Changes Likely For NCLB

Changes Likely For NCLB Earlier this year, the Obama administration discussed plans to change the No Child Left Behind act with the media. Journalists and education administrators alike thought Obama was bluffing, trying to create action in policy makers. It was no bluff. The Obama administration asked Congress to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law on Monday, March 14, in an effort to accelerate its public education overhaul, one of Obamas major goals, according to an article in the Washington Post. The Obama administration has been aggressively pursuing education reform and plans to have the new version of No Child Left Behind law implemented by the fall of 2012. I want every child in this country to head back to school in the fall knowing that their education is Americas priority, Obama said in a speech at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia. Lets seize this education moment. Lets fix No Child Left Behind. Education Secretary Arne Duncans announcement that 82 % of public schools could be labeled failing in 2011 up 37% from 2010 sparked this action. But, some education experts believe that Duncans numbers are inflated. However, lawmakers may not have enough time to change this bill before next fall. Other debates such as merit-based teacher salaries, teacher tenure and public vouchers for students to attend private schools could further complicate the process. With his changes, Obama plans to take most of the federal oversight out of average- and well-performing public schools but then use aggressive measures and oversight to fix underachieving schools. The original bill was created in 2002 by former President George W. Bush to addresses school performance ratings, standardized testing, teacher quality, academic standards and equity for lower-income students. Currently, the No Child Left Behind law requires schools to test their students every year in reading and math, measuring their progress in closing achievement gaps. Schools that do not test well can face penalties as strict as a state takeover. Lawmakers have been meeting for over a year to reach a bipartisan agreement for this bill. Obama met with House and Senate education leaders in mid-March. Changing the original No Child Left Behind Law was first debated in 2007; however, Congress took no action then.

4 Painless Steps to Help You Learn Music Theory

4 Painless Steps to Help You Learn Music Theory Suzy S. Sure, music theory is complex but theres no need to fear it! Here, Jamaica Plain, MA teacher Noaa R.  shares four steps to get you started Many students tend to avoid studying music theory and harmony. This can stem from a fear of compromising one’s creativity with rules and numbers, a failure to connect concepts with application, or from feeling overwhelmed by the perceived volume of material to be learned. However, when you approach theory as an exploratory process that helps you grow, navigate your musical world, make creative choices faster, train your ears, and generate new ideas, it’s a total blast. Here are four steps to changing your perspective as you learn music theory. 1) Realize Why You’re Studying Theory The Circle of Fifths, triads, intervals, modes with Greek names, and complicated sounding chords like C7(b9b13) can seem like a pointless jumble of terms and stock patterns to memorize but the facts are: Music theory is tools it evolved as a way to explain, organize, and codify the felt experience of music. All these names correspond to textures or sonic events which have special relationships to each other and provide you with a set of devices to be recognized in listening and used judiciously in composition and improvisation, just like rhetorical devices in writing or speech. When you understand what they are, what they sound like, and recognize the names for them, they’re at your disposal. You are thus freer to make music as opposed to groping blindly in the dark. Yes, you’re studying patterns and devices that other people have used before. This means nothing â€" you will find your own voice regardless, using the same means to your own musical end. You didn’t invent a new language when you learned to speak, yet you express yourself fluently and uniquely using the same words, phrases, and syntax as other English speakers. 2) Get Curious Make music theory a joyful exploration of new sounds. When you learn a new chord, scale, or progression, treat it like a strange and wonderful animal you are encountering for the first time. This isn’t much of a stretch â€" say you are learning about minor 7th, major 7th, and dominant 7th chords. Play them on your instrument. What colors do they have? How do they differ? How do they make you feel? What is difference in the structure of these chord qualities that makes them so distinct? Do they remind you of sounds you’ve heard before? Form a unique relationship with every sound through immersion and play and I mean literal play. Mess around with these new musical building blocks. Create little grooves and ideas, and maybe you’ll even write a song. The goal is to create an experience connected with the concept that is the key to retaining information, not rote memorization. 3) Make it Real Bring concepts out of the intellectual ether into experiential reality immediately. The seven diatonic triads of the major scale should never be left as dots on a page. It’s important to be able to write and spell them, so that you can visualize and understand them. But they aren’t a math problem â€" they are seven textures relating to a tonal center with distinct relationships and near-infinite possibilities for creative combination. Not only that, the vast majority of popular western music uses just these seven chords. Learn the triads on your instrument, then find them on another instrument (piano is a great tool for learning in this regard by virtue of its intuitive and linear organization). Sing them as well â€" often it takes changes of context and approach for something to sink in. Mix and match different triads, one per measure, to create a four-bar progression. What sounded good? What didn’t? What grabbed your ear? Try writing a melody over it. Ask your teacher to help you analyze a tune you’ve always loved and compare it to your progression â€" you’ll be thrilled to recognize familiar patterns after a few of these analyses. 4) Stop Worrying Music is vast. There’s a lot to memorize and keep track of. Understand that you can only process a certain amount at once, so work with bite-size chunks. Patiently trust the process, and you will find concepts become second nature over time. Keep in mind that you need only learn music theory as much as serves the fulfillment of your goals whether you’re a singer-songwriter just looking to spice up the same old progressions or you’re interested in jazz improvisation. Find what’s relevant to you and don’t worry about the rest. Theory only exists as an organized way for us to explore what is available, and to understand deeper what we’re already familiar with so that we can use it more intelligently and artistically. It’s there to serve you. So dive in and have fun! Noaa R. teaches guitar, composition, ear training, and music theory  in Jamaica Plain, MA.  He is currently working toward his Diploma in Professional Music from  Berklee College of Music. Noaa has been teaching music as a private instructor since 2011. Learn more about Noaa R. here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by  APMus

Analogies

Analogies Analogies Analogies are statements that compare or contrast ideas appear to have no relationships, but are actually related to each other. In other words, Analogies are related to ideas and things and the relationship throws light on the similarities and compares same things in order to clarify the ideas. The analogy also highlights relationships between the target and the source by providing further information on the two thoughts. Analogies are statements that compare and contrast ideas that apparently do not have any relationship, but if we look deeper they share some kind of relationships. To clarify the concept further, let us look at some examples, given below. Hand : glove :: foot : sock. In ordinary words, this analogy reads as Hand is to glove what a foot is to a sock. It does not appear to be clear, hand and glove and foot and sock have no relationships, but dig a little deeper and you will realize that a hand wears a glove while a foot wears the sock. Cold : hot :: wet : dry. Read this analogy as cold is to hot as wet is to dry. Here the relationship is between opposites, cold is opposite of hot and wet is opposite of dry. Analogy symbols: Two symbols are used repeatedly in analogies. a) Symbol of colon [:] is read in ordinary language as the words is related to, and b) The sign of double colon [:] which represents the words in the same way that. Use of symbolism makes it easy to read analogies without using too many words. Analogies not only play a decisive role as literary devices, but also help in the studies of subjects where comparisons and logical analysis play an important role, e.g. all branches of mathematics, social sciences, and scientific disciplines as well. Analogy relationships Let us look at some examples of analogies. Look at the first picture, Grandma : Grandpa :: Mom : ______. You are given four words, mother, married, husband and dad. This example shows the relationship angle and you need to choose a correct word that shows correct logical relations between Mom and the mystery word. Let us analyze, grandpa and grandma are married to each other, but their married status is not emphasized so the word married is scored off. The word mother is also not correct, it does not make any sense, so score that off as well. If we use the same logic husband is also not the right word, so that goes off as well. Now, we are left with the last word, dad, which is the correct choice. Grandma : Grandpa :: Mom: dad, shows the correct relationship between the two pairs. Use the same reasoning and solve the other examples as well. Types of Analogies There are numerous types of analogies, some of them are described below: Synonym: Synonyms are words that have similar meaning to the given word and the relationship is the similarity of meaning, e.g. huge : enormous Antonym: Here words have exact opposite meaning; this type of analogy shows the relationship between opposites, e.g. smile : tears Part to whole/Whole to Part: This category of analogy displays relationships between whole objects and their parts, e.g. The flap is a part of an envelope. Category /Type: Under category and type analogy only one word or pair of words fits the type of category, e.g. a skiff is a kind of a boat. Action : Action analogies are also called performer to relation analogy, and relates to the typical action done by the performer, e.g. surgeon : surgery. Function: This analogy points out towards the actual function of one word that performs some action on the other word, e.g. Axe : cut Cause and effect: As its name suggests word or pair of words cause the effect on the second pair or words, e.g. A dam stops flow of a river, dam : flow Degree / Intensity: Under this category one word is more intense than the other, e.g. Whimper: cry, or chuckle: Laugh. Symbol/Representation: This type of analogy shows the connection between the symbol and what it is representing. E.g. flag : country.

How is the ISEE Scored

How is the ISEE Scored The Independent School Entrance Exam consists of an overall raw score and a scaled score between 760 and 940 for each of four sections Verbal Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Mathematics Achievement. There is also a single, unmarked response to a prompt essay. Each score report includes a national percentile rank for mathematics and reading. ISEE results reflect correct answers only; there is no penalty for incorrect responses. Score reports also list a stanine, or standard nine score, that segments all possible results into nine groups. Scores in stanine five or above are considered academically competitive for most schools. However, there is no passing level for the ISEE. Acceptable marks differ depending on the institution. Students can sit for the ISEE once every six months. The ISEE in brief The most challenging component of the test is its timing. The Lower Level test is only 2 hours and 20 minutes, with the Middle and Upper Levels lasting 2 hours and 40 minutes. Each section averages roughly 30-60 seconds per question, with a half-hour essay based on one prompt. The exam relies heavily on logic, mathematics, and reading skills. Completing a full practice test and identifying weak areas will be the most helpful method to prepare for the test. You may also want to take a look at these ISEE flashcardsas well. Because incorrect answers carry no penalty, do not leave questions blank, even if you are guessing. Why isnt the essay scored? It may seem odd that an entire portion of the ISEE isnt assessed. Instead, the testing company distributes a copy of this essay to each school along with the score report. The essay serves as an equally administered, timed example of the students writing ability for schools to review. For those students who may not perform well on standardized assessments, this is one method to show your skills outside of multiple-choice responses. What education level does the ISEE test? The ISEE typically tests at a level beyond what children learn in school. Here is some great information on comparing the ISEE and the SSATthat you may find useful. For example, Verbal Reasoning consists of two parts, synonyms and sentence completions. While these concepts are not especially difficult, the vocabulary surpasses average public school expectations. Therefore, students must work to expand their vocabulary outside the classroom, studying either on their own or with a tutor. At all levels, Quantitative Reasoning includes word problems, while the Middle and Upper Levels also incorporate quantitative comparisons similar to those on graduate school entrance exams. Reading Comprehension is based on specific passages, and it asks similar questions for each passage. Last, Mathematics Achievement varies depending on the specific test, but often reflects a grade level or two above the average child. Read each levels specific requirements ve ry carefully before embarking on a study regimen!

English Listening Exercise Christmas Movies for Practicing your English.

English Listening Exercise Christmas Movies for Practicing your English. In the spirit of the holidays, we have a couple listening exercises using Christmas movies. If you have some down time over the holidays and you are not relaxing on the beach somewhere, try watching some Christmas movies in English. Here are two of my favorites:A Christmas Story:1. Youre full of _____ and so is your old man.2. Are you ______? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole?3. I triple ____ ____ you.4. What does it mean to dare someone?5. Well __ __ smart ass and do it. (phrasal verb)6. ___ back! ____ back!!7. The bell ______.And here is one of our favorite scenes from Elf:1. Wow! ____ ____?2. This is the North Pole. No, ___ ___.3.   ____ work your favorite. Work is your new favorite.4. What time is Santa coming?Thanks to all our students for a great year. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! We look forward to teaching you in 2014! Yuri Manzhos 1..things..(but i dont understand) 2 getting? 3..dog dare.. (again i dont understand 4 to get some to do smth. 5 ..go on.. 6. come back! 7 The bell rang (Why he didnt use present perfect?) Elf 1.Whats this? 2. it is not 3 Make 4.10 a.m. tomorrow LOIEnglish Yuri thanks for answering.Question #1: beans Youre full of beans. It means you dont know what you are talking about. Question #2: kidding, it is similar to joking.Im not sure I understand your confusion on Question #7. We use past simple for when something happened in the past. The bell rang. We use present perfect to connect the past and the present. In this clip there isnt a reason to connect the past to the present. Let me know if you have any confusion over this. LOIEnglish Question #1: full of beans this means You do not know what youre talking about. Thanks for answering! A quick note about your writing above, be sure to always put your subject first: Everybody HAVE a great holiday and a happy new year. Ana Carolina Dyminski 1. beans 2. kidding 3. dog dare 4.Dare someone means to challenge someone 5.come on 6. come, come 7. rang 1. whats this 2.It is not 3 . make 4. tomorrow morning, 10 am Yuri Manzhos Just change 2014 to 2015

Encouraging Summer Math and Reading for Kids with ADHD

Encouraging Summer Math and Reading for Kids with ADHD Summer gives kids with ADHD the opportunity to take a break from the pressure and hard work that comes with staying focused and on-task all day long. They have more time to explore their creative side, burn off their extra energy while playing outside, and become absorbed in activities that they truly enjoy. Given how challenging school can be, many parents of kids with ADHD want to provide them with a complete break from academic activities over the summer. As tempting as this may be, and as important as non-academic activities are, some academic learning is necessary to avoid a summer learning backslide. Studies show that on average kids lose up to 2 months of math and up to 1 month of reading over the summer. Engaging in educational activities over the summer can help prevent summer backsliding. Unfortunately, many kids with ADHD will push back against these activities in large part because of negative experiences they have had throughout the school year. As a parent, how do you g et your child to read a book or practice his or her math facts without engaging in a summer-long power struggle? Start with clear expectations. Let your child know that summer represents a break from school, but not a break from learning. Describe the summer backslide and explain that by reading and doing math problems over the summer he or she can help his or her brain grow stronger so that school will be easier when he or she returns in the fall. Develop a summer learning schedule and share the plan with your child in advance. It may be helpful to also highlight the amount of time he or she will spend on fun activities, like attending camp or going to the pool, so he or she can clearly see that the entire summer isnt being consumed by academic tasks. Set goals and track your childs progress. Even with the best of intentions, very few kids will be satisfied with learning for learnings sake over the summer. Set clear goals for daily academic activities and give your child the opportunity to track his or her progress. Seek out summer learning programs that focus on building specific academic skills and monitoring growth and progress over time. Be a role model for your child. Set your own summer learning goals and share them with your child. Your goals can be simple, like reading for a few minutes every day or spending time each week learning something new about an interest you would like to explore. Set goals for yourself and share them with your child. You can both track your progress together. Set your child up for success. Much of the stress that kids with ADHD feel during the school year comes from struggling to keep up with their peers and hold their own in classroom settings that arent designed for their learning style. Counteract these negative experiences by providing your child with the opportunity to experience academic success in the summer. Set initial goals that are easily achievable, like completing math worksheets that are quite simple, or reading books that are well within his or her current ability level. Then gradually make the goals and academic material more challenging. Aim for targets that are just ahead of where your child is at currently, but are still within his or her reach. Praise and reward effort. Spending time on math and reading over the summer, and working to achieve academic goals will be challenging for most kids with ADHD. Let your child know that you recognize his or her hard work and praise his or her effort. If your child needs extra motivation, then consider offering activities or privileges that can be earned for achieving his or her goals. Encouraging kids with ADHD to participate in reading and math over the summer isnt always easy. So, make a solid plan, set clear expectations, be a good role model, and praise and reward their effort. The payoff will be great when their school year gets off to a great start in the fall. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Maths tuition and reasoning exam papers

Maths tuition and reasoning exam papers Our tutors for GCSE Maths and A-level Maths are gearing up for a busy academic year ahead, with lots of new students lining up for extra help in one of the curriculum's key subjects. As we mentioned in Monday's blog post, it is vital for pupils to get to grip with Maths, especially if they are sitting entrance examinations for state or independent schools, because Maths is a core subject when it comes to testing aptitude. But did you know that a good grasp of Maths can also help with other entrance examination subjects? Many schools these days have entrance papers in reasoning, which is split into two sections: verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. You may think that something with 'verbal' in the title may be a world away from maths. This is not the case! Verbal reasoning typically consists of tests on alphabet reasoning, word patterns and codes as well in straightforward tests on spelling and word meanings. Regular Maths tuition will certainly help when trying to spot word patterns and crack codes. This is not just because of the Maths itself but also because of the logical, sequential ways in which a mathematically trained brain can think. Similarly, non-verbal reasoning may consist of tests on patterns, layering and other tests of logic. Again, a brain trained by Maths tuition will be able to tackle these well. Why not find out how a Maths tutor can help your child?

Online Courses to Take After Graduation

Online Courses to Take After Graduation via Pixabay Microsoft Excel While everyone knows about Microsoft Excel, not everyone knows how to use it to its full advantage. Excel offers a variety of ways to manipulate, predict, and analyze data for almost every industry. Whether it’s calculating the number of sales made in a year, how much paid time off someone has accrued, or simply presenting a set of data in a more comprehensive way, everyone should know how to use Microsoft Excel. Leadership and Management Hopefully, at some point in your career, you will be managing employees. While it’s easy to tell people what to do, it isn’t so easy to make sure it gets done in an efficient and effective manner. That is where leadership and management skills come in. These online courses will teach you how to work and delegate work to people effectively. A certification in these online courses will also make you stand out to hiring managers because they see that you are ambitious and have the leadership skills to one day move up in the company. Intro to Coding As mentioned before, we live in a technology-based world that requires us to learn and keep up with trends and new practices. While ten years ago, coding was considered a skill meant only for web developers, it’s a skill that everyone should learn now. Whether you are working on a blog, email marketing campaign, or need to modify a webpage for your company, a base knowledge of HTML or CSS will definitely come in handy. Even if you never have to use these coding skills, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of how coding works. Inbound Marketing If you are going into a field where marketing is involved, you should brush up on your inbound marketing. With the rise of social media and content-based marketing, inbound marketing has never been more beneficial to a business. These online courses will teach you how to effectively market a business or product with a strategic sales funnel and effectively convert leads. This practice doesn’t only apply to marketing, though. These skills can be used in other aspects of life and business. Negotiation Tactics No matter what career path you choose, you will inevitably be presented with a situation where you will have to negotiate something. Whether it be your salary, a business deal, or even when buying your first house, it’s important to know how to effectively and strategically negotiate with someone. While these online courses are great for putting you ahead in business, it will also put you ahead in life. If there’s a situation where you have the chance to negotiate something, you’ll be happy you took these online courses. Business Writing How annoying is it to receive an email with spelling mistakes, emojis, and an unclear message while at work? Very! Before making the mistake of sending an email to a colleague that isn’t necessarily appropriate for the workplace, take some online courses in business writing. You will learn how to craft the perfect email that effectively expresses what you are trying to stay. You’ll also learn how to professionally write reports, memos, and other business-related documents. Personal Finance Most college students graduate with thousands of dollars of student loan debt. It’s overwhelming and you may not know exactly how to handle this massive debt. After graduation, take some online courses in personal finance. You’ll learn how to manage money, effectively pay back your student loans and any other debt you may have, and build up your wealth for the future. While these skills may not directly affect your career, they will affect how you manage your money throughout your lifetime. Where to Take These Online Courses There are thousands of websites that offer online courses similar to the ones mentioned in this article. A simple Google search will bring you a variety of options. Some colleges offer free online courses with certificates as do private services such as lynda.com, HubSpot, and Coursera. Don’t be afraid to sink a little bit of cash into these courses either. They will definitely pay off in the long run.