Military Budget?

[mushroom]

Eh, I don't like the idea of a test to determine your next school year. A lot of bright people freeze up completely under the pressure of an ORDINARY test. You'd have quite a few students in remedial classes they didn't need. And one lousy teacher could really disadvantage a person.

I think grades are a better indicator--most teachers will help you do well if you're willing to do extra work. A test is going to be a good thing for a lazy but smart person; a whole year of work is going to be a good thing for a hardworking but less bright person. Tests are necessary, but all they measure--for the most part--is how good you are at regurgitating dates, vocabulary, and the ways to figure math problems. There are many things that are equally important--in school and out of it--that don't get measured on a test.

[Buddy]

Ninja said:

The test.

Honestly, if it weren't for the tests, I wouldn't even study... I grew up taking monthly tests - it's only recently that I'm only taking them three times a year, and I'm still thanking God for that. It was hammered into me from the time I started kindergarten that tests were important, they were part of life and would determine your life, and it was imperative that I got good marks on them. So I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of tests. I've forgotten what I learnt two months ago. If it weren't for the test I'd never learn it again.

Just my -2 cents.

I'm not talking about monthly tests, or tests that go towards your grade or anything like that.

I myself take exams every semester. These exams go towards my overall grade for that class, for that year. They're factored in with everything else I did that year.

These tests are not. They don't take into account anything else you did that year, or how many As, Bs, or whatnot you may have.

And yet, so much emphasis is placed on them, emphasis that doesn't take into account anything else you may have done that year. These tests hold as much weight as every other test, exam, worksheet, and report you did earlier that year.

So what if you have an off day? What if you're tired that day, or can't focus, or have a cold? What if you jsut aren't thinking? What about those that don't take tests well?

By placing so much emphasis on tests, we have teachers no longer teaching kids so that they learn - they teach only to take tests, only so that they can pass these stupid tests which, in the real world, no one ultimately cares about. Ironic, really - the school would place more emphasis on the WesTest, which no one will ever look at, instead of my grades, which people do look at in the real world.

No matter how you cut it, there's nothing fair - nothing educational - about having kids taught to the test. Which is what is really happening.

Now, I'm not saying my idea is good. But the alternative is really no better, if not worse.

[Crystal]

Secret said:

I'm not talking about monthly tests, or tests that go towards your grade or anything like that.

I myself take exams every semester. These exams go towards my overall grade for that class, for that year. They're factored in with everything else I did that year.

These tests are not. They don't take into account anything else you did that year, or how many As, Bs, or whatnot you may have.

And yet, so much emphasis is placed on them, emphasis that doesn't take into account anything else you may have done that year. These tests hold as much weight as every other test, exam, worksheet, and report you did earlier that year.

I don't understand - what's the difference between grades and tests? Over here, in any test you take, NOTHING else in factored in, unless it's a part of the test, like for instance a folio. Worksheets are totally disregarded. Previous exams are totally disregarded - they're only for reference to see if you've been cheating or not. So I think I'm missing out on a bit here and don't totally understand. Could you explain it?

[Buddy]

Ninja said:

I don't understand - what's the difference between grades and tests? Over here, in any test you take, NOTHING else in factored in, unless it's a part of the test, like for instance a folio. Worksheets are totally disregarded. Previous exams are totally disregarded - they're only for reference to see if you've been cheating or not. So I think I'm missing out on a bit here and don't totally understand. Could you explain it?

No, I get the feeling you understood - I think I just happened to explain my last post badly. Lemme see if I can explain it anyways...

You see, kids here have to take what's called "standardized tests". These tests are administered by the states. The purpose of these tests are supposed to be to show what schools in what counties are doing poorly, so that they can fix it. But they're neer used for that purpose.

Now, I take a test called the WesTest. Now, lets say I happen to score poorly on the reading section of it. If I did so, I would be forced to take remedial reading the next year - even if I held straight As the rest of the year. It doesn't matter that I was a straight A student and was reading on a level three times higher than the rest of the class - if I happen to be a bad test taker and score poorly on this test, I automatically have to take remidial reading the following year.

And then, some states are worse. For instance, in Florida, if you score badly on the reading section of the test, you could automatically be held back that year, or forced to re-take the class in summer school. It doesn't matter that you may have held straight As for the whole year - you failed some test, so that automatically means you can't do it.

Now, what I meant about reports and essays not coming into question is, even if you may have written outstanding, A+ reports and essays and done faboulously on your worksheets, it doesn't matter - you failed some test. So, to the system, you can't read or do math or comprehend science at the level you're supposed to - even if you did get perfect grades the rest of the year.

I hope I made my point and reasons for hating these kinds of tests a bit clearer.

[Crystal]

Secret said:

No, I get the feeling you understood - I think I just happened to explain my last post badly. Lemme see if I can explain it anyways...

You see, kids here have to take what's called "standardized tests". These tests are administered by the states. The purpose of these tests are supposed to be to show what schools in what counties are doing poorly, so that they can fix it. But they're neer used for that purpose.

Now, I take a test called the WesTest. Now, lets say I happen to score poorly on the reading section of it. If I did so, I would be forced to take remedial reading the next year - even if I held straight As the rest of the year. It doesn't matter that I was a straight A student and was reading on a level three times higher than the rest of the class - if I happen to be a bad test taker and score poorly on this test, I automatically have to take remidial reading the following year.

And then, some states are worse. For instance, in Florida, if you score badly on the reading section of the test, you could automatically be held back that year, or forced to re-take the class in summer school. It doesn't matter that you may have held straight As for the whole year - you failed some test, so that automatically means you can't do it.

Now, what I meant about reports and essays not coming into question is, even if you may have written outstanding, A+ reports and essays and done faboulously on your worksheets, it doesn't matter - you failed some test. So, to the system, you can't read or do math or comprehend science at the level you're supposed to - even if you did get perfect grades the rest of the year.

I hope I made my point and reasons for hating these kinds of tests a bit clearer.

Ah. I see now. I guess my previous post answers this.

[belgiumardennes]

We spend a lot of money on the military because, in order for the military to work the way it's supposed to, it needs to be incredibly efficient. We spend $600 on a toilet seat so that, in a crisis, when a member of a team needs to go to the bathroom it can be assured that that toilet will be working and usable and that person won't have to go out of their way to use the bathroom, losing valuable time. Or maybe that toilet seat is on an aircraft carrier and they need to make sure it isn't going to break off and hit someone in the head.

And, yeah, take a look at military pay charts. Let me put it this way. I'm an engineering major. Most people I'll be graduating with will be making around 50K right out of college. When I graduate I'll commission and I'll be making about the same as an elementary school teacher. And that's officer pay.

Considering how much he probably gets paid, I think the guy who decided the military needed that $600 toilet seat probably had a very good reason for thinking so.