Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Standardized Testing Essay - 2979 Words

Standardized Testing President Bush is promoting annual standardized testing for all students in grades three through eight in order to assess their academic achievements. This bill is currently being considered in Congress, and has garnered much support from individuals in the community. As of right now, fifteen states test students in those grades, and more than twenty have high school exit exams. Exit exams look only at the test score of a student, not at his or her academic achievements throughout High School, and in many cases, people are either over- or underrepresented by their test scores. This occurs partly because America does not currently have the capabilities of fairly scoring the increasing number of tests,†¦show more content†¦Instead of wasting our time and money on further development of and dependency on standardized tests, we need to research more effective alternatives. You would think that exit exams would be a good idea since they will test what the student has learned in high school, and how well they have retained that information. Many states do require a student to pass a certain test in order to receive a diploma. But, rather than prove how much students know, this can result in many capable students, who have finished all of their requirements, being denied their diplomas. If the Valedictorian does not pass the exit exam, are you going to bar him or her from graduating? After all, it is a fact that some people are better at taking tests than other people. Intelligent students who challenge themselves throughout their high school careers and have high grade point averages can do poorly on a test, while a student who has only taken basic level classes can score significantly higher. Is that a fair representation of what was achieved in high school? With tests being so important in determining the future of a student, you expect that there would be a plethora of testing companies. On the contrary, the number of major test making companies is limited to seven. (Haney, 11) With so few companies, will the content of the tests be varied enough to paint an accurate picture of the state of education? There will be someShow MoreRelatedStandardized Testing1272 Words   |  6 PagesSynthesis Essay on Standardized Testing Standardized testing in the United States started in the mid- 1800’s (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). This kind of testing was originally created to measure students’ performance and progress in school (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). In recent years, the public school system has relied heavily on the information this test provides, in doing so creating controversy. Other than being a student myself, and participating in multiple standardized exams such asRead MoreStandardized Testing : Standardized Tests1186 Words   |  5 Pages Standardized Testing Impact Standardized testing is known to improve students’ education, but is it really needed in school? Standardized testing determines whether a student is prepared for the next grade based on their test scores. While some students do great on their test others struggle a lot. Not all students are good test takers; majority of the students do good in school but struggle when it comes down to testing. While many agree that standardized testing helps improve studentsRead MoreStandardized Testing And Standardized Tests1204 Words   |  5 Pagessomething we have all nearly fallen asleep to over our years of standardized tests. I myself can be included with you in that experience and I hope to give you a little more information on these all too familiar tests this afternoon. Today we are going to look at the origins of standardized testing, the purpose of standardized testing, and standardized tests around the world. But first, I want to ask you another question: what is standardized t esting? Is it A) something that has been used for some time inRead MoreStandardized Tests : Standardized Testing963 Words   |  4 PagesOct 2015 Standardized Testing in Florida In recent years Florida’s standardized testing program has taken a turn for the worst. After doing away with the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) the debate has only grown due to flood of new tests being created such as the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) or End of Course Exam (EOC). These tests are administered to test students’ abilities at the end of the school year. In spring of 2015, with only two months of testing between the EOC’sRead MoreStandardized Testing Should Be Standardized Tests1329 Words   |  6 PagesPretty much everybody in this generation has taken a standardized test in some level of schooling. A standardized test is defined as a â€Å"test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a standard or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups o f students† (â€Å"Standardized Test Definition†). There is lots of debate aroundRead More Standardized Testing Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesStandardized Testing Scholar Bill Ayers believes standardized testing in schools does not accurately measure what is necessary to be successful in life. Ayers insists that Standardized tests such as the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measure specific facts and function which are among the least interesting and slightest important information that children should know. In an article titled â€Å"Testing the Right Way for Talent†, written by Hugh Price, arguesRead MoreThe Use of Standardized Testing1088 Words   |  4 Pagesthe use of standardized testing has spanned centuries, some of the earlier studies include data from the early 1900’s. According to Frazier (2009), â€Å"there is a significant difference in scores on standardized tests when students have completed a technology education program†. This study shows a correlation between the use of technology within the school system and achievement on standardized tests. Students that are ex posed to technology education are more likely to do well on standardized tests. Read MoreThe Limitations Of Standardized Testing Essay705 Words   |  3 PagesThe limitations of â€Å"standardized testing† as a rigid and narrow criterion for gauging the educational capabilities of students in public education. The criterion for standardized testing relies on narrow areas of knowledge that define a hierarchical imposition of â€Å"intelligence† testing that forces the student to perform ion a constrained academic environment. This type of testing has become a mechanized tool to reject the individual needs of the student in a linear testing methodology. The importanceRead MoreEssay on Standardized Testing1458 Words   |  6 PagesThe No Child Left Behind Act and Standardized Testing: State, National, and International American Education has been a work in progress for the past century and a half. To measure its progress, successes, and failings, there are standardized tests. These tests have been used to compare schools, states, and nations. The key subjects being tested as a universal measure are mathematics, reading, and science. To help improve the scores on these tests, the United States put into law the No ChildRead MoreThe Shortcomings of Standardized Testing1636 Words   |  7 PagesSince the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind program, standardized testing has become the norm for American schools. Under this system, each child attending a school is required to take a standardized test at specific grade points to assess their level of comprehension. Parents, scholars and all stakeholders involved take part in constant discussions over its effectiveness in evaluating students’ comprehension, teachers’ competency and the effects of the test on the education system. T hough

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Work Cognitive Science And The Concept Of Belief, For...

This paper will explore one of the three problems raised by Stich, in Chapter 7 of his work Cognitive Science and the Concept of Belief, for Fodor’s account of propositional attitudes. It will begin with a brief explanation of Fodor’s theory of folk psychology and his ideas of propositional attitudes, and will continue with an in depth analysis of Stich’s critique of Fodor’s representational theory of mind, specifically Stich’s discussion of the problems posed by ideological similarity and the consequences said problems have on the strength and validity of Fodor’s theory. Finally, it will conclude with my response, on the behalf of Fodor, to the problem formerly stated. To begin, it is necessary to outline the main concepts of Fodor’s Representational Theory of Mind, as a grasp of Fodor’s essential arguments is crucial before we can analyze Stich’s reply. First and foremost, Fodor is a folk psychologist who categorizes mental states such as belief or desire as something called propositional attitudes. To elaborate, a propositional attitude is an internal mental state that an individual holds towards a proposition (the individual may have various propositional attitudes towards a single proposition, for example: I believe that the rabbit is fluffy. I hope that the rabbit is fluffy. There is one proposition, but two propositional attitudes: belief and hope.) These propositional attitudes can be thought of as the carriers of folk psychology, in that they allow for people to

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Model of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Model of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Answer: Introduction Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) describes a sequela of streptococcal infection-characteristically after two to three weeks following group A streptococcal pharyngitis which takes place most frequently among children and has cardiac, rheumatologic, and neurologic manifestations. The ARF incident has dropped in advanced economies, and several physicians have little or no practical experience with diagnosis alongside management of ARF. This paper seeks to demonstrate the pathophysiology alongside main clinical presentations of ARF by taking into account a particular case of Sue (case study 3), 14-year-old native girl, who was diagnosed with ARF. Later, the paper would further focus on the nurse role in the provision of suitable care to adolescents and members of their families taking into account the current nursing practices. ARF is manifested by nonsuppurative inflammatory lessons of heart, joints, central nervous system and subcutaneous tissue. The literature has demonstrated that, at least in advanced economies, rheumatic fever proceeds pharyngeal infection with rheumatogenic group A streptococci (Webb, Grant Harnden, 2015). The rheumatic fever development risk following a streptococci pharyngitis episode is estimated at 0.3 to 3 percent. Some studies have also associated rheumatic fevers amongst the aboriginal population of Australia to streptococcal skin infections (Burke Chang, 2014). The tissue injury occurring in rheumatic fever is accounted for by the molecular mimicry. Both cellular and humoral host defense of a genetically vulnerable host remain engaged. The immune responses of the patient, in this process for both T- and B-cell mediated cannot distinguish between such microbes that invade and some host tissues. T helper1 alongside cytokine Th17 seem to be central mediators of rheumatic heart disease. The resulting inflammation might persist past acute infection and generates the rheumatic fever or protean manifestation (Gewitz et al., 2015). The initial step is a pharyngeal infection by Streptococcus pyogenes, proceeded by antigens presentation to the immune B and T cell. The production of particular chronic and acute stage antibodies (IgM and IgG) results from the CD4+ cells activation by lymphocytes. Such antibodies alongside activated T cells react with structurally identical peptides or proteins in tissues of the heart that is known as the cross-section. Consequently, the heart will be inflamed. The joints will then develop swelling alongside pain because of accumulation of immune complexes that antigen-antibody merger have formed. The skin and chorea rashes or the nodules are the additional manifestations of such immune activation, in basal ganglia alongside skin in that order. The M protein and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosamine antigens will mimic one another alongside the myosin in cardiac muscle. Such molecules have an identical antigenic structure with myosin which is the human muscle protein. Antibodies are formed hence reacting with human heart valve tissue. The CD4+ cells will stick to as well as burrow into endothelium of the valve due to VCAM-1 molecules overexpression thereby activating the cellular immune response within the valve. The inflammation of the valve tissue thus follows with new blood vessels growth. The T cells availability thus ensues due to the surged supply of blood resulting from such vessels. Several antigenic attraction spots will occur on the valve, on such proteins as tropomyosin and vimentin thereby making T-cell attack stretch to further areas. The Aschoff bodies or granulomas the form underneath endocardial heart layer. Calcification further takes place a share of such information and is connected the osteopontin levels. Additional inflammation markers like CRP alongside oxidation protein products that are raised in a patient with RHDs blood. Nurses play an important role in symptom management to alleviate the complication of the illness. To accomplish this, nurses must comprehend the illness pathophysiology as well as have patients development stage, age as well as other associated variables of the patients which would assist them in offering patient-focused or individualized care (Dunkel Harbke, 2017). The physical maturity alongside the overall development of children is distinguished from those of adolescents which influence the process of healing, metabolism of medication as well as pathophysiologic processes. As indicated in the case study 3, Sue is a 14-year old girl and hence, falls in the adolescent bracket, in which the social, physical, cognitive as well as personality development range from childhood (He et al., 2016). Some developmental indications entail surge in height and weight and so on. Girls attend their puberty between thirteen and sixteen of age as well as the level alongside the activity of the pituitary-released hormones surge (Maier Kommer, 2016). However, such alterations, as well as hormonal changes in the adolescents, influence their behavior and accomplishment, whereas they are increasingly busy developing their corresponding personal identity. This calls for tremendous psychological, as well as social support and nurses, play an imperative role in this respect by making sure that the privacy of the patients are guaranteed as they provide healthcare and respect their ethical identities. Growth and Development Theories The theories of development and growth might be useful for this given case study. The theory advanced by Erickson relating to the psychosocial development alongside Piaget's theory remains relevant. As indicated in the Piagets theory, the adolescents thought process in the course of the formal operational stage might be regarded systematic progressively, mature, abstract, logical as well as reflective (Bjorklund Causey, 2017). This demonstrates that adolescents might take own life decisions, and hence they require involvement in their care plan. Therefore, the adolescent is regarded as an essential age bracket whereby they become mature both cognitively and physically. According to Erickson theory of psychological development, the adolescents give primary attention to their formation of identity, self-identity search and hence leading to the independence sense from their corresponding parents, and occasionally surges dependence on their peers (Malone et al., 2016). This might hardly be life-threatening when adolescents are swayed away by their relevant peers. A typical example in this setting might be peer pressure to consume alcohol, smoking, and substance abuse which affect the adolescents health to a higher degree. It is a fact that nearly seventy percent of young adolescents affected with this illness are further massive smokers. Therefore, it might be stated that Sue needs to be educated by the care practitioner or professional that might teach her how the illness is affecting her health as well as urging her to stop the predisposition factors (Darling-Fisher Leidy, 2015). It has been mentioned in the previous studies that educating the adolescent patient on a given disease promote their better understanding that continued assistance improve their QoL. Family-Centered Care Family-centered care is further imperative when caring for adolescent patients. This both family members and parents are primary and immediate contact points for adolescents that them to pose better understanding and knowledge regarding their children and adolescent. This kind of approach stays effective because it encompasses building a partnership among the family members, care professionals as well as children (Greene, 2017). Openness communication with parents regarding the care concerns of their children outlines the importance of rapport and trust building. The family-centered cares fundamental factors regard family as both culturally responsive as well as stable assistance and support (Hill, Knafl Santacroce, 2017). Based on Sues case, it might be highlighted that she and her family need to get proper care and must be accorded the best opportunity to access essential healthcare resources. This is because of an insufficient report on values, lifestyle and customs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alongside their impact on healthcare practices Davidson, 2017 (). It has been highlighted that health care providers that look after the natives in Australia must remain culturally sensitive, empathic, recognize native family structure, land, community, family and health history. Thus, family-centered care remains a central portion of multidisciplinary team whereby health associated and additional concerns which affect QoL are solved successfully (Festini, 2014). Hospitalization negatively and positively influences the family and children. Hospitalization promotes patient care and makes patients understand why it is imperative to seek medical advice. On the flip side, hospitalization/admission might surge stress on the patient, insufficient support of which might affect the QoL of adolescents and their corresponding members of the family. Occasionally, it is observed that members of the family become anxious because of the context which results in hospitalization (Franck et al., 2015). Thus, getting engaged in adolescent care alongside being increasingly informed allow parents to lower their stress levels. Conversely, the absence of stress among parents might affect the health of their children. The role of family members could be changed when parents are distributing their respective work responsibilities as well as equally taking care of their other kids, negligence of which might affect the remaining siblings health (Knight, 2017). Thus, it is significant that healthcare providers encourage and support the access of parents to healthcare resources to meet similar demands and needs. Adolescents together with their parents might be ushered in members of the same age and suffering from single health concerns, whereby they can share and discuss their concerns and experience (Demetriou, Shayer Efklides, 2016). It might also assist them to comprehend progression of illness, efficient coping strategies alongside healthy-lifestyle selections/choices. This gives better health outcomes. The adolescents and members of the family will be referred to other suitable health professionals that guarantee better healthcare provision. For example, a healthy diet could be prepared by nutritionist create proper diet chart for the illness affected adolescents thereby boosting their immunity power as well as save them from the sudden loss of weight through cell rejuvenation (Rmond et al., 2015). The considerate aerobic exercises might assist Sue to remain active as well direct their energies towards daily living tasks rather than getting deprived daily, as a result of a long-run disease. Whereas people live with such enduring illness, it is the responsibility of healthcare providers to teach them practical coping mechanisms so that they can survive for the balance of their corresponding lives while still uncompromising QoL. Conclusion It can be mentioned that ARF is a chronic disease which affects both wellbeing and health of the infected person. The healthcare providers must remain supportive and assist such patients to easily access sufficient care linked to resources so that they can meet their healthcare needs effectively. The healthcare providers must give culturally competent care as well as maintain quality healthcare system. They must make adolescent together with their respective members of family fathom the significance of family-focused care which might assist them to maintain wellbeing and health through their separate lives. References Bjorklund, D. F., Causey, K. B. (2017).Children's thinking: Cognitive development and individual differences. SAGE Publications. Burke, R. J., Chang, C. (2014). Diagnostic criteria of acute rheumatic fever.Autoimmunity reviews,13(4-5), 503-507. Darling-Fisher, C., Leidy, N. (2015). The Modified Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory. Davidson, J. E. (2017). Family-Centered Care.AACN advanced critical care,28(2), 136. Demetriou, A., Shayer, M., Efklides, A. (Eds.). (2016).Neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development: Implications and applications for education. Routledge. Dunkel, C. S., Harbke, C. (2017). A review of measures of Eriksons stages of psychosocial development: Evidence for a general factor.Journal of Adult Development,24(1), 58-76. Festini, F. (2014, December). Family-centered care. InItalian journal of pediatrics(Vol. 40, No. 1, p. A33). BioMed Central. Franck, L. S., Wray, J., Gay, C., Dearmun, A. K., Lee, K., Cooper, B. A. (2015). Predictors of parent post-traumatic stress symptoms after child hospitalization on general pediatric wards: A prospective cohort study.International Journal of Nursing Studies,52(1), 10-21. Gewitz, M. H., Baltimore, R. S., Tani, L. Y., Sable, C. A., Shulman, S. T., Carapetis, J., ... Mayosi, B. M. (2015). Revision of the Jones Criteria for the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever in the era of Doppler echocardiography: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circulation,131(20), 1806-1818. Greene, R. R. (2017). Eriksonian theory: A developmental approach to ego mastery. InHuman behavior theory and social work practice(pp. 91-118). Routledge. He, V. Y., Condon, J. R., Ralph, A. P., Zhao, Y., Roberts, K., de Dassel, J. L., ... Carapetis, J. R. (2016). Long Term Outcomes from Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Data-Linkage and Survival Analysis Approach.Circulation, CIRCULATIONAHA-115. Hill, C., Knafl, K. A., Santacroce, S. J. (2017). Family-Centered Care From the Perspective of Parents of Children Cared for in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: An Integrative Review.Journal of pediatric nursing. Knight, Z. G. (2017). A proposed model of psychodynamic psychotherapy linked to Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development.Clinical psychology psychotherapy,24(5), 1047-1058. Maier, A., Kommer, V. (2016). Acute rheumatic fever.Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift (1946),141(6), 418-420. Malone, J. C., Liu, S. R., Vaillant, G. E., Rentz, D. M., Waldinger, R. J. (2016). Midlife Eriksonian psychosocial development: Setting the stage for late-life cognitive and emotional health.Developmental psychology,52(3), 496. Rmond, M., Atkinson, D., White, A., Brown, A., Carapetis, J., Remenyi, B., ... Maguire, G. (2015). Are minor echocardiographic changes associated with an increased risk of acute rheumatic fever or progression to rheumatic heart disease?.International journal of cardiology,198, 117-122. Webb, R. H., Grant, C., Harnden, A. (2015). Acute rheumatic fever.bmj,351, h3443.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Once And Future King - Arthurs Failure Essays - Merlin

The Once and Future King - Arthur's Failure The Once and Future King - Arthur's Failure "He was only a man who had meant well, who had been spurred along the course of thinking by an eccentric necromancer with a weakness for humanity. Justice had been his last attempt-to do nothing which was not just. But it had ended in failure" (White, OAFK 634). The"he" in this passage refers to King Arthur, the main character in T.H. White's The Once and Future King and Book of Merlyn, who failed in his attempt to unite England due to the mistakes made by him and those close to him. Arthur, betrayed by those close to him, not properly educated on the greedy, selfish, and violent heart of man, failed in his attempt to create a stable, progressive, and peaceful society. To begin with, those close to Arthur made mistakes that would lead to his eventual downfall. Merlyn's forgetfulness kept him from informing Arthur of his mother's name. "...but suddenly he remembered it in his sleep-the simplest thing! It was Arthur's mother's name which he had forgotten to mention in the confusion!" (White, OAFK 310). If Arthur had known the identity of his mother he would not have slept with his own sister, "...but it seems, in tragedy, that innocence is not enough" (White, OAFK 312). This account with his sister created Mordred, who, taught by his mother that revenge had to be taken, would be his father's killer. Others close to Arthur betrayed him as well. Gwenever's selfishness and jealousy as well as Lancelot's "evil steak" played an important role in the King's downfall. They chose to sleep with each other behind the King's back, knowing that the discovery of their affair would destroy his life's work. If Gwen and Lance could have just come to the realization that they could not sleep each other and still be loyal to their King, this tragedy would not have taken place. Perhaps Lance put it best when he said "...your friend can hardly be your friend if he is also going to be your betrayer" (White, OAFK 336). Arthur did not receive a proper education on the greedy, selfish, and violent heart of man. As the young Wart growing up in the Forest Sauvage, Arthur "...had been taught by an aged benevolence, wagging a white beard. He had been taught by Merlyn to believe that man was perfectible: that he was on the whole more decent that beastly; that good was worth trying: that there was no such thing as original sin. He had been forged as a weapon for the aid of man, on the assumption that men were good.....the whole structure depended on the first premise; that man was decent" (White OAFK 628). Because Arthur possessed such a wise and loving tutor who showed him the good and decent side of human nature, he himself grew up "...kind, simple, and upright" (White OAFK 387) Merlyn taught him through the use of animals that were much more peaceful and serene than humans could ever hope to be. Because Arthur possessed such a kind and moral heart, he could not find it in his heart to hate his best friend, his wife, or anyone for betraying him, and his forgiving nature and naivete eventually led to his downfall. If Merlyn had only showed him that all men possessed a streak of evil in them, Arthur would not have been so quick to assume that all men were good "...for if there was such a thing as original sin, if man was on the whole a villain, if the bible was right in saying that the hearts of men were deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, then the purpose of his life had been a vain one" (White OAFK 629). In the end, Arthur lost his battle with might and failed to create a stable, peaceful, and progressive society. This was due to several factors including the mistakes made by those close to him, his naivete and forgiving nature, and the evil and/or ignorance that lurks in the hearts of men. If he could have just known that none were as lucky as he had been, concerning the lessons he had been taught as a boy. "He, unfortunately for himself, had been beautifully brought up. His teacher had educated him as the child is educated in the womb...and, like the child in the womb, he had been protected with love meanwhile. The effect of such an education was that he had grown without any of the useful