Educational Evaluation Quality - Good Results

by: Luiz Gustavo Arruda
An adequate educational evaluation enhances instruction. Just as evaluation impacts student learning and motivation, it also influences the nature of instruction in the classroom. There has been considerable recent literature that has promoted evaluation as something that is integrated with instruction. To her, when evaluation is integrated with instruction it informs teachers about what activities and assignments will be most useful, what level of teaching is most appropriate, and how summative evaluations provide diagnostic information. For instance, during instruction activities informal, formative evaluation helps teachers know when to move on, when to ask more questions, when to give more examples, and what responses to student questions are most appropriate. Standardized test scores, when used appropriately, help teachers understand student strengths and weaknesses to target further instruction.

Good assessment is valid and considers validity as a concept that needs to be fully understood. Like reliability, there are technical terms and issues associated with validity that are essential in helping teachers and administrators make reasonable and appropriate inferences from evaluation results (e.g., types of validity evidence, validity generalization, construct underrepresentation, construct-irrelevant variance, and discriminant and convergent evidence). Both intended and unintended consequences of evaluation need to be examined with appropriate evidence that supports particular arguments or points of view. Of equal importance is getting teachers and administrators to understand their role in gathering and interpreting validity evidence.

Good evaluation is fair and ethical and there are four views of fairness: as absence of bias (e.g., offensiveness and unfair penalization), as equitable treatment, as equality in outcomes, and as opportunity to learn. It includes entire chapters on the rights and responsibilities of test takers, testing individuals of diverse linguistic backgrounds, and testing individuals with disabilities or special needs.

According to his text, there are also three additional areas characterized as also important:

- Student knowledge of learning targets and the nature of the evaluations prior to instruction (e.g., knowing what will be tested, how it will be graded, scoring criteria, anchors, exemplars, and examples of performance).
- Student prerequisite knowledge and skills, including test-taking skills.
- Avoiding stereotypes.

Evaluation that is fair, leading to valid inferences with a minimum of error, is a series of measures that show student understanding through multiple methods. A complete picture of what students understand and can do is put together in pieces comprised by different approaches to evaluation. While testing experts and testing companies stress that important decisions should not be made on the basis of a single test score, some educators at the local level, and some (many?) politicians at the state at the national level, seem determined to violate this principle. There is a need to understand the entire range of evaluation techniques and methods, with the realization that each has limitations.

Good evaluation is efficient and feasible. Teachers and school administrators have limited time and resources. Consideration must be given to the efficiency of different approaches to evaluation, balancing needs to implement methods required to provide a full understanding with the time needed to develop and implement the methods, and score results. Teacher skills and knowledge are important to consider, as well as the level of support and resources.

We may consider a lot the importance in the fact of good evaluation appropriately incorporates technology. As technology advances and teachers become more proficient in the use of technology, there will be increased opportunities for teachers and administrators to use computer-based techniques (e.g., item banks, electronic grading, computer-adapted testing, computer-based simulations), Internet resources, and more complex, detailed ways of reporting results. There is to him, however, a danger that technology will contribute to the mindless use of new resources, such as using items on-line developed by some companies without adequate evidence of reliability, validity, and fairness, and crunching numbers with software programs without sufficient thought about weighting, error, and averaging.

To summarize, what is most essential about evaluation is understanding how general, fundamental evaluation principles and ideas can be used to enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness. This will be achieved as teachers and administrators learn about conceptual and technical evaluation concepts, methods, and procedures, for both large-scale and classroom evaluations, and apply these fundamentals to instruction.

Does Your Child Have a Bad Case of Senioritis (aka the Senior Slump)?

by: Ron Caruthers
This is the time of year that some kids really begin to slack off. You know, they feel like because the applications are done, the colleges won't care how their grades are or what classes they are taking.

This is wrong, wrong, WRONG

First off, let me make you feel better. It's not just your kid, it's EVERYBODY'S kid. Ok, well almost everybody's kid...

Anyway, it's so bad that Charles Reed, the chancellor for the Cal State system called 12th grade 'the biggest wasteland in America'. And right now, even as I write this, 9 state governors are seeking to completely overhaul the senior year, saying that it's currently a "waste of the student's time and taxpayer's money".

Crazy, huh?

So, don't beat your kids too bad if they've got it.

BUT, and this is the big but, that does NOT give them an excuse to totally slack off and just basically coast until summer.

Here's why: (seniors, are you paying attention?)

First off, the slacking is SO bad that 1/2 of the colleges nationwide have to offer remediation (think: remedial). And I'm not talking about community colleges at all. I'm talking 4 year schools ONLY. Half of them

What that means in plain English is that if you slack off and don't pay attention this year, no problem, you'll just have to re-take those classes once you get to college. Which means, it's longer until you graduate. Which, of course, costs your parents more money and delays you getting out into the real world and making serious money of your own.

Oh yeah, and that's IF you get in in the first place.

Here's what I mean:

If you are applying to any sort of competitive school, meaning pretty much anything other than a community college, they WILL be looking at what classes you are taking your senior year.

And they WILL notice if you went from challenging yourself by taking, say, 6 academic classes your junior year, and now you're only taking 4 classes and they are all electives. And that WILL affect their decision.

Right here, this can be the difference between getting into your 1st choice...and your last.

..Or not getting in at all.

Now, on the same subject, once and for all, YES! YOUR SENIOR YEAR GRADES DO COUNT.

A LOT

Got it?

Here's what happens: If you are borderline for getting in to a college, they will call your high school to request the latest copy of your grades. Which, by the way, you gave them the right to do when you filled out your application. And if they notice that you are slipping, they probably will not admit you.

Or, they can withdraw your admission even after they've offered it.

I know, it's not 'fair', but I've warned you.

Story: We had a student last year who was offered admittance to SDSU….on one condition: she had to get a 'C' or better in chemistry her senior year.

Yep, you got it: she got a 'D +'.

So, her admission was revoked, and NOTHING we could do would get them to reinstate her. Not offering to retake the class over summer, not getting the teacher to re-do her grade.

Nothing.

Because, basically, they said that she had shown them that she didn't have the discipline to succeed in college. Goodbye SDSU, hello Cal State San Bernardino.

She already had her room and everything. She had even started hanging out with her future roommate.

Do NOT let this happen to you.

Now, I know you're burnt out and everything, but here's what you can do to finish strong:

1. Realize that senior does count...both the classes you take AND the grades you get in them. So, like I said above, finish strong. You're almost there, don't let up know.

2. Evaluate your schedule. Don't get so busy with work or friends or your boyfriend/girlfriend or whatever that you're using up all the time you used to spend studying. Stay focused on your academics.

3. All right, this is going to sound lame, but challenge yourself. Yeah, yeah, I know. You've been hearing this forever. Here's what I mean: Look for ways to push yourself. Form a study group if you have to, or try to find something for extra credit that's interesting (key word: interesting).

4. Get your dang internship already. I've beat this one to death, but it's vitally important which is why I keep sounding like a broken record on this. Remember, it will help you both in determining whether you're even going to school for the right thing or not, AND it will get your foot in the door for the future.

5. Lastly, you're so 'done' with high school? Cool. Go take a class or two at a community college. Make sure it's academic, but this will give you a chance to get your feet wet and see what college is like, as well as being able to walk the halls with adults, and not a bunch of 14 year old freshman.

I don't know if these will help you or not. Like I said, probably the MOST important thing is to realize that 'almost done' and 'done' are NOT the same thing.

In fact, that's a pretty good quote. You should probably write that one down.

Hang in there. You'll be in college soon enough.

Kids and Money - Why Is It So Hard?

by: Jenny Ford
We learn so many things as we grow up. We learn how to walk, talk, and get away with not doing our homework. We learn how to play complicated games, many of them involving pretend money.

So, why is it so hard for us to learn how to manage money?

Why do so many people struggle to make ends meet, even on reasonably high incomes?

Why do so few people manage to provide sufficiently for themselves in retirement?

It’s not rocket science. We know what it takes. And there are some people doing it. So why isn’t basic money management as widely understood as basic geometry?

Imagine what life would be like if making money came as easily and naturally as riding a bike or tying your shoelaces. Imagine graduating high school with a permanent, secure, passive income already in place. You wake each the morning to find more money has appeared in your account overnight! If you want to travel, you do. If you want to paint, write, or do any other creative activity, you do. You choose your occupation based on what you love to do, not the burden of having to pay the bills. You have all the time you need to socialise with your family and friends, to stay in shape, and to practice your spirituality.

This world is not a pipe-dream. It’s not unrealistic. The world is alive with opportunity, more so now than ever before, and the opportunity is expanding exponentially.

With the right knowledge and attitudes, today’s kids can capture their share of that opportunity, and set themselves up for life.

So, why isn’t everyone doing it?

Because not everyone’s parents have the right knowledge and attitudes to pass along to their kids. Some of those who have the knowledge and attitudes are still setting themselves up in life, working long hours, and find it difficult to break the knowledge down into terms their kids can understand.

What can we do about it?

As parents, we need to be conscious that financial education ranks up there with education about nutrition, health, and communication. We must educate ourselves, so that we can educate our children.

There are many places to go on the web to get that vital financial education.

The Cash Smart Kids program (http://www.cash-smart-kids.com) provides lessons for the kids, plus additional reference material for their parents.

The Rich Dad website (http://www.richdad.com) is rich in content, and contains information about the Cashflow series of educational board games.

There are numerous e-Books, ezine articles, and offline financial publications with an online presence.

And, of course, there are dozens of relevant books in your local book store.

Summer Camp Shows Kids All About Commitment

by: Jim Hartley
One of the 8 Keys of Excellence kids 9-19 learn about at SuperCamp, the life skills and academic summer camp, is Commitment. Commitment is about doing whatever it takes, following your vision without wavering. When you do this, you literally can change the world.

Anyone who has ever succeeded at something difficult did so by being completely committed to the goal. Commitment is the breath-taking moment of making a decision, jumping in, and going forward with gusto. It's the magic moment when all hesitation and ineffectiveness are left behind. The decisive act of making a commitment sets into motion an energy field of action to propel you forward.

Where does your commitment lie! What excites you and spurs you to action? When was a time you were highly committed, and what were the results?

To harness the power of commitment, think about what you love passionately enough to give it all you’ve got—then give it. Commitment can spring from anything that inspires strong feeling. It can be motivated by a deeply felt aspiration, a strongly held principle, or the desire to make a difference in people’s lives.

Commitment comes down to a simple moment of decision: Will you, or will you not, do whatever it takes?

Once you’ve made the decision to follow your passion no matter what, your commitment carries you through. It’s the “no matter what” part that holds all the power. You’re locked into staying the course. You may feel discouraged, even hopeless. You may lose all your confidence in yourself. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. You’ve vowed to go on trying no matter what. Circumstances become irrelevant in the face of commitment.

Whatever it is that inspires you, give yourself permission to lose yourself utterly in what you love and you’ll have no choice but to commit. Simply let your passion take over and you will harness the titanic strength of commitment.

Commitment is all about that moment when there’s no turning back—the magic that results when you’re truly committed. It’s a mind-set where there are no other options. There are no more debates, no mind-games, no procrastination. There is only action, single-minded, focused, and pure. That commitment wields a mighty power and brings with it an intense joy.

One thing to remember here is that "I'll try" doesn't work! You may get up enough courage to go for it, but you haven’t really made a commitment if you tell yourself, “Well, I’ll try.” You’re not committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed. In fact, you’ve given yourself an out. Now, when you fall short of the mark, you can say, “Well, I tried.” When you’re not committed, you leave a crack open for hesitation. Hesitation leaks energy. Energy leaks reduce the chance of success.

To the uncommitted, the committed look strangely fortunate. Happy circumstances just seem to land in their laps. They seem, almost uncannily, to meet the people they need to know and find the opportunities they need. They see solutions where others only see obstacles. But the committed will tell you it’s not because they view things differently than the non-committed; it’s because they never stop looking for a way to make their dreams happen.

That’s the primary characteristic of committed people: They’re driven by their dreams.

Affirmations for COMMITMENT:

• I have a clear vision and I stay true to it.

• I do whatever it takes to get the job done.

• I can be counted on to keep my word.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." —Goethe

SuperCamp summer programs fill up fast. Parents, go to http://www.SuperCamp.com now to learn about enrolling your son or daughter while space remains. Age-specific programs are available for students in grades 4-12 and incoming college freshmen. At the website, you also can get a free eBook that gives you an inside look at what works with teens from a world leader in youth achievement, SuperCamp co-founder Bobbi DePorter.

Mario Online Games With An Internet Connection And A Computer

by: Aiden Zapora
Anyone who has heard of the company called Nintendo is likely familiar with their mascot character Mario. Some people wish they could go back and play their favorite video games they played when they were younger; not realizing it is possible to play those great games again today.

Unlike when we were younger, you no longer need an expensive game console or special controllers to play the games that you have always loved. Playing mario online games (http://www.letsplaygamesnow.com/tag/mario-online-games) is just one of the many things you can do online, from home, with the computer you already use every day.

It is not difficult to find mario online games. Simply perform a search on your favorite search engine and you will discover numerous games featuring both Mario and his brother Luigi. Often mario online games can be utilized by just logging into a gaming site. On other sites it will be necessary to download online games (http://www.letsplaygamesnow.com/tag/download-online-games) so that you can play them when you are offline.

In fact, besides mario online games, you can find many other types of games on the Internet. One type of game, rpg online games (http://www.letsplaygamesnow.com/tag/rpg-online-games), are becoming more and more common. Rpg stands for role playing games. This is where you become a fictional character and complete the game through the eyes of that character. Sometime you have the choice of which character you want to be, and sometimes you get to create a character from scratch. It all depends on which game you choose.

Just like the famous Sims series of video games, role playing games are similar in that your character can choose a job and go about everyday activities just like any normal person. As you earn money or meet online friends, you can buy new possessions just like a person would in the real world.

Other role playing games work on a more limited level in that the character has a task to perform. It may be saving a treasure or destroying an enemy, but once the task is done you (as your character) move on to the next task or find you have completed the game. In any case, online games of all types are becoming more and more popular these days as the technology improves.

Teach Your Kids French

by: Jane Morgan
Teaching your kid a new language can be extremely beneficial to them in the future. Just think of the opportunities it will open up in later life. They'll have a head start over other kids and it'll be an excellent addition to their college applications. We all know that kids pick new thing up much faster than adults, so now is the perfect time to help them learn French. Here are some suggestion that you may find helpful...

Is it hard to get you kids attention? Are they forever playing on their computers or listening to their ipods? Well, you can now find modern French tuition that's available as interactive Cdrom games that can played on their computers, and as MP3s for their Ipods. There's no point trying to get your kid to read text books that focus on difficult French grammar, they'll never stay focused long enough to take it all in. You have to move with the times and let your kid learn French using modern technology.

A great way to get you kid interested in learning a new language is to introduce them to French culture and customs. Don't worry, you don't even have to travel to France. A great alternative is to take them for their first French meal, or try cooking it yourself if you're up for a challenge. You could even take them to the movies to watch a French film. Why not get hold of some French music (on-line French radio or from your local library). The French are famous for their Hip Hop – I but your kids will love it!

There are many excellent French tuition courses around at the moment, some offer courses tailored to young children. This could be the prefect way to get your child learning French. Not only will they save you a lot of time and effort, but I'm sure you'll also learn or thing or two. These courses are extremely well structure and will move your child from the beginner to the intermediate stage in a few weeks.

Remember learning is fun. Try and make it as different to school as possible. Don't apply too much pressure, expect instant results or be afraid to give your child rewards for their learning effects. And above all don't forget, they also have pressures and homework from their school life. If your kids has an important exam coming up, then ease off on the French. It's not a race – your kid has the rest of his/hers life to learn French, so don't rush.

You see, learning doesn't have to be boring and all hard work - it can be fun if you know how. I hope my suggests help your kid learn French.

Indonesian Children's Games

In this age of electronic games and hi tech toys, we often forget that it is often the simplest of inventions that can entertain a child for a long period of time. Although state-of-the-art, high tech computer games are available in Indonesia, such as the ever-popular Nintendo and Playstation, these modern inventions are not affordable for the majority of the population. These games would only be found in the homes of middle to upper class families.

During the recent years of economic crisis, it is often hard for parents to make enough money to feed their family, so toys are often quite simple or something that has been made by the parent. Fortunately, traditional toys are not expensive ... and are fun! The toys and the games that are described below are commonly seen and played by Indonesian children today.

Kelereng or Gundu

Kelereng, or marbles to the western world, is a favorite with boys. There are many variations of games played with marbles.

One of the more popular versions is that a small circle is drawn on the ground. All the players put one of their marbles within the circle. Then each of the players drops another marble to a point outside of the drawn circle. The player that owns the marble furthest away from the circle is entitled to play first.

He must attempt to use the marble that is outside of the circle (striker) to hit the marbles within the circle and knock them outside of the ring. If he is successful in doing, this he is entitled to keep the marbles that he has knocked out of the circle. The striker marble, however, must also come to rest outside of the drawn circle. If it does not, this marble must remain within the circle and the owner then forfeits this marble.

If the player is successful in knocking one of his opponents' marbles out of the ring, he can continue his turn and try to strike any other opponents. striker marbles. If he is successful in hitting his opponents. striker marble, he is entitled to take that marble and his opponent can no longer play the current round. If however he misses his opponents. striker marble, he looses his turn and the next player can then start to play