ACC Champions!!!
Yeah the North Carolina Tar Heels just beat the Clemson Tigers to win the ACC Championship. Score: Clemson 81, (1) North Carolina 86. It was a great game throughout with Tyler Hansbrough scoring 18 points and having 11 rebounds. Ty Lawson also added 12 points and 8 assists. The scoring leader Wayne Ellington was on fire for 24 points. Both teams played extremely hard and luckily Carolina came out with a win. During the end of the game Carolina made a few mistakes but hopefully coach Roy Williams will utilize those mistakes as a learning experience resulting in a NCAA Championship. Now we’re on the road to March Madness!!!!
School Pays Students to Take Tests
Here’s an article stating how a school payed students to take tests and the outcome resulted with 100% attendance. Interesting result - what do you think? If state tests are such an important piece of assessing students and schools are graded heavily by these exams, should students earn an incentive? Read on…
School Pays Students to Take Test
The Rocky Mountain News, Mar. 14
DENVER, Colo. — plan to pay Manual High School students to take state tests this week has paid off — with 100 percent attendance. Manual Principal Rob Stein is hardly the first metro-area educator to use enticements to get students to take part in the Colorado Student Assessment Program.
Other schools — particularly high schools — have used movie passes, fast-food certificates and chances to win raffles with prizes such as televisions and iPods. Stein and his staff went the more direct route of cold, hard cash. For each test taken, $5. For good behavior, such as arriving on time, add another $1. Private donors will pay the bill.
With nine tests over the past three days, Tuesday through Thursday, that equals about $50 per student.
“I don’t believe in it, but it works,” Stein said Thursday. The Manual alum with a doctorate from Harvard took over the struggling school in north-central Denver last fall, after eight years spent running the prestigious and private Graland Country Day School.
“The reason why I think I was willing to make the exception is there’s no benefit to the kids in the CSAP,” Stein said. “They don’t learn from it, it’s not intrinsically motivating, they don’t get results in a timely way. There’s just no benefit to them.”
The CSAP exams are given annually to students in grades three through 10 in reading, writing, math and science. Test results are used to rate schools, but they don’t count for individual student grades or graduation. “It’s simply a chore they have to do that’s unpleasant,” Stein said. “I don’t think paying them to do an unpleasant chore is the same thing as paying them to learn.”
Students also will be rewarded if they perform better than expected, based on past test performance, when CSAP results are returned this August. “We wanted kids not just to be present but to try,” the principal said.
Of Manual’s 160 students — all ninth-graders — only a student who ran away from home a month ago did not take any tests. Another student must make up two of the nine tests given. Otherwise, attendance was perfect. In spring 2006, the last time Manual students took the exams, absence rates ranged from zero to 15 percent on tests. DPS leaders shuttered the poorly performing school in 2006-07 to plan its current reform.
“Having 100 percent attendance is tremendous,” said DPS Superintendent Michael Bennet, who heard about the plan on Thursday morning.
“I do think we have to look at all kinds of incentives and disincentives to get the behavior we all want,” he said. “Whether it’s appropriate for all schools, I don’t know the answer to that.”
Stein said the school also had other strategies, including collecting student cell phone numbers and calling those who were running late. Teachers also emphasized that “we really want to rally as a community.” But the money definitely helped. Altogether, he said private donors can expect to pay out about $8,000. Students will be paid next week.
“It’s not part of my educational philosophy,” said Stein, who believes learning should be intrinsically motivated. But, he added, “I’m obligated to go with the data on this one. One thing we’ve learned is, it works.”
Carolina Wins!!!
The North Carolina Tarheels ended their regular season with a huge win by beating the Duke Blue Devils. Between tenacious defense along with a flurry of blocked shots the Heels will remain #1 as they should! They won the ACC regular title but more important they go into the tournament with a huge win. Defensively Danny Green (7 blocked shots) was phenomenal along with Ty Lawson and Psycho T (aka Tyler Hansbrough). Their transition defense was on target which made the offensive transition run full throttle. March Madness is right around the corner so start thinking about who might win the NCAA Championship. I know who I’m going to pick! Score: #1 North Carolina 76, #5 Duke 68
RV&E Bike And Skate Athlete Open House
Once again RV&E Bike And Skate is having another Athlete Open House on Friday March 14, 2008 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm.To get everyone in the mood for spring they are offering 30% off everything in the store for one night only and food and drink will be provided.
All they ask is that you RSVP by March 11, 2008 so that they can make sure they have enough food and drink for everyone. You may RSVP by emailing them at rvebike@frontiernet.net or by calling 585-388-1350.
I attended their end of the year Open House in 2007 and let me tell you the deals were amazing! If you are looking for new cycling equipment for spring you cannot pass this event up.
Hope to see you there!
Dungeon & Dragons Co-Creator passes
Gary Gygax one of the co-creators of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game passed away yesterday at the age of 69. Gygax had been dealing with several health issues over the years.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.
“It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them,” Gail Gygax said. “He really enjoyed that.”
