Death Penalty Essay

There are a few motivations to contend for making capital punishment illicit in the United States of America. The United States Constitution doesn't consider harsh punishments as a sentence for wrongdoing. Capital punishment presents numerous dangers to the honest. World conclusion bolsters the discontinuance of capital punishment. Poor and minorities experience the ill effects of capital punishment. The death penalty is certifiably not a hindrance to wrongdoing. Executing individuals by the death penalty isn't financially savvy. Killing individuals by the death penalty is obtuse and ought to be illicit. The U. S. Constitution expresses that, â€Å"cruel and bizarre disciplines (Amendment 8, 1791),† ought not be exacted on its residents. It is particularly merciless in instances of â€Å"botched† executions. On April 22, 1983 in Alabama, it took a few shocks of 1,900 volts of power to execute John Evans. On the third endeavor â€Å"another charge of power was sent through John’s body. By and by, his head and leg bubbled (80, Canan, Burning at The Wire)†. In a 1994 case, Fierro v. Gomez, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California checked on proof on the impacts of the gas chamber and bolstered Justice Brennan’s Eighth Amendment guarantee. The court â€Å"concluded that the time it takes for the deadly gas to kill a prisoner joined with the level of torment dispensed on the detainee warrants the utilization of another technique for execution† (US Court for ninth Circuit). Brennan refered to confirm that crooks executed in the gas chamberâ€by asphyxiationâ€suffered extraordinary agony over various minutes. Albeit most current execution techniques have all the earmarks of being truly easy, appearances can be deluding. Famous neurobiologists are presently giving proof which show that it is logically and medicinally sure that passing by electric shock isn't momentary. In the expressions of Harold Hillman, a conspicuous neurobiologist, â€Å"death by electric shock may dispense pointless agony, physical viciousness, and mutilation† (Hillman 174). Capital punishment presents genuine hazard to the blameless. Because of inborn blemishes in the US criminal equity framework honest individuals have been wrongly indicted. The threat is that once a blameless individual is executed it can't be cured. Portions from a 1993 report by a US Congress Subcommittee, expresses that regardless of how cautious we are â€Å"the chances are high that honest people have been or will be executed† (deathpenaltyinfo. rg). In 1989 albeit no physical proof connected Joseph Burrows to the homicide of William Dulin, he was indicted and sent to Death Row. Witnesses later said they had been forced by investigators and police. In summarizing the intrigue, Justice Harry Blackmun, expressed that, a â€Å"execution without sufficient shields is unsuitable, so too is an execution when the denounced detainee can demonstrate that he is innocent† (deathpenaltyinfo. organization). In 1994, a Texas court condemned Michael Blair to death for the 1993 homicide of 7-year old Ashley Estell. Mr. Blair could have paid with his life. Anyway a re-examination of the case in May 2008 found that â€Å"no sensible legal hearer would have indicted [applicant] considering newfound proof (cca. courts. state. tx. us)†. Progressively guiltless individuals keep on being discharged from death row. â€Å"There have been 220 post-conviction DNA absolutions in United States history (innocenceproject. organization). † World sentiment is supportive of annulling capital punishment. The European Union crusades for the widespread annulment of capital punishment. Annulment of capital punishment is a prerequisite for nations looking for EU participation. The EU Charter expresses that â€Å"no one will be sentenced to capital punishment, or executed (Article II-2)†. Turkey has joined the developing number of nations that advocate the abolishment of capital punishment. The Turkish Constitution expresses that, â€Å"neither capital punishment nor general seizure will be forced as discipline (Article 38, 9)†. Indeed, even in Central Asia where executions are a piece of a long custom, a few nations have constrained or suspended the utilization of capital punishment. On June 26, 2006 the President of the Philippines Macapagal Arroyo went into law a bill abrogating capital punishment. The bill confirmed their 1987 Constitution which expresses that, â€Å"the capital punishment will not be forced. Any capital punishment previously forced will be decreased to hermitic lifestyle perpetua† (Article III, area 19(1). In Africa, just six nations keep on forcing capital punishment. On September 16, 2005, Liberia agreed to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, focusing on the annulment of capital punishment. Article 1. 2 of the convention expresses that, â€Å"each State Party will take every single fundamental measure to abrogate capital punishment inside its jurisdiction† (http://www2. ohchr. organization). Since poor and minorities are lopsidedly exposed to capital punishment, it ought to be disallowed. A United States Judiciary Subcommittee in 1994 found that, â€Å"minorities are being arraigned under government capital punishment law a long ways past their extent in the general population† (usdoj. gov). Most court named lawyers regularly do not have the experience essential for capital preliminaries. Since â€Å"ninety-five percent of death row prisoners can't manage the cost of their own attorney,† (deathpenaltyinfo. organization) a court lawyer is typically named for them. During shutting comments in a homicide preliminary in a 1985 case in Georgia (State v. Dungee), the safeguard lawyer expressed that, the respondent â€Å"is poor and he is bankrupt. He’s got a designated lawyer† (eleventh Cir. 1985). The respondent was seen as blameworthy and sent to Death Row. A 2003 Amnesty International report found that the â€Å"juvenile wrongdoers executed in Texas since 1998 were all African-Americans who submitted their offenses at the time of 17† (texasdeathpenalty. rg). No white adolescents have been condemned to death row in Texas since capital punishment was reestablished in 1982. Since the death penalty doesn't prevent criminal offenses, it ought not be an authoritative document of discipline. An investigation by The New York Times in 2000 found that murder rates had increased and fallen along generally even ways in the states with and without capital punishment. The neighboring conditions of Michigan, with no capital punishment, and Indiana, which consistently forces capital punishments and does executions, have had for all intents and purposes indistinct crime rates. In 2007 the homicide rate in Michigan was 676 (1. 76%) with a 10 million population† (disastercenter. com). While the homicide rate in Indiana for a similar period was â€Å"356 (1. 4%) with a populace of 6. 3 million† individuals (disastercenter. com). An investigation of the homicide rate in Virginia second behind Texas in number of executions from 1976-2004 (94/944) and neighboring Maryland show no critical contrast. In 2007 the homicide rate in Virginia was â€Å"406 with a 7. 7 million population† (fbi. gov) and in Maryland for a similar period it was â€Å"553 with a populace of 5. million people† (fbi. gov). It is additionally appropriate to contrast states and high and low paces of execution because of capital punishment. A decent correlation for this situation is Oklahoma, which executed 75 up-and-comers somewhere in the range of 1976 and 2004, and Pennsylvania, which executed three. In 2004, Pennsylvania had â€Å"a complete Crime Index of 2,995. 3 revealed occurrences for every 100,000 people† (disastercenter. com). Though, Oklahoma â€Å"had a complete Crime Index of 4,558. 6 revealed episodes for every 100,000 people† (disastercenter. com) in 2004. In spite of the fact that the wrongdoing file isn't confined to murders, Oklahoma’s numbers are essentially higher than Pennsylvania’s. Capital punishment is cost-restrictive and ought to be unlawful. A framework with a capital punishment is limitlessly more costly than one where the greatest punishment is saving killers in jail forever. In the State of California the extra expense of restricting a detainee to Death Row, â€Å"is $90,000 every year, per inmate† (ccfaj. organization). California could spare about $90,000,000 every year by annulling capital punishment and re-condemning the entirety of its Death Row detainees to life detainment. In Maryland a normal capital-qualified case in which investigators don't look for capital punishment cost $1. 1 million. A capital-qualified case in which investigators ineffectively look for capital punishment costs $1. 8 million and a case bringing about a capital punishment costs around $3 million. From 1978-1999 looking for capital punishment in 162 cases has cost citizens of Maryland â€Å"$186 million more than what those cases would have cost had capital punishment not been sought† (Urban Institute Report, 2008). In Indiana â€Å"the cost of a capital punishment preliminary and direct intrigue alone is in excess of multiple times the expense of an existence without any chance to appeal preliminary and direct appeal† (in. gov). This was the decision from a 2002 Indiana Criminal Law Study led for the then Governor of Indiana Frank O’Bannon. From 1973 to 1988, the province of Florida spent a normal of $3. 2 million for every execution (in. gov). â€Å"Bottom line, life in jail is one-6th as expensive† Miami Herald, July 10, 1988. Capital punishment is in itself pointless and has made counterproductive outcomes in deflecting the wrongdoing of homicide. It squanders huge assets on a bunch of cases, to the impediment of measures that may give genuine recovery. The United States is at present the main industrialized country effectively executing sentenced criminals by the death penalty. Taking into account that every single human life have a natural worth it is innately off-base to accept one as a procedure to make up for one that’s been lost. â€Å"The capital punishment stays laden

Funding Higher Education Essay Example for Free

Subsidizing Higher Education Essay So as to address spending necessities during income shortfall years, different open doors are accessible to the administration other than just raising assessments. One feasible open door is opening exploration offices in advanced education to private use. Advanced education foundations have different wet and dry labs that can be valuable to business and other personal business elements directing examination. A portion of these substances typically enter contracts with private research facilities. By opening school assets, government would have the option to tap the accounts of these private elements into the schools. Truth be told, the administration can make this system one stride further by building a temporary job educational plan for its understudies that include taking a shot at privately owned business ventures (Gordon, 2000). Through such an entry level position program, qualified understudies would be sent to work in school offices on inquire about work required by subsidizing substances. Obviously, understudies would be given a suitable remittance. This gives an imaginative and down to earth learning experience for the understudies just as an insignificant wellspring of salary. Besides, it makes linkages to the business where they may have the option to all the more helpfully discover work after graduation. Another conceivable procedure is opening grounds to private special tasks. These undertakings set up stalls and direct exercises that focus on the consideration of understudies as well as employees to benefit of specific items or administrations. Obviously, elements that might want to advance their items would need to be screened completely as indicated by the scholastic institution’s mission-vision to guarantee that no logical inconsistencies are available. These two systems can raise income up to fitting levels and permit the school financial plan to be supported for the income deficiency scholastic year. Reference Gordon, J. (2000). Private schooling Management. N. Y. : Doubleday.

Essay on Collaborative Development Resit

Question: Portray about an Essay on Collaborative Development Resit? Answer: UML Diagrams UML or Unified Modeling Language charts are a standard technique for displaying the fundamental plan of the product framework so as to give a general perspective on the general functionalities of the framework. There are various types of UML graph which can be utilized to speak to both the basic and the social parts of the framework (Omurca, 2013). Use Case Diagram: Use case outline characterizes the auxiliary components of the framework. By and large, in a structure report, Use case definitions ought to be composed for all the Requirements of the framework. The prerequisites of a framework are spoken to utilizing an utilization case model in the Use Case Diagram. The utilization case chart for the entertainers of this contextual investigation is given as underneath. The chart assists with calling attention to the highlights of the framework and the product prerequisites (Choi and Han, 2013). Here, the head is the essential on-screen character. The bolts imply the correspondence between the utilization cases or procedures for example key necessities of the framework. It speaks to the situation of the fundamental functionalities of the product from the perspective of an outside eyewitness (de Haan, Vrancken and Lukszo, 2011). The utilization cases are calling attention to what the entertainer for example the chairman needs to do and the means taken by him to play out that particular assignment. UML Activity Diagram: Movement outlines characterize the social parts of the framework. UML Activity graph can be viewed as a sort of flowchart (Liu and Dong, 2011). Through the UML action chart the essential unique nature of the framework is spoken to. It contains the dynamic procedure stream of the framework programming. The graphical portrayal of the bit by bit process stream incorporates the essential exercises of the framework inside the rectangular boxes. The dark dab connotes the beginning of the procedure and the dark spot with a hover around it implies the finish of procedure or exercises. It gives a significant level conceptualization of the general functionalities of the framework (Kuhn and Bergel, 2014). The crates speak to the exercises, the bolts bring up the bearing or the progression of the exercises. The precious stone formed figures speak to conditions and limitations engaged with the work stream of the exercises. Basic Evaluation: The present arrangement of West Midlands Fire Service is to make another product framework which will work on the possibility of Intelligent Remote Monitoring Solution or IRMS to bring order and control way to deal with an unheard of level. The fire administration organization adopted the order and control strategy to settle on dynamic in an increasingly dispersed technique. This strategy actualizes the customary thought of order and control focus in progressively imaginative manners. Fundamentally, the principle target of this new framework is identifying and handling episode territories and overseeing and dispensing assets in a progressively effective manner (Choi and Han, 2013). It completely uses the offices of the progressions of present day advances and systems to speak with focal servers and other associated terminals to deal with dire episodes by following the closest assets accessible. To accomplish this errand, they executed a mapping framework which can be valuable for fol lowing and featuring specific assets around the regions where the episodes happen (Omurca, 2013). The essential functionalities of the executed framework are: Track assets and apportion Ids to every asset Gathering assets as indicated by their abilities Feature the zones on the guide where assets are accessible Assign best asset to occurrences contingent on the circumstance Replay the episodes with the goal that a specific distinct individual can be featured and check whether they need emergency treatment Cover up and show jobs that are engaged with the episodes Give question and preparing to handle occurrences appropriately Include or imprint areas where assets are accessible Impart to focal server the areas containing assets. Form Control System In this specific undertaking they have utilized the Version Control System innovation to actualize the functionalities of the chairman and the officers. The form control framework is principally utilized where appropriated information handling is included. The component of this framework assists with monitoring every single change made to the source code so as to work in an appropriated domain (de Haan, Vrancken and Lukszo, 2011). This framework underpins a cooperative improvement by co-ordinating among the all the forms of the product framework. This at last aides in sharing a typical source code among the product designers. It makes it simpler to perform bug fixes and resolve different issues with respect to the correct working of the source code (Omurca, 2013). Notwithstanding this the regular coding style for example the PHP Coding Style has been utilized to build up the framework programming as it is plain straightforward and straightforward. Besides, the remark styles help to appreciate the elements of the announcements all the more effectively (Liu and Dong, 2011). Issues that have ruined the exhibition One of the principle issues of adaptation control framework is that the source code changes all the time. Accordingly the substance likewise should be changed. The chance of misfortune and harm of shared information can be high while utilizing the variant control component to blend the codes (Dwivedi and Clarke, 2012). In addition, executing the entire framework dependent on to a huge touch screen causes overhead. The execution of the guide and its best possible working, everything exclusively relies upon the accessibility of systems. In this way, the presentation of the framework gets powerless at whatever point there is an issue in the system or at whatever point there is substantial system traffic. Additionally, because of this framework being of disseminated type, the correspondence between the overseers of the focal servers and nearby commandants or customers is totally reliant on accessibility of web/organize (Fuller and Millett, 2011). The product framework takes full assistan ce of GPS or Global Positioning System and Wi-Fi or GSM systems (Global System for Mobile correspondence). GPS framework works completely depending on the gathering of signs by radio. In this manner satellite disappointment or radio obstruction can cause immense difficulties in the correspondence procedure. Then again, breaking down of the Wi-Fi systems can upset the exhibition of the general framework. Issues experienced during coordinated effort and correspondence The issues that can most be confronted with respect to correspondence and coordinated effort in this product framework are: Invigorate work in the guide was not organizing appropriately. The data board had a few challenges to show refreshed data. The presentation button had experienced a few issues and was not working appropriately already. The system used to execute sweep around the fire-influenced territory was not working appropriately. The highlights utilized for activity of fireman, territory director and watch supervisor in the guide were not continually coordinating the positions. The assets that are found and set apart in the area on the guide should be conveyed legitimately to the focal server (Liu and Dong, 2011). In addition, there were a few issues with respect to the database association and synchronization of sign in and other database data. Correspondence with the database engineers must be composed so as to tackle the issues. Moreover there was some issue with the correspondence among the coders as there a correspondence brokenness in the gitlab (de Haan, Vrancken and Lukszo, 2011). The correspondence is commonly completed for all intents and purposes with the assistance of systems. Accordingly organize foundation should be sufficiently able to help the correspondence procedure (Hinsen, 2013). In addition, the joint effort advancement through the assistance of form control approach experiences a few troubles because of the distinctive coding style and approaches of the product engineers situated in better places. Regularly there are situations when the job of a specific individual engaged with an occurrence isn't clear (Kuhn and Bergel, 2014). In those cases replaying the entire episode likewise doesn't help in some cases. Approach to manage the issues By centralization of the conveyed stage, sharing of significant with the customers or clients is conceivable in a convenient way (Leon, 2000). This thusly causes them to pick up knowledge to the extend and team up all the while. In the event that the product designers and coders can work from a typical station and the sharing and converging of their codes are done adequately dependent on solid correspondence methodologies then there will be less issues which may manifest. The use of the correspondence stages, for example, base camp which was utilized can be enhanced for greatest profitability and least blunders (Liu and Dong, 2011). Correspondence and legitimate co-activity are significant components with regards to dealing with another framework over a system. One approach to determine the issue of correspondence is make the data accessible in legitimate stations. Also the framework can be overseen in such strategy so that in an applied viewpoint or from the perspective of the client/customer the stage is a brought together area. Clarification of what should be possible in an unexpected way So as to dispose of the issues that were looked during the improvement of the product framework, a portion of the moves can be made in an alternate methodology. The database association issues can be settled by adjusting the accepted procedures of database the executives utilizing PHP applications. The open strategies and close techniques for database availability must be performed accurately by the database executives and database clients dealing with the overhead that may be caused (Kuhn and Bergel, 2014). In addition, the adjustment of installed Ethernet could get positive changes and upgrades to the framework. In any case the adjustments of Midlands Fire Service Company are very fitting considering the nature and kind of framework they a

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Twelve

â€Å"Good practice,† Christopher stated, halting close to Matt as he took off of the storage space. €Å"you are very brave moves, man.† â€Å"Thanks,† Matt stated, looking up from putting on his shoes. â€Å"You were glancing quite acceptable out there yourself.† He could tel Christopher would have been a strong colleague, the sort of fellow who carried out his responsibility and concentrated on the 10,000 foot view, attempting to help the remainder of the group. He was an extraordinary flat mate, as well, liberal and laid-back. He didn't wheeze. â€Å"Want to skirt the eating hal and request a pizza?† Christopher inquired. â€Å"This is my night to beat you at Guitar Hero †I can feel it.† Matt chuckled. In the couple of weeks they'd been living respectively, he and Christopher had been working their way through al the Wii games Christopher had carried with him to class. â€Å"Al right, I'l see you back at the room.† Christopher slapped him on the back, smiling broadly. After Christopher left, Matt took as much time as is needed getting his things together, letting the different folks escape the storage space in front of him. He wanted to stroll back to the dormitory alone today around evening time. They were a decent pack of folks, yet he was sore and tired. Between footbal practices and Vitale Society vow exercises, he'd never worked his body so hard. It felt better. He felt better. Indeed, even the most idiotic of the Vitale exercises †and some of them were really dumb: they'd needed to work in groups to fabricate houses out of paper a few evenings ago †were somewhat fun, since he was becoming acquainted with some astonishing individuals. Ethan had been correct. As a gathering, the vows were keen, decided, capable, all that you'd anticipate. Furthermore, he was one of them. His classes were fascinating, as well. Back in secondary school he'd gotten alright evaluations yet had for the most part simply done what he needed to do to pass. The Civil War, geometry, science, To Kill a Mockingbird: al his homework had kind of mixed out of spotlight of his genuine of companions and sports. Some of what he was doing at Dalcrest was that way, as well, yet in the vast majority of his classes, he was beginning to see associations between things. He was getting the possibility that history, language, science, and writing were al parts of something very similar †the manner in which individuals thought and the tales they told †and it was genuine y entirely intriguing. It was conceivable, Matt idea, with a self-deriding smile, that he was â€Å"blossoming† in col ege, much the same as his secondary school direction advocate had anticipated. It wasn't ful y dim yet, yet time was slipping away. Matt accelerated, contemplating pizza. There weren't many individuals meandering the grounds. Matt speculated they were either in the cafeteria or squatted in their rooms, apprehensive. He wasn't stressed, however. He figured there were much more defenseless focuses than a footbal player. A breeze fired up, waving the parts of the trees on the quad and drifting the smel of grass to Matt. It stil felt like summer. In the shrubberies, a couple of early-night fireflies squinted on and off. He rol ed his shoulders, getting a charge out of the stretch after a long practice. Up ahead, somebody shouted. A person, Matt idea. The cry cut off out of nowhere. Before he could even think, Matt was running toward the sound. His heart was beating, and he attempted to constrain his worn out legs to move quicker. That was a sound of unadulterated frenzy, Matt idea. He stressed his ears yet didn't hear anything with the exception of his own battered breaths. As he came around the business fabricating, a dim figure that had been twisted around something in the grass removed, its long thin legs flying. It was moving quick, and its face was totally hidden by a hoodie. Matt couldn't check whether it was a person or a young lady. He calculated his own step to race after the figure in dark however went to an unexpected end by the shape in the grass. Not only a shape. For a second, Matt's psyche would not process what he was seeing. The red and gold of a footbal pullover. Wet, thick fluid spreading across it. A recognizable face. At that point everything snapped into center. He dropped to his knees. â€Å"Christopher, gee golly, Christopher.† There was blood all over the place. Matt frantical y felt at Christopher's chest, attempting to make sense of where he could put strain to attempt to stop the dying. All over the place, all over the place, it's originating from all over the place. Christopher's entire body was shaking, and Matt squeezed his hands against the drenching footbal pullover to attempt to hold him stil . New blood ran in thick red streams against the more splendid red of the pullover's material. â€Å"Christopher, man, hang tight, it will be alright. You'l be okay,† Matt stated, and pul ed out his telephone to dial 911. His own hands were secured with blood now, and the telephone was a foul wreckage as he held it to his ear. â€Å"Please,† he stated, his voice shaking, â€Å"I'm at Dalcrest Col ege, close to the business building. My flat mate, somebody assaulted my flat mate. He's draining a great deal. He's not conscious.† The 911 administrator began to pose him a few inquiries and Matt attempted to center. Out of nowhere Christopher opened his eyes, taking a profound swallow of air. â€Å"Christopher,† Matt stated, dropping his telephone. â€Å"Chris, they're sending an emergency vehicle, hold on.† The shaking deteriorated, Christopher's arms and legs vibrating in a fast cadence. His eyes chose Matt's face, and his mouth opened. â€Å"Chris,† Matt stated, attempting to hold him down, attempting to be delicate, â€Å"who did this? Who assaulted you?† Christopher wheezed once more, a dry swallowing sound. At that point the shaking halted, and he was very stil . His eyelids slid down over his eyes. â€Å"Chris, if it's not too much trouble hold on,† Matt asked. â€Å"They're coming. They'l help you.† He got at Christopher, shook him a bit, however Christopher wasn't moving, wasn't relaxing. Alarms sounded out there, however Matt realized the emergency vehicle was at that point past the point of no return.

Epistemology and Knowledge Essay

Epistemology, or the investigation of information, requires the researcher break down the what, how, and why’s of their own insight. Posing these inquiries of themselves is basically applying what they have realized. There are various inceptions of information as conceptualized by logicians, instructors, and researchers. Early savants characterized information as â€Å"justified genuine belief† (Cooper, pg. 23). All together for a person to know something it must be valid, the person must trust it, and the faith in it must be advocated or sanely sensible. Afterward, early present day thinkers expected information to be demonstrated and supreme. The logical technique was utilized to give verification to thoughts and convictions. The methods by which information is obtained fluctuates. Feldman refers to wellsprings of information as discernment, master declaration, memory, thinking, and thoughtfulness (Feldman, 2003). As an instructor, training essential age understudies regularly, I should not just have incredible understanding into what I accept, however I likewise should have understanding into my student’s information also. Educators need to know various things about their understudies, for example, Do the understudies have satisfactory earlier information to comprehend the new material being introduced? Are the understudies adequately propelled to take part in the subjective assignments expected of them? Does the data fit a current plan of information or will it require some adjustment of current comprehension? Understanding what my understudy know and at what profundity they can apply that information manages my guidance. My regular interest, a characteristic tendency for question, and a requirement for answers spur the quest for clarifications. Information and astuteness give a comprehension of our position, job, and capacity on the planet. Achterbergh and Vriens (2002) expressed, â€Å"The job of information in producing suitable activities is that it fills in as a foundation for articulating potential game-plans (verbalization), for deciding whether blueprints will yielded the expected outcome and for utilizing this judgment in choosing among them (determination), for choosing how activities ought to be actualized and for really executing activity (implementation)† (pg. 223). Information empowers understanding of encounters, forecasts of results, and gives the capacity to settle on educated choices. My very own epistemology is a result of every one of these perspectives. Individual encounters impact convictions and should be an adequate wellspring of information however by all account not the only thought when gaining information. There is likewise a spot for the logical technique which offers demonstrated information to base information. For me, information is a result of thinking (Feldman, 2003). I get information from data imported through various modes and from different sources, for example, individual encounters, guidance from specialists, and information. These contributions of data are subjectively prepared and separated with the reference to past understanding and earlier information to turn out to be new â€Å"justified genuine beliefs† (Cooper, ). In this manner, information securing is a procedure including the assortment of crude information or data, thinking, and judgment making. For instance, after my understudies have stepped through an examination, I take a gander at the information, consider the examples in the information, or the absence of an example utilizing earlier information and encounters as a channel. At last, I choose what my following stage or technique will be. Do I have to reteach the subject in light of the fact that the example recommends that the vast majority of my understudies didn't completely comprehend the ability or idea? Or then again do I proceed onward to another progressively intricate ability or idea on the grounds that my understudies have substantiated themselves educated? It is along these lines that I secure information and apply that information to arranging exercises for my understudies. Huge numbers of my partners depend entirely on the logical strategy to settle on choices with respect to understudy learning. They are happy with taking a gander at a spreadsheet loaded with information and accept that it recounts to the total story concerning understudies. They are additionally under the presumption that scores got from a progression of various decision tests given on a lot of abilities will uncover if an understudy has obtained the ideal information. Putting together evaluations with respect to these tests is likewise proper. I don't accept that this recounts to the full story of my student’s information. These tests may exhibit the capacity to spew this information inside a specific setting, yet out of this setting this may not be valid. I do, be that as it may, utilize this information to help educate many regarding my choices, be that as it may, I don't settle on choices dependent on this information. There must be a balanceâ of thinking, utilizing my 16 years of encounters and preparing, just as crude information recounts to an increasingly complete story of my student’s information and capacities. I have worked for Porterville Unified School District (PUSD), in Porterville, California, my whole vocation. PUSD’s vision and statements of purpose read as follows: â€Å"PUSD understudies will have what it takes and information to be set up for school and vocation and to have a constructive outcome in a powerful worldwide society. The mission of PUSD is to give understudies a dynamic, connecting with and compelling instructive experience that sets them up with the aptitudes to be gainful residents in a worldwide society. † accordingly, it is seen that all understudies will create and show â€Å"critical thinking and critical thinking aptitudes; social mindfulness and the capacity of team up with differing gatherings; compelling relational abilities of tuning in, talking and composing; innovativeness and advancement; administration, self-administration and authoritative abilities acquired through true applications and network association; (and) the capacity to explore the worldwide universe of work and further their instruction (Porterville, 2012). † Porterville Unified (PUSD) has given unequivocal desires for what understudies should know toward the finish of their instructive profession with the area, how understudies get to these ultimate objectives is somewhat less clear and left to the judgment of the instructors. There are a few desires for instructors and exercises introduced to understudies given by the area. Numerous expert advancement hours have been spent on training educators about the particular things that directors will search for as they do brief perceptions of study hall guidance. The desires incorporate instructing expressly to the basic guidelines; posting of the basic standard being educated; 80% understudy commitment during the exercise; show of praiseworthy work; higher request addressing and thinking abilities. Overseers gather this information and offer it with grade levels and school wide to assist instructors with concentrating on regions that are deficient. Chairman walk-throughs give a brisk preview of the kind of showing and getting the hang of occurring during a thing or two and they help to construct an all encompassing image of the training strategies and assets being utilized (Hetzner, 2011). PUSD has put an accentuation on the systems required for powerful exercises and, thus, viable understudy learning. As a fourth grade educator for Porterville Unified School District, my assignment is to make every day exercise designs that serve to manage me as I show my understudies. My initial phase in making these exercises is to decide my student’s level of earlier information. I can achieve this by taking a gander at formal and casual evaluations and information. Perception of this information gives me a superior comprehension of what my following stages with my understudy ought to be. At times, I have to return and reteach aptitudes, while in different cases I can show my understudies another expertise. I need to settle on an educated choice with regards to what intellectual level I have to instruct to straightaway. Attention to how my understudies are proceeding just as where I should be similar to pacing and remaining on target to overcome all the abilities should have been instructed inside the year are crucial to my every day task as a fourth grade instructor. As I contrast my own epistemology and that of my region, I understand that I invest more energy surveying information after the exercise has been educated while the area puts more accentuation on information gathered during an exercise. Both of these methodologies are significant and, truth be told, the region places an incentive on the final product (I. e. State test scores), in any case, there is little move that can make place after the year's end information is gathered. PUSD has put and accentuation on great guidance since they consider it to be the way to decent instruction, just as, the abilities and objectives they have set in the crucial vision articulations. Our epistemologies adjust in that we both depend on the examination of specialists. I trust, as does PUSD, that the information given by specialists is significant to our own insight and it should direct how I show my understudies. The area additionally sees its educators as specialists in the field and has given numerous opportunities in the introduction and employments of assets when instructing understudies. As I think about my school regions center when contrasted with me I understand that despite the fact that our epistemologies are not actually adjusted we are adjusted in our focal point of the understudies. Understudies start things out. That implies I will utilize whichever procedures I have to so as to make viable understudy learning. Auditing test scores and arranging exercises are imperative to understudy learning, nonetheless, I have been so fixated on what I am training that my understudies have not been locked in just as they could be and in this manner have not educated the topics to their maximum capacity. Likewise, despite the fact that pacing is significant, it ought not be of top need. Top need ought to survey my understudies during the exercise and evolving techniques, or even the aptitudes being instructed, if my understudies are not locked in. There is no reason for crashing through an exercise if most of my understudies are not tuning in to what is being instructed. This new knowledge will assist with driving my guidance and will help make me an increasingly compelling educator. R

Excavating the Empty Tomb Essay

Excavating the Empty Tomb Essay Essay on Excavating the empty Tomb: The author of the movie â€Å"general assertion is that the authenticity of the new gospel† is not genuine. The author believes that the books of the new gospel Mark, Matthew, Luke and John are all fabricated as illustrated by (Top Documentaries, online). The author sees these new gospel books as fictional books that were drawn up by authors who were interested in coming up with formidable stories that they wanted the public to read and be fascinated about. The assertions that are illustrated by the author seem to be true. This is because all the assertions that the author are supported with facts. What the author asserts are really interesting and fascinating. This is because first of the statement made about the gospel of Mark. All the old versions of the gospel of Mark did not contain the verses starting with chapter nine. These verses had initially been omitted but eventually were found inserted in the versions that were written later. This is very controversial since the verses that were later inserted seemed to solely support the verdict that Jesus had risen as of the deceased. Although this seems circumstantial with the fact that the general writing flow of these chapters stress on the fact the Jesus arose from the dead along with that he is the only one to be worshipped. The author has very strong arguments against the resurrection of Christ which are strongly supported by the basic facts that he makes through the documentary as explained by (Build Forum, online). Since the books of the gospel were also written anonymously as nobody really knows who their authors are and this is a proven fact. If no one really knows the authors of these books, then their credibility is seriously questioned. The trends that are evident in the documentary are the omission of the last chapters in the gospel of Mark. We note that the earlier versions of Mark’s gospel did not contain the chapters 9 through to 16. To me, this seems an omission and an inclusion in the new version makes the documents questionable. This makes me doubt the whole authenticity of the bible. If these chapters were initially not present, then just along the writing of the new version, some of the bits included make it unbelievable. The whole editing of the gospels to include the new chapters in the later stages make it seem shrouded with mystery. This is really disturbing to note that the earlier version might have been the correct one. The apparent lack of authors of the gospel of the New Testament further put the writings of the bible in complete mystery. What if the bible stories were written as fiction stories just like the odyssey stories? This could help in illustrating how the fictional nature of the bo ok of Mark is. The author of Mark is mysterious and we are shrouded in mystery. How can a book that is written by a mysterious author be credible? The new knowledge that I have acquired from the documentary is the writing history of the New Testament gospels. The detailed history on how all the books of gospel were written has given me a new insight about the build in the writing of books in the bible. The illustration on how the book of Mark was first written is really of interest. The interesting bit of the new versions of the gospel of Mark is on it insisting on the resurrection of Christ. Since the other gospels Mathew, Luke and John were written after the book of Mark, they contain the same message but curiously insist on the last chapters of the book of Mark as noted by (Mindscape, online). The insight of this knowledge was the curiosity in the writing of the books on how the authors were able to read the thoughts of Jesus. Reading someone’s thoughts is something that is impossible and no man can accomplish it unless through miracles. The later books also seem to give more detailed explanations that the original bo ok which is unusual as some of the books described were not present in the book of Mark. The part of the documentary which I disagree with is the parallelism of relation of the events between the odyssey stories and the description of the book of Mark. I think this was a coincidence and the need of the author to find out something that he could compare with his story so as to support the facts. There is no relation whatsoever about the story of a living man and the life history of Christ as noted by (Andrea, online). Since the odyssey story was fictional story, one cannot just pinpoint that the gospel of Mark was also fictional. We normally have fictional stories which are derived or similar to the actual stories. The insistence of Christ that no one tells other his people of who he is was a way to fulfill his will. Without hiding his identity, the purpose which he had been sent to earth to fulfill could not be accomplished. This is in total contrast with what the author wants us to really believe. The story of Jesus Christ on earth cannot be compared with fictional stor ies. Things that Jesus Christ performed were miracles and can never be explained through science history of mathematics.

How the New SAT has Disadvantaged Female Testers

An opportunity missed. College Board has used lofty language to describe its goals for the new SAT—equity, fairness, college and career readiness. It announced the test redesign in 2014 as part of a â€Å"renewed commitment to delivering opportunity,† however, without stating how it would provide confirmation of delivery. College Board has made moves to bring additional opportunity to students—its partnership with Khan Academy and its commitment to expanding the availability of fee waivers stand out as two examples—while largely avoiding the topic of gaps in subgroup performance. This article is meant to challenge this silence and demonstrate how the changes to the SAT had a negative impact on female test-takers. This piece is more akin to a research report than to a regular post. For those desiring a shorter, less sober view on this topic, I recommend starting with The Disadvantaging of Female Testers: A Reproof of College Board. First do no harm. Differential performance on the SAT across subgroups—gender, race and ethnicity, and income, among others—has long been an area of concern for critics of the test and for College Board itself. During the prior revision of the SAT in 2005, College Board made a remarkable pledge, as summarized in its 2007 report â€Å"A Historical View of Subgroup Performance Difference on the SAT Reasoning Test,† by Kobrin, J. et al.. Whether College Board made the same pledge for the new SAT (2016 edition) and failed to live up to it or whether it abandoned the promise altogether, the result is the same. An analysis of scoring differences shows that at least one group—high-performing female test-takers—has been disadvantaged by the new exam. Evaluating this claim requires data, methodology, and patience. Expandable notes are available along the way for those with even more patience. Scores, like cats, must be lived with for several years before they are understood. The reworking of scores means that colleges, counselors, and students have a more difficult time interpreting them. Concordance tables can be used to match up individual scores, but what does it mean that the difference in average SAT scores between males and females on the new SAT is 20 points—1081 for males and 1061 for females? Is that better or worse than the 24 point difference on the old SAT—1503 versus 1479? Does it matter that the new SAT’s difference increases to at least 40 points when looking at male versus female students with above average scores? Should it be expected or disheartening that proportionally 45% more males are in the 1400-1600 score range than females? This article addresses these questions primarily through comparison. The author is not equipped, for example, to answer the final question, because it delves into a more complex discussion of, among other things, scholastic performance versus test performance, gender stereotypes and expectations, and curricular, construct, and predictive validities. There is an extensive body of research on these topics. By exclusively evaluating the new SAT in comparison to the old SAT, a narrower question can addressed. To borrow the language of Kobrin, et al.:Did gaps in performance widen? The graph below shows the widening of performance gaps as one moves to higher scoring groups of students. The College Board’s own research can often minimize these differences by looking at the middle of the distributions. This graph will gradually be unpacked over the course of this report. Blurring the SAT’s mission An evolving change in the SAT’s mission has created a certain dissonance. With the SAT’s repositioning as a test of â€Å"college and career readiness,† there is added emphasis on curricular standards, benchmarks, and expanding the pool of test-takers to provide a pathway of opportunity to all students. These are laudable—probably essential—goals, but there is an imperfect match with the traditional use of the SAT as an admission exam. For many students, readiness is not all. They do not show up bleary-eyed on Saturday mornings to prove that they have â€Å"a 75% or greater likelihood of earning a C in the first-semester of a credit-bearing course in a related subject† (the definition for math and reading benchmarks on the SAT). They want to get into the colleges of their choosing, and doing well on the SAT can help them meet that goal. Relative performance matters in the case of admission, and to disadvantage or ignore female students or other subgroups—seeking competitive scores violates the principles of equity. College Board should not be allowed to ignore these students, and its rhetoric often does. A simple change with complex consequences Perhaps the most fundamental shift on the new SAT was not one of subject matter but of scoring. Reading, writing, and mathematics are still tested separately, but the most commonly used SAT scores — the familiar 200-800 ranges — now combine the reading and writing measures into a single Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) score. This change allowed College Board to return to 400-1600 scoring after a decade of 600-2400 results. David Coleman, president of College Board, made this announcement in 2014 as an applause line—a sort of nod to the glory years when the SAT was still the leading college entrance exam. The 1600 scale, though, has been a key contributor to the widening gap in male and female score results. College Board stopped reporting full percentile information by gender with the class of 2015 and removed even score range comparisons in its 2017 annual report on college-bound seniors. Much of the detailed historical data has also been excised either by intentional or haphazard pruning. Fortunately, some of that information has been archived or is available from alternate sources. The numbers College Board didnt publish. Expand for a note on data sources and comparisons Comparing like-to-like data runs into multiple challenges. For several years, College Board and ACT followed a policy of releasing data for a class based on the tests taken through June of the graduation year. For the class of 2016, College Board truncated the data at January of senior year in order to avoid mixing old and new SAT results. This had the effect of making the 2016 report something of an outlier. The 2015 report has more data—crucially, complete percentiles by gender—and is more typical of a full cohort reporting cycle, so it is used here as a measure of the old SAT. College Board’s annual report on the class of 2017 faced the problem of how to report on students who stopped testing with the old SAT. It ended up simply dropping those 124,000 students and reported on the 1.72 million who took the new exam. This had the effect of lowering reported scores when compared to a full class year. Students who take the SAT earlier tend to be higher scoring. Students who wrapped up testing with the old SAT often did so because they were satisfied with their scores. While not published with its annual report, College Board does track the 2017 cohort as a group and concords old SAT scores to new SAT scores for the extra 124,000 students, 53% of whom were female (essentially the same proportion as in the total group). The figures in this article use the full 1.83 million students who took the old or new SAT. This number (a) better reflects the entire cohort and (b) is the only option for comparing male and female score results unless College Board retur ns to publishing full data tables. The figures presented here do not match directly to the published class of 2017 report because of the different definitions used. As an example of the difference, College Board reports that the 1.72 million students who took the new SAT averaged a 1060. The data on the 1.83 million students reflects a class year average of 1070 once concorded old scores are included. The author does not believe that any of the conclusions would change based on the different pools of students. While this article questions some of the College Board’s decisions about data release and research, it should be noted that ACT has not regularly (has never?) provided detailed performance statistics by gender. Instead, it has relied on reporting mean scores, which can disguise important differences in subgroup performance. Calculating the ratio of male to female testers. In absolute and percentage terms, males are more represented in the upper and lower score ranges. A simple measure of score differences is the ratio of male to female testers at a given score band (referred to here as the Male/Female Index Raw). For example, 65,528 males scored 1400 or higher, while 50,647 females were at or above that score, for an index of 1.29. Two refinements of this ratio are useful. More females take the SAT (they represent about 53% of test-takers). Note that the overall Male/Female Index Raw is 0.89. Comparing the percentage of male and female students rather than the raw counts adjusts for this difference and allows for a discussion of proportional results. In the example used above, 7.6% of male test-takers were in the 1400-1600 range. For female test-takers, the figure is 5.2%. The ratio of 7.6% to 5.2% is 1.45 [the exact percentages have been rounded for presentation.] This figure is referred to as the Male/Female Index (Adjusted). The adjusted index is favored by the author for its reflection of proportional results. Were the raw index used, instead, the results would remain the same in both direction and magnitude, because the percentage of female test-takers changed little from old SAT to new. Unless otherwise noted, â€Å"M/F Index† will refer to the Male/Female Index (Adjusted) for the remainder of thi s article. Another refinement is to look at cumulative performance. Rather than isolating individual bands, the cumulative percentage allows comparison of students at or above a given score. This better reflects how students interpret scores. â€Å"I am In the top one-third of test-takers† is a more likely statement than â€Å"My score puts me between the highest 12% and 33% of results.† It also avoids the statistical problem that high representation in one band can mask a drop in representation in another. The tables below compares the results from the new SAT and the old SAT. The table shows that 30% of male students (7.6 + 22.5 = 30.1) scored 1200 or higher on the new SAT. The equivalent figure for female students is 24.9%. The M/F Index for that group of students is 30/24.9 = 1.21.  The data demonstrate that the change in exams has shifted results in favor of high-scoring male test-takers. The M/F Index increased from 1.31 to 1.45. Indexes can seem abstract, but had the new SAT maintained the same gender differences as the old SAT, the number of female students in the 1400-1600 range would have been approximately 7% higher than it actually was. Interpreting the M/F Index By the time scores approach the means of each test [1070 on the new SAT, 1490 on the old], both exams see M/F Indexes that approaching 1. The number of students—especially females—in the middle of the curve start to outweigh differences at the top. A M/F Index of 1 indicates the same proportion of male and female students at or above a given score. It is tempting to think of a constant value of 1 as the ideal level. In practice, no academic test performs identically on every subgroup at every score level. Further, the makeup of male and female testing populations should not be assumed to be identical. Self-selection can play a role. The fact that more females choose to take the SAT and to attend college may produce a more diverse group of test-takers. These caveats do not imply that testing organizations have no duty to monitor and assess the fairness of their exams, especially when it comes to the widening of gaps. An assumption of the analysis here is that the population of test-takers for the new SAT is similar to that of the old SAT. This is an assumption commonly made by College Board in its own research. Linking old scores to new The change in SAT scoring introduces the problem of how to compare new SAT ranges to those on the old SAT. Why, for example, are scores 1400 and higher on the new SAT compared in the table above to those 2020 and higher on the old SAT? Score bands were created by matching— as closely as possible—the percentage of all students across the old and new exams. For example, 6.3% of testers scored between 1400 and 1600 on the new SAT, whereas 6.2% scored between 2020 and 2400 on the old SAT. On the new SAT, 27.3% score at or above 1200, which compares to 27.4% that scored at or above 1690 on the old exam. The ranges can be said to be (approximately) equipercentile. This linking is necessary because scores cannot be transformed through a simple equation such as new = two-thirds old. Expand for a note on the use of concordances Concordances are a method of linking exams that measure similar skills. The ACT and SAT have long been linked via a concordance so that colleges can compare students submitting either exam. College Board developed an equipercentile concordance to compare the new SAT and old SAT. This article, however, does not use that concordance. A concordance is typically developed by having the same group of students take both exams and matching the percentiles across the exams. College Board did this in a pilot study completed before the new SAT was actually administered and, critically, has released little information about the pilot. In choosing between a measure that can be analyzed and shared (the performances of the classes of 2015 and 2017) versus one that requires faith alone (the College Board concordance), the author has chosen the visible. Concordant scores were also examined and were shown to produce almost identical M/F Indexes. Did the restructuring alone increase the observed differences or did other changes play a role? The most obvious explanation for the the overall widening of the score gap is the increased weighting of the subject with the largest gap—Math—and the decreased weighting of the subject with the smallest gap—Writing. Analysis shows, however, that test construction decisions made even within a particular subject area can and have shaped subgroup performance. The gap may widen or narrow based on what is included, what is excluded, and how things are packaged and assembled. The math on Math. A decrease in the M/F Index. Math continues to have the highest M/F Index, and Math’s weight has increased from one-third to one-half of the total score. The math on the SAT, however, has not been static. College Board dramatically overhauled the exam. Geometry fell out of favor. Algebra got an added embrace. Much of what had fallen in â€Å"Numbers and Operations† got pushed aside for probability and statistics. Real world application of concepts came to the fore. Below is a table comparing new SAT Math performance to old. The net impact of the changes was to lower the M/F Index for math (note that the solid line of the new SAT falls below the dotted line in the graph). Proportionally, the number of females in the upper scores of the exam increased rather than decreased. When the SAT changed in 1994 and again in 2005, researchers did not find a significant change in the gap between male and female students, so this could represent a new development. However, the methodologies are not directly comparable. The College Board researchers depended on standardized mean differences between exam versions. That measure looks at the difference of mean scores divided by the standard deviation. It does not separate out higher than average scoring students as done here. Standardized differences can disguise important gaps. Do Math subscores explain the change in the M/F Index? The new SAT provides three subscores: Heart of Algebra (what roughly might be thought of as Algebra I), Passport to Advanced Math (Algebra II), and Problem Solving and Data Analysis (Probability and Statistics). Unfortunately, College Board’s decisions on scoring have made the subscores difficult to compare. They are provided below for completeness. The inherent problem in the SAT’s subscores is that College Board has not advanced a unified theory of scoring. For example, it has not scaled scores so that there is a common mean and standard deviation. Or it did so using a pilot group that was ill-matched to the actual population. The result is that the percentage of students in a score bucket is different across each domain. Passport to Advanced Math has the greatest number of students in the 13-15 range, which may also account for the lower index. The technique used to compare new SAT and old SAT— matching percentiles—is not available, because the released data are not granular enough. Why did the proportion of high-scoring female students increase on the new math section? One theory is that the new SAT’s effort at academic alignment made testing performance more similar to performance in school. Researchers have consistently found that female students have higher high school and college GPAs than their male counterparts. Whether it is high school algebra or college calculus, females with the same SAT scores as males achieve higher grades. On tests such as the NAEP and ACT Mathematics, the standardized differences (male minus female means) are also lower than they were on the old SAT. In fact, the standardized mean difference (see more below) for the new SAT Math falls between that of the old SAT and the ACT. The change in performance and the differences across subject areas and exams serve as reminders that there is not a monolithic â€Å"math† ability. Computational, conceptualization, visualization, and verbal skills, for example, can all impact how students perform. Which content standards to include and how they should be tested are decisions made by committees and are not fixed stars. When looking at individual problems on an exam, psychometricians analyze â€Å"differential item function† (DIF) to spot questions that are outliers subgroup performance. When the entire test is being changed, though, the very definition of an outlier is ambiguous. Separating reading from writing The 200-800 ERW score obscures the divide between Reading and Writing and Language scores by summing them. Fortunately, test scores (10-40) are also provided in each area. Unlike subscores, which have no analogues on the old SAT, test scores can be linked via equipercentile equating to the old SAT’s Critical Reading and Writing sections (200-800). The M/F Indexes for new SAT Reading and Writing scores are presented as solid lines in the graph below. The old SAT indexes are the dotted lines. The divergences of the solid and dotted lines reflect changes in the proportions of male and female test-takers in those score ranges. Expand for Reading and Writing data tables While the changes in M/F Indexes for Reading are small, the shift in Writing scores is similar to that observed on the Math section. The crucial difference is that the shift is in the opposite direction. On the old SAT, the Writing section was the only score where the M/F Index was less than 1 in the top score bands (i.e. proportionally higher female representation). On the new exam, the Writing and Language index is now over 1 (proportionally higher male representation). This would equate to approximately a 5% decrease in female students in the top band versus the old SAT. What writing modifications account for the change? Subscores did not exist on the old SAT, so the change in writing scores cannot be definitively located. A partial explanation may involve the removal of the essay from the Writing section. Female students outperformed male students on the original SAT essay, which represented almost one-third of the 200-800 Writing score on the old exam. Summarizing the changes The Impact on Admission The percentage of female students in the top score ranges has decreased on the new SAT. The impact of this change does not automatically flow through to college admission. High school GPA is still the dominant admission factor, and selective colleges tend toward holistic evaluation of applicants. Moreover, colleges are not restricted to using scores in a set manner. They can apply differential weights to section scores, for example. The impact of the test changes on female applicants seems a ripe area for study by College Board and universities. Some colleges never adopted the old SAT’s 2400-scale in full and used only the Critical Reading and Math sections (1600, CR+M). In these situations, the direction of change is reversed and the Male/Female Index moves from 1.56 to 1.45. The shift in the M/F Index for new SAT Math and the addition of the Writing and Language component (even if just as  ¼ of the total score) increase the proportion of high-scoring female students in comparison to a CR+M test. In this specific case, the gap narrowed compared to the new SAT. The unintended consequences of cut scores Colleges that use cut scores for admission or scholarship decisions may have unintentionally shifted resources to male students this past year. Most such colleges adjusted their cutoffs for the new SAT by applying the College Board’s concordance tables. To the extent that the old cut scores were based on 2400 scores and the new cut scores based on 1600 scores, females were impacted disadvantageously. This is especially true where high cutoffs are used—for example, in merit awards or for honors colleges. The results are ambiguous when decisions involve individual subject scores. The National Merit Scholarship Program uses a â€Å"Selection Index† cut score from the new PSAT, but the Selection Index retains the equal weighting of Reading, Writing, and Math from the old PSAT. National Merit Scholarship Corporation does not make gender breakdowns available. Cut scores effectively bound institution-level decisions about the equitable distribution of merit aid or admission to the College Board’s unrelated choices about what standards to include and what scores to weight. The mission creep of the SAT and PSAT has extended the import of score result differences into new terrain. A popular justification for the early introduction of the PSAT is its use in predicting AP performance. College Board publishes â€Å"expectancy tables† by cut score and offers its judgment—on PSAT reports to schools—of a student’s likelihood of success in 21 different AP courses. College Board is cautious in its phrasing of how this information is to be used, but the euphemisms of â€Å"Has Potential† and â€Å"Not Yet Demonstrating Potential† should not mask the PSAT’s own potential for gender-based steering. Is the ACT a better test for female students? It is difficult to write extensively about the SAT without at least bringing up the ACT. At the group level, the question of whether the ACT is a better test for females is not addressed by enough available research (the â€Å"better† part being particularly susceptible to bad research). Standardized mean differences are a way of normalizing scores on different scales. How, for example, does one compare 0.8 points on ACT Mathematics (the difference between male and female scores) and 22 points on SAT Math section? Dividing those differences by the standard deviation of each exam gives the standardized mean differences of 0.15 and 0.21, so the gap in male/female performance is wider on SAT Math. The standardized mean difference on total SAT scores is 0.11, where it is essentially 0 on the ACT. In fact, the average ACT Composite score in 2017 was higher for females than for males—21.1 versus 21.0, and the scores have been close for a number of years. The problem with this comparison is that it focuses on mean differences and does not examine what happens at the tails of the curve. It also ignores the fact that the population of test-takers cannot be assumed to be identical. ACT’s extensive use as a state-mandated exam can produce a distribution curve different from that of the SAT (although they look more similar with each passing year). Many students have opted for the ACT over the SAT in recent years or are taking both exams. The increase in ACT takers at the high end of the scale (30-36) has been particularly notable. The gender breakdown of these new ACT testers would be interesting, but ACT has not made it available. The limitations produce a watered-down verdict: among students who take the respective exams, the male and female average scores are closer on the ACT than on the new SAT. At the individual level, the question about an ACT default should be approached warily. Parents would rightly be offended if told that their daughter should avoid AP Physics because male students outscore females on the exam. Group statistics are easily misused or misinterpreted, and standardized tests hardly have an unblemished record in the accentuation of gender stereotypes. The examination of the differences between the old SAT and new SAT can help remind students that, while the SAT and ACT are accepted interchangeably by colleges, test performance is not always interchangeable. The best decision for an individual student is to make a comparison between the exams based on real or practice test scoring. The danger of insularity and the outstanding questions The evidence supports the conclusion that the shift from old SAT to new has disadvantaged high-scoring female test-takers when evaluating combined scores. To what degree the shift in score results had a real world impact is the sort of question that College Board should be addressing. A concern is that the increasingly winner-take-all stakes in state-funded testing has made College Board more circumspect about attacking hard problems—and remediating subgroup differences is among the hardest—lest it provide an opening for the ACT. There seems to be an increasing trend toward a tightly controlled narrative and less expansive research. The decades of scrutiny and criticism of the old SAT had the beneficial effect of making it one of the most researched tests in the world. It is now among the least researched. Its recency means that no peer-reviewed papers exist on the new exam, and College Board has not gone beyond the press release level in discussing subgroup performance. Did College Board apply the same standards it had in the past of ensuring that â€Å"gaps that exist on the current test do not widen.?† If not, how does its mission align with David Coleman’s stated goal to â€Å"confront the inequalities that surround assessment.† Subgroup performance measurement is fundamental to test design, so research is in a file somewhere. Did it find mold during the renovation process? Were walls replaced? Will all of the blueprints be revealed? What has been done or can be done to prevent recurrence?