LITERATURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LITERATURE - Essay Example While generally the end of the First World War can be regarded as the commencement of the modernist tradition in literature, end of the Second World War marked initiation of the postmodernism. The writers of modernist tradition, after experiencing the radical shift from romantic traditions which also was further worsened by great devastation of the First World War, attempted to develop a holistic approach that they considered to be a matter of great importance to solve the prevailing problems. The postmodernists on the other hand adopted quite a different approach than that of the modernists and emphasized on the evaluation as well as analysis of the different aspects that construct life from in a fragmented manner. Irrespective of the fact that postmodernists derived a great deal of their inspiration from modernist traits of writing, however, their attempt to deal with subjects of novels in a fragmented and highly individualized manner developed the core of postmodernism. Such effor ts not only helped in the genesis of different sub-genres in the 20th Century novel writing tradition but also helped readers to receive more accurate understanding of the social, cultural, political and philosophical scenario of the contemporary time. ... to art and aesthetics of modernist literature, development of popular literature and to which extent these two novels, respectively, have helped in understanding the forms of postmodern existence in a better way. In order to establish the criteria for determining the best novel of 20th Century, it is important to understand both modernism and postmodernism as these two literary and philosophical disciplines have played the most important parts in determining the aesthetics of the century, elaborated the socio-cultural aspects and finally help a reader to understand the relevance of texts with both aesthetics as well as socio-cultural dimensions. The term ‘modernism’ has raised a great deal of debate, dilemma and controversies among critics of literature and such vast is its expanse that quite often it becomes difficult to determine the actual literary-philosophical dimension of the discipline. Thus, critics like Malcolm Bradbury and James McFarlane, in their efforts to d etermine modernism, have emphasized on two different â€Å"sets of association† (Gupta, 2005, p. 221). In the first set of association they have opined is linked with â€Å"high aesthetic self-consciousness and nonrepresentationalism, in which art turns from realism and humanistic representation towards style, technique, and spatial form in pursuit of a deeper penetration of life †¦.† (Cited in Gupta, 2005, p. 221). This type of association helps in the genesis of experimental and innovative arts and consecutively deconstructs the traditional forms of artistic perception as well as representation in terms of structure, myth and organization. In the second type of association the critics have attempted to elaborate the reasons that resulted in such changes. While on one hand the intellectual dimension

Imagination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Imagination - Essay Example In essence, the first gaze is all about the visual element of tourism in the sense that tourists will get what they see. Focusing too much of the visual aspects may not necessarily be the best way of enhancing tourism in a particular region. The commercial aspect of tourism is mainly concerned with ego in the sense that completeness and self-sufficiency are the primary driving factors in such form of tourism. In as much as Urry’s tourist gazes appear to make sense, it is important to note that the first gaze is far from monopolizing the tourism field. Concerning the second gaze of tourism as posited by John Urry, it is worth noting that there is a great contradiction with the first gaze. Usually what a tourist sees is not exactly what he or she will get. Therefore, they must understand that seeing may not necessarily lead to believing. It is not advisable to believe everything that one sees or encounters because even the most elaborate books or tourism guides have some hidden information that are not available to the public. In this regard, the presentation of any tourist attraction plays a primary role in the second gaze compared to the attraction itself. By presenting tourist attraction in an enticing manner, people are more likely to believe what they see even if what they have been told does not correspond with the actual situation on the ground. Runyon Canyon’ photo is okay only that it depicts scenes that most of the ordinary Americans are not familiar with. Although it is a good thing that the photo has not revealed the major landmarks of Los Angeles, it is also negative that most people will fail to identify with the photo. The photo is beautiful and acceptable in the sense that it shows the skyline of Los Angeles as the sun goes down. The image of Griffith Observatory at night creates a sense of peace to the viewers because of the beautiful

The influence of politics on economics

The influence of politics on economics Political Economy is a term that preceded that science that we fondly call Economics. The term, as its name implied, originated because of the belief that the economy and politics could not be separated from each other. As time went by, it was evident that the both sciences were separated; economics and politics both were sciences in their own rights. In the recent past, there have been increases in the research of the influence of politics on economics. Such research though old, appears to be ageless as the findings are quite applicable to modern age as much as to the earlier era. The difference in the modern findings lies mainly with the methods employed, and many critics have viewed the outcome as being too broad as researchers try to embrace a large amount of variables that may have affected the final conclusions one way or another. The fact that politics has a great influence on economics can be demonstrated by the example of inflation. If there is inflation in a country, then one of the procedures that could be used is cutting the budget deficit of a country. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)  [1]  has recognised that pure economics alone is unable to explain complex phenomena such as different degrees of economic development, quality and types of economic policies, income distribution, and quality of government organization such as corruption, protection of property right, among other things. Professor Alesina believed that political institutions are important determinants of economic outcomes. In turn, the state of the economy affects political outcomes, both in the long run and in the short. Economic development affects the evolution of institutions and short run economic conditions affect political change and elections. This then explicitly implies that there is an intrinsic interrelation between politics and the economy. Dr.David Caploe, Chief Political Economist of EconomyWatch.com  [2]  noted that the renowned English Theorist and historian E.H. Carr described Political Economy as two things that are similar but not identical. He stressed that when talking about political economy we talk about two things that are very different but must always be examined together. Politics and Economics are intrinsically and inextricably linked, and one connot be studied or talked about without studying or talking about the other. Political Economy according to Alonzo Potter  [3]  teaches one how to increase production by teaching us to distinguish between true and false economy. Since, he explained, that there was a time that theorists thought that in order to increase wealth individuals must hoard their property. Today we understand that in order to maximize wealth we must keep it working for us; even so, the idea of productive and unproductive expenditure is still not totally clear to many practicing e conomists. William Stanley Jevons  [4]  view of Political Economy is that of a science that looks at the wealth of nations; it looks at the causes that make one nation more prosperous than another. It has as its main goal the education of society in order that poor people should be as few as possible and everybody should be well compensated for work done. Professor Jevons went on further to show the difference between Political Science and the other sciences. This he believes is because the science treats wealth itself, how it treats wealth itself, what is the best way to consume it and how to take advantage of the other sciences to get it. The main adversaries of Political Economy are those people who think that one should not concentrate on wealth alone but focus on greater thing such as virtue, generousity, and affection. Professor Jevons notably explains that most of the poverty and crimes committed have been either directly or indirectly caused by mistaken charity in the pa st which has unwittingly caused a large cross section of people to grow up careless, improvident and idle. Therefore, instead of giving out alms we should educate people, in order that they earn their own living and have a saving as well. The main focus of political economists was that of finding out or at least foreseeing with some level of certainty what contributed to the wealth of individuals that could be extended to societies; and could further even be extended to countries. That labour and economy made up the wealth of economies was not easily seen by great thinkers such as Adam Smith and others before his era. John Stuart Mill in his discourse regarded Mr David Ricardo  [5]  as one of the few thinkers who had seen the true nature of the wealth creation by nations by means of application of scientific methods. He showed that Mr Ricardo demonstrated that a country which produced a commodity at a high cost would benefit by importing such a commodity from another country which produced the same item at a lower cost, while at the same time, the former country could export another commodity to the reciprocating country at a lower cost than the other country could product it. Mr Mill agreed that this was essentially the true nature of wealth creation for nations. He lamented the fact that previous economists and some even at his time looked at wealth creation simply as the disposal of surplus goods by a country. The salient point though, was the fact that Mr. Ricardo clearly pointed out in his work The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation the exact science that measured the amounts and concepts to arrive at those amounts, as compared to the inexact and highly unscientific if not totally false ways in which theorists attempted to show the advantages of trade. Mr Ricardo proposed that it is not the difference in the absolute cost of production that drives the interchange of goods between countries but the difference in comparative costs. POLITICAL ECONOMIST HISTORICAL VIEWS Before the new theorists voiced their opinions on the causes of national wealth, the general concencus held by the society was one that modern economist hold now to be totally erroneous. The view held of the influence of consumption, is one such view that heads the table. These theorist and practical thinkers believed that in increasing consumption the wealth of nations inevitably increased as well. Most countries looked to encourage fast consumption, vast demands and rapid circulation. It became ever so clearer to the new political thinkers that consumers were always available. The governments of the day encouraged consumption, hence they frowned on saving and unproductive consumption was promoted. The national wealth was diminished by the very means by which it was expected to increase. Mill  [6]  and others came to realise that the focus on consumption was unwarranted. What the national economies needed was a boost in production at all level, since consumption needed no encouragement. The prevelance of erroneous concepts that were accepted by a great portion of society was borne out of the appearance of some semblance of evidence. When this evidence was tested and found to be wanted it is the duty of the researchers to find out what exactly does it prove. THE SCIENCE THAT IS POLITICAL ECONOMY John Stuart Mill used the analogy of building housing to explain the origin of the political economists science. He explained that the setting up of walls around a city usually follows the erection of building and not the other way around; that of walls first, then buildings. The definition of the science of Political Economy, and by extension most sciences, nearly always not preceeded but followed the creation of the science itself. Everything from the foundation was done in a less systematic way. Man by nature was a learning creature and as bits and pieces came to the forefront they were added to give structure to poorly defined models. When atempting to give a broad defininition of what science is, Dugald Stewart, according to Mr. Mill, stated that the first principles of all science belonged to the human mind. In other words, the foundational principles were shrouded in cloudiness and unclear definitions, as contrasted with the final conclusions and proof of theories. In looking at the contrasting nature between an art and a science Mill noted that while science deals with facts, art is based on precepts; science is a collections of truths, art constitutes a body of rules of conduct. Science recognises a phenomenon and tries to discover its law; art proposes an end in itself, and looks for means to affect it. Rules to make a nation rich are not a science, but they are derived from science. Vilfredo Pareto  [7]  stated that economic science would not hesitate to use philosophy, physiology or even mathematics, whereas art would hesitate before using them since they may confuse the audience that they attempt to persuade. Most moral science accepts and uses physical science, but physical science uses moral science for support. Political Economy on the other hand, uses both sciences to build its concepts. It continues where physical science leaves moral science which embraces complex phenomena. To illustrate this further, we see that which produces wealth are both the subject of Political Economy and physical sciences, as well as various laws that govern human behaviour; belonging to that of moral sciences. Political Economics is based on the foundations of all physical sciences; it also asks what phenomena of mind and human behaviour are involved in the production and distribution of wealth, all in concordance with the physical sciences. In his writings on Political Economy, J.C.L. Simonde de Sismondi noted that political economy was the name given to the science of government. The object of government is that of bringing about the ultimate happiness of men. Man by nature is a complex being, so that both moral and physical nature has to be satisfied before he could be totally satisfied. He saw the physical well-being of man as the object of political economy, and all the physical wants of man could be abtained by accumulation of wealth. The main duty of government was that of providing for its citizenry, and to discourage the repopulation of the state faster than it could provide the means of sustaining it. He added though, that wealth and population are not the only true indicators of prosperity of a state since they are only so in relation to each other. However, he believed that wealth is a blessing when it is evenly distributed; population an advantage when every man is sure of gaining an honest subsistence by hi s labour. But a country may be wretched, though some individuals in it are amassing colossal fortunes; and if its population, like that of China and India, are always superior to their means of subsistence. These writings were made in the nineteenth century so it is not surprising that many of the strategies; hence the fortunes of some of these nations would have changed. CONCLUSION Because of the application of Political Economy, many of the great economists knew like Mr. William Stanley Jevons that wealth could be increased by the nations that could produce it more easily and plentifully and each trade, town, nation must furnish what it can yield most cheaply, and other goods can be bought from the places where they can be raised more easily. Economists of today use the world as their experimental field and while social scientists have the luxury of correcting errors in labotaries economists whose predictions goes array would find themselves criticized or even ostracized by their colleagues, since inaccurate analyses can break nations.

Whats on the Menu? Essay -- Health, Obesity, Food Industry

Title Muffin tops, Weight Watchers, Atkins, these are all among the jargon designated for the horizontally challenged today. These words and others are the runoff of a much larger problem, obesity. Americans today have made being inactive and feasting on junk food acceptable, thereby greatly increase the percentage of the population that is extremely overweight. Excessive eating is not the lone source for this disproportionate problem of obesity, there are a myriad of causes and as many solutions (Manson 1). No matter what the cause of obesity, the liberty to alter or wallow in their condition should remain the individual’s rather than the government’s. Obesity reduces the quality of people’s lives, consequently the government is concerned by this threatening issue. However, instead of limiting people’s food choice the government should foster a goal of health in all their citizens (Balko 1). The government currently vouches for responsible decision making, mo re exercising, and maintaining a wholesome diet (Manson 1). This cheerleading role that the government currently plays is most beneficial to its citizens. Given choices people decide what they want, and act upon it, but often a government regulation only cripples their resolve. People’s basic liberties give them the right to preside over their own health. A government has the duty to instill in its citizens a sense of responsibility for maintaining their health, rather than to regulate what they eat, because in most cases people can be more successful in creating a healthy lifestyle through self-discipline than through adherence to laws. Creating and enforcing public policy is a basic function of any government, however; public policy is not an all-encompassing category,... ...nment realizes that they cannot afford to ignore obesity. A couple hundred years ago Americans labored from sunrise to sunset farming, cooking, cleaning, and working. These Americans had no choice but to be fit, they had to work the land for the food they ate. These Americans knew how to appreciate and fully use their bodies. These men and women set a standard for the American work ethic. As society progressed, innovations allowed for more leisure time, and less hard physical labor. America looked to her past for a role of how to live, how to work, and somehow the proud work ethic survived a little over a century. Now America has the opportunity to re-inspire herself through the legacy of her past, or stomp on the hard work of her forebearers. Each American can choose to reclaim and maintain their proud physique, through their daily individual healthy choices.

At the Candle Light

At the candle light I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of a thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library. † ? Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice In a world that believes ignorance is bliss, true knowledge can only be earned by reading. The more you read the more lives you live.Discovering the diverse palette of culture, gaining an insight into what matters in the real, mature world is of far greater use than spending a life time in mediocrity without a chance of a better, more in depth expression of your thoughts. Books have the gift to heal wounds, to sooth troubled minds, to make us dream and hope. When we are alone, books are our best friends; they entertain us in our spare moments. Good novels, books on poetry and short stories, give great enjoyment. At times we become so absorbed in our books that we forget even our important engagements.Loneliness stops be ing a burden for a reader. It was the English author Bacon who said that reading makes a ‘full man’. No one can question the truth of this saying, but it is the reading of good books alone which bestows upon us the maximum benefit. Of course, all books enrich our vocabulary, all of them make us wonder about, drifting from our daily routine into the vast universe of words written on a piece of paper at one point in history, but only those well written can capture our full attention and make us question the way we see life on its own.Every person is different, we all digest different kinds of literature, but if we are capable of reading in between the lines we develop the most important quality human beings can possess, wisdom. Because people tend to criticise, to be mean and inconsiderate and to be inpatient they forget that all of us are at one point in our life teachers for the others. A book will wait patiently on a shelf full of dust until the moment comes when we de cide to devour its knowledge.Once it is read, the mind will arrange the information received in the big puzzle called experience. We feel all of a sudden capable of moving mountains using only our intellect. If I were to summarise the importance which books play in my life I would use a famous quote of Charles William Eliot: â€Å"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers. †

Examples of Petrochemicals and Petroleum Products

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, petroleum is a thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the earths surface, can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel, and lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and asphalt and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products. In other words, petroleum is much more than oil, and it has an astounding array of uses. The Many Uses of Petrochemicals Petrochemicals are any products made from petroleum. Youre probably aware gasoline and plastic start out as petroleum, but petrochemicals are incredibly versatile and are incorporated into a huge range of products ranging from groceries to rocket fuel. The Primary Hydrocarbons Raw crude oil and natural gas are purified into a  relatively small number of hydrocarbons (combinations of hydrogen and carbon). These are used directly in manufacturing and transportation or act as feedstock  to make other chemicals. Methane: a greenhouse gas that can be used as fuel and is often included in rocket fuelEthylene: used to  make plastics and films, as well as detergents,  synthetic lubricants, and styrenes (used to make  protective packaging)Propylene: a colorless, odorless gas used for fuel and to make polypropylene, a versatile plastic polymer used to make products ranging from carpets to structural foamButanes: hydrocarbon gases that are generally used for fuel and in industryButadiene: used in the manufacture of synthetic rubbersBTX (benzene, toluene, xylene): benzene, toluene, and xylene are aromatic hydrocarbons.  A major part of gasoline, benzene is also used to make nylon fibers which, in turn, are used to make clothing, packaging, and many other products Medicine Petrochemicals play many roles in medicine because they are used to create resins, films, and plastics. Here are just a few examples: Phenol and Cumene are used to create a substance that is essential for manufacturing penicillin (an extremely important antibiotic) and aspirin.  Petrochemical resins are used to purify drugs, thus cutting costs and speeding the manufacturing process.Resins made from petrochemicals are used in the manufacture of drugs including treatments for AIDS, arthritis, and cancer.Plastics and resins made with petrochemicals are used to make devices such as artificial limbs and skin.Plastics are used to make a huge range of medical equipment including bottles, disposable syringes, and much more. Food Petrochemicals are used to make most food preservatives that keep food fresh on the shelf or in a can. In addition, youll find petrochemicals listed as ingredients in many chocolates and candies. Food colorings made with petrochemicals are used in a surprising number of products including chips, packaged foods, and canned or jarred foods. Agriculture More than a billion pounds of plastic, all made with petrochemicals, find use  annually in U.S. agriculture. The chemicals are used to make everything from plastic sheeting and mulch to pesticides and fertilizers. Plastics are also used to make twine, silage, and tubing. Petroleum fuels are also used to transport foods (which are, of course, stored in plastic containers).   Household Products Because it is used to make plastics, fibers, synthetic rubber, and films, petrochemicals are used in a bewildering array of household products. To name just a few: CarpetingCrayonsDetergentsDyesFertilizersMilk jugsPantyhosePerfumeSafety glassShampooSoft contact lensesWax

Standard Based Grading Measures Student Skills

What does an A on a test or quiz mean to a student? Mastery of skill or mastery of information or content?  Does an F grade mean a student understands none of the material or less than 60% of the material? How is grading used as feedback for academic performance? Currently, in most middle and high schools (grades 7-12), students receive letter grades or numerical grades in subject areas based on points or percentages. These letter or numerical grades are tied to credits for graduation based on Carnegie units, or the number of  hours of contact time with an instructor.   But what does 75% grade on a math assessment tell a student about his or her specific strengths or weaknesses? What  does a B- grade on a literary analysis essay inform a student about how he or she meets skills sets in organization, content, or conventions of writing?   In contrast to letters or percentages, many elementary and intermediate schools have adopted a standards-based grading system, one that uses a 1-to-4 scale. This 1-4 scale breaks down academic subjects into specific skills needed for a content area.  While these elementary and intermediate schools use standards-based grading may vary in their report card terminology, the most common four-part scale denotes a students level of achievement with descriptors such as: Excels or above grade level (4)Proficient or at grade level (3)Approaching proficiency or approaching grade level (2)Well below proficiency or below grade level (1) A standards-based grading system may be called  competency-based,  mastery-based,  outcome-based,  performance-based, or proficiency-based. Regardless of the name used, this form of a grading system is  aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts and Literacy and in Math, which was established in 2009 and adopted by 42 out of 50 states. Since this adoption, several states have withdrawn from using CCSS in favor of developing their own academic standards. These CCSS standards for literacy and for math were organized in a framework that details specific skills for each grade level in grades K-12. These standards serve as guides for administrators and teachers to develop and implement the curriculum. Each skill in the CCSS has a separate standard, with skill progressions tied to grade levels. Despite the word standard in the CCSS, standards-based grading at the upper-grade levels, grades 7-12, has not been universally adopted. Instead, there is ongoing traditional grading at this level, and most middle and high school use letter grades or percentages based on 100 points. Here is the traditional grade conversion chart: Letter Grade Percentile Standard GPA A+ 97-100 4.0 A 93-96 4.0 A- 90-92 3.7 B+ 87-89 3.3 B 83-86 3.0 B- 80-82 2.7 C+ 77-79 2.3 C 73-76 2.0 C- 70-72 1.7 D+ 67-69 1.3 D 65-66 1.0 F Below 65 0.0 The skill sets outlined in the CCSS for literacy and math can be easily converted  to four point scales, just as they are at the K-6 grade levels. For example, the first reading standard for grade 9-10 states that a student should be able to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Under a traditional grading system with letter grades (A-to-F) or percentages, a score on this reading standard may be difficult to interpret. Advocates of standard based grading will ask, for example, what a score of B or 88% tells a student. This letter grade or percentage is less informative about a student’s skill performance and/or subject mastery.  Instead, they argue, a standards-based system would singularly assess a students skill to cite textual evidence for any content area: English, social studies, science, etc. Under a standards-based assessment system, students could be assessed on their skill to cite using a 1-to-4 scale that featured the following descriptors:   Score 4: excels in citing  strong and thorough textual evidence -explicit and inferential OR needs no support;Score 3:  proficient at  citing  strong and thorough textual evidence -explicit and inferential  OR needs minimal support;Score 2:  approaching proficiency at citing  strong and thorough textual evidence -explicit and inferential OR needs moderate support;Score 1:  below proficiency at citing  strong and thorough textual evidence -explicit and inferential OR needs extensive support and/or reteaching. Assessing students on a 1-4 scale  on a particular skill  can provide clear and specific feedback to a student. A standard by standard assessment separates and detail the skills, perhaps on a rubric.  This is less confusing or overwhelming to a student when compared to a combined skills percentage score on 100 point scale. A conversion chart that compares  a traditional grading of an assessment to standards-based graded assessment would look like the following: Letter Grade Standards-Based grade Percentage grade Standard GPA A to A+ Mastery 93-100 4.0 A- to B Proficient 90-83 3.0 to 3.7 C to B- Approaching proficiency 73-82 2.0-2.7 D to C- Below Proficiency 65-72 1.0-1.7 F Below Proficiency Below 65 0.0 Standards-based grading  also allows teachers, students,  and parents to see a grade report that lists overall levels of proficiency on separate skills instead of composite or combined skill scores. With this information, students are better informed in their individual strengths and in their weaknesses as  a standards-based score highlights the skill set(s) or content that need(s) improvement and allows them to target areas for improvement. Furthermore, students would not need to re-do all of a test or assignment if they have demonstrated mastery in some areas. An advocate for standards-based grading is educator and researcher Ken OConnor. In  his chapter,  The Last Frontier: Tackling the Grading Dilemma, in Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning, he notes: Traditional grading practices have promoted the idea of uniformity. The way we are fair is we expect all students do to the same thing in the same amount of time in the same way. We need to move†¦ to the idea that fairness is not uniformity. Fairness is equity of opportunity (p128). OConnor argues that standards-based grading allows for grading differentiation because it  is flexible and can be adjusted up and down as students confront new skills and content. Moreover, no matter where students are in a quarter or semester, a standard based grading system provides students, parents, or other stakeholders an assessment of student understanding in real time. That kind of student understanding may  take place during conferences, such as the ones Jeanetta Jones Miller explained in her article  A Better Grading System: Standards-Based, Student-Centered Assessment in the September 2013 edition of the English Journal. In her description of how standard based grading informs her instruction, Miller writes that it’s important to set up appointments to confer with each student about progress toward mastery of course standards. During the conference, each student receives individual feedback on his or her performance in meeting one or more standards in a content area:   The evaluation conference provides an opportunity for the teacher to make it clear that the student’s strengths and areas for growth are understood and the teacher is proud of the student’s efforts to master the standards that are most challenging. Another benefit to standardized based grading is the separation  of student work habits that are often combined in a grade. At the secondary level, a point penalty for late papers missed homework, and/or uncooperative collaborative behavior is sometimes included in a grade. While these unfortunate social behaviors will not stop with the use of standards-based grading, they may be isolated and given as separate scores  into another category. Of course, deadlines are important, but factoring in behaviors such as turning an assignment in on time or not has the effect of watering down an overall grade. To counter such behaviors, it may be possible to have a student turn in an assignment that still meets a mastery standard but does not meet a set deadline. For example, an essay assignment may still achieve a 4 or exemplary score on skills or content, but the academic behavior skill in turning in a late paper may receive a 1 or below proficiency score. Separating behavior from skills also has the effect of preventing students from receiving the kind of credit that simply completing work and meeting deadlines has had in distorting measures of academic skill.   There are, however, many educators, teachers and administrators alike, who do not see advantages to adopting a standards-based grading system at the secondary level. Their arguments against standards-based grading primarily reflect concerns at the instructional level. They stress that the  transition to a standards-based grading system, even if the school is from one of the 42 states using the CCSS, will require teachers to spend immeasurable amounts of time on extra planning, preparation, and training. In addition, any statewide initiative to move to standards-based learning may be difficult to fund and manage. These concerns may be a reason enough not to adopt standards-based grading. Classroom time can also be a concern for teachers when  students do not reach proficiency on a skill. These students will need reteaching and reassessment placing another demand on curriculum pacing guides. While this reteaching and reassessment by skill does create  additional work for classroom teachers, however, advocates for  standards-based grading note that this process may help teachers to refine their instruction. Rather than add to continuing student confusion or misunderstanding, reteaching may improve later understanding. Perhaps the strongest objection to standards-based grading is based on the concern that standards-based grading might put high school students at a disadvantage when applying to college. Many stakeholders -parents, students teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators-believe that college admissions officers will only evaluate students based on their letter grades or GPA, and that GPA must be in numerical form. Ken OConnor disputes that concern suggesting that secondary schools are in the position to issue both traditional letter or numerical grades and standards-based grades at the same time. â€Å"I think it’s unrealistic in most places to suggest that (GPA or letter grades) are going to go away at the high school level,† O’Connor agrees, but the basis for determining these might be different. He proposes that schools might base their letter-grade system on the percentage of grade-level standards a student meets in that particular subject and that schools can set their own standards based on GPA correlation.   Renowned author and education consultant Jay McTighe  agrees with OConnor, â€Å"You can have letter grades and standards-based grading as long as you clearly define what those (letter-grade) levels mean.† Other concerns are that standards-based grading can mean the loss of class ranking or honor rolls and academic honors. But OConnor points out that high schools and universities confer degrees with highest honors, high honors, and honors and that ranking students to the hundredth of a decimal may not be the best way to prove academic superiority. Several New England states will be at the forefront of this restructuring of grading systems. An article in  The  New England Journal of Higher Education Titled directly addressed the question of college admissions with standard based grading transcripts. The states of Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire have all passed legislation to implement proficiency or standards-based grading in their secondary schools.   In support of this initiative, a study in Maine titled Implementation of a Proficiency-Based Diploma System: Early Experiences in Maine  Ã‚  (2014) by Erika K. Stump and David L. Silvernail used a  two-phase, qualitative approach in their research and found: ...that benefits [of proficiency grading] include improved student engagement, greater attention to development of robust interventions systems and more deliberate collective and collaborative professional work. Maine schools are expected to establish a proficiency-based diploma system by 2018. The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and the New England Secondary School Consortium (NESSC) met in 2016 with admissions leaders from highly selective New England colleges and universities and discussion was the subject of an article How Selective Colleges and Universities Evaluate Proficiency-Based High School Transcripts (April 2016) by Erika  Blauth and Sarah Hadjian. The discussion revealed that college admissions officers are less concerned with grade percentages  and more concerned that grades must always be based on clearly specified learning criteria.  They also noted that: Overwhelmingly, these admissions leaders indicate that students with proficiency-based transcripts will not be disadvantaged in the highly selective admissions process. Moreover, according to some admissions leaders, features of the proficiency-based transcript model shared with the group provide important information for institutions seeking not just high-performing academics, but engaged, lifelong learners. A review of the information on standards-based grading at the secondary level shows that implementation will require careful planning, dedication, and follow through for all stakeholders. The benefits for students, however, could be worth the considerable effort.