Tag Archives: testing

Ditching the Note Cards

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There is, I think, an important distinction that needs to be made between certain types of knowledge and certain types of evaluative procedures. If you read last weeks post you’re probably up to date about my big test and my note card usage. What you might not be up to date about are my thoughts about said evaluation. Currently, I’m studying for a somewhat lengthy multiple choice test evaluating what I think of as memorized knowledge: “Match this to that,” or “Which of the following don’t belong?” or “What year did this event take place in. The problems with this … Continue reading →

Cocaine: Side Effects and Long-term Effects

This is our second article on cocaine and looks at the common short-term side effects and long-term effects of regular usage. The effect of cocaine on the body is determined by a number of factors including how much is ingested, the purity of the supply, your weight and height, your general health, your mood at the time of ingesting the drug, your past experiences with cocaine and whether or not other drugs such as alcohol, are taken simultaneously. The immediate effects of cocaine ingestion are a feeling of confidence and wellbeing, a sensation of being excited, a propensity to take … Continue reading →

Concerns of Public Education: V = valid Assessments

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My “concerns for public education series” is ready for the letter V. My topic for V has been briefly addressed in the past. V will represent the concern of finding valid assessment in public education. As many of you know, I discussed the concerns of standardized testing in a previous article. Those concerns still exist and likely will for several years to come. Finding a test that gives unconditional valid results of student learning and knowledge as well as the teaching of educators is a great concern to administrators and overseers of public education systems. Finding a valid means of … Continue reading →

Knowing Your Racial Heritage

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Everyone wants to know their racial heritage. For most of us, it’s something that we never had to think about. We could look in the mirror and at the rest of our family and get a pretty good idea as to where we came from. Many adopted children do not have this luxury. Some never knew either one of their biological parents. Others know just one, usually their birth mother. If that parent is racially mixed, then the child knows very little about their personal ancestry. Intermarriage has surged in the last number of years and today there are a … Continue reading →

Are Ultrasounds Safe?

Ultrasounds are performed in about 70% of all pregnancies in the United States. There are a variety of reasons for using ultrasound. They are useful in determining the gestational age of the fetus and for medical diagnosis. They also give parents a unique opportunity to see the baby while he or she is still in the womb. You get to see your baby and may even discover the gender. This technology has only been available for the last few generations. Some women have begun to question the safety of routine ultrasounds in pregnancy. Ultrasound uses sonar technology to produce the … Continue reading →

Tests For Your Sixties (and Beyond!)

Life isn’t over at sixty. These regular tests will help keep you feeling your best through your sixties and beyond! Stick with the basics from your twenties, thirties, and forties: Watch your blood pressure. Get it checked every year. Watch your weight. Muscle is replaced with fat AND your metabolism starts to slow down as you age. Watch your cholesterol. High cholesterol is a major cause for heart attack and stroke. Watch the blood sugar. A fasting blood sugar test is recommended every three years to help catch diabetes early. Yearly eye exams. Eye disease like glaucoma and macular degeneration … Continue reading →

Tests For Your Forties

As you head into your forties, this is a great time to take stock of your health. You still have time to correct the things you’ve done to yourself in your crazy youth. Some of the things you were doing in your twenties and thirties are still a good idea in your forties: Keep up with the blood pressure checks. It isn’t uncommon to see your blood pressure start to rise as your age does. Continue to watch that weight. The more pounds you’re carrying, the more health problems you are at risk for. Keep getting your cholesterol checked. High … Continue reading →

Tests For Your Twenties and Thirties

You want to live a long and healthy life. Start early! Regular check-ups in your twenties and thirties can head off some major health problems before they become problems. Here are some basic things you should do to keep an eye on your health before you turn forty. Watch that weight. Get on the scale — you don’t have to do it every week, but do it. Once every few months, if you don’t seem to have any weight changes going on. But if you’re continually buying the next size up when you go shopping… you may need to consult … Continue reading →

Skin Test For Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers are working on a new test to help detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. The skin test is being worked on by folks at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center. The concept behind the new test is this: Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t only affect the brain. The disease has an impact on the entire body. The new skin test for Alzheimer’s looks at two different enzymes that affect proteins in the brain. These proteins are typically found in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease; the enzymes are out of balance in the body … Continue reading →

Should Schools Use Standardized Tests?

When I taught 6th grade it was difficult because I was asked to teach students to perform on standardized tests. Average test scores for each class were published in the local newspaper and everyone knew how well I taught my students. This put a lot of pressure upon me as the teacher. But since I knew I was only going to be teaching for the one year, and then quitting to stay home with my son, I didn’t teach so students could perform well on the tests. I tried to incorporate as much hands-on learning as possible, where students were … Continue reading →