ACT Aspire Practice Tests Where to Find Free Tests

ACT Aspire Practice Tests Where to Find Free Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Has your school district started using ACT Aspire? Because Aspire only rolled out a few years ago (2014), it's possible you have a lot of questions about what the test will be like. Want to get some practice before you take it for real? We'll give you links to free practice tests for each section of Aspire and explain how to best prepare for the test. What Exactly Is ACT Aspire? The ACT Aspire is a test given each year to students in third through tenth grade. Because Aspire tests Common Core standards, it includes varied questions types (like open response, sorting, and long answer). While its format is fairly distinct from the regular multiple-choice ACT, however, it does test some of the same concepts and skills. (For more information on what exactly is tested on the ACT Aspire, be sure to read this post.) In addition to preparing students for the ACT, Aspire aims to track student growth over time. The yearly score reports can help students see their strengths and weaknesses compared to others at their grade level. Why Are ACT Aspire Practice Tests Hard to Find? There aren't many ACT Aspire prep books available. Image via Angel Franco/The New York Times. A student preparing for the ACT could find dozens, if not hundreds, of practice tests. The ACT itself releases practice tests, tutoring companies write their own, and prep books often contain at least two full-length practice tests. So what about Aspire? Why are there so few practice tests for it? There are many reasons. A big one is the fact that Aspire is so new (it started rolling out in 2014), so there is much less information available about it. Furthermore, Aspire tests different questions for different grade levels. Given that Aspire is offered to students in grades 3-10 (or roughly ages 8-15), it’s hard to put together practice problems for so many potential age groups. Plus, the varied questions types make it harder to write a practice test (as opposed to just putting together a bunch of multiple choice questions). However, the main reason there aren’t many practice tests for ACT Aspire is its purpose. While the ACT is a test that students take independently for college admissions, Aspire is a test that entire school districts take to monitor student progress. In other words, the expectation is that teachers will prepare students for what’s on ACT Aspire. Students are not seen as responsible for preparing on their own like they are for the ACT. Links to ACT Aspire Practice Tests Still, if you want to get some practice for Aspire- or just see what the test is like- there are full practice sections by grade and subject that can be taken online, or printable PDFs with questions for each age group. If you're a student, this is a great way to get introduced to Aspire’s format before you take it for the first time in class; if you're a teacher, this is a great way to introduce your students to the format. To access the online version, go to this website and enter the user name and password for the test section you want to try. You will see different log-in usernames depending on the test section and grade level that you want to access. Each test contains between 24 and 42 sample questions. Unfortunately, the tests do not come with answer keys, so if you're a student, you'll need to work with your teacher to make sure you're getting the right answer; if you're a teacher, you'll need to go through and check your students'answers manually. There are also PDF versions of an older set of practice tests (with answer keys) for all subjects except writing. These practice tests contain a mix of questions divided by grade level, so they won't provide as much targeted practice as the online tests above. Also, note that the answer keys don’t provide answers for open-response questions. English Practice Test English Answer Key Mathematics Practice Test Mathematics Answer Key Reading Practice Test Reading Answer Key Science Practice Test Science Answer Key For example, if you’re giving these printable sample questions to your third-grader, only focus on the last few questions per section- the first questions will stump them! If you’re a high schooler, you can easily take the whole practice test. Middle schoolers can attempt the entire test as well, but be aware the first few questions will likely be very challenging. How Will These Help You Get Ready for ACT Aspire? If you take the practice sections online, you can get used to the format of Aspire (toggling back and forth between questions, inputting answers for the various question types, etc). You can also get a sense of how difficult the questions targeted for your grade level are. If you find the test tricky, you could reach out to your teacher and ask for additional resources to help you prepare If you’re at the high school level, the questions for you are quite similar to the ACT. If you want more practice, it would be appropriate for you to look at ACT practice tests, though be aware the ACT only has multiple-choice questions (excluding the optional essay). Furthermore, the ACT tests more challenging math, up to trigonometry. Why You Shouldn’t Stress About ACT Aspire While working through these practice sets can definitely help you prepare for Aspire, don't assume that burden is on you alone. As we mentioned earlier, Aspire is for school districts to monitor student progress. Your Aspire scores have zero effect on your GPA or your college admissions chances. No colleges require, or even accept, ACT Aspire scores for admission. If you (or your child) has Aspire testing coming up and you feel unprepared, feel free to check out the practice problems above, but also speak to your teacher. Your teacher can explain their plan for preparing the class for Aspire and give some insight as to how the test will be used at your school. Bottom line: unlike with the ACT, it is not a student’s independent responsibility to prepare for the ACT Aspire. What’s Next? Do ACT Aspire scores really predict your ACT score? Read our analysis on the subject here. Do you have a high-achieving middle school student (or are you one)? Read about programs they can do at Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford to further develop their talents. High schoolers, want links to free, official ACT practice tests? We’ve got ‘em! Does it make sense to start preparing for the ACT as a seventh, eighth, or ninth grader? Find out with our exclusive guides. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Halle Edwards About the Author Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process. 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The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt

The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt The way in which we divide the day into hours and minutes, as well as the structure and length of the yearly calendar, owes much to pioneering developments in ancient Egypt. Since Egyptian life and agriculture depended upon the annual flooding of the Nile, it was important to determine when such floods would begin. The early Egyptians noted that the beginning of akhet (inundation) occurred at the heliacal rising of a star they called Serpet (Sirius). It has been calculated that this sidereal year was only 12 minutes longer than the mean tropical year which influenced the flooding, and this produced a difference of only 25 days over the whole of Ancient Egypts recorded history. 3 Egyptian Calendars Ancient Egypt was run according to three different calendars. The first was a lunar calendar based on 12 lunar months, each of which began on the first day in which the old moon crescent was no longer visible in the East at dawn. (This is most unusual since other civilizations of that era are known to have started months with the first setting of the new crescent!) A thirteenth month was intercalated to maintain a link to the heliacal rising of Serpet. This calendar was used for religious festivals. The second calendar, used for administrative purposes, was based on the observation that there was usually 365 days between the heliacal rising of Serpet. This civil calendar was split into twelve months of 30 days with an additional five epagomenal days attached at the end of the year. These additional five days were considered to be unlucky. Although there is no firm archaeological evidence, a detailed back calculation suggests that the Egyptian civil calendar dates back to circa 2900 BCE. This 365-day calendar is also known as a wandering calendar, from the Latin name annus vagus since it slowly gets out of synchronization with the solar year. (Other wandering calendars include the Islamic year.) A third calendar, which dates back at least to the 4th century BCE was used to match the lunar cycle to the civil year. It was based on a period of 25 civil years which was approximately equal 309 lunar months. The Leap Year in Ancient Egypt An attempt to reform the calendar to include a leap year was made at the beginning of the Ptolemaic dynasty (Decree of Canopus, 239 BCE), but the priesthood was too conservative to allow such a change. This pre-dates the Julian reform of 46 BCE which Julius Caesar introduced on the advice of the Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenese. Reform did, however, come after the defeat of Cleopatra and Anthony by the Roman General (and soon to be Emperor) Augustus in 31 BCE. In the following year, the Roman senate decreed that the Egyptian calendar should include a leap year, although the actual change to the calendar didnt occur until 23 BCE. Months, Weeks, and Decades The months of the Egyptian civil calendar were further divided into three sections called decades, each of 10 days. The Egyptians noted that the heliacal rising of certain stars, such as Sirius and Orion, matched the first day of the 36 successive decades and called these stars decans. During any one night, a sequence of 12 decans would be seen to rise and was used to count the hours. (This division of the night sky, later adjusted to account for the epagomenal days, had close parallels to the Babylonian zodiac. The signs of the zodiac each accounting for three of the decans. This astrological device was exported to India and then to Medieval Europe via Islam.) Egyptian Clock Time Early man divided the day into temporal hours whose length depended upon the time of year. A summer hour, with the longer period of daylight, would be longer than that of a winter day. It was the Egyptians who first divided the day (and night) into 24 temporal hours. The Egyptians measured time during the day using shadow clocks, precursors to the more recognizable sun dials seen today. Records suggest that early shadow clocks were based on the shadow from a bar crossing four marks, representing hourly periods starting two hours into the day. At midday, when the sun was at its highest, the shadow clock would be reversed and hours counted down to dusk. An improved version using a rod (or gnomon) and which indicates the time according to the length and position of the shadow has survived from the second millennia BCE. Problems with observing the sun and stars may have been the reason the Egyptians invented the water clock, or clepsydra (meaning water thief in Greek). The earliest remaining example survives from the Temple of Karnak is dated to the 15th century BCE. Water drips through a small hole in one container to a lower one. Marks on either container can be used to give a record of hours passed. Some Egyptian clepsydras have several sets of marks to be used at different times of the year, to maintain consistency with the seasonal temporal hours. The design of the clepsydra was later adapted and improved by the Greeks. The Influence of Astronomy on Minutes and Hours As a result of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, a great wealth of knowledge of astronomy was exported from Babylon into India, Persia, the Mediterranean, and Egypt. The great city of Alexandria with its impressive Library, both founded by the Greek-Macedonian family of Ptolemy, served as an academic center. Temporal hours were of little use to astronomers, and around 127 CE Hipparchus of Nicea, working in the great city of Alexandria, proposed dividing the day into 24 equinoctial hours. These equinoctial hours, so called because they are based on the equal length of day and night at the equinox, split the day into equal periods. (Despite his conceptual advance, ordinary people continued to use temporal hours for well over a thousand years: the conversion to equinoctial hours in Europe was made when mechanical, weight driven clocks were developed in the 14th century.) The division of time was further refined by another Alexandrian based philosopher, Claudius Ptolemeus, who divided the equinoctial hour into 60 minutes, inspired by the scale of measurement used in ancient Babylon. Claudius Ptolemaeus also compiled a great catalog of over one thousand stars, in 48 constellations and recorded his concept that the universe revolved around the Earth. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was translated into Arabic (in 827 CE) and later into Latin (in the 12th century CE). These star tables provided the astronomical data used by Gregory XIII for his reform of the Julian calendar in 1582. Sources Richards, EG. Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History. Oxford University Press, 1998.General History of Africa II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa. James Curry Ltd., University of California Press, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1990.

Global political economy Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global political economy - Research Proposal Example Things were made worse by the bitter realities of the Post Cold War era which had a negative perspective to conflict resolutions and peacemaking. On another level this "Big Brother" impetus can be labelled as being mainly based upon the political agenda of "democratisation and globalisation" of the world through multilateral agenda. The thesis concludes that this impetus is not based mainly upon the "fear of another communist takeover" which is still a Western Nightmare but that there is a more profound political and economic agenda underlying the efforts of the UK and the US to re-establish themselves at the heart of multi-lateral action through international agencies. This dissertation will rely heavily on Documentation review and a critical analysis of the Post cold war propaganda through the electronic and print media. Peer reviewed journals and political views will be searched through the Athens Server, The EBSCO host and the Proquest Portal. However the necessity for interviews is still tentative based upon the suitable search for an intellectual who will add to my political research and insight. This dissertation explores the role of the state the modern state in the era of globalisation and the relevant developmental consequences of this within the global political economy. ... The main concept is to discusses the changing conceptions of the role of the state,a trend especially dominant in the nineties particularly in relation to the institutions like IMF and the World Bank (hereafter referred to as the Bretton Wood institutions or BWI's) Also discussed in the paper will be the role of Market-Friendly Policies (MFP's)in de-emphasizing the role the State in the interests of promoting long term and efficient economic development. MFP's typically relate to low rates of inflation ,prudent government spending, high rates of investment and a healthy trend of market liberalisation. The Post World War II approach of the BWI's was based upon a much smaller role for the state following the era of the large-scale globalisation (so characteristic of the post cold war years) This was largely a response to the state controlled economy' of the USSR which turned out to be an economic and political disaster. The post world war agenda of the US and UK based BWI's was to disc ourage world political economies from any interference in the Economic system, and this new policy was nicknamed as the "Washington Consensus," a term coined by John Williamson, who defined his own set of reforms he believed that the policymakers in Washington should propose for Latin America, which included trade liberalization and the privatization of inward foreign Direct Investment(FDI) .The "Washington consensus" was used to describe the commonly shared goals /themes within the policy packages endorsed by Washington-based institutions at the time, such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and U.S. Treasury Department. The Washington Consensus was later dubbed as the "neoliberal" agenda and received scathing criticism ,in that it that it

Planning in the Health-Care Setting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning in the Health-Care Setting - Case Study Example Health Information Management was formed by Jackie and Sandra as a partnership firm and consists of 6 other specialists (Elements of a Business Plan). As this market niche has not been identified so there are no competitors at all as yet. Therefore, considerable profits can be reaped but competitors will penetrate in future so the firm should provide cost-effective and premium quality services to retain its market share even in future. Presently, there exists an untapped market niche for home health care personnel and resources. Hence, the firm has an excellent opportunity to cater to the entire industry and establish its monopoly before competitors enter the market .Customers’ expectations and industry standards are based around providing prompt and quality home health care benefits. Market trend seems to suggest growth in future years. Prompt and premium home health care services shall be provided. Price skimming shall be used to reap the maximum profits, as demand for these services is unfulfilled so customers will pay the high prices. The services should be promoted through hospitals and clinics and shall be provided at homes of patients (Crow & Goldstein, 2003). In addition to Jackie and Sandra, the management team is composed of 2 RRAs and 4 ARTs. The principal partners as well as the specialist staff are highly motivated and committed to business growth and betterment. Bryan and others have willingly taken the challenge of providing home health care

Lady Anne Essay Example for Free

Lady Anne Essay In Richard the third, there are many different female characters that are put in contrast to men. The audience is aware of their presence and effect on the men in the play. In this essay the four main female characters will have a character analysis and viewing scenes when women overcome men or either the men make them look vulnerable. The traditional view of men was that they were Dominant, strong, brave, owner and Lord of all that he possessed. The traditional view of women was the object of possession, weak, obedient and homely. They were taught to stay at home, cook for the husband and bring up the children, also to generally do everything in her power to look beautiful for her husband. Men were expected to go out and work, to bring in money to bring up his family, to treat his wife as he saw fit and to be the master of the house. Shakespeares time is actually different to Richard the thirds time, however the view on women is still the same. However, ironically some of the strongest monarchs that England has seen have been women. This shows that although times change, women can still prove to be just as strong as the men. Such as, Bodica who lead her Viking troops into war and defeated the Romans many times. Elizabeth the first was also a very strong monarch in Shakespeares time. That time was a patriarchal society, so men, who could influence the characters in Richard the third, dominated it. Women are seen as the victims. However, the longest reigning monarch is Victoria who reigned for 60 years. This demonstrates long life, strength in war and battle, and also strength of mind in many situations. Shakespeares female characters have been demonstrated as weak. Such as Lady Macbeth. When she knows she has to murder another human, she calls unsex me now, which would demonstrate her needing to lose her traditional feminine self and caring characteristics to enable her to do such a deed. She has been subverted to the patriarchal society. Another female character that Shakespeares written of, is Hero in Much ado about nothing. She plays a weak character that the male villains set up a plot against her in front of her betrothed and other male witnesses. The plot is then announced in front of her whole family and household. She is disgraced and Claudio will not marry her. In order to prove her innocence, she has to deceive all of her household until her innocence is found when she can truly step back into society. However, a very strong character is shown in the same play. Beatrice is a strong minded, outspoken and somewhat swaggering. Especially in her responses when Benedict challenges her, a male character that mirrors her perfectly. If the play were not set in such a loving family environment, she would not be accepted as an honorable wife or possession. How the story ends is her strong character is just a front, and she loses it when she falls in love with her reflective character, as she does not feel threatened anymore. In Richard the third, there are many female characters that reflect Shakespeares views on females. The first character analysis is of Lady Anne: She is a woman in control and shows this in the first sexual scene when Richard seduces her. She is shown up at first as weak. She is walking behind the coffin of her dead father; this shows that the strong male in her life is no longer there to support her. She is also in mourning and very vulnerable as she could be bewildered about her emotions. Richard knows this and so he makes sure it is used to his advantage. Everything he says to try and woe her though, she throws back at him. Line 50 Act 1 scene2 Foul devil [ ] trouble us not and on Line 70 villain, [ ] no beast so fierce. These are insults thrown at Richard to make it seem like she does not care for his compliments and this male character will not knock her down. She represents female characters as strong in this scene, even if it is just a front to protect her from the exposed position she finds herself in. However, Richard always replies with a compliment in order to woe her and targets her vanity. This works and she shows that she is helpless when she is flattered by comments like Line 49 act 1 scene 2 Sweet saint [ ] be not so curst. Here, Richard is deluding her whilst aiming at her weakness as he does with each of his victims in different ways. The significance that she is a woman is important because it demonstrates her as being a specific target that he is weakening.

Old Time Walk and Run :: Personal Narrative History Athletics Papers

Old Time Walk and Run As I sit here at the first annual Bethlehem Six Day Extravaganza, I am amazed at the desire and energy these men and women have after five days of constant running. I would consider myself a good athlete, yet I would never be able to run such a long distance for six days straight. The amount of stamina needed to finish this race, to conquer the temperatures, distance, time, highs, and lows is incredible. These athletes have the support and admiration from so many people here to cheer them through this last day of running. Cheering for every runner that passes on the quarter-mile track, I wonder, how did these races begin? It was at Washington State Rink in 1874 where Edward Payson Weston attempted to successfully walk five hundred miles in six consecutive days. There were 6,000 spectators in attendance composed of all classes of society including the Mayor and the Chief of Police. It was almost necessary to alert the Newark police force and the militia to guard the soon to be prized and historic pedestrian. This was the third time that year that Weston was attempting such a feat. His first attempt was in 1861 where he tried to walk to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. He started at the State House in Boston on February 22 and finally arrived on March 4. This distance totaled 453 miles in 208 hours, but he sadly missed the inauguration by half a day. His career took off in 1867, and this began his professional career. He started this career by walking from Portland, Maine to Chicago, Illinois (1,326 miles) in twenty-five days. This earned him $10,000 as a reward for all of his hard work. This accomp lishment came with recognition from everyone, the newspapers would write about Weston everyday and what he has done for the United States. "This walk made Weston a household name." Weston continued to walk on, breaking the world record in New York where he walked 100 miles in 22:19:10. Yet, with all of his successes, he failed numerous times at feats that he worked hard to conquer. Soon to be named "The father of modern pedestrianism," Weston was able to walk with the mayor during one of his six day walks. When Weston walked, he "dressed in black velvet knee-breeches, with ruffled white shirt and black leather leggings reaching to the knee.

Implementing change Essay

Managers are entrusted with a leadership role for an organization with an aim to set out objectives and create the right environment and effective techniques to meet those objectives. There are supposed to come up with creative ideas on the change needed in the organization and how that change should be implemented with minimal difficulties while at the same time reaping maximum benefits from the change. A manager’s role and responsibility in implementing change One major step towards achieving this is of course through having a very clear sense of goals. When the management is equipped with a clear sense of goals and objectives, then it will be possible for an organization or an institution to have a new direction. The manager is important at this stage. He or she is responsible for coming up with specific objectives and determining what direction the institution is supposed to take. It is imperative that the leader or in this case the manager learn to be patient because in many cases change demands patience. As a manager, one should be well informed on his or her team so as to have a good knowledge on which members can be best used. Banutu & Banutu 2003) The task of management in times of implementing change demands good communication skills. One of the manager’s main tasks is relaying ideas, mission, goals, and objectives of the institution to the subordinates. It is therefore important that the manager is skilled in communication so as to effectively hammer the point home. Good communication skills are two way. The manager should also be a good observer and listener so as to understand any information or feedback that may be coming from the team members. Managers should also act as role models to their team by for instance setting an example of sacrifice. To make the process of change easier, the manager’s behavior should provide a model for motivation. He or she should be ready to listen to team members, respect them, delegate some powers to them, and assist them. Such characters and actions go a long way in motivating the team and elevating their interest to the task at hand. Team members are not only inspired with a mission but also motivated to initiate novelty and new ways of thinking. For a change process to be successful, the manager is supposed to build trust among group members and ensure that they think and work as a unit as opposed to working as individuals. The manager should be able to nurture intimacy among members, demonstrate self confidence, integrity, and honesty. He or she should be able to connect real life personal experiences with transformational requirements or behaviors of the institution. The manager should have a strong sense of involvement with the team and its activities. This way, the influence process becomes easier and more effective. It is imperative the manager fully understands the task ahead and relays that to the subordinates. This attribute should be coupled with high level commitment to the institution. Integrity and consistency are paramount in the change process if the laid down objectives are to be realized. (Banutu & Banutu 2003) Handling staff resistance to change One of the most common characteristics in the change process is resistance towards change by members of the organization. Though resistance to change is mainly viewed negatively, it can have positive outcomes too. For instance, staff resistance can lead to a functional conflict. This sought of conflict stimulates a healthy debate among members and the leadership as well. Such a debate sheds light on the various faces of change and ultimately leads to a better decision in the end. Staff resistance though could act as a major obstacle to an organization’s pursuit to achieve change and progress. If the staff is adamant to change its mindset to fit and adapt with changing times, then the organization will experience difficulties adapting and achieving progress. Managers are supposed to come up with ways to deal with staff resistance and ensure that the staff is collaborative instead of the other way round. (Kelly 1992) Communicating with staff members is a significant step in dealing with resistance. The leadership should take its time in demonstrating the logic of change to the staff and get rid of any chances of misinformation or misunderstanding. As indicated earlier, involvement of the staff in decision making is a beneficial tactic in ensuring that staff members not only implement change but also feel as being a part of it. This reduces the level of resistance, increases the change quality of the staff, and achieves commitment from the staff. The manager can also provide individuals who can handle and manage change activities or act as one. The manager or the change agents can offer facilitation and support to staff members so the idea of change and its actual implementation can be easier and more understandable. (Holton 2003) Another method through which managers can avert potential resistance is through negotiation with the staff. The management can offer the staff something like a reward in exchange of lessened resistance. The manager should however be wary of blackmail because some staff members may take advantage of this and demand rewards in any event of a change process. When ‘clean’ strategies fail or deemed unreliable to avert staff resistance, the manager can use cooptation and manipulation techniques so as to achieve his or her ends. Making facts look appealing more than they really are and hatching force rumors can get the staff to accept change and actually look forward to its implementation. The personalities leading the resistance can be bought off by the manager by offering them important positions in the change process. They are made to feel as if they engaged in opposing change but in actual sense the plan goes unhitched. The last trick on the book is the use of coercion. The manager gives direct threats to the staff members and applies direct force. Other measures include transfer of members, demotion, poor letter recommendation, or outright firing. It is important that the staff understands they are not indispensable as the change that the organization is seeking is more important than an individual career. (Bass & Avolio 1994) Steps of the change process The management with the collaboration and active participation of the staff should engage themselves in assessing the organization’s goals and objectives. There should be an extensive understanding of why the organization is taking the change path and how well equipped it is to actually implement its objectives. In the event that the management feels time is not ripe for a particular change process to be initiated, then it can be shelved until the right time comes. The management should put all facts on the table and analyze them before it starts to implement them. All possible scenarios to the process should be considered. In the planning process, it is important that the manager ensures that staff members fully comprehend the plan ahead of them. It is also important that staff members are to a certain level involved in the process. The reasons for using participation, as discussed earlier, is to gain the collaboration of the staff and reduce chances of resistance. Carrying out the actual change process calls for dedication from everyone involved. Any challenges such as staff resistance should be dealt with swiftly. During the evaluation, the management should go back to the aims and objectives outlined during the planning process. External evaluators should be invited so as to avoid any chances of bias. (Banutu & Banutu 2003) Conclusion Only one thing is certain in any place and that is change. Organizations, just as human beings, are in a process of change. It is up to the management to ensure that this is change is to the positive. The modern world is characterized by cutthroat competition and there is no room for being stagnant.