Are state tests actually beneficial to students, or do they place Essay

Are state tests actually beneficial to students, or do they place unnecessary pressure on teachers, students, and parents - Essay Example In fact they create unnecessary pressure to the three stakeholders, diluting its very essence. Firstly, the stakes of state test are too high. Secondly, the test results cannot accurately measure learning. Thirdly, teachers are molded into ‘teaching the tests’ rather than concepts. Lastly, the anxiety associated with tests impedes learning and leads to cheating and result manipulation. Therefore, this paper will discuss on why state tests are not beneficial to stakeholders in education—students, teachers and parents. To begin with, the stakes of the tests are too high and teachers are adapted into ‘teaching test’ rather than concepts. Traditionally, test scores influence how much funds a school would receive from the government. Low test scores would make the school run the risk of its operations taken over by the government; therefore, little room for independent decision making (Texas Business Leadership Council). Such pressure on state officials, parents, teachers and students create a very poor environment for learning. Additionally, Teachers plan their curriculum around tests. Additionally, teachers teach test-taking skills and how to pass exams. Consequently, teachers lose the creativity and dynamism that makes learning enjoyable (The National Center for Fair and Open Testing). Concepts and hands-on skill require a greater challenge and are more rewarding than the ability to pass a multiple-choice test. Secondly, test scores are not the accurate measure of learning. In a 2013 speech, the secretary of education, Arne Duncan opines that state assessments in various subjects often fail to capture the student’s ability of what they know and can do (Evans ). Besides, all the stakeholders in education know that there is so much more to education that the ability to sit down and answer a few multiple-choice questions. Standardized state tests do not create room for students to express themselves (Evans ). Lastly, the anxiety associated with

Biography Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Biography Assignment - Essay Example d as a Prime Minister for two different periods including the 11 year period starting from 1966 and ending in 1977 and then she held the office of Prime Minister for a 4 year period ranging from 1980 to 1984. She was still holding the office when she was removed from the face of the earth through murder and she successfully became the only female Prime Minister in the history of India. This writing will focus on the leadership autobiography of Indira Gandhi and will reflect upon why she is one of the major examples of a successful leader. The way a leader leads is referred to his/her personal philosophy of leadership. Different leaders follow a different philosophy of leadership. Leaders follow the dictatorial, participative, delegative philosophies of leadership. Indira Gandhi and her actions reveal that she followed an autocratic form of leadership philosophy. A leader who follows this philosophy tends to communicate clear expectations that he/she may have from her followers. They do not only inform the followers about what needs to be done, they even tell them how operations are to be carried out. These leaders try to alienate themselves from the followers and create clear distinction between the two in the eyes of others. They themselves make the decisions and do not allow the followers to participate and expect the followers to follow those decisions obediently. One of the reasons due to which it is believed that Indira Gandhi was an autocratic leader is that she was held responsible for conducting acts of corru ption and even after she was found to be guilty, she did not give up her position and instead instated emergency after 19752. This shows that Indira Gandhi thought of herself as someone who is above all and has a higher status as compared to others. She did not only declare emergency. She even disallowed the press to report freely and she even went a step further by detaining members of opposition’s political parties. This shows that Indira Gandhi