Education in the State of Georgia

Education in the State of Georgia Introduction: Overview of Education in the State of Georgia Education in the USA is one of the most problematic issues that the federal, state, and local government faces in the 21st century for the sake of national advancement, development, and evolution.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Education in the State of Georgia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Obviously, there are a number of state educational standards, and each state has its own number of private and public schools, administers a set of statewide testing and certification procedures, etc.; however, the disapproval of existing norms, policies, and regulations in the educational field is growing. The reasons for disapproval and discontentment may be found in irrational curriculum, excessive focus on pursuit of good certification grades, low access to prestigious educational establishments, and rising costs of education. As noted by the librarian Joseph Curasso, â€Å"this is what the education revolutionaries have sowed: dumbed-down standards, narrow curriculums, meaningless test drilling, and union busting. Through large grants to cash strapped states, dependent on such stipulations as not granting teacher tenure in less than three years and ‘ensuring successful conditions for high performing charter schools and other innovative schools’, large donations to both political parties, and hundreds of millions of dollars in media advocacy big money philanthropists have been able to shape the education debate and be fawned upon by the national media (cited in Richardson, 2011, para. 2)†. However, approaching the US educational system at the nationwide level is highly ineffective, since all US states enjoy a considerable level of autonomy from the federal government, which explains serious gaps between state standards of healthcare, education, and quality of life. Therefore, it proves more efficient to treat t he problem at the statewide level in order to identify its common practices, rules, policies, and regulations for the sake of further identification of strengths and weaknesses thereof.Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The comprehensive analysis of the educational system of any state is likely to provide a realistic picture of the current situation with its pros and cons; it will enable the researcher to produce a set of feasible recommendations regarding the ways to improve and advance the educational practices, curriculum, and related issues. Taking into account these considerations, the researcher focuses on the analysis of the educational system in Georgia in the present paper; educational options and programs, standards and certifications, curricula and educational success rankings will be analyzed for the sake of making a conclusion about the current state of Georgia’s education development as well as the ways to introduce the optimal and constructive reform to it. According to the NEA Research (2011) estimate, the total revenue receipts in Georgia accounted $22,328,160,000, state and local revenue receipts equaled $20,330,754,000, which is 46.8% for the state and local revenues, and 48.9% of local revenues as compared to the total revenue amount (p. 67). The expenditures for education in Georgia accounted $18,536,859,000, and $10,971 per pupil in ENR in 2010-2011 (NEA Research, 2011, p. 67). At the same time, the salaries of instructional staff equaled $56,575, and the salaries of teachers were estimated at the rate of $53,906 per annum (NEA Research, 2011, p. 67). The estimate for the overall Southeast region (into which the state of Georgia was included in the NEA Research) in terms of operating school districts was 1,604 in 2011; the 2010 enrolment equaled 832,721 pupils in elementary schools, and 856,927 pupils in secondary schools (NEA research, 2011, p. 86). In addition, the estimate for enrolment (despite the low number of school districts as compared to other regions) was 24.4%, which is nearly a quarter of all US pupils (NEA Research, 2011, p. 70). The overall number of schools in Georgia is 2,221, according to the official data published at the site of the Georgia Department of Education (2012). Only 1,718 schools meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which is 77.4% of the total number of schools. The present situation raises certain worries in the circles of educators and policymakers, since the expenditures for public schools account for $18,536,859,000 statewide.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Education in the State of Georgia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Expenditures per student equal $11,315 in ADA and $10,971 in ENR (NEA Research, 2011, p. 96). The expenditures for other programs in Georgia account for $3 4,610, which is a rather low indicator, and the capital outlay in Georgia is estimated at the level of $200,875,000. Finally, the interest on school debt equals $249,070,000 in Georgia, which is growing in comparison with the 2009-2010 estimate of $249,034,000 (NEA Research, 2011, p. 96). According to the data of the Georgia Department of Education (2012), students in Georgiaschools have to pass the End of Course Test (EOCT) in high schools in grades 9-12, the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) in grades 1-8, and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) in order to get high school diplomas. The performance on these key tests is also highly indicative of the academic performance and rating of the state in the overall US-wide scale. Thus, the most recent figures on these tests can be seen in Figures 1-4: Figure 1. CRCT Statistics for 1 Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateI d=ALLT=1FY=2010Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Figure 2. CRCT Statistics for 8 Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 Figure 3. EOCT Results of 2010 for Georgia Students Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 Figure 4. GHSGT Statistics for Georgia Students Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 The present statistical data show the urgent need to involve educators, administrators, and policymakers in the reformation process aimed at bringing clarity and efficiency in education and testing in the state of Georgia. It is obvious that the rate of students who do not need the bottom line of testing is quite high, and it continues to rise. The need to reform education in Georgia can be evidently noted in th e rising failure statistics in statewide exams. For example, the failure rate at the GHSGT examination in social studies was 12% in 2009, and 13% in 2008, while it comprised 19% in 2010. The EOCT statistics showed the rising rates of failures in exact sciences; thus, the 2007-2008 examination showed the 44% failure in algebra and 38% in geometry, while the 2009-2010 rates are 63% and 60% correspondingly (Georgia Department of Education, 2012). Figure 5. Advanced Placement Results for Georgia Number of Students Taking Tests 63,923 Number of Tests Taken 104,505 Number of Test Scores 3 or Higher 52,679 Percentage of Test Scores 3 or Higher 50.4% Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 As one can see from the present statistics, there are only a half of students from Georgia who take Advanced Placement tests successfully. Therefore, there is a clear need to ensure the movement towards improvement and increase of focus on academic achievement. Educational Options in Georgia There are a number of educational options in the state of Georgia, including private and public schools, homeschooling, charter schools, etc. Public education in Georgia corresponds to the nationwide PreK-12 program, which oversees education of children starting from the pre-kindergarten preparation until their graduation from grade 12. According to the 2008 estimate, there were 1.6 million students in Georgia; there are 181 school systems that include about 2,000 public schools in the state. Education in Georgia is compulsory for children of 6 to 16 years old. The modern public education system in Georgia employs 114,000 full-time and 5,000 part-time educators (Mewborn, 2009). The history of public education in Georgia is short, since the state was unable to provide the population with high-quality free education for many decades since the adoption of national legislation on p ublic education. One of the first efforts to provide public education was made in 1822 with the establishment of the â€Å"poor school fund†; the governor of Georgia Joseph E. Brown attempted to create the comprehensive public school system in 1858 (Mewborn, 2009). However, the traditional Southern segregation that did not allow African American students to study together with white students proved to be the mitigating factor on the way to developing effective public education. Even in the middle of the 20th century, when the effort to integrate the free African American population in the public healthcare and education systems nationwide, the Southern community responded with racist incentives such as creation of â€Å"segregation academies† in which only white students were allowed to study (Mewborn, 2009). The critical situation in the public education of Georgia was realized in the 20th century, and serious effort was made to accelerate its development and improvem ent. Thus, for example, the HOPE (Help Our Public Education) program was initiated in 1958; it helped to raise funds for financing public schools for the sake of their continuous operation, since only a few of them could afford functioning for several months without disruption (Mewborn, 2009). Therefore, the public education in Georgia experienced a set of breakdowns, affecting the overall quality of education for the population of Georgia dramatically. Nowadays, the state of Georgia has a well-developed, effective system of public education; the authority responsible for overseeing, managing, preserving, and developing it is the Georgia Department of Education. It oversees all aspects of public education in the state, and provides compliance of the state public education system with the national and state laws. It is also responsible for the control over fund allocation, mainly federal funds (Huff, 2011). The state superintendent of schools is the head of the Department of Educatio n; he is also the CEO of the state Board of Education that consists of 13 members. Now it is John Barge; he was appointed in 2010, and he presently supervises all five divisions of the Department of Education: the one of curriculum and instruction, finance and business operations, instructional technology and media, policy and external affairs, and teacher and student support (Huff, 2011). The division of curriculum and instruction oversees the state’s public programs and helps to develop them for children from the kindergarten through the secondary schooling curriculum. At the same time, this division manages the execution of ESOL programs for immigrants who are not native English speakers. Some additional functions of the curriculum and instruction division include the provision of SAT and Advanced Placement programs, control over the Migrant Education program, and management of the state educational testing services such as GWA and GHSGT (Huff, 2011). Other divisions also have a wide range of responsibilities in terms of providing and improving public education in the state of Georgia. For instance, the division of policy and international affairs compiles annual reports for the federal authorities on the subject of fund allocation by Georgia public schools, and ensures compliance of the educational regulation of the state with the No Child Left Behind Law provisions mandatory for all US states. At the same time, this division runs the public schools for blind and deaf students (Huff, 2011). The division of instructional technology and media is responsible for the newest form of education in Georgia – for the Georgia Virtual School. It was founded in 2005, and offers preparatory courses for the advanced placement, college-preparatory, career and technical educational courses. It operates mostly for the high school students, but the initiative is very successful, and it is recognized for its high potential for the upcoming research and developm ent in the field of technology-assisted instruction (Huff, 2011). There are also a large number of opportunities for Georgia students in terms of receiving a high school diploma; the variety is explained by the varying degree of academic achievement, and getting a certain type of diploma is presupposed by the academic success, grades, and individual peculiarities of students. Thus, the students of public schools in Georgia can obtain a diploma with a college preparatory endorsement (49% of students), a diploma with vocational endorsement (23%), with both endorsements (21%), a special education diploma (3.5%), and a certificate of attendance (4.5%) (Mewborn, 2009). However, the variety decreased in 2008 – the state eliminated the opportunity to get a vocational diploma only (Mewborn, 2009). However, it is inappropriate to say that the education of racial minorities and vulnerable groups has always been neglected in the state of Georgia. The Rural School Building Program initia ted by Julius Rosenwald has been existing in Georgia since the beginning of the 20th century. Due to the operation of this program, about 242 schools have been built for African American students to have an equal access to the merits of education alongside with white students (Jones, 2005). As a result of the Rural School Building Program, 103 counties of Georgia have at least one school for African Americans built between 1912 and 1932 (Jones, 2005). Overall, there are 181 school systems in the state of Georgia, 159 of which are the county systems, and 21 of which are city systems. The Department of Juvenile Justice runs its own school system, and 24 more educational facilities are of psychoeducational character. They cater for the special needs of students with severe disabilities (Mewborn, 2009). There is only one virtual school in the state of Georgia, and the accrediting body that oversees the operation of all these educational establishments is the Southern Association of Coll eges and Schools. The first type of schooling options available for Georgia students is a charter school type. Charter schools operate under the terns of the charter of the Department of Education in Georgia. Their peculiarity is that they can be exempted from a set of regulations and rules; however, they are legislatively required to meet the performance-based objectives of the state. There were 113 charter schools in the state of Georgia in 2009 (Mewborn, 2009). The second type of schools available for students is the state school type. However, the notion of a state school differs dramatically from the conventional perception thereof; there are only three state schools, the responsibility of which is to cater for the needs of disabled children, deaf and blind ones. The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf operates in Clarkston, the Georgia School for the Deaf located in Cave Spring provides students with both daily and residential educational options, while the Georgia Academy for th e Blind located in Macon has been providing residential education for blind students since 1852 (Mewborn, 2009). In addition to their strict specialization, these state schools also provide customized programs for children with multiple disabilities. The three Georgia state schools cater for the educational needs of students aged between 3 and 21. In addition to the educational programs involving professional teachers, the described state schools oversee the Georgia PINES (Parent Infant Network for Educational Services) program to teach parents cater for the special needs of their children with various disabilities (Mewborn, 2009). Private schools are also numerous in the state of Georgia. According to the 2007-2008 estimates, there were 650 parochial and independent schools in the state (Mewborn, 2009). These schools are also subject to the state regulations, and they have to retain the standardized length of the schooling day and the schooling year traditional for the traditional American schools. The law of Georgia indicates that private schools have to have â€Å"180 days of instruction each year† (Ga. Code Ann.  § 20-2-690(b)(3), d.). In addition, private schools in Georgia have to retain the set of subjects, testing standards, and reporting procedures similar to the public schools for the sake of successful accreditation. Finally, there is a homeschooling option for children and parents in Georgia, which allows parents to provide education to their children at home. The basic requirement for allowing homeschooling is that parents should have a high school diploma, or a GED diploma. According to the figures of 2005-2006, there were 36,600 students receiving homeschooling in Georgia. Parents who choose this educational option have to provide regular attendance reports, and their children have to take nationally standardized tests every third year of their studies starting from the age equaling the third grade in schools (Mewborn, 2009). As one can see, the number of options available for students in Georgia is quite large; however, the reputation of schools, the average grade with which students finish each year of their studies, and the availability of accommodation for students with special needs are some additional deciding factors for parents and students in choosing the school in which they would like to study. Therefore, the educational options in Georgia presuppose fierce competition for students, as well as the struggle for higher ranking of schools at the state and national scale. It appears possible to assume that the supply of schooling options is adequate to the demand of students; however, the quality of education is an independently assessed factor that does not depend on the quantity of schools; it will be identified in the further sections of the present work. Analysis of Educational Needs of the State The state of Georgia has a high variety of educational establishments, and strives to compliance with nation ally established standards in terms of academic achievement. However, one should note that every state has a set of individual socio-economic and demographic peculiarities, and some states have the needs and challenges non-typical for other regions of the country. Therefore, when one discusses Georgia, he or she has to note that the state is situated in the South of the USA, which implies the dominance of rural communities over the urban landscape, which is always indicative of lower access to education for residents, and generally presupposes lower rates of attendance by rural children. Southern states have traditionally been engaged in agriculture, while the North of the USA has always been more business- and industry-focused. Therefore, agricultural activities are possible only under the conditions of having much land, which complicates access to schools for children living on the farms far from the school systems in their county. The statistical data on the investigation of Geor gia educational needs supposes that the majority of Southern states are found in the critical or very critical state in terms of education. According to the data of the Educational Needs Index (2005), the percentage of young people with a high school diploma as related to retired people (about 64 years old, who studied at school about half a century ago) is high and strongly related to that of the nationwide scale: 83.7% and 85.8% respectively. However, the percentage of young people to old people with an associate degree is very low in Georgia, differing from the nationwide level by 1.3% out of 8.2%, which is a dramatic difference in such small numbers – see Figure 6 (Educational Needs Index, 2005). Figure 6. Educational Needs of the State of Georgia Description Georgia National Percent of 18 to 64 Year Olds with a High School Diploma (2005) 83.7 85.8 Percent of 25 to 64 Year Olds with an Associate Degree (2005) 6.9 8.2 Percent of 25 to 64 Year OIds with a Bachelorà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Degree or Higher (2005) 28.1 28.6 Difference in College Attainment between Young (25 to 35) and Older (45 to 54) 0.7 1.5 Unemployment Rate (2005) 7.57 7.12 Percent of Population Under 65 at or Below the Poverty Level (2005) 20.6 18.5 Median Family Income (2005) 54,092 57,167 Per Capita Personal Income (2005) 24,270 25,360 Percent of Employment in Manufacturing and Extraction Industries (2005) 11.7 12 Rate of Population Growth 64 and Under 7.6 2.7 Percent of Population Ages 0 to 19 28.9 27.6 Percent of Population 20 to 44 38.1 35.1 Percent At-Risk Minorities 0 to 44 43.1 31.1 Source: from Educational Needs Index (n.d.). Retrieved from educationalneedsindex.com/georgia-education.php?n=3 However, the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or a higher education diploma is nearly similar for the students in Georgia and the USA overall, reaching nearly 30%. Therefore, the present ratio indicates that the tendency to receive higher education is more typical and commonplace for the modern young community than for the community of the 1960s or 1970s. The present figure shows the historical Southern disregard towards higher education; people who worked in the field or with domestic animals underestimated the need for higher education and considered it wasteful and irrelevant for their agricultural activities. Therefore, a much lower number of Georgia students bothered to attend a college or a university. The agricultural focus of Southern states is surely a decisive factor in the low numbers of higher education diplomas received in the middle of the past century; however, the percentage of nationwide college and university graduates seems to follow the pattern of Georgia as well, which indicates the higher access and affordability of higher education at the present period. It is possible to assume that receiving higher education was considered a privilege for the best students in the past century, and racial minorities such as African Americans and Asian Americans were eliminated from the public education process, therefore being unable to receive higher education and to obtain a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree. Hence, nowadays the higher level of younger people with higher education diplomas is explained by the increased access to educational facilities for students, which indicates two changes – the growth of academic achievement levels that allow students to automatically enroll to the American universities and to receive scholarships, or the decrease of academic achievement standards needed for enrollment to the universities. In any case, the presently noted tendency is much more complex than depicted in the present paragraph, and comprises a great set of factors and changes that have occurred in the educational field of the USA within the past 50 years. It is possible to summarize that the access to education has increased generally around the country, while students have beco me more aware of the need to receive higher education in order to be competitive in the American and global labor market. Hence, the ratio of young people having higher education is very optimistic for both Georgia and the USA in general. According to the information of the Educational Needs Index (2005), there is lack of motivation in younger students for school attendance; as the ratio indicates, the level of attendance for younger to older students is 0.7, which is 1.5 for the national community. Hence, one can assume that the number of younger students attending classes on a regular basis is lower in Georgia than the number of older students is. The present inference implies that younger students are subject to dropouts for different reasons be it employment, incarceration, pregnancy, or anything else. The overall American pattern indicates the popularity of education with younger people more than with older people, which shows the need to motivate younger students for education in Georgia. In case students receive their education in a timely manner, they will be able to find a reputable job faster, and will become more successful in their career. However, the traditional tendency is noted for people involving in career change at a later age, which is surely ineffective in terms of career development. Next, the socio-economic background plays a significant role in the formation of educational patterns and rates in any state. Thus, a brief look at the socio-economic conditions in Georgia allows making some more conclusions about the state’s educational needs. The unemployment rate in Georgia is 7.57%, and the level of people under the age of 64 living at the verge of poverty or below the living standards minimum in the state is 20.6% (Educational Needs Index, 2005). Therefore, one can make a conclusion about a dramatic socio-economic situation in the state, since these indicators are several points higher than those for the US-wide statistics. Furthe r on, the average income per household is more than $3,000 lower for Georgia families than for the national level – families in the state of Georgia enjoy only $54,092 of annual income, while the average American family usually obtains about $57,167 (Educational Needs Index, 2005). Finally, the demographic factor is also a meaningful one in the field of educational situation; the state of Georgia experiences the unprecedented population growth level equaling 7.6%, while the overall US figure equals 2.7% (Educational Needs Index, 2005). The present difference shows how much the strain of young people’s influx in the state (birth or immigration) will affect the quality of education in Georgia. Though having enough educational facilities, the state of Georgia is not likely to be able to cater for the needs of such quantity of young Georgia residents. In addition, the quality of education measured by performance-based indicators is not appropriate for the state, since it i s inhabited by 43.1% of at-risk minorities, which is much higher than the 31.1 rate for the overall country (Educational Needs Index, 2005). Minorities are noted to have a much lower level of attendance and academic achievement, which produces a negative impact on the ranking of Georgia schools, and the overall ranking of the state in terms of education. Taking into account the number and gravity of educational needs in the state, one has to pay attention to the attempts undertaken by the policymakers and educational authorities in the state of Georgia to improve the situation, and to meet those needs effectively. There are a number of programs operating nationwide for the sake of reforming education in the USA that have been successfully implemented in Georgia; they include the Teach for America program, the New Teacher Project (TNTP), and the Race to Top grant that Georgia received in 2010 from the US federal government for financing the development of low-performing schools. They represent the modern comprehensive effort towards reforming education, and introducing the 21st-century performance standards to the majority of schools lagging behind in educational provision. The Teach for America program is the nationwide endeavor of improvement of educational quality standards; it represents the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teaching in urban and rural public schools (Teach for America in Georgia, 2012). These graduates become leaders and expand the educational opportunities in the USA for the sake of increase of the overall education quality in the country; it is due to the overall voluntary effort of the Teach for America educators that the innovative technology and cutting-edge instructional techniques are brought to the public school classrooms. In addition, the young graduates are able to realize themselves as skilled educators, natural leaders, and charismatic inspirers for unmotivated students. The Teach f or America program operates in the Atlanta Public Schools, and the Fulton County Schools in Georgia. The eligibility of educators for the participation in the program is identified in terms of having a Bachelor’s degree from the accredited college, or a university degree; the applicants’ GPA should be not lower than 2.5 (according to the 4.0 scale). Additionally, they should be US citizens, nationals, or legal permanent residents of the USA (Teach for America in Georgia, 2012). The qualities that candidates have to reveal include the natural urge to leadership and achievement, perseverance and sustained educational focus in the face of challenges, the developed critical thinking skills, and strong organizational ability. To become effective educators in the US public schools, candidates should also have respect for the diversity of students in the classroom to which they will come; finally, they have to possess interpersonal and motivational skills to manage the classr oom activities constructively, and to introduce high standards of instruction (Teach for America in Georgia, 2012). Another project successfully operating in Georgia is the New Teacher Project; it functions in Georgia through the Georgia Teaching Fellows program (TNTP, 2012). The program is aimed at recruiting talented career changers and recent graduates with the purpose of teaching the high-need subjects in public schools. The prime task of the present program is to supply talented new teachers, and to support effective teaching in the public education field. Maximizing teacher efficiency in high-poverty schools has become the top priority for American policymakers; therefore, the TNTP program offers effective solutions in terms of closing the instructional gaps in public education. The ultimate goal of the TNTP program is to give the poor and minority students quality teachers to catch up with their peers in higher performing schools, to graduate from schools with adequate grades , and to succeed in further education and career development (TNTP, 2012). The educational improvement measures taken in the state of Georgia in terms of reforming education are intense, and certain feasible improvements are already evident. The Race to Top federal grant was received by the state from the federal government in 2010, and the progress in targeting high-poverty schools in Georgia is reviewed by federal authorities annually. At the present moment, the RT3 pilot program is scheduled for 2011-2012 schooling years within the Race to Top framework aims at assisting the innovation and reform in four primary education areas. They include recruitment and retention of effective educational staff in low-income schools; building data systems that measure student performance and achievement; adoption of standards and assessments that prepare competitive labor market players; and turning around the lowest-achieving schools in the state of Georgia. The reform instruments generated f or targeting these chosen objectives include: revised CLASS and Leader Keys, the choice of alternative students learning measures, surveys, and artifacts; adoption of the student growth score; and achievement gap reduction (RT3 Pilot Program Schedule: 2011-12 School Year, 2012). The program has been thoroughly planned with the assistance of state and federal authorities, and the timeline of its implementation can be seen on Figure 7: Figure 7. The Timeline of Race to Top Program Implementation in Georgia. Source: from Georgia’s Race to the Top (2011). Retrieved from http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs011/1105202030182/archive/1105684170312.html National Ranking of Georgia Educational Level Since Georgia is one of the American states, it has to comply with the regulations set at the nationwide level in order to receive the federal funding, to be fully accountable to the government, etc. Therefore, the academic achievement of Georgia’s students is also assessed in com parison with the US standards and patterns. The overall distribution of Georgia academic results in the US scale is optimistic – Figures 6 and 7 show the results of students from Georgia in the national ACT testing. Figure 8. ACT Testing Results of Students from Georgia Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 The national standards for schooling performance were established by the then-President of the USA George Bush who forced the nation to face the reality of too many pupils simply not studying at schools, and getting through the grades only due to the lack of national standards of academic achievement (Hefling, 2012). Hence, the US President passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 that was aimed at helping boost the students’ performance (Turner, 2012). The No Child Left Behind Law of 2001 revealed the federal policy of aggressive intrusion into the sta te management of educational achievement gaps. Figure 9. Results of Georgia Students in the 4 Source: from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010), Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 These two figures indicate that the educational performance in Georgia is at the sufficient nationwide level in the majority of indicators; however, these figures reveal a more large-scale problem in the US education. There is a very low percentage of students who receive more than average results, and the number of students falling behind the nationwide standards is extremely high. Since the USA is a multi-national and multi-culture country that offers equality and diversity in employment and education to all nations and ethnicities, the low levels of proficiency for Black and Hispanic students are indicative of a great range of troubles underlying the current state of US education. Despite equality, there are vulnerable groups of students wh o enjoy lower access to educational materials, to instruction, and who have low results on a steady basis. Therefore, close attention to numerous aspects of education in Georgia is likely to reveal educational problems at the macro-level; these may help generate solutions to various problems in the field of education at the local and national level. Evaluation of the Georgia Educational System and Curriculum The overall assessment of Georgia educational system is closely connected with the evaluation of the current demographic situation in Georgia, and the legislative basis on which the educational system functions. One of the most notable factors that allows producing a certain set of conclusions is the current initiative to update the No Child Left Behind Act, and the review of the law requiring 65% of funding spent in public schools’ classrooms adopted in 2006 (Turner, 2012). The present law increased the transparency of funds’ allocation, and transformed the majori ty of expenditures from the principals’ offices to the classroom; however, the present legislative measure reduced the funding of libraries and counselors, which put them under threat with the outburst of the crisis, and which resulted in underfunding thereof (Turner, 2012). The overall legislative environment of educational operation in Georgia led to the situation described in the article of Curasso cited by Richardson (2011) in his blog: It is the poverty rate, along with the incarceration rate, that has long separated the U.S. from other industrial countries. Mechanized test prepping, schools closing, and cheapened diplomas won’t make a dent in either, that self-reinforcing loop, in the absence of real reform and commitment to communities as a whole, figures only keep on churning (Curasso, 2011; cited in Richardson, 2011, para. 5). The current legislation on education in the US is outdated, which can be seen in the law prohibiting the usage of electronic devices at schools (Turner, 2012). In addition to the critical neglect towards the educational reality, the No Child Left Behind Act also poses rigid and unrealistic expectations that make too much emphasis on the reading and math tests, which proves irrelevant to the overall academic improvement in the USA (Hefling, 2012). The pressure of the No Child Left Behind Act poses additional constraints on teachers and principals who appear to be judged on the factors out of their control, which is totally unfair. There are still huge racial differences in academic achievement visible in all parts of the USA, South in particular, so states with a high portion of African American or Asian American students experience the inadequate or inappropriate ranking results (Hefling, 2012). Alongside with reformation urges, there have always been critical remarks regarding the planned reforms; according to the opinion of Jones (2009), maintenance of the US economic dominance is possible only under the conditio ns of educating generations with superior analytical and creative skills. The statistical data indicate that the majority of scientists and engineers employed in the USA are foreigners, and the USA does not have the intellectual capital of such kind of its own. Therefore, the educational reforms should be directed at the introduction of additional instructional support in favor of scientific development and advancement. Many reforms are successful on the way of moving Georgia towards the nationwide and international educational standards; one of such reforms is the introduction of the Comprehensive School Reform (CSR), and the creation of the Georgia Core Curriculum (GCC). The quality basic education Act was adopted in Georgia in 1985, including the quality core curriculum for public schools for the K-12 program (Mewborn, 2009). However, the gaps in academic standards were detected at the beginning of the 21st century, and the curriculum was revised in 2003, resulting in the New Cur riculum made by the Georgia Performance Standards organization. Since 2005, it encompasses four primary areas of educational focus: math, science, English, and social studies (Mewborn, 2009). Nowadays, the CSR initiative aims to improve student achievement by reforms based on scientific research and effective practical implementation of research findings. The focus of CSR efforts is the group of low-income, high-poverty schools unable to meet challenging state standards (CSR, 2002). In addition to the K-12 curriculum, the University System of Georgia has also introduced the New Core Curriculum. It has been adopted in 2009 to allow greater flexibility in aligning students’ general education experience with individual instructional missions and strategic plans of the state (University System of Georgia, 2012). The core curriculum of higher education establishments includes such areas as communication skills, quantitative skills, institutional options, humanities, fine arts, and ethics, natural sciences, math, and technology, social sciences, lower-division major requirements, US perspectives, global perspectives, and critical thinking (Implementing the New Core Curriculum, 2010). Unfortunately, not all educational reforms are as successful as the CSR and core curriculum are; according to the opinion of the Georgia Association of Teachers, the introduction of the student performance indicator as a decisive factor in teacher evaluation and remuneration is completely inefficient and subjective (Jones, 2009). The previously used system based on the seniority of teachers was much more effective in financial terms, and provided the right motivation for teachers who longed to advancement and career promotion instead of pushing their students to better results at tests and employing unethical and illegal measures to achieve the sufficient level of academic progress at least formally (Jones, 2009). In addition, the proposal to merge the state’s public techn ical colleges with the traditional 2-year community colleges was received with disapproval and hesitation. The major part of criticism was directed at the identification of these two types of educational establishments having completely different missions, and providing education in different areas (Jones, 2009). The imperfection of assessment and ranking based on the standardized tests’ results is also an obvious fact that impedes on the quality of education overall, and stagnates all reformation attempts undertaken statewide and nationwide. As recognized by Downey (2011b), standardized testing does not represent absolute quantitative estimate of what students have learned, so it is unable to provide information for effective decision-making in the field of education. Moreover, no standardized test should be used as a basis for making important decisions (Downey, 2011b). The total reliance on standardized testing in the USA has led to the situation in which educators teach o nly to tests, curriculum is narrowed to teach only the data needed for testing, instruction is narrowed to test preparation, and the academically disadvantaged students quickly drop out of educational establishments due to their inability to catch up. In addition, the pressure to raise grades on the school-wide or district-wide level often pushes principals and teachers into unethical practices, cheating, and intimidation, which is totally ineffective in the US educational environment (Downey, 2011b). Among other factors resulting in the current dramatic situation in the US education visible in Georgia as well, one can note the lack of motivation for teachers to involve in meaningful educational practices. Thus, according to the opinion of Downey (2011a), even the most expensive colleges and universities cheat students, since they are unable to give them the high-quality education, and teachers as well as professors with excellent academic reputation are often reluctant to work with students, believing that having a diploma of an expensive university is already a guarantee of career success. Thus, Downey (2011a) advises all students to demand more from their teachers and professors, to require the education for which they have paid, and to take the maximum of what they have acquired with enrolment to a higher educational institution (Downey, 2011a). The US President Barack Obama speaks about the necessity to work hard, and not to stop one’s education after graduation from high schools; it is obviously a degrading tendency for children to grow unmotivated, and to long to finishing the 12th grade for starting their careers (Suggs, 2011). However, more and more teachers notice the indifference of students attending or not attending their classrooms. As Diguette (2011) noted, there are only few students who understand that academic proficiency is their guarantee for having good career prospects. The rest attend classes without interest and engagement, do no t participate in discussions, and sincerely believe that the activities they conduct at school will be irrelevant in their future work (Diguette, 2011). This obvious lack of motivation for higher education and education in general mitigates the development of the country in terms of intellectual capital competitiveness. The noted growth of the educational gap indicates that Georgia needs skilled workers, but does not educate the sufficient number of people able to work for its benefit (Markiewicz, 2011). It is very pessimistic to note this fact, since Georgia was a leader in the introduction of innovative educational solutions, such as the HOPE scholarship, and the PreK-12 co0mprehensive program (Holladay, 2011). The decision offered by Downey (2011c) to provide low-income families with housing vouchers to enable them to move to higher-income communities is surely potentially beneficial, since it is based on the findings about the crucial effect of the environment on the academic ou tcomes of students, and the financial success of their parents. However, a much more in-depth action is needed to save education in Georgia and the USA; teachers and students should get an innovative vision of education to move them forward to the achievement of educational goals of the state. Cheating: The Circumstances and Outcomes of the Atlanta Scandal Quality and efficiency of education has always been assessed by its integrity and objectivity; therefore, the issue of cheating raised at the nationwide level after the Atlanta cheating scandal is a serious problem to consider for all stakeholders. The involvement of students in cheating is much more logical to predict, since all students want to have higher grades, and to show much better performance at any price. However, the involvement of teachers and, what is more, principals in the cheating machinations was an incredible discovery made by the reporters and journalists in Atlanta during their statistical analysis of standards deviations of the number of erasures at state examinations. The first person to alert the public about commonplace cheating was Heather Vogell, the reporter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution; the reporter noted a dramatic gap between the marks of students falling behind the state standards during the test, and their perfect re-examination results (Lenoir, 2011). As a result of her investigation in which the state authorities got gradually involved about 44 public schools and 178 teachers were accused of cheating and faking state test results (Pennsylvania is latest to face school cheating scandal, 2011). The scandal unleashed at the full scale after the detailed report on cheating was released; striking facts were outlined in the report, indicating the ways teachers were made to erase wrong results of their students, to make them review incorrect answers, or bring the drafts of writing works for the teachers’ review with the purpose of proofreading, editing, and then rewri ting them (Strauss, 2011). The Atlanta scandal became a highly audacious case for all US states to reconsider their policies in remuneration of teachers and principals, as well as assessing the students’ performance. There were many mentions of the obsession with figures that principals of schools had regarding their statewide or nationwide ranking. It is obvious that funding of public schools is usually allocated according to the performance of students studying in them, and logically, schools with higher rates and with more visible improvements in rates received more funds from federal and local authorities. Moreover, teachers also reported the dependence of their payments, as well as prescription of certain bonuses and monetary awards depending on the results their classes showed. In case of a failure to take the whole class through the testing procedure, teachers were fined or fired (Strauss, 2011). The reports of teachers about intimidation and fear in which they had to work for the sake of not knowledge, but exam rates give a clear idea of why faking the results of tests became a commonplace practice for both students and educators. The continuation of the Atlanta cheating scandal touched Pennsylvania as well; 89 schools, 28 of which are located in Philadelphia, were found guilty in cheating at the state exams as well. The reason for suspicion was found in the improbably high number of erasures at the exams, and tremendously high progress in math within a short period between the exam and re-examination (Pennsylvania is latest to face school cheating scandal, 2011). The cheating facts were disclosed with the help of mass media coverage – the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Notebook published their reports about anonymous confessions of teachers’ about being forced to cheat. As a result of mass media investigations, about a half of Atlanta schools were found guilty in allowing cheating practices, and even encouraging them in classrooms for the sake of getting higher rating results. The neglect to teachers’ erasures of wrong answers, and putting the right answers in the exam answer sheets was mainly explained by the pressure of the No Child Left Behind Law dictating the need to provide adequate educational levels for all children regardless of their skills, motivation, and progress (Pennsylvania is latest to face school cheating scandal, 2011). As a consequence of the shocking Atlanta scandal, the terrifying reality of legal, educational, and federal pressures pushing teachers and principals to educational crimes has become the prime focus of policymakers, reporters, and lawyers. Despite the common embarrassment of the community, one could not help identifying the deeper factors that has led to the current situation. The recent analysis of cheating tendencies shows that students involve in cheating for the competitive reasons, and because of the frequent cheating practices they see in their classrooms. The t raditional ranking pattern in a class is the one on the curve, i.e., students’ ranking depends on the performance of other students in their class. For this reason, students who lag behind the rest because of their non-involvement in cheating practices decide to cheat because of the relative ease and speed of successful homework completion (A cheating crisis in America’s schools, 2011). Judging from the motivation students provide for cheating, and taking into account the statistical facts about 50% of teachers reporting neglect to cheating on the regular basis, one can assume that there is a critical point in the US education when the academic achievement loses its sense and value. As students report in surveys, they are sure that no higher educational establishment will waste time checking their real knowledge – the majority of institutions put restrictions in grades on eligibility for studying. Thus, they use all available measures for getting good grades, wh ile the most successful learners (formally) are often ignorant of the basic academic concepts, and appear academically disabled when they get to higher educational establishments. The Atlanta scandal is still the subject of agitated debate and discussion; the Interim schools Superintendent Erroll Davis informed all accused teachers and principals about the options they had – either to resign, or to be fired (Atlanta Public Schools: 41 Named in Cheating Scandal Quit, 2011). The present solution seems logical in the conditions of the comprehensive involvement in cheating nationwide – the fierce prosecution of those uncovered today is likely to intimidate those secretly involved for the future. However, the morale of the Atlanta scandal should stretch much farther than plain resignation and dismissal; the governmental officials have to think of an alternative set of incentives to drive academic performance instead of formal compliance with figures and statistics. Conclusi on As it comes from the present analysis, there are a number of educational options in the state of Georgia, and state authorities do their best to comply with the nationwide-established standards of education and academic achievement. There are about 2,000 schools, and both private and public educational establishments offer a wide range of educational opportunities for children and youth. In addition, there is much being done for the sake of reforming and improving educational facilities in Georgia – the state participates in such programs as Teach for America, Race to the Top, and New Teacher Program. Generally, the state enjoys high standards of public and private education, but there are certain gaps to be filled, and certain challenges to be faced for the sake of providing comprehensive, high-quality education for the growing number of young people in Georgia. The state administration and policymakers responsible for monitoring and managing education in Georgia have to increase their awareness of the intensification of competition in the labor market, both nationally and internationally. Therefore, the educational opportunities in the USA overall, and in every US state in particular, have to meet the innovative needs of employers worldwide. To identify these needs, the educators and principals have to work jointly with the scholarly community to conduct research on the changing educational and career needs, and to identify the ways in which the reformation could be executed smoothly and constructively. Thus, the state of Georgia lacks evidence-based research in the field of education, and needs to take not only practical, but also theoretical action for the sake of continuous improvement. Another factor that allows assessing the state of education in Georgia is the geographical location of the state, and the historical tendency towards segregation, which made the racial integration in Southern schools highly problematic. As one knows, Georgia is o ne of the Southern states that were for slavery, and that did not accept African Americans as equal until the end of the past century. Therefore, the problem with equal access to public education has been existing until recently, which is now reflected in low academic achievement of non-white American population of the state. Only Asian Americans are notably successful in their studies, which is opposite for African Americans and Latin Americans. The critical position of public education is not unique for the state of Georgia; this problem is common for nearly all states in the USA. The main challenge to reformation and improvement in the majority of low-performing schools is the performance-based funding typical for the USA. Many Georgia schools are unable to reach the nationally acceptable assessment levels, which results in under-financing, and aggravates the situation even further. The present assessment type affects the academic process in American schools negatively, which can be seen from the Atlanta cheating scandal – principals and teachers are intimidated by the administration in terms of avoiding low grades by any means for the sake of school funding. As a result, the assessment results do not reflect the real-state academic achievements of students, certification outcomes are faked, and the overall integrity of academic assessment is becoming doubtful, redundant, and ineffective. The only solution for the state of Georgia, as well as for many other states facing similar problems in the 21st century, is to generate a different set of performance indicators, and to create a new set of metrics for allocation of funds. The problem has much deeper roots that the simple inability of students to pass the annual tests such as GWA, EOCT, CRCT, or GHSGT. The performance-based funding scheme is a closed circle that helps successful schools prosper, but neglects the needs of unsuccessful schools. Finally, sufficient effort has to be directed at the achi evement of high technological standards incorporated in the educational process. The 21st century requires close attention to the information technology, technological innovations, invention of advanced appliances and devices that facilitate human work and activities of any kind. Thus, modern students have to obtain the adequate set of computer and technical skills for the sake of succeeding at the workplace or higher education. Overall, the state of education in the state of Georgia is not critical, since there are an adequate number of private and public schools able to cater for the growing needs of Georgia students. However, the challenges and gap existing in Georgia education reveal the problems faced by the whole country in terms of assessment, funding, and lack of technology. The needs-based approach is potentially more effective than the performance-based one, which is likely to bring the US education at a new level of motivation, initiative, and outcomes. Authorities of the state of Georgia are taking enough effort to improve their education, but the assistance of local and federal authorities, as well as certain legal changes in the No Child Left Behind Law, and the funding issues, will have a high potential at the statewide and nationwide level. References A Cheating Crisis in Americas Schools (2011). ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132376page=1#.TwXnqYET5nA Atlanta Public Schools: 41 Named In Cheating Scandal Quit (2011). The Huffington Post: Education. Retrieved from huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/24/atlanta-schools-41-named-_n_908238.html Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Program Guidance (2002). Retrieved from doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/CSR%20Guidance%202002.doc?p=6CC6799F8C1371F697A09676BF3C592E52A48C4AA71A7FDDE33CA834C5F2D9ABType=D Diguette, R. (2011). For some students, education means survival. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from ajc.com/opinion/for-some-students-education-1264392.html Downey, M. (2011a). Are kids getting the college education they’re paying for? And is tenure a problem? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/07/16/are-kids-getting-the-education-theyre-paying-for-and-is-tenure-a-problem/ Downey, M. (2011b). Can’t fix APS without fixing â€Å"dysfunctional education policy.† The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/07/15/cant-fix-aps-without-fixing-dysfunctional-education-policy/ Downey, M. (2011c). Forget school vouchers. The route to improving education may be housing vouchers. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/10/05/forget-school-vouchers-the-route-to-improving-education-may-well-be-housing-vouchers-and-better-neighborhoods/ Educational Needs Index (n.d.). ENI Calculation for Georgia. Retrieved from educationalneedsindex.com/georgia-education.php?n=2 Georgia Department of Education (2012). The 2010 AYP. Retrieved from doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=103StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 Georgia’s Race to the Top (2012). RT3 Pilot Program Schedule. Georgia Department of Education. Retrieved from wiki.rutracker.org/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D0%BA_%D1%82%D1%83%D1%82_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8C%3F_%D0%A1_%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8C%3F Hefling, K. (2012). Education law falls short of its promises. The Marietta Daily Journal Online. Retrieved from http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/17028764/article-Education-law-falls-short-of-its-promises? Holladay, J. M. (2011). Funding a quality education is critical. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from ajc.com/opinion/funding-a-quality-education-1154077.html Huff, A. (2011). Georgia Department of Education. The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Education/ElementaryMiddleandSecondary/PublicEducationid=h-1492 Implementin g the New Core Curriculum (2010). The University System of Georgia. Retrieved from http://core.usg.edu/uploads/LearningOutcomes.pdf Jones, B. (2005). Rosenwald Schools. The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Education/ElementaryMiddleandSecondary/PublicEducationid=h-1113 Jones, W. C. (2009). Georgia school reform ideas draw criticism. The Florida Times Union. Retrieved from http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/ 2009-04-26/story/georgia_school_reform_ideas_draw_criticism Lenoir, A. (2011). Atlanta Cheating Scandal Unveiled By Reporters. The Huffington Post: Education. Retrieved from huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/06/atlanta-public-schools-cheating_n_891737.html Markiewicz, D. (2011). Study: Atlanta education gap grows, could hurt employment. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from ajc.com/business/study-atlanta-education-gap-1168039.html Mewborn, D. S. (2009). Public Education (PreK-12). The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Education/ElementaryMiddleandSecondary/PublicEducationid=h-2619 NEA Research (2010). Rankings and Estimates: Rankings of the States 2010 and Estimates of School Statistics 2011. National Education Association. Retrieved from nea.org/assets/docs/HE/NEA_ Rankings_and_Estimates010711.pdf Pennsylvania is latest to face school cheating scandal (2011). Education at MSNBC.com. Retrieved from msnbc.msn.com/id/43970932/ns/us_news-education/t/pennsylvania-latest-face-school-cheating-scandal/#.TwXX7IET5nA Richardson, W. (2011). The State of American Education Today. Retrieved from http://willrichardson.com/post/6971706149/the-state-of-american-education-today State Regulation of Private Schools (2000). Georgia Code Ann. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/RegPrivSchl/georgia.html Strauss, V. (2011). Shocking details of Atlanta cheating scandal. The Washington Post: Post Local. Retrieved from washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/shocki ng-details-of-atlanta-cheating-scandal/2011/07/06/gIQAQPhY2H_blog.html Suggs, E. (2011). Obamas education address still seen as polarizing by some. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from ajc.com/news/obamas-education-address-still-1190518.html Teach for America in Georgia (2012). Teach.gov. Retrieved from teach.gov/node/173871 The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2010). 2009-2010 Report Card. Retrieved from gadoe.org/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=102StateId=ALLT=1FY=2010 TNTP (2012). Where We Work. Retrieved from http://tntp.org/what-we-do/where-we-work Turner, D. (2012). Georgia looking at tossing school spending law. The Marietta Daily Journal Online. Retrieved from http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/16990838/article-Georgia-looking-at-tossing-school-spending-law? University System of Georgia, The (2012). The New Core: Next Steps. Retrieved from http://core.usg.edu/

Complete SAT Instructions, With Tips and Strategies

Complete SAT Instructions, With Tips and Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What are the instructions that you’ll see on the SAT? And are they important? In this article I’ll take a closer look at the directions you’re given on the test and tell you what parts of them are most critical for earning high scores! Instructions? What Instructions? On the SAT, you’ll see instructions on every section about how to answer questions as well as instructions on your answer sheet about how to select and fill in answers. What followsare the instructions that you should expect to see for different parts of the test laid out section by section.I’ll also go into more detail and show you the instructions for different types of questions within the three sections so you’ll be prepared for everything! Answer Sheet Instructions You will get a set of overall multiple choice instructions on the answer sheet that look like this: This is demonstrating how you should fill in answers to get credit for your responses.Make sure you bring a couple of #2 pencils to the test so that you have a backup in case one breaks!Don't use mechanical pencils.You should also follow the instructions for filling in circles darkly and completely. If you erase any answers, do it thoroughly, and bring an extra eraser just in case. Instructions for All Multiple Choice Sections The one direction you’ll see at the end of every section of the SAT is this: On the SAT, you can’t turn back to a previous section and answer questions you skipped or flip to the next section and start looking at questions early.If you do, it’s considered cheating!Everyone must have the same amount of time for each section. If you turn back, you’re giving yourself extra time, which is unfair to other students. SAT Reading Instructions On the new SAT Reading section, all questions are passage-based (no more sentence completion questions with crazy vocabulary!). Here are the overall instructions for the Reading section: You’ll see both single passages and paired passages, and some may be accompanied by relevant graphics. There are 52 questions in total that are asked over the course of five different passages or pairs of passages. These questions are based on information in individual passages, relationships between paired passages, or relationships between passages and graphics. When it says to choose the best answer to each question based on what’s â€Å"stated or implied†, this is an opportunity for slight confusion.Something being implied on the SAT is not exactly the same as something being implied in real life or in reading for an English class.The implication has to be very direct in order for you to take it as evidence for the answer to a question on the SAT.Since the SAT is standardized, there can be no room for subjectivity in answers.If you think something has been implied, make sure your thoughts are based on concrete evidence provided by the passage and not pure assumptions. SAT Writing Instructions The SAT Writing section has been simplified in a way on the new SAT. All questions are now passage-based (just like the Reading section). Here are the directions you'll see at the beginning of the section: Basically, the directions explain that questions will ask you to improve the quality of writing in each passage by correcting grammar errors, fixing sentence and paragraph structure, and revising word usage. Much like the Reading section, passages in the Writing section are sometimes accompanied by tables or graphs that you'll need to consider as you answer questions. In most cases, question numbers are inserted into the passages indicating which sentence or word you will potentially need to revise. SAT Math Instructions There are two math sections on the new SAT: the first section does not allow the use of a calculator, and the second section does. Both sections includemultiple choice and grid-in questions. The first section has 20 questions, 15 of which are multiple choice and five of which are grid-ins.The instructions that you’ll see at the beginning of the section look like this: Key points to keep in mind based on the instructions are: Use the space you’re given! Don’t hesitate to write things out if you’re unsure about them in your head. The diagrams are there to help you. They're drawn to scale, so use them for reference. The domain of a function on the SAT is always all real numbers unless otherwise indicated. I also included all the formulas that are provided for this section.Even though they’ll be there on the test, you might still decide to memorize these formulas.You'll waste valuable time if you keep needing to flip back to the first page of the section. For the last five grid-in math problems in this section, you’ll see the following instructions: Key points to remember from these instructions: Fill in the circles completely and correctly. DON’T just write the numbers in the boxes because that’s not the part that’s going to be scored by the machine. There are no negative answers for grid in questions. If you get a mixed number fraction for an answer, turn it into an improper fraction or a decimal before gridding it in. Leave any columns you don’t need blank. If you get a long decimal answer that won’t fit in the grid, round it, but make sure it fills the entire grid so it’s the most accurate possible response. The second math section has 38 questions that you will answer over the course of 55 minutes. It includes 30 multiple-choice questions and eight grid-in questions. The only difference in the instructions for the second section is that the use of a calculator is allowed. Remember that you can use your calculator as much or as little as you want. There will be cases in this section where it's actually faster NOT to use your calculator, so be mindful of which method makes the most sense for each question. Woo...oh man...excuse me while I wipe away tears of mirth. SAT Essay Instructions The instructions for the now optional SAT essaylook like this: To make sense of these instructions, it's important to understand the format of SAT essay prompts.The prompt will consist of a piece of persuasive writing. You're expected to analyze the techniques that the author uses to build his or her argument. You will need to â€Å"demonstrate that you have read the passage carefully, present a clear and logical analysis, and use language precisely."What do they really mean? "Demonstrate that you have read the passage carefully" This means you should frequently use direct quotes from the passage to back up your response. Make sure you fully understand the author's point and are able to explain it clearly with solid evidence. It's best to read the passage very thoroughly before you start writing and underline the most important points. This will help you to write an essay that is more mindful of the exact methods by which the author's argument is constructed. "Present a clear and logical analysis" Write a good introduction with a thesis that clearly states the aspects of the author's argument you plan to analyze.Use specific examples from the text to support your point in logical order.You should also write a well thought out conclusion that summarizes the main points you made in your essay about the techniques the author uses to build an argument. "Use language precisely" Try to use advanced vocabulary words, but only if you’re very confident with them. Using a word incorrectly could hurt you.Make an effort to avoid repetition and createsmooth transitions between your thoughts. The rest of the instructions tell you to be careful with your handwriting and to write only in the lines on your answer sheet.If you think you’re going to have a problem with writing legibly, you might want to look into testing with accommodations.You may be able to type your essay in extreme cases. The instructions also reiterate that you need to use a #2 pencil, write on the answer sheet and NOT in the test booklet, and stay on topic! Conclusion To save yourself time on test day, you should understand the instructions for each section before you sit down to take the SAT. The new SAT has four sections, each of which is accompanied by one or more unique sets of instructions. All questions on both the Reading and Writing sections are multiple-choice and passage-based, and the two Math sections contain both multiple-choice questions and grid-in questions. The essay now involves analyzing how a persuasive argument is constructed by the author of a given passage. Now that you're armed with this background information, the foundation is laid for you to takesome realpractice tests! What's Next? For more quick facts about the SAT, check out these 21 SAT tips and tricks you can use to raise your scores! Still not sure what score you should be aiming for on the SAT? Read this guide to learn how to calculate your target score. If you're looking to register for the test, learn whether the next date is best or if you should hold off until later. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Metabolic Syndrome Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metabolic Syndrome - Assignment Example According to the symptoms displayed by the patient, he has a positive diagnosis of metabolic syndrome; evident from a high fasting blood glucose levels of 140. According to Brasher (2006), this entails a long period of insulin resistance and early postprandial hyperglycemia. Thus, this increases the risk factors for health problems in this case such as diabetes. In addition, insulin resistance is connected to overweight. In this case, the patient presents several risk factors for the condition. They include a large waistline, low HDL cholesterol level of 36, high blood pressure, and high fasting blood sugar of 140. However, additional questions are helpful in comprehending rationale of the disease process; as well as its clinical presentation. These questions include nutritional patterns, lifestyle (smoking), physical activities done, race, any changes in visual acuity or retinal abnormalities, delayed wound healing, any past or recent infections of the skin (for instance yeast skin rashes) and urinary tract infections. Physical examination aspects involve a comprehensive assessment so as to determine a diagnosis. Examples of physical examination entail the following: numbness or tingling sensation and decreased sensory of the feet, skin examination, and waistline measurement. Moreover, blood tests are vital in diagnosing this condition. Examples include collection of blood urea nitrogen has to be d one in proper evaluation of the kidney function, as well as triglyceride level examination (McCance and Huther, 2014). Proper management for this condition begins with prevention of the disease. Prevention will be based on directly influencing the development and reversal of insulin resistance and B-cell dysfunction. Metabolic syndrome is in the increase due to an elevation in obesity rates. In this case, the patient has experienced weight gain while in

Design of Stormwater Drainage System Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design of Stormwater Drainage System - Term Paper Example In line with this, the engineers performing such work are expected ethically to perform the work through high standards of honesty and integrity given that the profession has the necessary impact on the quality of life of the people. Secondly, the services provided in the design of the stormwater drainage/storage system require the highest degrees of honesty, impartiality, fairness and equity. Above all, the project must be dedicated towards the protection of the health of the public, as well as their safety and welfare. Hence, under the standards of professional behavior, the design engineers must exhibit the highest principles of ethical conduct (Dym & Little, 2000). Morality on the other hand requires adherence towards the laws that governs the design and construction of the stormwater storage systems. This requires that all the stakeholders of the project right from the engineers, the workers and the community abide by the law guiding the same (Whitbeck, 1998). This law in most cases is guided by the natural flow rule, which requires acceptance for the benefit of all by the parties affected incase of this project. Ethics in the handling of the design of the stormwater storage system requires that a high degree of ethics be upheld. This is due to the sensitivity of water as a resource and the ethics is concerning creation of safety most so to the users of this resource. One of the interests comes with the interests of the interested parties like the political class who shelve individual interests. This may compromise the quality of the storage systems since the engineers may be compromised if not for anything then due to intimidation (Schrier & Gibson, 2011). The fact that the storage system designed is likely to serve a wider region also presents a dilemma. The planners may be overwhelmed about the control of the resource in terms of who is bestowed the control. Is it the government or

The Advantages of a Technological Advance Curriculum Essay Example for Free

The Advantages of a Technological Advance Curriculum Essay As technology advances, more schools are adopting a technological curriculum. Only about 20 years ago computers were not common and very few people understood the importance of the internet. Today almost everyone in America has some sort of device hooked up to the internet. Schools started using technology in the 1980’s, and as time moved on, more and more schools became technologically integrated. Technology integrated schools not only teach classes like computer programming, keyboarding, and web tech but also use technical devices in class. Some people argue that the technological approach to education is not effectively teaching students social skills but instead depriving students of human communication. However, technology in the curriculum is a step forward and can only improve the general education system for three main reasons the technology job field has increased drastically and will continue to do so, the positive benefits are outstanding, and students are more engaged, lastly, technology in the education system has helped people who would normally have difficulties and handicaps. The age at which children learn to use these technologies is decreasing as the popularity of the internet increases. Education department chair, Bill Lynch says technology gets students used to the idea that they are not just a consumer of knowledge but also a creator (Zeeble). Teaching children skills that they can build on and thrive in is one of the most important aspects of the education system. The earlier a student is introduce d to the technology world the better they will learn advanced skills in the future. (Effect on technology on classrooms and studies). Children who play video games are not only learning the game but they are learning life skills: Kids are clearly learning how to do certain kinds of things, whether that’s running around, whether that’s actually playing the game. They are learning what to do. Because rules are not given to them, they have to intuit them. They are learning why to do certain things, which is the strategic part of the game. They are learning where, which is the context of the game†¦ and most important, they’re learning whether to do something or not. So that just because you can hit somebody over the head with a baseball bat in the game, the question is, should you. (Elmasry) Video games promote skills needed like working in teams, collaborating, and other skills needed to succeed (Elmasry). There are many jobs that require even the basic computer skills and there are many jobs that didn’t even exist ten years ago. Social media/online community manager, blogger and online advertizing manager are a few off the list (Liz Ryan). Experts view video games as tools that help kids develop certain skills needed in tomorrow’s workplace. Teaching students how to understand and how to manage technologies used in today’s workforce at an early age is an experience every school should offer. Multiple studies have proven technology in education as positive. In 2005 Empire High School in Vail, Arizona gave every student and Apple laptop and came away with two impressions, students with laptops where more engaged and there was more they could do with the technology (Beardsley). With the internet you have the world’s information at the student’s fingertips; research is more efficient and less time consuming. Schools have seen multiple improvements from higher test scores to better attitudes. â€Å"In a west Virginia state wide research study, researchers found that the more time students participated in the Basic skills/ computer education program, the higher the Stanford 9 scores rose.† with technology students are able to complete more complex task improving scores and attitudes. Students in a technology integrated school have shown increases in motivation from multiple perspectives. Many teachers have noted the kids have an increased willingness to work and a want to complete and perfect projects. Students also receive confidence about being able to learn skills that will help support them and their education for the rest of there life’s. (Effect on technology on classrooms and studies). Technology provides a new and changing way that students are able to share information and express themselves. Technology can also help people in situations that might make school a difficult place . In 2005 Cathy Carolyn’s year long intensive medical technology training program lectures where in MP3 format. Cathy was skeptical at first but she soon saw that her students where learning better than ever before. The students in her classes loved the new system. Busy students could listen to lectures anywhere they need. It also gave the students the option to review as much times as needed. (Zeeble) â€Å"It’s about how we can reach out to the students in a way that meets their needs, because so many of today’s students are not the so-called traditional learners† (Zeeble). If a teacher has their lesson online than missing a day or two may not be that big of a deal, but in traditional schools it’s really hard to collect make up work and finish it along with the work you already have. If a student has needs that traditional schools can not meet than technology can always improve the situation. Some people believe that challenging the traditional way of learning is destructive. Director of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mitch Resnick, said, â€Å" What we found in our research is that children’s best learning experiences come when they are activity engaged in designing things, creating things, inventing things.† Which most believes requires hands on approach. People also challenge the idea of multitasking, humans can only truly focus on one specific thing at a time, the idea of children multitasking is ridiculous (Bouchard). Teachers are also concerned with the level of language presented by students and the deterating vocabulary of students that use technology. Besides these worries children in technological advanced schools are still more advanced than kids who are not. People may argue that technology in the class rooms can be harmful but it’s clear that integrated schools have helped students more than harmed. With rules and close moderation students can use the tools given to them to advance in the system. Technology in schools improves motivation; helps prepare students for the future and can help people who may have difficulties in the regular school system. The world is advancing and many schools are lagging along, soon to be left behind. Hopefully, in the future all schools will be technologically integrated so all children can experience the advanced learning system and excel in all aspects of school.

Affluenza- An unhappy relationship with money Essay -- science

Affluenza- An unhappy relationship with money Causes & Cures In this essay I plan to analyze a dangerous disease that is infecting people through the U.S. This disease is called affluenza it is very contagious and once infected with the disease it is difficult to unseat. Affluenza us characterized as an unhealthy relationship with money, swollen expectations and trying to keep up with the Joneses. Affluenza creates stress, bankruptcies, and causes problems in relationships. Although, there are some people who have a different definition for affluenza. Many people find affluenza to be a rich man's disease and have responded by suggesting that the world has bigger problems without have to feel sorry for the rich. I would contend that affluenza that affluenza can be cured and maybe prevented. In analyzing affluenza I hope to shed insight those possibilities. There is a disease that is sweeping the U.S. at an alarming pace. It is called affluenza it is very contagious and growing at frightening rates. In 1997, an amazing 1.1 million debt plagued spenders filed for personal bankruptcy that was a 28.6% increase from '96. Economists predict another 1.6 million to file by the end of this fiscal year, (Shop 'til We Drop [STWD], 1997). These are two vivid examples of the amazing rate at which affluenza is growing. These numbers are occurring despite the strong economy and perhaps because of it. With the economy in the U.S. going so well credit card companies are issuing more credit. Consumers are then using their new found credit to buy without even thinking of how they will pay for the products. They get the credit cards because of the appealingly low 5.9% introductory rate and go for it, but the credit card companies usually run those rates up to 18% or more in the first six months before the consumer pays off the purchase, (Insight into the News IIN, 1997). This in turn leads consumers into over extending themselves. Although 96% of all consumers are using credit cards responsibly according to American Bankers Association '97, the typical person who files for bankruptcy takes home less than $20,000 a year and has more than $17,000 in credit charges and of that's not overextending oneself what is. It seems that debt and affluenza go hand in hand and that combination can't be good for relationships. Affluenza causes hardship in all types of relationshi... ...ng mall. Or while contemplating a major purchase sleep on it for a few days and then decide whether the item is within ones means. In the end one has to remember that the Joneses aren't the co In concluding, because affluenza is so dangerous it is important to track and gather information about it and how one can become infected with this terrible disease. Informing and educating oneself is always at the heart of preventing anything bad from happening but with affluenza it takes precedence. Remember to always take time when making a major purchase, use common sense, and ask the question do your ends meet your needs. There are many things one can do to steer clear of affluenza, but overall the cure for affluenza lye's in the hands of each person and their spending choices. In the end I would warn that although affluenza can be prevented and even cured, it should not be underestimated it can do irreversible damage to families, and financial statements alike. I would also contend that society has an obligation to combat affluenza, but again the burden lye's with the individual to make the difference. In closing, one final question one should ask them selves is do I have affluenza?

Working Paper

The term module means that the questionnaire can be used as part of a larger Research experience has shown that the answers to the 24 content questions are influenced by the nationality of the respondents. This is not to say that every respondent of nationality A gives one answer and everyone of a nationality B another, but one can expect systematic differences between the average answers from a sample with nationality A and a comparable sample from nationality B (in statistical terms, an analysis of variance on the answer scores shows a significant country effect).As the relationship is statistical, the samples per country should be of sufficient size. An ideal size for a homogeneous sample is 50 respondents. Sample sizes smaller than 20 should not be used, as outlying answers by single respondents will unduly affect the results. If samples are heterogeneous (composed of unequal sub-samples) these numbers apply to the sub-samples. Next to nationality, answers to the 24 content quest ions will also reflect other characteristics of the respondents, such as their gender, age, level of education, occupation, kind of work and the point in time when they answered the questions.Therefore comparisons of countries should be based on samples of respondents who re matched on all criteria other than nationality that could systematically affect the answers. The content questions attributed to a dimension were selected because in comparisons of matched samples from ten or more countries, the mean country scores on the four questions belonging to the same dimension usually vary together (if one is high, the other is high, or low if it is a reversely formulated question; if one is low, the other is low, etc. ). In statistical terms, the mean country scores are significantly correlated.The mean country scores on questions belonging to different emissions usually do not vary together (are uncorrelated). Therefore, the 24 questions form 6 clusters of 4 questions each. As mentione d above, the dimensions measured by the VS.. Are based on country- level correlations, between mean scores of country samples. For the same two questions, country-level correlations can be very different from individual-level correlations, between the answers by the individuals within the country samples (for a clear explanation see e. G. Klein, Danseuses & Hall, 1994).Individual-level correlations produce dimensions of personality; country-level correlations produce emissions of national culture. For research results about the relationship between personality and culture see Hefted & McCrae (2004). The study of national culture dimensions belongs to anthropology, the study of individual personality belongs to psychology. The first is to the second as studying forests is to studying trees. Forests cannot be described with the same dimensions as trees, nor can they be understood as bunches of trees.What should be added to the animals, organisms and climate factors, together described by the term epitome. In reverse, trees cannot be described with the same dimensions as forests. At best one can ask in what kind of forest this tree would be most likely found, and how well it would do there. A common misunderstanding about dimensions of national culture is that they are personality types. People want to score themselves on a dimension, or worse, try to score someone else. This is called stereotyping, which is not what the dimensions are for.They do not refer to individuals, but to national societies. What a person can do is find out how the values prevailing in his or her national society differ from those in another society. As an individual, a person can express how he or she feels about the values in a particular national society, but that would still be a function of his/her personality and not necessarily show his or her national culture. Because of this, the VS.. 2013 cannot be scored at the individual level. It is not a psychological test.The tendency to as k for individual scoring of the VS.. Is stronger in some national cultures than in others. Especially in very individualist cultures, the request for individual scoring is frequent: the concept of my society (a forest) is weaker that the concept of me myself (a tree). The VS.. Should only be used by researchers who subscribe to the concept of a society differing from other societies. The six dimensions on which the VS.. 2013 is based were found in research across more than 40 countries.In a research project across 20 different organizations within the same two countries, answers to the questions that made up the cross-national dimensions did not correlate in the same way (Hefted, Enquire, Omaha' & Sanders, 1990 and Hefted, Hefted & Moving, 2010: 341-368). So the cross-national dimensions do not apply to organizational (or corporate) cultures. The answers to the VS.. Questions (dealing with values and sentiments) varied less across organizations within a country than across countries .Instead, organizational cultures differed primarily on the basis of perceptions of practices, and the organizations in the study could be compared on six dimensions of perceived practices. While the study of national culture dimensions belongs to anthropology and the study of individual personality belongs to psychology, the study of organizational cultures belongs to sociology. The dimensions of perceived practices in the Hefted et al. 1990) study relate to known distinctions from organizational sociology. A similar concern prohibits the use of the VS.. Dimensions for comparing occupations (Hefted, Hefted & Moving, 2010: 368-369).In some cases, VS.. Dimension scores can be meaningfully computed and compared for the genders (female versus male) and for successive generations (grandparents country or across countries, but in this case we recommend extending the questionnaire with locally relevant items (Hefted, Garibaldi, Melville, Tenure & evokes, 2010). 4. VS.. 2013 scores are not comparable to published scores Some enthusiastic amateurs have used the VS.. With a sample of respondents from one country and tried to draw conclusions comparing the scores they found with those in Hypotheses books (1980, 1991 , 2001 , 2005, 2010).But essential to the use of the VS.. Is that comparisons should be based on matched samples of respondents: people similar on all criteria other than nationality that could systematically affect the answers. All scores in the first two Hefted books were based on carefully matched IBM subsidiary populations. A new sample, to be comparable to these, should be a attach for the original IBM populations on all relevant criteria. Such a match is virtually impossible to make, if only because the IBM studies were done around 1970 and the point in time of the survey is one of the matching characteristics.Hypotheses books since 2001 contain scores for a number of countries not in the original IBM set, based on extensions of the research outside MO M, or in a few cases on informed estimates. Extensions of the research to countries and regions not in the original set have to be based, like any VS.. Application, on matched samples across two or more countries. These should always include one or, if possible, more of the countries from the IBM set, so that the new data can be anchored to the existing framework. Anchoring' means that the scores from the extension research should be shifted by the difference of the old and new scores for the common country (or by the mean difference in the case of more common countries). The main problem of extension research is finding matched samples across new and old countries. Examples of successful extensions are described in Hefted (2001:464-465). The VS.. 2013 has been designed for research purposes. In the classroom it has poor ace validity, as it is based on the logic of national cultures which differs from the logic of individual students. Cultures are not king-size individuals: They are wholes, and their internal logic cannot be understood in the terms used for the personality dynamics of individuals. Echo-logic differs from individual logic† (Hefted, 2001 :17; the term ecological in cross-cultural studies is used for any analysis at the societal level; it does not only refer to the natural environment). To students or audiences without a professional training in anthropology or cross-cultural research the VS.. Is to the proper tool for explaining the essence of the dimensions.In this case trainers should rather develop teaching tools using the tables of differences between societies scoring high and low on each dimension, which are based on significant Hefted & Moving, 2010: Chapters 3-8). The twenty-four content questions allow index scores to be calculated on six dimensions of national value systems as components of national cultures: Power Distance (large vs†¦ Small), Individualism vs†¦ Collectivism, Masculinity vs†¦ Femininity, Uncertaint y Avoidance (strong vs†¦ Weak), Long- vs†¦ Short-Term Orientation, and Indulgence vs†¦ Restraint.All content questions are scored on five-point scales (1-2-3-4-5). Any standard statistical computer program will calculate mean scores on five-point scales, but the calculation can also be done simply by hand. For example, suppose a group of 57 respondents from Country C produces the following scores on question 04 (importance of security of employment): 10 x answer 24 x answer 2 14 x answer 3 5 x answer 4 1 x answer 5 42 20 54 valid answers totaling 125 Three of the 57 respondents gave an invalid answer: either blank (no answer) or multiple (more than one answer).Invalid answers should be excluded from the calculation (treated as missing). The mean score in our case is: 125/54 = 2. 31. Mean scores on five-point scales should preferably be presented in two decimals. More accuracy is unrealistic (survey data are imprecise measures). Power Distance Index (PDP) Power Distanc e is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a society expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. The index formula is PDP = 35(mom – mom) + 25(mom – mom) + QPS) in which mom is the mean score for question 02, etc.The index normally has a range of about 100 points between very small Power Distance and very large Power Distance countries. C(PDP) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift her/his PDP scores to values between O and 100. Individualism Index (DIVIDE) Individualism is the opposite of Collectivism. Individualism stands for a society in which the ties between individuals are loose: a person is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family only.Collectivism stands for a roofs, which continue to protect them throughout their lifetime in exc hange for unquestioning loyalty. DIVIDE = 35(mom – mol) + 35(mom – mom) + C(ICC) in which mol is the mean score for question 01, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between strongly collectivist and strongly individualist countries. C(ICC) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift his/her DIVIDE scores to values between O and 100.Masculinity Index (MASS) Masculinity is the opposite of Femininity. Masculinity stands for a society in which social gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. Femininity stands for a society in which social gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. MASS = 35(mom – mom ) + 35(mom – mom) + corn) in which mom is the mean score for question 05, etc.The index normally has a range of about 100 points between strongly feminine and strongly masculine countries. C(MFC) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends can be chosen by the user to shift her/his MASS scores to values between O and 100. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (AJAX) Uncertainty Avoidance is defined as the extent to which the members of institutions and organizations within a society feel threatened by uncertain, unknown, ambiguous, or unstructured situations. AU' = 4001118 – mom)+ 25(mom – mom) + qua) in which mom is the mean score for question 18, etc.The index normally has a range of about 100 points between weak Uncertainty Avoidance and strong Uncertainty Avoidance countries. C(AU) is a constant (positive r negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift his/her I-JAG scores to values between O and 100. Long Term Orientation is the opposite of Short Term Orientation. Long Term Orientation stands for a society which fosters virtues oriented towards future rewards, in particular adaptation, perseverance and thrift.Short Term orientation stands for a society which fosters virtues related to the past and present, in particular respect for tradition, preservation of â€Å"face†, and fulfilling social obligations. LTO = – mom) + 25(mom – mom) + C(IS) n which mom is the mean score for question 13, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between very short term oriented and very long term oriented countries. C(l's) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift her/his L TO scores to values between O and 100.Indulgence versus Restraint Index (IVR) Indulgence stands for a society which allows rel atively free gratification of some desires and feelings, especially those that have to do with leisure, merrymaking with rinds, spending, consumption and sex. Its opposite pole, Restraint, stands for a society which controls such gratification, and where people feel less able to enjoy their lives. The index formula is IVR = – ml 1) + – mom) + COO in which ml is the mean score for question 11, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between high indulgence and high restraint.C(IR) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift her/his IVR scores to values between O and 100. As country-level correlations differ from individual-level correlations, answers on questions used to measure a country-level dimension do not necessarily correlate across individuals. A reliability test like Cockroach's alpha should in this case not be based on individual scores but on country mean scores. Obviously this presupposes data from a sufficient number of countries, in practice at least ten.For comparison across fewer countries the reliability of the VS.. At the country level has to be taken for granted; it can indirectly be shown through the validity of the scores in predicting dependent variables. The IBM database (Hefted, 1980) allows to compute Cockroach alphas for the first four dimensions across 40 countries (39 for AAU, 33 for PDP because of missing data). Power Distance Index (3 items): Alpha = . 842 Individualism Index (6 items): Alpha = . 770 Masculinity Index (8 items): Alpha = . 760 Uncertainty Avoidance Index (3 items) Alpha = . 15 The rule of thumb for test reliability is a value over . 700. The new items in the new version were chosen because of their similarity to items in reliable other studies, but the reliability of the new dimension scores cannot be proven a prior'. The VS.. 2013 is copyrighted, but may be fre ely used for academic research projects. Consultants who want to use the VS.. 2013 periodically should pay a license fee based on the number of copies administered per year. The same holds for use by companies in employee surveys. Information on rates is available from the copyright holder ([email  protected] L) 9. History of the VS.. 2013 The original questions from the 1966-1973 Hermes (MOM) attitude survey questionnaires used for the international comparison of work-related values were listed in Hefted (1980, Appendix 1). Appendix 4 of the same book presented the iris Values Survey Module for future cross-cultural studies. It contained 27 content questions and 6 demographic questions. This VS.. 80 was a selection from the IBM questionnaires, with a few questions added from other sources about issues missing in the IBM list and Judged by the author to be of potential importance.In the 1984 abridged paperback edition of Hefted (1980) the original IBM questions were not included, but the VS.. 80 was. A weakness of the VS.. 80 was its dependence on the more or less accidental set of questions used in the IBM surveys. The IBM survey questionnaire had not really been imposed for the purpose of reflecting international differences in value patterns. However, the IBM questions could only be replaced by other questions after these had been validated across countries; and to be validated, they had to be used in a large number of countries first.Therefore in 1981 Hefted through the newly- founded Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation (IIRC) issued an experimental extended version of the VS.. (VS.. 81). On the basis of an analysis of its first results, a new version was issued in 1982, the VS.. 82. This was widely used for the next twelve years. 3 of the questions were needed to compute scores on the four dimensions identified by Hefted. The other questions were included for experimental use. Some questions in the VS.. 82 were only applicable to employe d respondents.Thus the instrument could not be used for entrepreneurs, students, and respondents without a paid Job. The number of replications using the VS.. 82 in Iris's files increased, but, unfortunately, it turned out that the samples from different researchers were insufficiently matched for producing a reliable new VS†¦ This changed when Michael Hope published his Ph. D. Hess on a survey study of elites (Syllabus Seminar Alumni) from 19 countries, using among other instruments the VS.. 82 (Hope, 1990). Eighteen of these countries were part of the IBM set, but besides USA all of them were from Europe.Hope's data base was therefore extended by adding results from replications in six countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America that could be considered somewhat matched with the Hope set. In the meantime, the research of Michael Harris Bond from Hong Kong, using the Chinese Value Survey (Chinese Culture Connection, 1987), had led to the identification f a fifth dimension: Lon g-Term versus Short-Term Orientation (Hefted & Bond, 1988; Hefted, 2001: Chapter 7). In the new version of the VS.. Published in 1994 (the VS.. 94), this dimension appeared for the first time together with the other four.The questionnaire was also adapted to respondents without a paid Job. Accumulated experience with the use of the VS.. 94 in the next 14 years led to the publication of an updated VS.. 08. In the meantime, many new sources of cross- cultural survey information became available. One was an unpublished Master's Thesis (Van Bug, 2006) reporting on the Internet administration of the VS.. 94 among active members of the student association EASIES in 41 countries, collecting some 2,200 valid answers, a response rate of 24%.We also looked for questions correlated with the IBM dimensions in the newly available sources, including the huge World Values Survey database freely accessible on Internet (Ingather and associates, 1998, 2004, 2007). In 2007, Michael Moving published a book integrating all available old and new databases, and we invited him to Join the VS.. Team. Moving (2007) proposed three new dimensions: Exclusion versus Universalism, Indulgence versus Restraint, and Monumentality versus Flexibility (flexibility plus nullity).From these, Exclusion versus Universalism across 41 countries was strongly correlated with Power Distance and Collectivism (both r = . 74), so we did not treat it as a new dimension. Indulgence versus Restraint was uncorrelated with any of the five dimensions in the VS.. 94 and it added new insights into national cultural differences, so we accepted it as a new and sixth dimension. Monumentality versus Flexibility was significantly correlated with Short Term Orientation (r = . 68 across 16 overlapping countries) and less strongly with Power