Standards | Conforming Assessment

Using Formative Assessment

One of the most useful strategies in the teaching of middle grades in the United States is the principle of formative assessment. Formative assessment is the ongoing monitoring of each student’s performance and accomplishments during the process of learning new concepts. Formative assessment is different from summative assessment in that it does not provide the test scores and other forms of evaluation that go into a student’s grade. It does, however, provide an incredibly useful tool for teachers to determine just where the students are having the most trouble in incorporating new ideas.

In order for formative assessment to be fully implemented in classes, it must be considered a participatory activity by teachers and students alike. The feedback from students is essential for teachers to accurately gauge the progress of learning in their classes. This means that children need to be taught the tools and language necessary for providing feedback to their teachers. You can try searching for other helpful tools in canada 411 to make learning easier. Having a student admit that he or she simply does not ”get” a concept is an important first step; teaching him or her to explain explain where the failing occurs is the ultimate goal and should be accomplished before the process of formative assessment can be completely productive. Children should also be taught strategies for peer and self review, as well as student record keeping. Showing students how to evaluate the process of their learning can also help to empower them as partially responsible for their education. There is little doubt that formative assessment, when used in conjunction with summative assessment, provides the best tools for teachers who are working with students in the middle to upper grades. Training for and then incorporating these techniques will help ensure the success of students in U.S. public schools.

Filed Under: General, Standards Tagged With: Education, Formative assessment, Student

Preparing Kids for Standardized Tests

With the addition of the ”No Child Left Behind Act,” schools are focused more than ever on the results of state standardized tests. Because school funding is based upon the results, many teachers are encouraged to focus more on teaching toward the test, rather than concentrating on the concepts and theories behind the practical applications. Parents can help fill in the gaps by preparing their children for standardized tests, but only if they are prepared and willing to ask questions. Because public schools are forced to take these tests so seriously, they should be able to answer any questions that parents might have concerning the nature, subject material and testing procedures. Armed with this information, parents can work with their kids to help achieve a much better outcome.

Make sure your child understands the subjects and concepts that will be covered on the test, as well as the procedures for the test. For instance, you should encourage your child to take all of the time provided for each test section. Finishing early only means that he or she will have an opportunity to review the answers and check for errors and mistakes. Your child should also have an opportunity to practice taking similar tests prior to the big day. Reassure children that they are capable, remind them of previous successes and of their strengths, and encourage them to practice good study skills that will also help them prepare. Finally, sending your child off to school with a nutritious breakfast helps to calm the nerves and provide ample fuel for the rigorous mental challenges.

Filed Under: Education, Standards Tagged With: Education, No Child Left Behind Act, Standardized test

Teach for America Program

The Teach for America program is one of the most controversial additions to the field of elementary and secondary education in the country. The program was part of a college senior’s undergraduate thesis; following her graduation, Wendy Kopp raised the necessary capital and initiated the program to recruit and quickly train a number of qualified candidates to teach in the lowest income areas of the United States. The core values of the Teach for America program include the relentless pursuit of results, sense of possibility, disciplined thought, respect and humility, and integrity. While these are all worthy goals for the educators of our children, the effectiveness of the program has been called into question by a number of more traditionally trained teachers.

Some of the more vocal opponents to this program insist that it is not as great as its press might indicate. There are a number of claims that the program only provides a resume booster to graduates from the more prestigious colleges, or that its short-term ”boot camp” training program is a slap in the face to teachers who have spent four or five years in college focusing on a career in education. Regardless of the effectiveness of individual Teach for America participants, some critics claim that the short term assignments don’t provide enough real impact on the low income communities in which they function. While the detractors probably do have some valid concerns, at its very least the Teach for America program is helping to make a difference for low-opportunity schools and their students. Because participating teachers are only sent to these poor communities, it is unlikely that they are really competing with the top quality educators produced by most colleges’ education programs.

Filed Under: Education, Standards Tagged With: Teach For America, United States, Wendy Kopp

How Teachers Help Their Students Receive Good Grades

A good teacher can change a student’s life by encouraging them in their interests or by showing them how math, literature, and learning in general can be interesting and rewarding. Here are some of the ways that a teacher influences their students.

They are available to talk. A good teacher is not too busy to talk with a student about their project, to explain to them why they received their grade, or to answer questions about an assignment or a lesson. Of course, teachers will always be busy and generally get overloaded with work at some point during the year, but the best teachers will try to find the time and energy to help seeking students understand and succeed.

They change their lesson plans if they need to. If a teacher sees that the class needs another week to grasp a concept, a teacher will try her best to make sure the class comes to understand it before moving on. A teacher’s goal is always to put his or her students first, above a schedule or a deadline, even though trying to let students understand all the material for the year can seem daunting. This means constantly checking to see that all the students are understandig what is being taught.

They find a way to reach each child’s learning needs. If a teacher finds that one of his students is struggling in a subject, he may suggest to the student’s parents that they find a tutor, or may recommend after school tutoring. In the end, it means a teacher does not give up on a student, but keeps trying to encourage or help them.

They create a solid plan for the class. While teachers should be flexible with their class schedules, as listed above, they also need to be very prepared for every class. This means creating an outline for the whole semester, complete with reading materials and lesson plans. This allows teachers to spend most of their time during the school year focusing on their students, not their lesson plans. A good teacher can make all the difference.

Filed Under: Education, Graduate School, Standards Tagged With: encouraging, Student, Teacher

Summer Learning Increases Student Success

Students who spend time reading or learning over the summer are much more likely excel during the following fall. This is because they have continued to grow on what they have already learned, instead of forgetting a significant portion of it over the summer months. For many students, the trouble area is going to be math. Most students, even if they enjoy reading, will not continue to refresh what they have learned in a math class. For other students, reading will be the trouble area. Here is what you can do to help your child reach their learning potential:

Assign homework. While it may not sound very fun for you or your child, assigning homework during the summer is one of the best things you can do for them. This does not mean that you have to assign enough work that they are as busy as they are during the school year, but giving them at least a few hours of math and reading review will help them stay current in what they have learned.

Read together. Another excellent option for helping your child get into reading in the summer is to read with them. Every evening, or once a week, read an exciting book together, taking turns reading out loud. This will give you quality time with your child, as well as get them more excited about reading. For a list of good books to read, ask your child’s teacher or contact your local library. Both should have a list of excellent options that will cater to your child’s age and interests.

Have a class day. If you find that you are having trouble getting your child to do the work you assign during the summer, don’t despair! Many parents have the same trouble. To give a little more structure and accountability for both you and your child, consider putting your child in a once-a-week class, or hiring a tutor to meet with your child for an afternoon each week. This will not greatly hamper you or your child’s summer plans, but will help him or her keep up.

Filed Under: Assessment, Standards Tagged With: Learning, Student, Teacher

Fighting Urban Sprawl

A lot of cities all around the country have gotten to the point where the city proper can no longer support the local population who wants to work and play there. As such, the city will inevitably sprawl out into endless suburbs. Of course, there are still going to be people who live within the city. Since schools are built where children are, this leads to something which approximates segregation, as minorities tend to live closer to where they work (within the inner city), and the more affluent people live further out and go to different schools. The poorer schools cannot afford the best teachers or the best equipment, so their standardized test scores and grade point averages tend to sag terribly. However, cities can fight this urban sprawl, by efficiently utilizing the structures they have, and having them professionally managed. Urban sprawl is a problem because of what it ends up doing to a lot of less privileged students. However, it can be prevented to a point, if the structures which often end up sitting vacant are used more effectively as both housing and businesses, and occasionally even as charter schools. A good property manager can do wonders with even a mediocre property, because of the unique skill set that they bring to the table. For example, if you live in Texas, look into an Arlington property management company to transform your property. A good property manager can take a property most of the world condemns, and turn it into a useful structure for a variety of different purposes. When it comes to hiring contractors and placing solid tenants, a great property manager can turn real estate garbage into gold. They can even end up helping out the effort to plan cities, so that they can avoid a lot of sprawl in the first place. They can even the odds between the schools in the suburbs and the ones in the inner city.

Filed Under: Education, Standards Tagged With: Property management, Real estate, Urban sprawl

Parent Involvment Leads to Better Grades

Recent studies have strongly suggested that children receive much better grades when their parents take an interest in their education. When a parent shows interest in their child’s education, the child is much more likely to not only be interested in what he or she is learning, but to work harder towards a good grade. Here are some things you can do to encourage your child:

Ask them about their school subjects. If they are taking a history class, ask several questions to get a full understanding of what they are learning. Ask them about their favorite subject, which they may talk about more easily. Showing interest in what they are learning will show them not only that you are interested in them and want them to suceed, but may also renew their own interest in these subjects.

Help them with their homework. While you certainly do not want to do their work for them, sit with them and try to help them through it as a tutor would when dealing with a difficult subject. You can also help them with class projects by hearing their ideas, helping them get the supplies they need, and encouraging them to finish strong.

Encourage their interests. Once you have been asking about what they are learning, you may get an idea what they are interested in. If you have a daughter than loves to write poetry, get her a book on writing poems, or a rhyming dictionary, or even a book of poetry. This will show your children that you are listening to what they have to say and you believe in them.

A parent does not need to be extremely intelligent to encourage their child, but must only show an interest in what their child is learning. Parents who simply try to discover what their child’s interests are and work to give them opportunities to flourish in these areas are more likely to raise a successful and confident child. Parents must not minimize the impact they have on their children, and should make the best effort to allow their child to flourish.

Filed Under: Education, Standards Tagged With: Child, Learning, Parent

US Products Must Go Through European Conformity Assessment

In order for US products to be sold in the European Union, they must go through European conformity assessment and meet those standards. The US government offers information on trade regulations, customs and standards via the website http://www.buyusa.gov.

The site is subdivided into different categories to make the complicated process of meeting European Union standards as easy to understand as possible. Along with standards, trade tariffs are explained. Where many products are tariff free, in some situations, a low or no tariff good may begin to incur a tariff after certain numbers of the item have imported into the EU. The fact that the website begins with a discussion of tariffs should be a clue that importing into the European Union can be costly for an America manufacturer. There is also information on requirements, documentation and import licenses for US products going to the EU.

As the site gets into European Conformity Assessment, information is given on the use of the CE mark and it’s necessity in order to keep electronics standardized in health, safety and environmental categories. Therefore, products that are tested and certified to US standards are probably going to have to be re-certified to EU standards. The CE marking is the harmonized approach to conformity across the 27 countries of the European Union.

Most countries are interested in the EU’s conformity assessment measures, and the EU itself is working to get its standards working in developing countries that have a stake in the European consumer market. The EU is generous with funding business development, so this is an incentive for countries and manufacturers to adopt the EU standards.

In order to keep trade barriers to a minimum, American companies need to have access to EU regulation meetings through a European presence. A manufacture chooses not to harmonize with EU standards must then demonstrate that their product meets safety and performance standards before it can be sold with in the European Union.

Filed Under: Assessment, Standards

Smart Phones Standardizing Chargers for the European Union

: Image by Apokolokyntosis via Flickr

Starting in 2010, smart phone manufacturers, including Apple, signed an agreement to standardize their phone chargers in the European Union. This agreement was made with the European Commission.

This means people won’t have to throw away existing chargers in order to charge their phones in the EU. The harmonization of smart phone chargers will create a new European Union norm, and a micro-USB plug would be interchangeable among phones. In newer models, that means there would not have to be excessive adapters in order to charge the phone in various places. The Commission predicts that all older phones will be discarded in the next three to four years, and then everyone will be on the universal charger.

The new chargers will only be compatible with European phones, but the hope is that other countries will follow suit. From an environmental standard, the reduction of adapters and accessories will reduce unnecessary products in landfills. Since one of the three requirements of the CE marking is environmental health, the standardization of chargers fits well into the EU’s conformity assessment standards.

Although Apple has signed on with it’s highly popular iPhone, it isn’t yet known whether the tech giant will completely change it’s charger or whether it will just pack an adapter into the phones headed for Europe.

How charging compatibility effects smart phone accessory sales remains to be seen since the aftermarket stands to lose as people require less adapters and second chargers. On the other hand, the convenience for the users should greatly improve customer service as the smart phones become more convenient to use, regardless of their separate design features.

A big remaining challenge will be whether the iPhone becomes an unlocked smart phone world wide. Currently, an iPhone purchased in the U.S. must use AT&T as its carrier. This is a two year contract. In order to unlock the phone, its price increases by $200 to $300 dollars.

Filed Under: Standards

European Union Battery Directive

Since the European Commission has included environmental protection in its basic standards, a European Union battery directive was created in 1991. The purpose of the directive is to reduce the amount of harmful material that is being burned or put into landfills.

Batteries used to contain large amounts of harmful substances like lead, cadmium, and mercury, so there was growing concern about the health of the environment where these products were concerned. The new directive requires legislative action from EU member states. The Commission itself does not legislate the battery directive.

The provisions of the directive were focused on gradually reducing the amount of mercury in batteries to as little as possible, so that by 1999, the legal limit would be only 0.00005%. Cadmium and lead had to be reduced as well. The directive also aimed to improve recycling rates, and most of that responsibility was put on the battery manufacturers.

Certainly, there was resistance to a battery directive, as well as a desire to strengthen it. By 2006, a new directive was in place, and it focused more on the recycling efforts of auto batteries and attempts to separate batteries from regular waste. Proper markings had to be on the batteries as well.

Battery disposal sites had to be free to the consumer, and manufacturers could not refuse to take back old batteries from end-users. Collection rates had to be monitored by Member States and reported to the Commission yearly.

The Commission allows countries to use economic incentives, like tax breaks, to encourage the use of less toxic batteries and stronger recycling practices. Education on the harmful effects of improper battery disposal was also targeted as an achievable standard for EU conformity in battery safety. Member states were also encouraged to set up penalties for those who do not comply with the standards.