Friday, January 31, 2020
Effect of Ability Tracking on Student Performance Essay Example for Free
Effect of Ability Tracking on Student Performance Essay Many factors can influence students’ academic performance. Some argue that more challenging course material can put less prepared students at a disadvantage, while others argue that insufficient challenge leaves bright students bored and unmotivated. In essence, the â€Å"one size fits all†approach to curriculum has for many years been set aside in public schools in favor of ability tracking. The fit of students to curriculum difficulty is argued by some to be the key to ensuring student success; it ensures that teachers give equal focus to students of all ability levels, and also can encourage students with lower ability to participate more in class because they are less likely to feel intimidated (Slavin, 1990).            Of course, how students are tracked varies; some schools allow students to be placed into an advanced class for one subject and a lower ranking class for others, while others do not allow this kind of mobility (Slavin, 1990). Even if done carefully, tracking can influence choice of peers and views toward other students. Gamoran (1992) finds that friendships are more easily formed among students in the same tracks than among students in different tracks. A related concern is that tracking leads to students being stigmatized, and ultimately leads to poor academic performance and negative attitudes toward education (Gamoran, 1992). Ansalone (2003) discusses how tracking may perpetuate the cycle of poverty, and the effect of tracking on learning compared to educational systems outside the United States.            So does ability tracking help or hinder performance? Analyzing historical and present academic performance of eleventh graders in the context of the level of challenge attached to their curriculum, may help to answer this complex question. Specifically, two hypotheses were tested: First, improvements in performance (percentile rank) will be more pronounced for students with more challenging curriculum than those with less challenging curriculum. Second, Improvements in performance (percentile rank) will be more pronounced for students who have lower current GPAs but had more challenging curriculum than for student with higher current GPAs and less challenging curriculum. Data Sample            The sample included 261 eleventh graders for whom no demographic data (e.g., gender, family income, parent’s education, race) were provided. The following variables were available: Grade Eight Performance Assessment (GEPA) scores in Algebra and Science. Track Rank scores indicating the level of challenge associated with each student’s curriculum. Eleventh Grade High School Performance Assessment (HSPA) in Math. Eleventh Grade Math SAT scores. 4) Current Grade Point Average (GPA). Analysis            Track Rank scores in the sample ranged from 1.17 to 4.17, with a mean of 2.75 and a standard deviation of .68. To test the first hypothesis, percentile scores were calculated for each student’s GEPA scores, as well as their HSPA scores, and then difference scores were calculated between each of the GEPA percentiles and the HSPA percentile. Descriptive statistics for the percentile improvement variable are shown in Table 1. GEPA SCI Improvement (n=260) GEPA ALA Improvement (n=260) Mean -.00134 .00397 Std. Dev. .2206 .2927 Minimum -.574 -.889 Maximum .616 .828 Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Percentile Improvement Scores Track Rank scores were not significantly correlated with percentile difference scores for either of the GEPA performance scores (see Table 2). Thus, the first hypothesisâ€â€that students with more challenging curriculum will experiences more pronounced score improvements than those with less challenging curriculum can be rejected. GEPA SCI Improvement (n=260) GEPA ALA Improvement (n=260) Track Rank r = .099, p = .112 R = .057, p =.362 Table 2. Correlation of Track Rank with Performance Improvement To test the second hypothesis, it was necessary first to determine whether some students had higher GPAs and lower Track Ranks, while others had lower GPAs and higher Track Ranks. In fact, Track Rank was significantly correlated with GPA (see Table 3). This indicates that Curriculum difficulty is a strong predictor of GPA, and makes it impossible to test the remainder of the second hypothesis. GPA (n=261) Track Rank r = ..634, p = .000 Table 3. Correlation of Track Rank with GPA In contrast, both GEPA scores were significantly correlated with Track Rank (as shown in Table 2), and with GPA, HPSA and SAT scores (see Table 4). Additional data, such as demographics, would have allowed more detailed analysis of this sample. However, with the available evidence, in the current sample, the surest predictor of current performance is past performance. GEPA SCI Improvement (n=260) GEPA ALA Improvement (n=260) HPSA r = .706, p = .000 r = .481, p =.000 SAT r = .500, p=.000 r = .407, p=.000 GPA r = .383, p=.000 r = 4.91, p=.000 Table 4. Correlation of GEPA scores with later performance References Ansalone, G. (2003). Poverty, tracking, and the social construction of failure: International perspectives on tracking. Journal of Children and Poverty, 9(1): 3-20. Gamoran, A. (1992). The Variable Effects of High School Tracking. American Sociological Review, 57(6): 812–828. Slavin, R.E. (1990). Achievement Effects of Ability Grouping in Secondary Schools: A Best-Evidence Synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 60(3): 471–499.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Meditation :: essays research papers
                         My Personal Meditation      I was very skeptical and cautious about the lesson on meditation. A few years back I had taken a course on relaxation, which I had found to be only somewhat helpful. I was hoping to find another alternative to calm myself and release the stress. Although I became disbelieving of meditation-I was proved wrong.      After you told us to close our eyes, I had a hard time falling into the meditation. At first I felt uncomfortable and distressed. Thoughts kept revolving in my head and I could not get myself to let free. I wondered whether or not the never-ending gibberish you kept repeating was annoying anyone else. I was astonished at how long you kept repeating yourself without tiring.      After a while I found my own method and it had worked for me. Instead of listening to your words (which I became annoyed with) I blocked out every noise, word, racket the surrounded the room. I completely tuned out from reality and fell into the meditation.      I did not realize that I had fallen into the meditation until after I came out of it. I felt like I had detached from my body and floated away. My mind was completely relaxed and blank. Nothing like I pictured it to be. I just felt NOTHING! No noise, no thoughts, I felt at peace with myself. It was hard for me to come out from the meditation because I had forced myself to block everything out and did not hear when you told us to open our eyes. Overall, it was a great experience and I found that it had relaxed me a great deal. However, I did not gain energy as you had so explained to us. I became very sleepy and peaceful. The only problem was that I had to go to work right after class. I work at a law firm, and being so relaxed did not help me at work.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
What makes a family
Family It was three pickoff In the morning on a cold spring night In 1988. My parents woke me up and told me it was time to get ready to go to the airport. We were leaving Russia to move to the united States. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins had moved to the United States a few years back. I was ecstatic to be once again reunited with my relatives especially with my cousin Yang who I was very close to. I Jumped out of bed with so much excitement; I can almost see my heart pumping out of my chest.It was a matter of minutes until I was standing by the door wearing my Black oat and a suitcase next to me. Prior to my relatives leaving, we would spend every weekend, holiday and special occasion together. I would Impatiently Walt for the weekend to come so I can see my cousin Yang and my grandparents. My grandmother would bring little gifts every time she saw me and my grandfather was my hero, regardless of the situation I can always count on him to take my side. Upon moving to B rooklyn, I expected that everything would continue to be the same as It once was In Russia.Within a few months, I realized that this was not the case. My grandparents were occupied with their jobs and other responsibilities. Yang lived to ar of a distance to walk so our time together was limited. We no longer had time to see each other on weekends or spend holidays together. My parents had also become extremely busy trying to construct a new life and part of that process required for them to work on weekends. My father was struggling to accept that he was once a business owner in Russia and now a blue collar worker.He soon began to channel his anger and frustration on me. â€Å"l wish you were a boy' he said, â€Å"l could have taught you manly things. †However, he never took the time to Inquire about my life or teach me about life. Soon, I did not Like spending time at home. I would often find myself feeling lonely and wishing I had a brother or a sister that I can be clos e to. I wanted to feel what it would be like to be loved again. During my first summer in Brooklyn I felt lonely. School was out of session and I had no friends.I would be at the playground near my house watching other kids having fun. My English was still not very good and I had trouble approaching the other children. One day I noticed a girl that, like me, was also alone. She was sitting on a bench about ten feet away and noticed her glancing at me. Within a few minutes she approached me and asked in Russian â€Å"what is your name? ‘ â€Å"Lairs. And what Is yours†I replied. Her name was Anna. She was instantly very talkative and continued asking me questions such as â€Å"where are you from? †and â€Å"how far is your home? We ended up staying at the playground until sundown, and it was one of my happiest days from that summer. It did not take us long to become close, We spent every day of that summer together and I realized that her situation was very si milar to mine. She had also moved with her parents from Russia not too long ago. Eventually they divorced and her mother gave the responsibility of raising her to her grandparents. Unlike me, however, Anna was stronger and more confident. She had control of her emotions and could not be Influenced by others. The opinion of others also did not matter. Be who you want to be, not who others want you to be,†she said â€Å"But I don't want to make my father 1 OFF â€Å"He is already always angry, what difference does it make? †she said â€Å"I am scared I will be in trouble†I said â€Å"We will face the consequences together†she said I thought that if I followed her lead, maybe I too can come out of my shell and be as strong as she was. Anna was protective of me and cared for me as if I was her little sister. After school we would often go to her grandparents' house for dinner and it made me nostalgic of the days my grandmother would cook for me in Russia. After a while her grandparents accepted me as their own grandchild. They invited me to all of their special occasion and holidays. I began spending more time with them instead of my own family. One morning after leaving her grandmother's house to go to school, Anna stopped unexpectedly. She grabbed my arm and said â€Å"can I ask you a question? †I was confused and hesitantly said â€Å"sure. †â€Å"Do you want to be blood sisters? †she asked. â€Å"How do we do that? †I asked puzzled. Let's both cut our pinkies, put them together, and we will become sisters by blood†she answered.We felt so strong about our friendship that on May 21st, 1992 we created an unbreakable bond. Anna became the sister I had always wanted. When I needed to turn to someone for advice or for help I turned to Anna. She did not Judge and supported me regardless if I was right or wrong. I have never trusted a person so much in my life. We discussed education, relationships, careers and marriage. This was something I was unable to do with any of my family members. Of course, we would have our disagreements and fights, but through it all our bond always minded strong.We laughed together, cried together and shared life's ups and downs together. I was blessed to have her in my life. When I reminisce about that day, I realize that although what we did was childish, it also speaks a powerful message. While your parents will always be your family through birth, as you go through life you determine who you can call family. Anna showed me that this can extend to include those that are not your relatives. In my life, Vive formed my family to be people that influence my life, who help me through tough times, and who love and support me regardless of the circumstances.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Poverty and Charity in Jane Eyre Essay - 1141 Words
Poverty and Charity in Jane Eyre When Jane Eyre resided at Gateshead Hall, under the care of her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she yearned for a change. The treatment that she received at Gateshead Hall was cruel, unjust, and most importantly, lacked nurture. Jane wanted to escape Gateshead Hall and enter into a school. The school that was imposed upon Jane was Lowood Institution. Through her eight year stay at Lowood, Jane learned how to control her frustrations and how to submit to authority. After leaving Lowood Institution and taking the occupation as governess at Thornfield Hall, Jane realized that her experiences at Gateshead Hall and Lowood Institution had deeply rooted themselves into her personality. After departing Thornfield Hall, Jane†¦show more content†¦In one instance, finding that Jane had borrowed one of Johns books, he physically and mentally torments her: You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live here with gentlemans children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mammas expense. Now, Ill teach you to rummage my book-shelves. (43; ch. 1) After yelling at Jane, John Reed threw the book at her and caused her head to bleed. The entire outcome of this incident was blamed on Jane; not because she borrowed a book, but because she was considered less than a servant and a wicked child by everyone who resided at Gateshead Hall, including the servants (44; ch. 2). It was hard for Jane, who at the time was ten years old, to understand why she was treated so harshly. She questioned herself as to why she deserved such ill-treatment: Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, and forever condemned? (46; ch. 2). The only answer she could come up was that she was a discord in Gateshead Hall and that she had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children (47; ch. 2). Jane did not even consider the Reeds as part of her family. I am unhappy -- very unhappy . . . For one thing, I have no father or mother, brothers or sisters (56; ch. 3). Jane longed for a complete change . . . an entrance into a new life . . .Show MoreRelatedJane Eyre, By Charlotte Bronte1143 Words  | 5 PagesDerek Chao Ms.Roberts AP Literature November 18 2015 Awesome Essay Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontà «, illustrates a British society that depicts an uneven distribution of wealth among people in the Victorian Era, creating this gap between the rich and poor. Social class in British society was made of the lower, middle, and upper class. 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