The Anthen by Ayn Rand - Book Review

The Anthem was a story about a boy named Equality 7-2521 that lived in a dystopian society. His job was a street sweeper and while he was doing his job he stumbled upon a abandon, underground railroad tunnel. He spent a lot of his time there alone with his thoughts which was illegal in his city. He eventually brings his friend, International 4-8818 down to the tunnel as long as he will keep it a secret. He goes to the tunnel every night and writes in his journal about what happens each day. One day, while he is working, he sees a girl named Liberty 5-3000. The next day he begins talking to her and tells her that he has named her the Golden One. Later that night while he was in his tunnel while he is dissecting a frog he discovers electricity. He ends up making a light bulb and wants to bring his invention to the Scholars. The Scholars are a group of people in his society that come up with all of the inventions in the city. He finds out that their next meeting will be in his city and he decides that that will be the time he will present his light bulb to them. The night of the meeting he breaks into their meeting and tells them that he has this invention that will make light rather than just candles. The Scholars grow angry and believe that if it was not invented by a group of men it cannot be a worth invention so they want to destroy it. Equality steals his candle back from the men and runs and runs until he can't any more. The next morning he awakes in the Forbidden Forest and realizes that this is the first time he has awoken as a free man. He is happy and proud about leaving the city and begins walking further into the forest.


In my opinion I actually liked this book. At some points of the book I needed to reread some parts to understand it, but it was interesting. All of the laws that this weird and different society is interesting to me. I also like to read books that has to do revolts and uprising, so in a book like this where this guy escapes from the strict laws of this dystopian world to create his own was pretty good.

Works Cited

Bobby Giese

Work Cited

Lalita Coleman , "NAACP opposes graduation exams". Wednesday, September 23, 2009, web  October 10, 2010

LESLIE BRODY, "Thousands of N.J. students haven't passed graduation exams", Saturday, May 15, 2010, web, 10/13/10

Peter D. Hart. "Why Graduation Tests/Exit Exams Fail to Add Value to High School Diplomas". Fair Test. May 2nd, 2008.

Chen, Grace. "Pros and Cons of Public School Exit Exams." Public School Review.
     N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2008.

Eleanor Chute.  "GRADUATION TESTS GAINING MOMENTUM. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette  27  Apr. 2009,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  7 Oct. 2010.

Eleanor Chute.  "STATE GRADUATION EXAM RETURNED TO THE SHELF. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette  23  Jun 2009,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  7 Oct. 2010.

LESLIE BRODY.  "4,500 WOULD-BE GRADUATES HAVEN'T PASSED EXIT EXAMS. " The Record  4  Jun 2010,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  6 Oct. 2010.

Eleanor Chute.  "MORE STATE TESTING ON HORIZON FOR STUDENTS THIS YEAR. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette  20  Sep. 2010,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  6 Oct. 2010.

Graduation Exams

Bobby Giese

12/10/10
Period 7/8

Writers Workshop

Graduation Exams

Most high school students would be hesitant to support Graduation Exams.  However, I believe that an education is one of the most important things that anyone can have. Graduation Exams would be beneficial to schools in America because it will ensure that students today will have leave high school with an adequate education. I also believe that the American society could make some improvements so that everyone can have an education. I believe that the best way to guarantee that students have learned enough would be to implement these high school Graduation Exams. These Exams would test the students of the high schools to make sure that both the high school they attended and the student did their job. In order to receive a diploma, students must pass the Exam. These Exams will be capable to give students an actual aspiration to work towards throughout their high school career, it will give the high schools an opportunity to model their curriculum towards things that are on the Graduation Exam, and it will aid the government in deciding which schools would need more help as compared to others depending on the percentage of student s that pass the Graduation Exams.

If the Graduation Exam was admitted to high schools across America it would benefit the students the most because after all it is their education. The Students would have a set goal that they could work towards throughout all of their four years in high school if not sooner. It is beneficial for a student to have a concrete goal in high school to strive for, with that goal they will be able to gauge them and work hard to achieve what they want. If students know that there is a test between them and a diploma they are more likely to push themselves to get better education to pass. (Grace Chen) This would also be good for the students in high school that just try to coast by. The Graduation Exams would force these students to make an effort in school so that they can actually graduate. They would have to take an active part in high school, pay attention, and essentially make them have a better education if they are planning on graduating high school. As for the students that have been keeping pace with the curriculum and their grades up, these tests will be a way to actually prove that they have been doing their job as a student. For them the Graduation Exams will represent a merit to those students showing that they did what they had to do and they passed. (Grace Chen)

Another way that Graduation Exams will benefit society would be the ways that it helps high schools. The Exams help the schools because it will help them form a new curriculum. If the schools know what will be on the Graduation Exams they will be able to properly prepare their students for what will be on it. The school will have the opportunity to make sure that every student will be prepared for what will be on the test by requiring a set amount of classes for each subject that the Exams cover. Another way that they would benefit the schools is that it would help teachers perform their jobs better. With these Exams they would be able to know exactly which subjects a student needs additional help in and be able to provide the correct form of attention to help them learn that subject. An additional way that high schools would benefit from adopting the Graduation Exams would be that they would receive a grant from their state government. It is understandable that some local school districts would not be able to cover the cost that implementing an entirely new test to an entire graduating class; therefore the state government would fund a proportion of the cost. It would also let the schools show the government their progress as a school as a whole. The scores would demonstrate to the government how well their school is doing. (Chen, Grace)

Some people may believe that a Graduation Exam will not be as beneficial as what has been previously stated above. Some believe that Graduation Exams will discourage the students at high schools that have been falling behind because they believe that they will not be able to pass the test even if they tried. Moreover, they say that it will cause students that have failed the test to drop out of high school. However, the tests are there to do the exact opposite of these things. For a student that has been falling behind is compelled even more to study harder in order to pass the test, not retake classes over again and receive a better education benefiting the student even more. Skeptics also say that the tests may be costly to implement. However, the schools that do implement the tests will be able to receive government funding in two ways: by doing well on the tests and earning it or either doing poorly and needing it. Although there are some skeptics that believe that Graduation Exams will not benefit the education system their arguments have been put to rest, therefore a Graduation Exam will be very beneficial to high schools. (Peter D. Hart)

Overall, I believe that it is best for high schools in America to institute some form of a Graduation Exams. The entire high school community will benefit from this whether it is the students that will be taking them and expanding their horizons as high school scholars, the teachers that will be able to prepare the students for their lives and destinations after their high school career, and the administration in making hard decisions. Graduation Exams should be put into action with high schools around America.

Introduction

A Quick Introduction Guide:

1.       Ask yourself: “Why am I interested in the topic? What initially caused me to research the topic?”      I am interested in this topic because it is something that I believe in. When we looked at the power point presentation that had all of the choices on it, Graduation Testing was the one that I most agreed with. I feel strongly that there should be a graduation test admitted to all schools as a requirement to graduate.

2.       Then consider how you relate with the topic (e.g. I own pit bulls: they should not be banned; I have family that immigrated to the United States: open border policy; I always dreamed to be an astronaut and go to the moon: the truth about the first lunar landing).                       The only way that I can really relate to this topic is because I am a high school senior that would have to take the graduation test in order to graduate. I believe that the education system that is currently enacted is not good enough as it should be. With these graduation tests it would end up forcing schools to crack down and get a better curriculum. The schools would need to improve in order to have their students pass these tests, which would give us a more productive and efficient education system.

3.       Once you simply define your relation to the topic, explain a personal experience that elaborates upon your relation to the topic.  If you are having trouble thinking of something, simply call me over.         A person experience that I would have is at our school. I believe that there are way too many people here that are sitting back and coasting their ways through school and still getting their diploma. I see these graduation exams as a way to push those students into actually trying harder and then they will deserve to graduate.

4.     Lastly, consider the purpose in arguing your topic.  How will you defend your stance?  What will you do to argue your purpose? My purpose in arguing about this topic will be to convince others to feel the same way I do. I will defend my stance by explaining the benefits that implementing a graduation test to schools would be. I would explain how it benefits the students in these schools because it gives them goals to work towards, how it benefits the schools because it will give them something to mold their curriculum to. I also will explain how it can help the government classify schools and what each schools needs are depending on their test scores.

Journal

I believe that all high schools across America should institute some form of a Graduation Test. Students should be required to take and pass the mandated test in order to graduate from highschool.

NAACP opposes graduation exams

Lalita Coleman , "NAACP opposes graduation exams". Wednesday, September 23, 2009, web  October 10, 2010
http://www.keystoneonline.com/2009/09/23/naacp-opposes-graduation-exams/

In order to measure course competency among PA high school seniors, the board believes that implementing a series of tests prior to graduation is key. The Keystone exams, as the tests would be called, are a series of 10 tests in math, history, English/literature, and the sciences.According to the House Resolution No. 456, passed Aug. 7, the Pennsylvania State Conference of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) opposed the draft final-form regulation submitted by the State Board as a civil rights issue, basing their argument on a state study at the 2008 Pew Center. That study indicated “use of exit exam scores to withhold a high school diploma leads to increased dropout rates and an increase in the prison population.A 2007 report by the Center for Labor Market Studies estimated that over 200,000 drop-outs nationwide from ages 16-24 ended up imprisoned that year.

Thousands of N.J. students haven't passed graduation exams

LESLIE BRODY, "Thousands of N.J. students haven't passed graduation exams", Saturday, May 15, 2010, web, 10/13/10
http://www.northjersey.com/news/93835974_Graduation_in_limbo_for_thousands.html


In the artice it expresses the importance that there is an abundance of students that have not yet passed the exit exams. Those student are faced with a dilemma that might make them not graduation high school. This year, the state revamped the graduation exam’s alternative format, taken by many students who fail the traditional exam, the High School Proficiency Assessment. Many of these students choke on tests or have trouble with English. The overhaul aimed to make the alternative exam more rigorous and fair, but critics say its implementation and scoring were deeply flawed.Few students succeeded. Of 9,500 seniors who took the math portion  in winter, only 34 percent passed; of 4,500 who took the language arts portion, only 10 percent passed, according to the Education Law Center, a vocal critic.

Why Graduation Tests/Exit Exams Fail to Add Value to High School Diplomas

Peter D. Hart. "Why Graduation Tests/Exit Exams Fail to Add Value to High School Diplomas". Fair Test. May 2nd, 2008.
http://www.fairtest.org/gradtestfactmay08

This article made many strong arguments to prove that graduation tests are a bad idea to implement them into schools. They said that graduation tests do not promote the knowledge, skills and habits needed for success in college or skilled work. Also that according to college professors and employers, high school graduates must be able to analyze conflicting explanations, solve complex problems that have no obvious answer, reach conclusions, and engage in the give-and-take of ideas. Also needed are attributes such as good study skills, time management, and persistence. Since exit exams do not measure most of these important attributes, test scores have little value for colleges or employers.

Pros and Cons of Public School Exit Exams

Chen, Grace. "Pros and Cons of Public School Exit Exams." Public School Review.
     N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2008.
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/53




The Center of Education Policy predicts that by 2012, nearly 74% of all public schools in America will require students to pass an exit exam in order to graduate. Currently, many schools across the country have already implemented mandatory exit-course tests, often referred to as EOCs (which stands for End of Course exam). The article takes a neutral approach to the topic and weighs the opinions of people and makes a pro and con list. Some of the pros are that it helps push students that need to learn more, it goes hand in hand with the no child left behind act, and it also ensures that schools and students are performing successfully. Some of the cons are that it favors left-brain students because they are better at test taking, students with disabilities are sometimes overlooked, and it does not truly reflect students knowledge.

GRADUATION TESTS GAINING MOMENTUM

Eleanor Chute.  "GRADUATION TESTS GAINING MOMENTUM. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette  27  Apr. 2009,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  7 Oct. 2010.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=15&did=1688257091&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286472738&clientId=16548

 

 

The idea of graduation competency exams once was so controversial that more than 20 statewide organizations opposed it, about 200 school boards passed resolutions against it and state legislators blocked the state Board of Education from acting on changing graduation requirements. However, things have changed and now even groups that opposed a graduation exam are in favor of the theme of state-created end-of-course tests for high school students. In one variation, school districts voluntarily would have their students take end-of-course tests, but the tests could count for no more than 20 percent of the grade. Last month, in Pennsylvania, the state Department of Education and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association reached a compromise called Keystone Exams.The Keystone Exams would  aim to preserve local control and emphasize the exams would be voluntary. And, it also would split the cost of validating local assessments between the state and local districts, instead of just putting the cost solely on the local districts.

STATE GRADUATION EXAM RETURNED TO THE SHELF

Eleanor Chute.  "STATE GRADUATION EXAM RETURNED TO THE SHELF. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette  23  Jun 2009,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  7 Oct. 2010.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=9&did=1756758511&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286472048&clientId=16548


The state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorachak stopped all of the development of the state public high school graduation exams, until further notice. The secretary sent a letter to the chairmen of the state Senate and House education committees emphasizing that money will not be spent to develop the exams at this point.The idea of requiring students to pass state mandated, end of course exams, to graduate has been controversial, and to increase the debate the topic became even more heated last month when the state Department of Education signed a seven-year, $201 million, contract with Data Recognition Corp. to develop exams and a curriculum that schools should model themselves by, and tools to help asses  students' learning needs. Although, the time for this is ironic, the state that this is being conducted in is facing a 3.2 Billion dollar debt.

4,500 WOULD-BE GRADUATES HAVEN'T PASSED EXIT EXAMS

LESLIE BRODY.  "4,500 WOULD-BE GRADUATES HAVEN'T PASSED EXIT EXAMS. " The Record  4  Jun 2010,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  6 Oct. 2010.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3&did=2063094381&SrchMode=1&sid=5&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286387761&clientId=16548

There is an estimated 4,500 New Jersey high school seniors that have not yet passed the required state exams needed for graduation this month, which is about half the number of  students who weren't sure last month if they would get diplomas.The new standardized test has been widely criticized because it was not actually tested before implementation and most students who took it ended up flunking it .It replaced another testing method that was thrown out because almost everyone who took it passed. However, students have an alternative way to get their diplomas. They can prove they recieved sufficient scores on other standardized tests, such as a 400 in math on the SAT.

MORE STATE TESTING ON HORIZON FOR STUDENTS THIS

Eleanor Chute.  "MORE STATE TESTING ON HORIZON FOR STUDENTS THIS YEAR. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette  20  Sep. 2010,US & Midwestern Newspapers, ProQuest. Web.  6 Oct. 2010.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2141701121&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286385626&clientId=16548

 For about 15 years, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Exams have been the norm of standardized testing in the state.There are two ways that other high schools in different states can implement the graduation exams.They can use  the Successful Course Completion which is where a Keystone Exam is the final exam and counts for at least one-third of the grade for that course. The state plans to develop 10 Keystone Exams in math, English, social studies and science. As Pennsylvania moves ahead with the Keystone Exams, other tests also could be in the state's future. The U.S. Department of Education funded two national programs that are developing ways to assess student learning in math and English Language Arts from grade 3 through high school.

First

I am almost positive that I want to argue about that it is necessary for students to take and pass a regulated test before they can pass high school. I believe that this a good idea for America because ultimately high school is suppose to ready their students to either further their education, enter the military, or prepare them for the real world so that they can handle their own jobs. I believe that if a student takes and passed the regulated test the student should be allowed to graduate and choose which path they will take from then on. However if a student takes the test and does not pass, the school has not yet fully prepared this student to continue his life in whichever direction he or she chooses, and the student should have to remain in high school until they can pass this test. So many students today, will just coast their way through their four years so they can get their diploma and just get out. I believe that those people do not deserve to get a diploma because they didn't put forth the effort that others did. Therefore, I believe that I will write about that there should be a test that every senior planning on graduating should take and pass before they are allowed to graduate.