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State Testing and No Child Left Behind

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Educating students to be successful in college or in the workplace continues to be a source of concern for parents and educators at the state level. In spite of the testing requirements laid out in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (NCLB), test scores still vary significantly from state to state and fail to provide a consistently accurate national picture of academic achievement and students ability to compete.

A 2006 hearing conducted by the Commission on No Child Left Behind at Cambridge, Massachussetts listed concerns that are still timely. A major concern expressed during the hearing was the inconsistency of quality and rigor found in different state testing programs. There is also a widely held belief that in some cases these varying standards are an attempt to avoid NCLB sanctions.  Tied into the variance in state tests was the concern that it would be extremely difficult to accurately measure and compare the progress made between states.  Other participants stated that learning expectations set by some states do not match college and workplace realities. The hearing’s major conclusion was that schools need to encourage students to develop tests that encourage higher expectations and more consistent testing standards among the states. One of the suggestions offered was that national standards should be developed to place all states on a level playing field for scoring and analysis.

America is percieved by many eduators as falling behind in mathematics and the sciences – the fundamental skills needed for this country’s continuing leadership in the development of scientists and engineers in the 21st century. This is the challenge educators face and it begins in grammar and high school.

Filed Under: Education, General Tagged With: , ,

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: , ,

How Does Conformity Assessment Help Businesses Around the World?

Because conformity assessment does deal with international situations where goods and/or services are concerned, successfully completing this process means those users in the United States, as well as users in other parts of the world, can be assured that the product or services will be as good in one place as they are in another. In the case of internet services, this means that if your search engine meets conformity assessment standards.  When it shows you the results for onlineeducation.com, you can be pretty sure that the results will be or should be fairly accurate.

Meeting conformity assessment standards means that companies don’t have to worry that much about dealing with foreign businesses. The standards set forth by ISO/IEC are rather exacting, and are the same for any company who requests to be considered for ISO/IEC certification. The areas of testing, surveillance, auditing, certification, and registration, which are only a few of the areas covered in conformity assessment, are identical, and companies have to meet the same requirements.

Businesses around the world that are conscientious enough to strive for ISO/IEC certification can almost be assured of receiving more business than those who do not hold such certification. Other businesses will feel confident doing business with them because they have at least one thing in common: their standing with ISO/IEC.

In sumamry, because of the standardization of important product standards, conformity assessment gives consumers a more consistent experience with products.  For businesses, the stamp of approval from the ISO/IEC gives a great selling point that will help the company close sales and win over new clients.  Further, being listed on conformity assessment sites is a great referral for consumers who find their way to such a site.

Filed Under: Assessment Tagged With: , ,

Who Benefits From Conformity Assessment Standards?

Supporters agree that requiring certain standards of conformity assessment to be followed is ultimately beneficial to all main parties within the product supply chain, all the way from manufacturers, to consumers.

Upon close examination, it appears that there are at least three groups that can see benefits when conformity assessment techniques are applied.

The first and likely most obvious group is the consumer. Consumers are those who see the most noticeable benefits from the confidence that comes from knowing that a product has been created and distributed and manufactured in accordance with strict policies set forth by the European Organisation for Conformity Assessment. In fact, the benefits are multi-faceted. Firstly, consumers can trust that the products were made to meet or exceed exact standards. This ultimately inspires consumer spending trends to be continually healthy since consumers can assume that the products in question are of the highest quality. Finally, it allows consumers an avenue through which to find recourse if it turns out that the product they have purchased is defective or does not serve the intended purpose.

The next group that will benefit when conformity assessment standards and testing is set forth are the factory or manufacturing regulators. One aspect that is constantly on the mind of these individuals and groups is the need to ensure that their environments are free of hazards and up to the most modern health and safety standards to promote the well-being of their employees. Conformity assessment standards encourage any factories to adjust their working conditions in the event that they are not already at the appropriate level.

Finally, manufacturers can take immense pride in the fact that they have chosen to follow conformity standards. Not only does it give them an edge over competitors who have not chosen to follow similar standards, but it also give them an extra element of trust regarding the product that has been created.

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The Main Parties Responsible For The Conformity Assessment Testing Process

There are three main components of conformity assessment standards, and when applied correctly, these components use specific testing procedures to assure that the products are performing as they should, and for their intended purposes.

In fact, there are three tiers or groups involved with the conformity assessment process.

Conformity assessment is designed to ensure that products meet or exceed standards, regulations or specifications that will vary depending on the type of product in question. The first tier is made up of individuals who are directly involved with the product manufacturing process. In simple terms, it can be thought of as a process of self-assessment. Formerly termed as the supplier’s declaration of conformity (or SDoC), this part of the procedure can eliminate or cut down on the costs involved with carrying out a third-party assessment or test. Essentially, such a declaration demonstrates the commitment to the fact that a product can perform as promised. Furthermore, the declarer must be able to show this evidence if requested.

The second tier is made up of customers who are linked to the manufacturer in some way. In essence, it requires the manufacturer to make the specific requirements of the product known to the customer, and allow the customer to test the product to the best of their ability to ensure that such requirements are met or exceeded.

The third and final tier is made up of parties that are completely independent of the manufacturer, and are also not consumers of the product. An example might be an independent certification organisation that is ultimately responsible for ensuring that exact standards are indeed met. In the event that they are, the independent regulatory body would issue a certification to designate that the product has complied with all testing procedures and passed them in a satisfactory manner.

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