Free sample - Assessment by Portfolio and Standardized Testing. translation missing

Assessment by Portfolio and Standardized Testing. Assessment by Portfolio and Standardized TestingComparison and Contrast between Assessment by Portfolio and Standardized Testing Assessment is an important aspect of evaluating a student performance and ability throughout their learning period. There are several types of assessment among them assessment by portfolio and standardized testing. These two types of assessment have many differences as opposed to similarities with portfolio assessment considered to be appropriate in the current education system in parts of the globe due to its merits. On the other hand standardized testing is considered as traditional method due to its reliance on multiple choice assessments thus not giving students enough room for developing their skill set.  Ã‚   Standardized tests are used by psychologists as primary basis for assessing cognitive abilities and academic achievement. Weiner, et al, (2003) indicated that â€Å"standardized tests may be administered to a group of people or students by the examiner so as to match the students to academic curricula† (p. 275). On the other hand portfolio assessment provides a means for gathering student work over a long period of time which demonstrates the student’s proficiency in one or more academic areas. As a result Weiner, et al, (2003) established that â€Å"unlike standardized tests portfolio assessment usually emphasizes on complex works that integrate multiple dimensions of proficiency such as performance assessments, essays, and recordings of student performances† (p. 277). Standardized tests are also known as traditional assessment or norm-referenced and they have been used for a long period of time as a means of evaluating student performance. Mundell DeLario (1994) found out that â€Å"standardized tests measure growth in basic skills and their content is based on the best of curriculum practices for diverse population† (p. 1). This type of tests is known to have several inadequacies hence as a result efforts have been made to come up with a more precise assessment method. Mundell DeLario (1994) further says that portfolio assessment was developed out of the need to review performance and to logically collect sections of scholar’s work which is based on what the students are familiar with or are capable to do. Compared to portfolio assessment, standardized tests have a numerous choice format which makes tests a simple and economical way to evaluate knowledge.   Mundell DeLario (1994) indicated that â€Å"information obtained from these type of tests used for reporting to the parents on their children’s progress in learning basic skills, determining the developmental level of students for instructional purposes and providing information helpful in planning programs or groupings for instruction† (p. 1). Portfolio assessment revolves around the assortment of work that shows an individual’s knowledge in an area a criterion which was embraced by the progressives. For example a student may be good in art and consequently as an artist’s portfolio this can include various segments indicating what he or she can do. When a portfolio assessment is assumed, it is used to bring together and weigh up multiple sources of information that confirms a scholar’s capability in terms of procedure and invention (Mundell DeLario, 1994). Where else standardized tests use multiple choices, portfolio assessment reflects students work in one or additional subject areas and the models are chosen by mutually the scholar and the tutor. These are gathered analytically over time and are utilized to assess student development. One of the limitations of standardized tests is that they quantify comprehension learned instead of demonstrating what the student comprehends and can be comfortably apply and put more attention on recall. Mundell DeLario (1994) continues to say that â€Å"the how and why of what students read and write, the strategies they apply and how this learning relates to other tasks and to new ideas are not measured by standardized† (p. 1). In addition it important to note that using standardized test it is not possible to assess student’s abilities, analyze reason, reflect, and persuade from multiple choice answers (Mundell DeLario, 1994). This type of tests does not assist the teachers to plan more effective lessons. As a result, Mundell DeLario (1994) argued that â€Å"standardized tests limit the planning of lessons geared towards the achievement of students needs† (p. 2). Portfolio assessment is known to present authenticity as one of its characteristic. Using this type of assessment the teacher is able to evaluate reading throughout a range of daily reading activities in the classroom thus using this type of assessment, students are appraised on the basis of comprehending strategies they exhibit, their reactions in their reading journals and their conversation with the teacher or with other classmates (Mundell DeLario, 1994). Furthermore, Mundell DeLario (1994) argued that â€Å"portfolio assessment creates an accurate picture of achievement because it directly involves the teacher and students in establishing criteria for evaluation† (p. 3). This means that using portfolio assessment there is a undeviating relationship amid what is learned and what is evaluated, and learners know from the start of an assignment what they are expected to accomplish. Unlike in standardized test in portfolio assessment students have a number of examples in their portfolios to exhibit attainment of a particular objective more willingly than just one sample taken during one testing circumstance (Mundell DeLario, 1994). Ryan Cooper (2008) in addition indicated that â€Å"standardized tests overemphasize technical information and underemphasize educator’s professional judgments about the worthiness of a school programs† (p. 396). With the increasing calls from the progressives for more crises solving, decisive thinking and inscribing skills in the schools, standardized tests do not measure these outcomes. Studies show that qualities such as vital thinking and predicament solving abilities are difficult to measure while using multiple choices and other objective tests hence this calls for portfolio assessment (Ryan Cooper, 2008). Standardized tests can not gauge genuine student performance on some momentous tasks. Due to these limitations associated with standardized tests portfolio assessment was developed which puts into consideration recital tests that gets closer to how students relate knowledge rather than how they accumulate it in their brains. Both portfolio assessment and standardized tests present different dimensions of determining how students can fair in their schooling process. According to Ryan Cooper (2008) using portfolio assessment, it is possible to determine how well the students understand scientific concepts and can carry out scientific processes by requesting them to perform actual experiments. Ryan Cooper (2008) says that â€Å"through portfolio assessment teachers are capable of measuring what they want students to be able to do rather than relying on them to choose the correct response on a multiple choice test item in standardized tests† (p. 396). A major advantage of portfolio assessment is that it reveals student’s escalation in a certain period of time. A major contrast between portfolio assessment and standardized tests is that in portfolio assessment, students are appraised against themselves and not judge against other students (Mundell DeLario, 1994). This implies that in portfolio assessment, students become talented at evaluating their ability and set logical targets hence they can see their enhancement over a specific time epoch as skills are disclosed on tasks and goals are arrived at. Mundell DeLario (1994) continues to say that in â€Å"portfolio assessment, evaluation is part of instruction and also it considered to be ongoing and there not just the final product is important but also the process and growth over time† (p. 3). Also portfolio assessment is considered to be wide as it takes into account the students concerns, personal know-how, inspiration, and tactics. In conclusion, the progressive’s reaction to portfolio assessment was considered far much better than standardized test because of its strengths. While standardized tests do not focus on students development, this criteria does not give the students an opportunity to develop their skills in a particular area and it is does not assess their strengths and weaknesses. The advantages of portfolio assessment outweighs those of standardized tests because students work harder on tasks giving them more ownership in their work besides increasing their responsibility for learning and enhances their self concepts as learners. References Mundell, S. B DeLario, K (1994). Practical portfolios: reading, writing, math, and life skills, grades 3-6, Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.Ryan, K    Cooper, J. M (2008). Those Who Can, Teach, Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.Weiner, I. B, Freedheim, D. K, Graham, J. R. Naglieri, J.A (2003). Handbook of Psychology: Assessment psychology, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

Pension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Pension - Essay Example e payments to the NIC; however, one can be credited with the NIC if they are getting some formal benefits such as unemployment, sickness and parental benefits (BLAKE, 2003, p.68). The current pension scheme is designed to have a flat-rate first-tier pension plan provided by the state. This pension scheme is referred to as Basic State Pension (BSP).Secondly we have the second tier or supplementary pension schemes which is provided by the state, private financial institutions, banks, insurance firms and employers. The BSP offers a pension scheme that is low compared to averages earnings, but the plan is fully indexed to prices upon retirement of the individual. The second tier pension plan offers relatively high pension that is partially indexed to prices up to a maximum of 5% per year after retirement. One of the disadvantages of the occupational pension schemes is that it is subject to change after change in employer. Lastly, we have the personal pension plans that offer partially indexed pensions but based on unpredictable investment returns and high administrative cost involved (BUCKLE and THOMPSON, 2004, p.126) To get the basic pension one is required to have 30 qualifying years (NIC payments) and at least eleven qualifying years to generate 25% of the max amount. The pension received is taxed by the government but the payments are gross meaning that one is taxed when they start getting their pension. It is apparent that a student who plans to start a pension for future use should know that there different types of pension one can pay and save the money. These types include state pension where an individual receives the money after retirement in regards to the number of years one has contributed or paid to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) (BUCKLE and THOMPSON, 2004, p.130). The individual should know that the eligible number of qualifying years one has to attain is eleven years, which generates twenty- five percent of the saving. For one to receive the

Public Administration; the constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Administration; the constitution - Essay Example At government level, the relations between countries have become somewhat tense due to increased terrorism and consequent allegations on the terrorist groups belonging to neighboring countries. At public level, the relations have become stronger due to increased cultural and social diversity in many countries. The article 1 of the United States constitution mainly deals with the government structure, legislative powers, legislative responsibilities of the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and constitutional and taxation activities of the states. This article provides a solid foundation on which the structure of the government is formed and legal responsibilities and restrictions are communicated to the officials. The article 2 of the constitution mainly talks about the executive and legislative powers of The President of the United States. The section 4 is a little different as it talks about the factors that can lead to the termination of services of all government officials including The

Exercise Treatments for PD Symptoms

Exercise Treatments for PD Symptoms The Exercise Rx Besides drugs and surgery, researchers are looking into using exercise as an intervention therapy to tame the symptoms of PD. In 2003, Dr. Jay L. Alberts, a PD researcher and accomplished cyclist, entered the seven-day RAGBRAI bicycle ride across Iowa. He rode on a tandem bike for two days with Cathy Frazier, a 40-year-old woman with PD. He discovered that Cathys handwriting was beautiful. Prior to the ride, her handwriting displayed classical micrographia, a cardinal sign of PD. Each year for the next four years, when he did the RAGBRAI tandem bike ride with parkinsonian stokers, he noticed similar phenomena. His stokers parkinsonian symptoms disappeared. As he went through scientific literatures, Alberts discovered that there was a lot of research on animals that reported similar results. Typically, in these studies, one group of animals is put on a motorized treadmill that forces the creature to run faster than it wants. A sedentary group serves as a control. Then, after a few weeks, both groups are given a neurotoxin such asÂÂ   MPTP. The sedentary group suffers immediate damage to the substantia nigra and develops parkinsonism; the exercise group partially resists the toxin. But research on humans had not found comparable benefits. Alberts thought it was because the human experiments test voluntary exercise while the rates are doing forced exercise. The rats are forced to run at a faster rate. The same thing is going on with the tandem bikes where the stokers are pedaling faster than they were pedaling on their own. To test the theory, Alberts carried out a pilot trial that took ten PD patients and randomly assigned them to one of two groups: a treatment group receiving forced exercise and a control group voluntarily exercising. The forced-exercise group was given three 60-minute workouts for eight weeks in which a trainer pedaled at 80 to 90 revolutions per minute. The control group did three 60-minute session each week on a bike by themselves. Each group was evaluated before and after the experiment using the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). After eight weeks, the forced-exercise groups symptoms had improved reducing their average UPDRS part 3 score by about one-third. Thats almost as large an effect as the one brought about by levodopa. The control group saw no benefit. Two weeks later, these gains were still there in the tandem group. But four weeks after treatment, the forced-exercise group was back where theyd started. So force-exercise is like levodopa, the benefit will stop if you stop taking it. Albertss concept of forced exercise is just one of many options out there. Other options such as tai chi, kickboxing, and progressive strength training exercise is as effective. It is more important to select an activity that will address your specific needs and be sustainable. *** But most neurologists are still skeptical about physical therapies. The one exception is the Dutch neurologist Bastiaan Bloem. Bloem believed physical therapy would be a better treatment of gait and balance than just the levodopa therapy. In 2004, Bloem and Marten Munneke, a physical therapist, started the ParkinsonNet in the Netherlands. Today, the program has 66 regional networks, 2,970 trained professionals and over fifty thousand patients. *** Over the past decade, several companies have been developing technology capable of tracking the PD symptoms outside the clinic. These companies are working on various combinations of advanced wearable sensors to track multiple domains round the clock tremor, bradykinesia, gait, balance, walking, cognition, and more. One technology, Kinesia HomeView, designed by Great Lakes Neuroechnologies, comprises a small computer and a finger sensor. Sitting in front of a screen, you perform a set of exercises, that takes about five minutes. Then you will get a report of thirteen metrics, listing the severity of three forms of tremor, dyskinesia, the speed, amplitude, and rhythm displayed during the finger-tapping, hand-movement, and hand-flipping exercises. The main advantage is that you can use it 24/7. It can reveal any changes in motor performance over time, providing a much more detailed picture of your disease than that obtained in an evaluation every six months. The other system is a set of sensors developed by Portland-based APDM. You wear three small devices, one on your wrist and one on each of your ankles. The wrist sensor detects tremor and dyskinesia. The ankle sensors measure multiple aspects of walking. Your daily activities generate masses of data. When the data are averaged over time, they reveal emerging asymmetries in your gait. Key Takeaways Dr. Jay Alberts discovered force-exercise can relieve PD symptoms. Force-exercise is like levodopa, the benefit will stop if you stop taking it. Bastiaan Bloem believed physical therapy would be a better treatment of gait and balance than just the levodopa therapy. Several companies have been developing technology capable of tracking the PD symptoms outside the clinic.

Analysis of Down the River by Edward Abbey Essay

In this colorful and passionate essay, â€Å"Down the River†, Edward Abbey depicts nature as a mysterious and majestic place in order to encourage his open-minded readers to embrace all that it has to offer. He also expresses how both nature and our everyday lives are very similar in that they are mysterious and only understandable in small fractions. His tone of admiration leads the reader to recognize that we as humans tend to not see the reflection of mankind in nature; therefore we stunt our ability to fully appreciate and experience its mystery and beauty. His use of parallel structure and imagery provide the reader with a multitude of reasons to appreciate and adore nature. Abbey uses romanticism to show how very important all the little aspects of nature are. He notices small details that ordinary people wouldn’t recognize or appreciate, such as â€Å"the little heart-shaped tracks of the former apparent in the sand†. This suggests that he has a close and intimate connection with nature. For example, when he has his first encounter with a mountain lion, he describes it as a â€Å"mutual curiosity†, that they felt more wonder than fear and in that moment he shares a bond with nature and shows us that we as humans can relate to nature in more than one way. He then rejects the quote by Fuller by saying that the world is â€Å"comprehensible only in part†, as he is observing only Aravaipa Canyon, and it is â€Å"infinitely rich in detail.† The beauty and mystery of nature and of life is what makes it interesting and since they are both so intact with each other, it makes it easier to become connected to nature and be feel the romanticism that he described in the beginning of the essay. In his essay, he shows the reflections of mankind in nature and praises the beauties and wonders of nature and expresses that our world is too magnificent to comprehend. He is mesmerized by all of nature’s unknowns and how we can be so closely related to something and at the same time not understand anything about it.

Indian girl Essay

He was a good husband. No one could deny it. He let her have her own way, indulged her, even. When the kitchen was remodelled, for example, and she wanted pink and grey tiles even though he preferred white. White. A clean colour. A colour he believed to be innocent, just like his wife.  He was traditional as an Indian man could get. He had expectations from his wife. Demands that had to be fulfilled.  She would dress as he would tell her too, sleep with him when he wanted her to.  Not only that, she would provide him with a son and a daughter. The duty of every Indian wife was to give their husband a child, regardless of whether they wanted to or not. He would be the provider in this relationship. She would cook and clean at home while he worked.  It was tradition after all and he was very traditional.  However, when he did put his foot down he would often soften his no’s with kind remarks. There had been two occasions that he strongly remembered in which he had to be firm. Like when she wanted to get a job and go back to school or buy English clothes.  Nobody in his family had ever worn English clothes, except for the men that is.  His mother, his mother’s mother and sisters had always dressed in Indian clothes†¦no matter what the occasion. He preferred Indian clothes on his wife too. After all they hid her body. The loose blouses didn’t reveal her breasts like some English tops or show an unnecessary amount of cleavage. The endless mounds of fabric concealed his wife’s legs and waistline.  He believed his wife’s body was just for him to look at. Why tempt other men to look at his wife’s curvaceous hips or low cut neckline?  The soft remarks that often accommodated his no’s were mostly, â€Å"What for? I’m here to take care of you† or â€Å"You look so much prettier in your Indian clothes, so much more feminine.† He would pull her to his lap and give her a kiss and cuddle, which usually ended with him taking her to the bedroom. That was another area where he had to be firm. Sex. His wife was constantly pleading with him, â€Å"Please, not tonight.† He didn’t mind that. She was, after all, a well-bred Indian girl.  She had good Indian values that he felt all Indian women should have. Her dreams in life were those of his mother’s. She wanted to marry, have children and live a contented life in a glorious home. She was conservative and an introvert. Not a woman who would cause him embarrassment in front of friends and family. Timid†¦someone who needed support and he believed that he was indeed the support she needed. But her reluctance went beyond womanly modesty.  After dinner for instance, she would start on the most convoluted household projects, soaping down the floors, changing the liners in the cabinets. The night before she had disappeared she’d started cleaning the windows, taking out the Window cleaner and rags as soon as she’d put the boy to bed, even though he had mumbled, â€Å"Let’s go.†Ã‚  Surely he couldn’t be blamed for raising his voice at those times (though never so much to wake his son) or for grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her to the bed, like he did the night before she disappeared. He was always careful not to hurt her, he prided himself on that. Not even a little slap. And he always told himself he’d stop if she really begged him, if she cried, After some time, though, she would quit struggling and let him do what he wanted. But that was nothing new. That could have nothing to do with the disappearance†¦after all that was his right.  His grandfather had done the same with his wife, his father had treated his mother the same way too and she had turned out fine hadn’t she?  So, why should he have treated his wife differently? She too was an Indian woman and for generations Indian women had been afflicted upon. So what made her so special? Why couldn’t he behave the same way with his wife as his male ancestors had with theirs? Two weeks passed and there was no news of Zeneve, even though the husband had put a notice in the local newspaper as well as a half-page ad in India West, which he’d photocopied and taped to all the neighbourhood lampposts. The ad had a photo of her, a close up taken in too bright sunlight where she gazed gravely at something beyond the camera.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"How on earth will you come up with that kind of money?† asked his friend’s. The husband confessed it would be difficult, but he’d manage somehow. His wife was more important to him, after all, than all the money in the world. And to prove it he went to the bank the very same day and brought home a sheaf of forms to fill in so that he could take out a second mortgage on the house. He kept calling the police station, too, but the police weren’t much help. (They were working on it apparently.) They’d checked the local hospitals and morgues, the shelters†¦but there were no leads. It didn’t look very hopeful.  So finally he called India over a faulty long-distance connection that made his voice echo eerily in his ear. He told his mother what had happened.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"My poor boy!† she wailed. â€Å"Left all alone† (the word flickered unpleasantly across his brain, left, left.)  Ã¢â‚¬Å"How can you possibly cope with the household and a child as well?† she added. And when he admitted that yes, it was very difficult, could she perhaps come and help out for a while if wasn’t too much trouble, she replied â€Å"Of course! I’ll come right away and stay as long as you need me too and what was all this English nonsense about too much trouble? You’re my only son aren’t you?† She even said tha t she would contact the wife’s family too so he wouldn’t have to deal with that awkwardness. He was relieved at his mother’s kind gesture. How could he possibly face his in-laws at a time like this? How would he tell them that there one and only daughter may never come back?  Within a week his mother had closed up the little flat she had lived in since her husband’s death, got hold of a special family emergency visa and was on her way. Almost as though she’d been waiting for something like this to happen, said some of the women spitefully. These were his wife’s friends, though in his opinion, acquitances would be a more accurate word. His wife had liked to keep to herself, which had been just fine with him. He was glad, he’d told her several times, that she didn’t spend hours chattering on the phone like the other Indian wives.  He was livid when this gossip reached him (perhaps because he had the same insidious thought for a moment, when at the airport, he noticed just how happy his mother looked.) â€Å"Really† he asserted to his friends, â€Å"some people see only what they want to see. Don’t you think it is a good thing she has come over?†

What Happens If You Inhale Helium

Helium is a light, inert gas used for MRI machines, cryogenic research, heliox, and helium balloons. You may have heard inhaling helium can be dangerous, sometimes even fatal, but have you ever wondered just how likely you are to harm your health breathing helium? Heres what you need to know. Inhaling Helium from Balloons If you inhale helium from a balloon, you get a squeaky voice. You may also get light-headed because youre breathing in pure helium gas rather than oxygen-containing air. This can lead to hypoxia or low oxygen. If you take more than a couple of breaths of helium gas, you could pass out. Unless you hit your head when you fall, youre unlikely to suffer any lasting harm from the episode. You may get a headache and a dry nasal passage. Helium is non-toxic and youll start breathing normal air as soon as you move away from the balloon. Breathing Helium From a Pressurized Tank Inhaling helium from a pressurized gas tank, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous. Because the pressure of the gas is much greater than that of air, the helium could rush into your lungs, causing them to hemorrhage or burst. Youll wind up in the hospital or possibly the morgue. This phenomenon isnt exclusive to helium. Inhaling any pressurized gas can and probably will harm you. Do not attempt to breathe gas from a tank. Other Ways of Inhaling Helium Its dangerous to put yourself into a giant helium balloon because youll deprive yourself of oxygen and wont automatically start breathing normal air after you start suffering the effects of hypoxia. If you see a giant balloon, resist any urge to try to get inside it. Heliox is a mixture of helium and oxygen. It is used for scuba diving and also for medicine, because its easier for the lighter gas to pass through obstructed airways. Because heliox contains oxygen in addition to helium, this mixture does not cause oxygen starvation. Test your knowledge of helium with a quick helium facts quiz.