Weighing the benefits and drawbacks of standardized testing Essay

Weighing the benefits and drawbacks of standardized testing - Essay Example The prevalent use of standardized tests has caused much controversy in recent years. Some feel that they have an important place in helping to assess student ability and school quality, while others feel that they have very little validity, and detract significantly from our children's educational experience. A great deal of studies have been published in attempt to understand the true effect that standardized tests have on education, yet there has been little consensus among opposing sides. No matter one's position on the subject, a clear understanding of both the pros and cons of standardized testing will aid our country in its quest to improve the quality of education for all of our students. If administrators and policy-makers would take into account both the benefits and the drawbacks of standardized testing, they could work to create educational policies that take advantage of the data that standardized tests offer, while not allowing test bias or an overemphasis on test scores to detract from our student's education. The driving force behind the prevalent use of standardized tests in school districts across the country is a belief that they will hold schools and teachers accountable for each student, and that no child will be allowed to slip through the cracks. This is essentially the premise of the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2002, which uses standardized test scores to determine whether or not schools are making adequate progress. In a recent report from the US department of education entitled "Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act" (2007), George W. Bush reiterates that this policy is first and foremost an effort to end "the soft bigotry of low expectations" (p 1). In addition to bridging the achievement gaps between minority populations and wealthier populations, Bush also stated that: "NCLB is an important way to make sure America remains competitive in the 21st century. We're living in a global world. See, the education system must compete with education systems in China and India. If we fail to give our students the skills necessary to compete in the world of the 21st century, the jobs will go elsewhere" (Hursh, 2007, 498). Proponents of NCLB, argue that standardized tests are the best tool that we have at our disposal to determine whether schools are truly bridging the achievement gaps and preparing students to compete in the global economy of the 21st century. The reason that standardized tests are an indispensable part of school success according to proponents of NCLB, stems from their belief that it is impossible to know if students are learning anything without assessment. Grant Wiggins, author of Understanding by Design (2006), offers a humorous, but poignant anecdote about what happens when assessment is not incorporated into classroom instruction: A teacher claims to have taught his dog to talk, yet when the teacher's friend wants to see proof of the dog being able to talk, the teacher modifies her claim: "I taught him to talk, but I didn't say he learned it" (p. 228). Without evaluation, neither teachers nor students can ever know if they have grasped the material that has been taught, and they become the talking dogs that have not actually learned to talk. Without evaluation, teaching can become a dull and listless act that fails to take into account whether students are actually learning and whether they are able to analyze and cr eate meaning out of the new experiences they have had in class. Richard Phelps explains the benefits of standardized tests in Kill the Messenger: The War on Standardized Testing (2003), which has been called the definitive defense of standardized testing. Phelps and other proponents of standardized

Substance abuse in Veterans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Substance abuse in Veterans - Research Paper Example These drugs provide relief for a short lifespan. However, this can in turn bring a heavy aftermath after the lapse. Its effects include nightmares, addiction, anxiety, flashbacks, suicide, overdose, sleeplessness, depression, aggressiveness, loneliness and even in the worst scenario; death (Lewis, Dana & Blevins, 2011) Stress forms a greater influence than any other cause and it greatly hinders a person’s mentality. The soldiers especially those from Iraq and Afghanistan, tend to overuse opioids a lot as a way of relieving stress. Most of them don’t use it because of physical injury, but because they want to erase the painful memories of their lost ones in the army. Hence, they misuse these drugs to relieve dark memories. Some veterans also use excessive hard drugs as a supplement of the opiates in case they don’t manage to get one. One of the majorly abused illegal drugs was heroin. This was because of fear from war tensions .Heroin abuse was largely used by Vietnam veterans. Battles needed courage and bravery; and that is why a huge number of soldiers used these drugs to boost their confidence. Injured soldiers especially those with severe cases were prescribed powerful painkillers which provided pleasure in return. The most prescribed painkillers included hydrocodone, oxycodone and meperidine. These drugs were commonly abused by being injected or sniffed in the blood system by the patients. These painkillers provided a similar feeling like the heroin. Excessive opioids brought about addiction which made most of them captive. The patients later turned to the abuse of painkillers which served as alternative opioids, having been controlled by the Department of Veteran Affairs. Opioids also caused anxiety and sleeplessness. Flashbacks were also recorded by the veterans causing them to scream or cry when sleeping. The patients sometimes took huge amounts of the painkillers whether prescribed or not, and