kohn indicates three crucial conclusions of grading: decrease in self-motivation, diminish in taking scholarly risk and “reduce in quality of students’ thinking”. Don’t on the students, they’re only listening to the message; they’re rational. For many years, adults have send them the message success is more important than learning.
The ideal was to establish a set of basic academic standards that all students should achieve, hold the schools accountable for meeting these standards for all students, ←and→ then give educators the choice of how to meet the standards. The way NCLB is currently being administered must be fixed, otherwise we will have both new ←and→ seasoned talented teachers leaving the profession in droves. Although reading ←and→ math tests would remain in the administration's proposal, schools could also include student performance in other subjects as part of overall measurements of progress. Critics say that the current education law has narrowed the curriculum for students:→ Many teachers zero in on math ←and→ reading at the expense of other subjects to help students prepare for the required tests. (Douglas) Students need a well-rounded education," the blueprint declares, and it cites disciplines including history, civics, foreign languages, and the arts.
It also burdens colleges with providing preparation that should have taken place earlier. (Bauerlein) Bauerlein takes a dig at teachers for not preparing their students well enough to be successful in their next step in life, college. Because of the bad preparation teachers give the students, when they are ready to go to college they are bound to take remedial classes because if they take normal courses they will most likely fail them. It is a teacher’s duty to prepare the student for his future. It is the schools responsibility to be able to provide good enough teachers, who can prepare these students.
It appears that testing is a waste of time, but in reality, it prepares students for future success. Another question that occurs is: What are students gaining from these different tests each year? Many people debate whether the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is considered to be pointless. Maybe these tests are teaching students accountability and responsibility, two vital tools for success in life. Within in the article, “No Child Left Behind: Test-Obsessed Education Won’t Move Us Ahead” the author, David Marshak, slashes the No Child Left Behind Act.
In modern society, parents and students are really worried about, and interested in, grading systems, as grades are used as critical data when students apply for colleges and companies. Recently, there has been a controversial question whether the academic scores should be determined by an effort or by an achievement. In my opinion, it’s more reasonable to consider an achievement when grading students. First of all, it’s hard to determine how hard a student works. There aren’t any objective criteria to rank students according to their efforts.
NCLB was established so that students were not held back in a grade and were promoted to the next grade. I think this is a political aspect that is failing our students. If a student is not understanding the material or doesn’t pass the tests showing that they understand and can retain the information, I don’t believe that they should be promoted. I believe that it only hurts the students because they get more behind as they advance through the levels. The ethical issues that regard the high stakes testing is that it could be unfair to some students.
They should not all be expected to be proficient on the same standardized test. Teachers should be able to provide evidence that their students are making educational gains. However, tests should be based on the student’s knowledge and level of education. Many people are quick to blame the teachers and feel they should be held accountable for students not achieving proficiency. It is important to me to become more knowledgeable regarding education events so I can defend my profession.
Running Head: Narcolepsy Narcolepsy: Mental Disorder or Natural Cause Johnny Richardson American Military University 19 January 2013 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to address what narcolepsy is and is not. It will express the differences in diagnosis of the disorder and the common medications used for it. The effects of the environment and lifestyles upon narcolepsy will be examined. Research will show the differences when medications are given as opposed to placebos. A world view of the disorder will be shown to determine cross-cultural and geographical percentages.
More so, it is being done internally by teachers (Falk, 616). The stakes are so high they manipulate test results by keeping certain students out of the testing environment. It has been reported that kids were purposely held back so that their performance will not bring down the test scores that the more intelligent students submit. I agree with that Lindsay Jillson argues about how standardized testing has jeopardized a student’s future because of the sanctions that are given to them for being less intelligent. I just do not understand why the main focus of our education has to be all about test.
Sanford and Evertson (1981) have similarly argued that classroom management is a major difficulty for “teachers and administrators in junior high schools” (p. 34). Offering a more positive learning environment in the classroom is not simple and research studies do not fail to reveal that the fundamental component in succeeding in managing it is in the teacher's capacities to oversee and direct the class.