Diagnostic Testing Essays - Iowa Tests Of Educational Development

Diagnostic Testing The purpose of this report is to give Mr. and Mrs. G., Nicholas G.'s parents, a more complete and up to date picture of Nick's academic skill levels. Nick is a neighbor of the examiner, and both parents and examinee have cherrfully volunteered Nick as testing subjuect for the examiner's Diagnostic Testing class. Nicholas has been in the Special Day Class Program, attending Santa Barbara public schools since kindergarten. Nicholas is developementally delayed and has mild cerebral palsy. Nick's parents report that he has made good academic and social skills progress, especially in the past two years. Strong parental concern remains in the area of reading and independent life skills. Nick feels that he writes and cuts with extreme difficulty, hates reading, and enjoys math and computers. Nick attends several mainstream classes per semester with an aide's help, and appears to have enjoyed the social aspects, but feels the classes were "really hard." Nick's mother reports that his hearing and vision have been checked within the past six months, with no apparent problems. Despite academic and motor frustrations, Nick's school attendence has been excellent, as has been his general health. Results of academic achievement testing: Woodcock-Johnson Revised: Age Grade Standard Percentile Equiv. Equiv. Score Letter-word Identification 7-2 1.7 49 0.1 Word-Attack 7-1 1.6 62 1.0 Basic Reading Skills 7-2 1.6 52 0.1 Passage Comprehension 7-3 1.7 51 0.1 Reading Vocabulary 6-6 1.2 41 0.1 Broad Reading 7-3 1.7 44 0.1 Dictation 6-5 1.1 29 0.1 Spelling 6-9 1.4 45 0.1 Writing Samples 6-9 1.3 29 0.1 Broad Written Language 6-8 1.3 31 0.1 Calculation 6-9 1.3 28 0.1 Quantitative Concepts 7-6 2.1 53 0.1 Applied Problems 7-0 1.6 59 0.3 Broad Mathematics 6-10 1.4 40 0.1 Visual-Motor Integration ( VMI) (normed on 12-2) raw score 8 standard score 5 %ile 1.0 Visual-Aural Digit Span (VADS) Aural-Oral 3 Visual-Oral 3 Aural Written 2 Visual- Written 2 Total VADS 10 (defective range, grade 4) Nicholas appeared relaxed and eager to please while testing. Once in awhile he would say, "this is hard," but when given the option of stopping or going on he would consistently express a desire to continue. His parents report that this stubborn tenacity has carried him beyond expectations. Nick has a good sense of family, community, and social settings. When offered a cookie on a napkin, he put the napkin on his lap. Nick enjoyed talking between tests about friends, cars, computers, and other age-appropriate subjects. During the testing he concentrated very hard, took his time, and did not answer until he seemed quite sure of his answers. While in deep concentration, Nick's head would temporarily stop the constant movement apparant with cerebral palsy. His mother stated that this recent ability to temporarily cease head movement has aided his reading progress. READING: Test results show that Nick appears to be reading at a level comparable to that of an average student at the grade 1.7 level, which rank at the Very Low level. Reading tasks at the 1.4 level will be easy for Nick, those above grade 2.0 will be difficult for him. It is noted that on the word attack and Word Analysis Skills test, when decoding nonsense words Nick could decode CVC pattern words and has learned some basic sound-symbol associations. Comprehension tests show that Nicholas candetermine meaning from a passage (Passage Comprehension 1.7) at a slightly higher level than he can from a single word (Reading Vocabulary 1.2). While these scores are also in the Very Low range, they show that Nick is beginning to use some contextual clues in his reading. WRITTEN LANGUAGE: Nick's test results on Broad Written Language is comparable to that of the average student in grade 1.3, and in the Very Low range of scores. Tasks requiring written language skills below grade level 1.1 will be easy for him; those above the grade 1.4 will be difficult for him. Spelling Test observations (1.4) showed that Nick has difficulty with short vowel useage, the fine e rule, and consonant blends. An informal writing sample showed that Nick could use correct punctuation at the end of a sentence, but ignored punctuation marks within a sentence. The same sample showed that Nick's writing is legible and that he forms most of his letters correctly, having difficulty with line placement . Nick interspersed cursive letters, and verbally expressed a desire to write in cursive like "mainstream buddies" do. Nick uses simple sentence structures, writing one compound sentence out of 10 total sentences. Because of his orthopedic impairments, the written language tests were untimed. MATHEMATICS: Nick's

Tantalum Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Tantalum Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Tantalum  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 73 Symbol: Ta Atomic Weight: 180.9479 Discovery: Anders Ekeberg 1802 (Sweden), showed that niobic acid and tantalic acid were two different substances. Electron Configuration: [Xe] 6s2 4f14 5d3 Word Origin: Greek Tantalos, mythological character, king who was father of Niobe Isotopes: There are 25 known isotopes of tantalum. Natural tantalum consists of 2 isotopes. Properties: Tantalum is a heavy, hard gray metal. Pure tantalum is ductile and may be drawn into very fine wire. Tantalum is practically immune to chemical attack at temperatures lower than 150  °C. It is only attacked by hydrofluoric acid, acidic solutions of the fluoride ion, and free sulfur trioxide. Alkalis attack tantalum very slowly. At higher temperatures, tantalum is more reactive. The melting point of tantalum is very high, exceeded only by that of tungsten and rhenium. The melting point of tantalum is 2996  °C; boiling point is 5425 /- 100  °C; specific gravity is 16.654; valence is usually 5, but may be 2, 3, or 4. Uses: Tantalum wire is used as a filament for evaporating other metals. Tantalum is incorporated into a variety of alloys, conferring high melting point, ductility, strength, and corrosion resistance. Tantalum carbide is one of the hardest materials ever made. At high temperatures, tantalum has good gettering ability. Tantalum oxide films are stable, with desirable dielectric and rectifying properties. The metal is used in chemical process equipment, vacuum furnaces, capacitors, nuclear reactors, and aircraft parts. Tantalum oxide may be used to make a glass with a high index of refraction, with applications including use for camera lenses. Tantalum is immune to body liquids and is a non-irritating metal. Therefore, it has widespread surgical applications. Sources: Tantalum is found primarily in the mineral columbite-tantalite (Fe, Mn)(Nb, Ta)2O6. Tantalum ores are found in Australia, Zaire, Brazil, Mozambique, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, and Canada. A complicated process is required to remove tantalum from the ore. Element Classification: Transition Metal Tantalum Physical Data Density (g/cc): 16.654 Melting Point (K): 3269 Boiling Point (K): 5698 Appearance: heavy, hard gray metal Atomic Radius (pm): 149 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 10.9 Covalent Radius (pm): 134 Ionic Radius: 68 (5e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.140 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 24.7 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 758 Debye Temperature (K): 225.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.5 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 760.1 Oxidation States: 5 Lattice Structure: Body-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 3.310 References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) Return to the Periodic Table

Local Development Framework in England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Local Development Framework in England - Essay Example This paper illustrates that land-use planning system at the end of the 1990s was unable to deliver adequate infrastructure; this was identified as a key obstacle to economic development in the United Kingdom. This was one of the reasons that resulted in the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. This radical new approach to planning in England signified the beginning of a new era of developing spatial rather than solely land-use plans. â€Å"The requirements of the new system, the implementation of plans and the delivery of infrastructure have been significantly strengthened through Local Development Frameworks (LDFs)† and newly formulated policy guidance and regulation. On the other hand, it is vital to comprehend the opportunities and challenges confronting policy makers in the delivery of infrastructure. This is essential, in view of the emphasis that the government is placing on reducing barriers to development, specially those associated with the delivery of housing a nd infrastructure. Local authority chief executives are required to involve themselves fully in the Local Development Framework system, entrenching it into the corporate centre. The executives should provide the resources and support to the planmaking process. They should make the resulting Local Development Framework a central instrument â€Å"in their corporate armoury to steer public and private capital investment and achieve Local Area Agreement outcomes†. ... ementation of plans and the delivery of infrastructure have been significantly strengthened through Local Development Frameworks (LDFs)† (Baker and Hincks, 2009 p.173) and newly formulated policy guidance and regulation. On the other hand, it is vital to comprehend the opportunities and challenges confronting policy makers in the delivery of infrastructure. This is essential, in view of the emphasis that the government is placing on reducing barriers to development, specially those associated with the delivery of housing and infrastructure. Local authority chief executives are required to involve themselves fully in the Local Development Framework system, entrenching it into the corporate centre. The executives should provide the resources and support to the planmaking process. They should make the resulting Local Development Framework a central instrument â€Å"in their corporate armoury to steer public and private capital investment and achieve Local Area Agreement outcomesà ¢â‚¬  (Rozee, 2008 p.621). Additionally, elected members require targeted training to comprehend the value that the Local Development Framework can contribute to their communities and their participation in achieving results. The Planning Advisory Service provides modules which help in the delivery of such training. However, it is evident that one of the most significant barriers to achieving the implementaion of plans is the delivery of the infrastructure required to support development. London has responded to the challenge of urban renewal, regeneration, and regional competition. However, it is occasionally handicapped by a complex London government structure. National, regional and local governments are all concerned with economic growth and development in London. A distinctive institutional