Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay Example for Free

Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay William J. Wilson once said, â€Å"The person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, or perseverance†. Why do we test students? What is the purpose of assessments? Do these tests and assessments benefit the students? These are questions educators have been asking for years. It is impossible for one to determine a child’s academic abilities based solely on a test. Yet there still needs to be some form of assessments performed in order to evaluate the academic level each student has reached. But how much assessing is too much? How heavily do educators rely on the results of these assessments? The main issues, when it comes to assessing early childhood students, are the consequences of the assessment results and how they affect the child. According to The National Academies of Sciences, there are two key principles that support the success of assessment. The first is that the purpose of an assessment should be a guide for assessment decisions. The purpose for any assessment must be determined and clearly communicated to all stake- holders before the assessment is designed or implemented. Most important, assessment designed for programs should not be used to assess individual children. Because different purposes require different kinds of assessments, the purpose should drive assessment design and implementation decisions† (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). The second principle is that any assessment performed should be completed in a â€Å"coherent system of health, educational, and family support services that promote optimal development for all children. Assessment should be an integral part of a coherent system of early childhood care and education that includes a range of services and resources† (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These two principles explain the main purpose of why assessing is important and how assessments should be conducted. After having an understanding of the purpose of assessments, why is it so important to begin evaluations at such a young age? What is the purpose of evaluating infants and toddlers? Author Sue Wortham explains evaluating toddlers and infants determine whether the child is developing normally or if they show any signs of delay and need assistance. All in all, the main purpose of assessment is to benefit the child (Wortham, p. 32). The NAEYC believes that during a child’s early years, evaluating and assessing their development should be the primary focus. They want to study how young children grown and learn. All the â€Å"results of assessment are used to inform the planning and implementation of experiences, to communicate with the child’s family, and to evaluate and improve teachers’ and program’s effectiveness† (Wortham, p. 4). Teachers also use assessment results to in order to plan their curriculum accordingly. So exactly do assessments search for? Assessments look not only for what the child is already capable of doing independently but also what they can do with the help of a teacher or another student (Wortham, p. 35). So how are they assessed exactly? There are many different assessments given to children across the U. S. everyday. These may be administered orally or as written works, such as questionnaires, surveys, or tests. These may include: standardized tests, observations, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, interviews, or portfolios. Each of these serve a different purpose in order to give different pieces of information needed to evaluate the child in question. Standardized tests, though many disagree with them, are meant to measure individual characteristics. Observations, on the other hand, are one of the most effective ways to measure students’ characteristics. When children are young, it can be hard at times to determine if there are any developmental delays (Wortham, p. 39). Developmental checklists, or scopes, are mainly used at all levels of education. These checklists are lists of the learning objectives that have been established by the teacher in order to keep track of their learning and development. Items on a checklist are rated with a negative or positive response from the teacher. Rating scales, unlike checklists, provide measurement on a continuum and are used when a collection of criteria is needed to attain specific information. Another form of assessment teachers commonly use is Rubrics. Rubrics were created to â€Å"evaluate authentic and performance assessments† (Wortham, p. 41). Rubrics, like rating scales, have a range of criteria that must be met. However, unlike rating scales, rubrics can be used to not only determine the quality of performance required, but are also used to assign grades. Rubrics make it easy for students to understand what is expected and is makes it easier for teachers to grade assignments. The final types of assessments that are most frequently used are performance and portfolio assessments. These evaluations might be administered through interviews given directly by the teacher in order to understand the child’s thinking and understanding (Wortham, p. 41). Teachers may present these evaluations through directed assignments, activities, or games. The performance results are typically kept in a student or teacher portfolio. These portfolios contain samples of student’s work and are used as a sort of progress report card. Keeping detailed reports of student’s work in the portfolios help teachers keep track of their student’s progress and help determine which areas of learning are lacking attention (Wortham, p. 41). Overall, according to Wortham, these tests, whether administered to an individual child or a group of students, are meant to determine a student’s â€Å"abilities, achievements, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, values, and personality characteristics† (Wortham, p. 9). Now having an understanding of the different types of assessments used to evaluate students and the purpose, let us turn to the negative and positive effects of these evaluations. It is crucial for educators to administer tests and evaluations carefully, because it they are poorly articulated, it can lead to decisions that are unfair or unclear, and they may do harm to programs, teachers, and, most importantly, children (Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 341-342). Evaluations and assessments are not meant to punish a child, and therefore, should never be overseen lightly. It is important that the information gathered outweighs any negative effects. Editors of Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How, Catherine E. Snow and Susan B. Van Hemel, explain that â€Å"although the same measure may be used for more than one purpose, prior consideration of all potential purposes is essential, as is careful analysis of the actual content of the assessment instrument. Direct examination of the assessment items is important because the title of a measure does not always reflect the content† (Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 346). So what are some negative effects? Negative consequences of assessment findings may include program de-funding, closing a center, firing a teacher, mislabeling a child, or a reduction in program resources (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These effects, such as mislabeling a student, can follow students for the rest of their education career. Once a child is entered into a program, it can be difficult at time for teachers to look past that label. Children all develop at different his or her own pace. No one child will develop and learn the same way as another child. They all grow up and develop at different stages. Yet educational theorists have been able to observed and gather enough information to conclude that children, if divided in age groups, do tend to follow a certain development pattern. The problem is, it is hard to determine which children are the outliers in these results without carefully administering proper assessments. Assessments are not used to necessarily judge student or punish them. Their main purpose is to help students, teachers, and parents. So what are some positive effects of assessment and evaluations? Students that benefit from assessments and evaluations are those that are properly observed and tested. Teachers also benefit from the use of assessments because it helps them create an appropriate curriculum for their students. Evaluating children at a young age can have a positive effect if a delay or disability is in fact found, and because it was caught early, the student has a better chance of exceeding their potential in school. Catching developmental delays or disabilities at a young age is the same as finding cancer at an early stage in the sense that the earlier the cancer is found; the chances of survival are greater. Assessment results are used to plan for instruction, evaluate instructional programs, and report student progress. These are all positive results of assessments. Without the results of assessments and test, how can educators determine what to teach their students? Evaluations, if planned and administered properly, can be more beneficial than harmful. Unfortunately, not all teachers evaluate children fairly or appropriately. So it is important for parents to stay involved in their children’s education in the event that the results of an evaluation do not match the potential of their child. Parents should know the norms and abnormalities of their child’s behavior. Therefore, it is always beneficial to the child for parents and teachers to communicate. This way if a child is acting up in class, and the teacher notifies the parent, the parent may confirm any fears right away by simply saying, â€Å"that isn’t like him† or â€Å"he’s just nervous†. Avoiding drastic measures and not jumping to conclusions is the proper way to evaluate a child fairly. What are the predicted long-term benefits to Early Childhood Assessments? Are assessments and student evaluations accurate? Should teachers be required to assess and evaluate students as much as they already do? These are just a few of the questions that plagued educators for years. Too much assessing has placed so much pressure on students and teachers, inevitably taking away a child’s desire to learn for the sake of learning. The purpose of assessments and evaluations is a great concept, but placing too much pressure and emphasis on the test results is tainting the original purpose of learning.

Do manners matter? :: Informative, Education, etiquette

Do manners matter? Yes, they do; however, since most parents have gone to work, children have fewer chances to sit with their parents and to learn manners from them. Although America is a melting-pot of cultures with various ideas of manners (Packer 22), and the subject of manners is complicated (Hall 185), the standard of good manners of various cultures is similar. Good manners are the same as civilized behaviors and moral etiquette that have respect, consideration, generosity, and thoughtfulness for others (Stewart 14). What goes around comes around; therefore, people should treat others as they wish to be treated themselves (Stewart 1). In fact, people would love to be with others who have good manners (Brandenberg 2). Therefore, manners should be taught in the twenty-first century because they not only help people become educated and competitive, but they also help the world become peaceful and smooth. First of all, people are more educated and competitive if they have good manners. Ladies and gentlemen who have good manners appear more educated, creditable, and superior than other ill-mannered people. Dr. Sokolosky believes, â€Å"all things being equal in terms of skills and abilities, the person who leaves a good, positive impression will come out on top† (Ricketts, par. 9), which means in a group of people who have equal skills, the one who has good manners will be the winner; thus, good manners can improve one’s competitiveness. Moreover, my Professor Eadus said that manners are the biggest part of social skill, which is true because good manners affect people’s interpersonal relationships and social communications. In fact, dining has been a principal social event in people’s lives; therefore, good table manners are essential and conducive to show one’s education while erroneous table manners can cause punishment by mothers, embarrassment in front of friends, or being dumped by dates (Packer 268). I have had one of the most embarrassing experiences in my life. When I was young, I used to play with my food and hold my knife and fork incorrectly until one day I dropped my whole piece of steak on the woman who was sitting at the next table. At that moment, I was totally embarrassed and frightened while the woman yelled at me and said I was a rude kid. After that, I went to borrow some books to learn table manners. â€Å"The way you handle yourself at the table gives off very clear signals as to what kind of a person you are† (Cooper, par.

How effectively does Pavel Ivanov use language to persuade his/her audience?

The film review about the movie ‘I now pronounce you Chuck ; Larry' written by Pavel Ivanov is well suited to its audience who the writer describes as the ‘Adam Sandler crowd', although Ivanov does indicate that audiences who get pleasure from comical films, would probably enjoy the blatant crude humour in this movie for example the ‘dropped soap in the shower routine' Ivanov's implied meaning is that those who'd laugh at this type of humour have no taste and lack intelligence, as this ‘type of humour' has intentionally been put into the movie as it is the ‘most lucid strategy' to win over audiences One of the purposes of the review is to denigrate the movie as an unintelligent film for those who are dim-witted, as it is full of ‘primitive weaponry of toilet humour' and ‘gay-clichi?? jokes', but at the same time Ivanov maintains a neutral stance by complimenting the movie on some of its achievements ‘subverts the gambit of any other ‘serious' gay movie'. The lexis used in the review is overall formal, with some elements of colloquialism such as ‘the icing on the cake'. You can read also com/audience-adaptation-paper/">Audience Adaptation Paper He uses such conversational style lexis to amuse and engage his audience. Ivanov establishes himself with the first person singular pronoun ‘I' to identify with readers as someone who has seen the movie thus immediately capturing the readers' interest and trust. He directly addresses his readers by using the second person singular pronoun ‘you' Ivanov uses this device to draw in his readers in to the review as well as deliver a personal message to them about the film. The writer applies a subordinate clause to give additional information about the movie to the audience. By combining the sentence with a relative clause, Ivanov's text becomes more fluent to readers. ‘Interesting thing this movie does is that while staying within the constraints of a broad comedy, it subverts the typical gambit of any other serious gay film' this is also a compound sentence as it adds detail of the movie and gives it a justification it also gives it a rationale, and makes a simple sentence more compelling and informative. He describes his disbelief in the plot of the movie by using a comparative sentence ‘instead of seeing a homosexual feigning happiness in a straight marriage' he then adds supplementary information about the movie he's writing about (‘think, the hours or normal') here Ivanov displays his skepticism as to why someone would want to watch a movie with such a bizarre plot ‘straight men come from a bastion of heroic manliness- the New York fire fighting service' this is ironic as you expect straight men to be fire fighters. Ivanov uses double modifiers to describe a famous actor in the movie as ‘bizarrely bankable' by using the lexis ‘bizarrely' Ivanov expresses to his audiences his disbelief in why this actor is so ‘bankable' although Ivanov could also be amazed about the actors performance that not only can he do funny and serious but that he can do the two simultaneously in the movie as he addresses a serious message to the audience that ‘bias is bad' and still keep it comic. In the opening paragraph Ivanov uses the adjective ‘energetic' and follows it up with the post-modifier ‘crassness' Ivanov's constant emphasis on the vulgarity of the movie, leads the readers to consider whether they would watch such an offensive film at all, thus reinforcing Ivanov's earlier point that the movie is not worth watching as it is aimed at unintelligent audiences, and that the only basis one should watch the movie ought to be for ‘academic interest'. Ivanov describes a ridiculous scene in the movie ‘a three legged hippo doing ballet' his implication being that such strange humour is not only typical but it is what has made him a household name in comedies ‘still an Adam Sandler movie' The text contains lots of exophoric references (‘Big daddy, happy Gilmore') which have been put in parenthesis to add supplementary information. â€Å"Larry (Kevin James)† parenthesis is commonly used in the text by Ivanov to signify to audiences the formality of the review. The writer uses many anaphoric references one example is ‘the set up is contrived as they come, but this is part of the joke'. What both lexis ‘the set up and ‘this' share is that – they have the same reference. On the whole Ivanov is successful in keeping track of the various people and things he mentions in his review by building a reference chain this makes Ivanov's writing more coherent to audiences. The example given above is also a dependant clause as it cannot stand by it self it needs it an independent clause to make the sentence complete. Ivanov constantly reminds audiences of the crudity of the movie, but he changes his strategy this time by picking out bits of the film that he feels his readers would be alarmed by ‘feel Alex's breasts. ‘ This displays Ivanov's desperation as he is trying everything to persuade the readers not to watch the movie. The key purpose that Pavel Ivanov has written the review is to persuade audiences not to watch the movie, his underlining reason being that it would ‘offend you' rather than ‘amuse you'. I suppose he is successful in convincing readers not to watch the movie, one effective regular feature I can identify Ivanov uses in his review is the first person singular pronoun ‘I' he uses this to his advantage as he introduces himself to his readers as a reliable impartial critic, which is clearly not the case as he regularly belittles the movie and the individuals it is aimed at. This might make some readers feel uneasy as they do not count themselves part of the ‘Adam Sandler crowd' consequently readers contemplate on whether it is worth watching this movie at all this. Ivanov's unrelenting pressurising of readers makes him successful in achieving his target.

Essay on Chapter 63 Nursing Management Musculoskeletal...

Chapter 63: Nursing Management: Musculoskeletal Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery Test Bank MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. When teaching seniors at a community recreation center, which information will the nurse include about ways to prevent fractures? a. Tack down scatter rugs in the home. b. Most falls happen outside the home. c. Buy shoes that provide good support and are comfortable to wear. d. Range-of-motion exercises should be taught by a physical therapist. ANS: C Comfortable shoes with good support will help decrease the risk for falls. Scatter rugs should be eliminated, not just tacked down. Activities of daily living provide range of motion exercise; these do not need to be taught by a physical therapist. Falls inside the home are responsible†¦show more content†¦The nurse will instruct the patient with a fractured left radius that the cast will need to remain in place a. for several months. b. for at least 3 weeks. c. until swelling of the wrist has resolved. d. until x-rays show complete bony union. ANS: B Bone healing starts immediately after the injury, but since ossification does not begin until 3 weeks postinjury, the cast will need to be worn for at least 3 weeks. Complete union may take up to a year. Resolution of swelling does not indicate bone healing. DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply (application) REF: 1513 TOP: Nursing Process: Implementation MSC: NCLEX: Physiological Integrity USTESTBANK.COM 7. A 48-year-old patient with a comminuted fracture of the left femur has Buck’s traction in place while waiting for surgery. To assess for pressure areas on the patient’s back and sacral area and to provide skin care, the nurse should a. loosen the traction and help the patient turn onto the unaffected side. b. place a pillow between the patient’s legs and turn gently to each side. c. turn the patient partially to each side with the assistance of another nurse. d. have the patient lift the buttocks by bending and pushing with the right leg. ANS: D The patient can lift the buttocks off the bed by using the left leg without changing the right-leg alignment. Turning the patient will tend to move the leg out of alignment. Disconnecting the traction will interrupt the weight needed toShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagescom/college/quickstart Technical Support 24/7 FAQs, online chat, and phone support www.wileyplus.com/support Your WileyPLUS Account Manager Training and implementation support www.wileyplus.com/accountmanager MAKE IT YOURS! Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Tenth Edition David A. DeCenzo Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Stephen P. Robbins San Diego State University San Diego, CA Tenth Edition Contributor Susan L. Verhulst Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA John WileyRead MoreCase Study Essay33967 Words   |  136 Pagesdischarge treatment plan is to facilitate successful patient selfmanagement, minimize symptoms, and prevent readmission. CASE STUDY PROGRESS During the admission interview, the nurse makes a list of the medications M.G. took at home. ââ€"   Chart View Nursing Assessment: Medications Taken at Home Enalapril (Vasotec) 5 mg PO bid Pioglitazone (Actos) 45 mg PO every morning Furosemide (Lasix) 40 mg/day PO Potassium chloride 20 mEq/day PO 2. Which of these medications may have contributed to M.G.s heart