Standardized Achievement Tests

Standardized Achievement Tests

Chapter 9 of your course text discusses standardized assessments and explains the difference in the types of standardized assessments. It is important to understand that assessments are standardized when “the same procedures are used every time the test is given” (Howard, V. F., & Aiken, E., 2015, p. 331). Developing the understanding that there are many types of standardized assessments, such as screeners and diagnostic assessments covered in the previous weeks of class, is equally important. Another type of standardized assessment, and one that is hotly debated in education today, is achievement testing. Specifically, achievement testing “is used to measure children’s progress and compare it to other children of the same age” ((Howard, V. F., & Aiken, E., 2015, p. 331)). It is this type of standardized assessment that is our focus for this first discussion post.

To prepare for this discussion, read the “Something’s wrong with both standardized tests and the ‘Opt-Out’ movement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” article. Include the following in your initial post:

  • Explain, in your own words, what standardized testing is and how it is different from achievement testing.
  • Compare and contrast how the different types standardized testing differs from the other forms of assessment discussed throughout this course. Provide specific examples and support your points with information from the course text.
  • Defend one of the quotes below from the articleSomething’s wrong with both standardized tests and the ‘Opt-Out’ movement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Explain why you support or agree with the quote and provide specific details as to why. Support this portion of your post with the text and at least one scholarly resource.
    • Option One: “Federally mandated standardized testing was born from a desire to guarantee the right to individuality and autonomy across socio-economic bounds.” – Jordan Shapiro
    • Option Two: “When seen from a desk of a federal bureaucrat, standardized tests make more children stand out.” –Jordan Shapiro
    • Option Three: “When seen from the desk-chair of a classroom pupil, children are robbed of the individuality that comes from differentiated instruction.” – Jordan Shapiro
  • Propose a solution to the standardized achievement testing debate. How do you feel children should be assessed in both early childhood and beyond? Provide a rationale for your solution.

Assignment Cultural Competence In The Classroom

Nikhil Goyal is a successful high school student who, like many students his age, hates school. But unlike most students his age, Nikhil wrote a speech about it and delivered it to a global audience his presentation Why Kids Hate School?: Nikhil Goyal at TEDxYouth@BFSLinks to an external site.. In his presentation, Nikhil shares the story of another student, Nick Perez. The central theme of the presentation is relevance and, specifically, how schools often lack relevance to the lives of their learners.

In this assignment, you will reflect on the story of Nick Perez and analyze it based on what might have happened differently if Nick’s education targeted the learning of 21st century skills through culturally relevant learning opportunities. Additionally, you will recommend a culturally relevant learning experience that might have been able to meet Nick’s needs in high school. Review the Instructor Guidance for this week for additional information and use the Ladson-Billing (1995; summarized in the Instructor Guidance) resource and Chapters 4 and 8 of Wardle (2013) to define a culturally relevant learning experience; apply this framework to the creation of solutions. Then, create your paper to meet the content and written communication expectations stated below.

In your paper, include the following: (3 points)

1. Discuss the learning experiences and cultural competencies that you believe were valued at Nick’s school, based on the information presented in the video and which learning experiences and cultural competencies would be most applicable and interesting to Nick using his interest in computers as a form of his cultural identity (think about the way that he described his life at home and at computer camp). Include examples using at least two of the following four characteristics of cultural competence:

o Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview (including biases)

o Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews

o Positive attitudes and open-mindedness toward cultural differences

o Ability to work successfully with others from different cultures

2. Determine which of the 4C skills (i.e., creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, and collaboration that are presented in The 4Cs Research SeriesLinks to an external site.) you perceive are most likely relevant to Nick’s current position as a programmer in an advertising firm and which of these skills you perceive are not adequately addressed in typical classroom environments today (2 points).

3. Summarize how the acquisition of learning and innovation skills through culturally relevant instruction can lead to greater student success in the classroom and in the real world. Include examples using at least three of the following nine areas of culturally relevant instruction (2 points):

o Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences

o Addressing cultural competence through reinforcing students’ cultural integrity

o Involving students in the construction of knowledge

o Building on students’ interests and linguistic resources

o Tapping home and community resources

o Understanding students’ cultural knowledge

o Using interactive and constructivist teaching strategies

o Examining the curriculum from multiple perspectives

o Promoting critical consciousness through opportunities to challenge predominant elements of the students’ social norms

If you are enrolled in the MAED Program, it is imperative that you keep copies of all assignments completed in this course. You will return to them for the portfolio that you will create in your final MAED course. This portfolio is a culminating project that will demonstrate that you have met program outcomes.

Review this week’s Instructor Guidance for additional information about completing this assignment. Contact your instructor for clarifications about this or any assessment in the course before the due date using the “Ask Your Instructor” forum. Then, also using the Grading Rubric as a guide for your performance on this assignment, construct your assignment to meet each of the content and written communication expectations.

Review your assignment with the Grading Rubric to be sure you have achieved the distinguished levels of performance for each criterion and submit the assignment for evaluation no later than Day 7.

Cultural Competencies in the Classroom

· Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing CenterLinks to an external site..

· Must include a separate title page with the following:

o Title of paper

o Student’s name

o Course name and number

o Instructor’s name

o Date submitted

· Must use four sources including the course text and at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed, credible sources.

o The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

· Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.(1 point)

Required Resources

Text

Wardle, F. (2013). Human relationships and learning in the multicultural environment [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Discrimination in Curricula and Pedagogy

  • Chapter 4: Addressing      Racism and Discrimination in Curricula and Pedagogy
  • Chapter 8: The Impact of      Diversity on Learning

Multimedia

Jammer jhed. (2012, December 13). The landfill harmonic orchestra. Retrieved from the Landfill Harmonic OrchestraLinks to an external site..

  • This video provides      information about an orchestra created from ingenuity and landfill      products and will assist you in both the Discussion and Assignment this      week, as well as future Assignments.
    Accessibility StatementLinks to      an external site.
    Privacy PolicyLinks to an      external site.

Teachers Lounge (2014, February 11). Why kids hate school?: Nikhil Goyal at TEDxYouth@BFSLinks to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/0Iz4APbOOcI

  • This video provides      information about a young man’s experience with school and will assist you      in the Discussions and Assignment this week, as well as with future      Assignments.
    Accessibility StatementLinks to      an external site.
    Privacy PolicyLinks to an      external site.

Web Pages

Framework for 21st century learningLinks to an external site.. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

  • This article provides      information about 21st Century Learning and will assist you in the      Discussions and the Assignment this week, as well as in future weeks.

Recommended Resources

Article

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy [PDF]. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159-165. Retrieved from https://nationalequityproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ladson-billings_1995.pdf

  • The full-text version of      this article is available through the Proquest database in the Ashford      University Library. This article provides information about issues related      to cultural relevance, funds of knowledge,  and teaching may assist      you in the Discussions and Assignment this week, as well as future      Assignments.

Article Review Simple Assignment

PAPER ASSIGNMENTS

 

Overview:

Students will be expected to write two papers throughout the course of the semester (Review of article 1 and Review of article 2). These assignments have been designed to provide students with an opportunity to critically evaluate the results of psychological research and to interpret research results into everyday language.

 

Writing article reviews consists of having students describe and explain the main variables in a research study, the statistical techniques being used, the main findings, and strengths and limitations of the authors’ analytical approach. Students will be required to do two separate article reviews due at different times in the semester. See course calendar for dates.

 

A selection of academic journal articles will be made available on the D2L course site. From the options available, you will select two articles to review. You will review one article per paper (so review of article 1 will review one article, and review of article 2 will review a second article).

 

A sample is located on the course D2L site. Please see below for additional instructions:

 

Article Review (worth up to 200 points; 100 points per article review)

 

Each article review should include the following headings and related information:

 

1. Article. What is the APA-style citation for your article?

2. Research Question. What is the research question the article sought to answer? (Note: sometimes authors won’t actually give a question, but you can deduce it from the hypothesis and the purpose of the study). What is the hypothesis (or hypotheses) the author discussed? Research question AND hypothesis must be given to earn full credit.

3. Sample. What population did the researchers use to answer their question? Describe the participants. Information should include age range, racial/ethnic breakdown, gender breakdown, and any other important information about study participants.

4. Key Variables. Identify the independent variable(s) and dependent variable(s) in the study. What were the conceptual and operational definitions of each of these variables? Explain what the key variables are and how they were measured.

5. Statistical Techniques. Based on the research question and the variables, what statistical techniques did the researchers use to examine their topic? Be sure to mention specific techniques by name (e.g., Multiple regression, ANOVA, t-test, etc.)

6. Research Results. What did the results reveal? Were the results statistically significant or not and how do you know? Be sure to provide actual numerical information (e.g., results of the statistical technique described in section above, along with associated p-value where appropriate).

7. Interpretation. What do the results mean in plain language? What is the practical (not statistical) significance of these findings?

8. Strengths. What did the researcher(s) do that you think was beneficial for their study? What were the main strengths of their analytical approach?

9. Limitations. What did the researcher(s) do (or fail to do) that would have been beneficial for their study? Suggest a way to improve the statistical analyses in this article. This could include conceptual differences (to increase external validity) or statistical differences (to increase internal validity)

 

Formatting:

· Your paper should be typed, double-spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman font, 3-5 pages in length.

· The top of your first page should include a short header with your name, the course number, semester, and the assignment name. (e.g., Sally Student; PSY 230, – Spring 2016; Review of Article 1).

· The assignment should be divided into nine sections that are labeled and bolded: Article, Research Question, Sample, Key Variables, Statistical Techniques, Research Results, Interpretation, Strengths, and Limitations (see sample in D2L).

· Your paper should be written in full sentences, to a scholarly standard, checked for spelling and grammatical errors.

· The reviews should be written in your own words. Limit your use of direct quotes wherever possible in favor of paraphrasing using your own words. If you absolutely must use a direct quote, be sure to cite correctly (with author’s last name, year of publication, and page number where the quote was found). You may find it helpful to refer to some of the APA resources offered in the syllabus (e.g., The Owl at Purdue, APA Style Essentials, or the 6th copy of the APA’s publication manual. See Course Materials section of syllabus). Note that if your submission report shows 50% similarity or more, your paper will be returned ungraded to be redone. Standard late penalties will apply (10% off per day late, including weekends; No late assignments accepted in excess of one week past original due date).

· Be sure to use proper APA-style in-text citations, even when you’re simply paraphrasing (and not using direct quotes).

 

Submitting:

Submit your paper as a Word document (.doc or .docx) to the dropbox in D2L by the due date listed in the course calendar. All papers are due by 11:59pm on their due date. Late submissions will be penalized at a rate of 10% per day, including weekends. No late assignments will be accepted in excess of one week past original due date.

Preview Session 4 Discussion

Preview Session 4

Discussion

Now that you’ve read the content for Session 4, answer the following questions (minimum 200 words for initial post):

  • What are ways in which various forms of diversity impact adolescent literacy and content learning?
  • What are ways in which you can become a more culturally responsive teacher?

You’ll find the link to this actual discussion board on the front page of the course, titled “Diversity and Literacy.”

Required Videos:

Required Readings:

https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching/

Accessibility Alternative for Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Visually Impaired:

This document is provided by National Geographic Learning / Cengage

NGL.Cengage.com/School | 888-915-3276

 

http://ngl.cengage.com/elt

 

Best Practices in Secondary EducationBest Practices in Secondary Education

While visiting a Boston public school, I asked more than 120 teenagers to construct their textual lineages, that is, a visual representation of texts that they have found to be significant in their lives. On average, the students identified two texts that held significance throughout their entire, albeit young, teenage lives. The reasons the text held significance converge on three major themes: personal connection, empathy, and identity shaping. The following comments provided by the students illustrated the three themes:

I love The Skin I’m In (Flake, 1998) because it’s something that has to do with me and the girls in that book act like me.

The book, Forged by Fire (Draper, 1998), is a book that all young black males can relate to of how your life can go from negative to positive.

Just like any other book, Tears of Tiger (Draper, 1994) got me reading more and got me crying.

I like a Child Called “It” (Pelzer, 1995) because I learned that my life is not so bad compared to other people, especially David’s.

The poem, “Our Deepest Fear” (Williamson, 1992) had me rethinking myself because I fear a lot.

I like the poem “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou (1995) because it reflects the pride of women and how they don’t care what others think about the way they look.

Sadly, however, more than 30% of the adolescents did not identify a single text they found significant.

Several of the students explained they did not believe they were encountering challenging, meaningful texts. One student shared, “It ain’t going down. I don’t see how just reading is going to help me, I need something more academic.” Another student offered, “We need to learn harder vocabulary. [The vocabulary] is the same we learned in elementary school.” The students were complaining about the text because “teachers [were giving] books that were boring and when the class [didn’t] want to read, [the teachers] [got] aggravated.”

The students ascribed the absence of meaningful texts in their lives to teachers’ refusal to acknowledge their day-to-day realities couched in their adolescent, cultural, and gender identities. A young man offered

that “I need to read interesting topics like teen drama, violence, something you can relate your life or other people’s lives to.” A young woman commented, “They give us different books than we would read; the books are boring.”

Summing up the sentiments that many of the adolescents held towards texts disconnected from one or several of their identities, a student shared, “I read them, but I do not care what they say.” This reflects a stark contrast to the students who found value and direction in the text, as reflected in this young woman’s

comment, “The Skin I’m In reminds me of real life in school. A girl so black in school, and she wanted to kill herself. If I was in her school, I would be her friend. Even the teacher hated her.”

High school students need and benefit from a wide range of texts that challenge them to contextualize and examine their in-school and out-of-school lives. I agree

“Instead of trying to score with reading, schools have focused on increasing reading scores.”

Enabling Texts: Texts That Matter by Dr. Alfred W. Tatum

 

 

with Apple (1990) who argues that ignoring text that dominates school curricula as being simply not worthy of serious attention and serious struggle is to live in a world divorced from reality. He asserts that texts need to be situated in the larger social movements of which they are a part.

However, in an era of accountability, where the focus is placed on research-based instructional practices, the texts that adolescents find meaningful and significant to their development are being severely compromised. Instead of trying to score with reading, schools have focused on increasing reading scores. This is prob- lematic because texts can be used to broker positive, meaningful relationships with struggling adolescent readers during reading instruction.

Powerful Texts It is prudent to use a combination of powerful texts, in tandem with powerful reading instruction, to influence the literacy development and lives of adolescents. Texts should be selected with a clearer audit of the struggling adolescent reader, many of whom are suffering from an underexposure to text that they find meaningful. These students need exposure to enabling texts (Tatum, in press). An enabling text is one that moves beyond a sole cognitive focus—such as skill and strategy develop- ment—to include an academic, cultural, emotional, and social focus that moves students closer to examining issues they find relevant to their lives. For example, texts can be used to help high school students wrestling with the question, What am I going to do with the rest of my life? This is a question most adolescents find essential as they engage in shaping their identities.

The texts selected for Edge are enabling texts. First, they serve as the vehicle for exploring essential ques- tions, but secondly, the texts are diverse—from classics that have inspired readers for decades (Shakespeare, Frost, St. Vincent Millay, Saki, de Maupassant, Poe, et al.) to contemporary fiction that reflects the diversity of the U.S. (Allende, Alvarez, Angelou, Bruchac, Cisneros, Ortiz Cofer, Soto, Tan, et al.).

The texts are also diverse in subject matter and genre, exploring issues of personal identity as well as cultural and social movements. Here are just a few examples of selections in Edge that deal with personal identity:

• “Who We Really Are”—being a foster child • “Curtis Aikens and the American Dream”

—overcoming illiteracy • “Nicole”—being biracial • “My English,” “Voices of America,” “La Vida

Robot”—being an immigrant to the U.S. And here are just a few examples of selections dealing with social and cultural issues:

• “Long Walk to Freedom”—overthrowing apartheid

My English 405404 Unit 4 Express Yourself

Monitor Comprehension

into and must wisely use. Unfortunately, my English became all mixed up with our Spanish.

Mix-up, or what’s now called Spanglish, was the language we spoke for several years. There wasn’t a sentence that wasn’t colonized by an English word. At school, a Spanish word would suddenly slide into my English like someone butting into line. Teacher, whose face I was learning to read as minutely as my mother’s, would scowl but no smile played on her lips. Her pale skin made her strange countenance hard to read, so that I often misjudged how much I could get away with. Whenever I made a mistake, Teacher would shake her head slowly, “In English, YU-LEE-AH, there’s no such word as columpio. Do you mean a swing?”

I would bow my head, humiliated by the smiles and snickers of the American children around me. I grew insecure about Spanish. My native tongue was not quite as good as English, as if words like columpio were illegal immigrants trying to cross a border into another language. But Teacher’s discerning grammar-and-vocabulary-patrol ears could tell and send them back. 3

Key Vocabulary countenance n., facial expression discerning adj., good at making

judgments

began to learn more English at the Carol Morgan School in Santo Domingo. That is, when I had stopped gawking. The teacher and some of the American children had the strangest coloration: light hair, light eyes,

light skin, as if Ursulina had soaked them in bleach too long, to’ deteñío. I did have some blond cousins, but they had deeply tanned skin, and as they grew older, their hair darkened, so their earlier paleness seemed a phase of their acquiring normal color. Just as strange was the little girl in my reader who had a cat and a dog, that looked just like un gatito y un perrito. Her mami was Mother and her papi Father. 1 Why have a whole new language for school and for books with a teacher who could speak it teaching you double the amount of words you really needed?

Butter, butter, butter, butter. All day, one English word that had particularly struck me would go round and round in my mouth and weave through all the Spanish in my head until by the end of the day, the word did sound like just another Spanish word. And so I would say, “Mami, please pass la mantequilla.” She would scowl and say in English, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. But would you be needing some butter on your bread?”

WHY MY PA RENTS didn’t first educate us in our native language by enrolling us in a Dominican school, I don’t know. Part of it was that Mami’s family had a tradition of sending the boys to the States to boarding school and college, and she had been one of the first girls to be allowed to join her brothers. At Abbot Academy, whose school song was our lullaby as babies (“Although Columbus and Cabot never heard of Abbot, it’s quite the place for you and me”), she had become quite Americanized. 2 It was very important, she kept saying, that we learn our English. She always used the possessive pronoun: your English, an inheritance we had come

In Other Words gawking staring to’ deteñío too long (in Dominican Spanish) un gatito y un perrito a kitten and a puppy (in Spanish) la mantequilla butter (in Spanish)

1 Ask Questions Why does the author put some of the English words in italics? Why doesn’t she put the Spanish words in italics?

2 Chronological Order How does the author interrupt the chronological order at this point in the narrative?

Preview

Look at the first sentence of the selection and the photo. What is the setting of the narrative?

I

The author grew up in Santo Domingo, the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic.

3 Language A simile is a comparison of two unlike things that often uses the word like or as. What simile does the author use here and why?

In Other Words colonized by mixed with minutely closely, carefully columpio swing (in Spanish)

Summarize Summarize what happens to the writer as she learns more and more English.

began to learn more English at the Carol Morgan School in Santo Domingo. That is, when I had stopped gawking. The teacher and some of the American children had the strangest coloration: light hair, light eyes,

light skin, as if Ursulina had soaked them in bleach too long, to’ deteñío. I did have some blond cousins, but they had deeply tanned skin, and as they grew older, their hair darkened, so their earlier paleness seemed a phase of their acquiring normal color. Just as strange was the little girl in my reader who had a cat and a dog, that looked just like un gatito y un perrito. Her mami was Mother and her papi Mother and her papi Mother Father. Father. Father 1 Why have a whole new language for school and for books with a teacher who could speak it teaching you double the amount of words you really needed?

Butter, butter, butter, butter. All day, one English word that had particularly Butter, butter, butter, butter. All day, one English word that had particularly Butter, butter, butter, butter struck me would go round and round in my mouth and weave through all the Spanish in my head until by the end of the day, the word did sound like just another Spanish word. And so I would say, “Mami, please pass la mantequilla.” She would scowl and say in English, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. But would you be needing some butter on your bread?”

WHY MY PA RENTS didn’t first educate us in our native language by enrolling us in a Dominican school, I don’t know. Part of it was that Mami’s family had a tradition of sending the boys to the States to boarding school and college, and she had been one of the first girls to be allowed to join her

1 Ask Questions Why does the author put some of the English words in italics? Why doesn’t she put the Spanish words in italics?

Preview

Look at the first sentence of the selection and the photo. What is the setting of the narrative?

II

With humor and insight, Julia Alvarez recalls how she left the Dominican Republic as a young person and “landed, not in the United States, but in the English language.”

Online Coach

“My English” reflects on the immigrant experience.

The Tour de Sol is an annual competition that honors the “greenest vehicles.” The goal is to produce a vehicle that reduces gasoline use and greenhouse gas emissions by 100% . West Philadelphia High School’s Electric Vehicle Team won the Tour’s category for student-built vehicles in 2002 and 2005—could they win again in 2006? 1 1 Problem

and Solution The author begins by introducing the team’s main problem. What is it?

2 Ask Questions What questions and answers help you understand this section more fully?

3 Problem and Solution How do the students realize there is a problem with the car before they even get there?

Monitor Comprehension

Explain What is the Attack? What happens during its test run on Locust Street?

354 Unit 4 Opening Doors The Fast and the Fuel-Efficient 355

Clayton Kinsler, auto mechanics teacher at West Philadelphia High School, scanned Locust Street to make sure there were no pedestrians. Then he hammered the throttle, rocketing the mean little coupe down the block. The car was the Attack— the country’s fastest, most efficient , eco-friendly sports car. And it was created by a West Philadelphia High School team.

The asphalt-hugging, gunmetal- gray roadster was preparing for the Olympics of environmental auto competitions—the Tour de Sol in

upstate New York. And much was riding on this car.

The car had won the race in 2002 and 2005, earning national attention for the team of about a dozen mostly African American vocational education students. If it won more Tour de Sol victories, there could be scholarships and well-paying jobs in the auto industry for the students— and badly needed grants, sponsor- ships, or even partnerships with major automakers for the city school’s auto- motive academy.

Maybe Hollywood would come knocking. 2

For the moment, though, on Locust Street, it was time to cut loose and show off. At each high-speed pass by Kinsler, 47, the car’s student builders whooped and cheered. Then, zooming down Locust, Kinsler suddenly felt a loss of power. When he pushed the pedal, the engine revved, but nothing happened at the wheels. He coasted to a stop at 48th Street. And sat there.

The students looked at one an- other and began walking, then running toward the car, as they realized that something had gone horribly wrong. They moved around the car with pit crew precision and removed the engine cover. 3

Simon Hauger, 36-year-old head of the school’s Electric Vehicle Team and mastermind of the project, looked into the tangle of wires, pipes, and hoses. “The axle’s done,” he announced. As he had feared might happen, the car’s axle had broken in two.

The Attack in the shop. It is arguably the country’s fastest, most efficient sports car.

A Test Run

West Philadelphia High School’s hybrid electric and biodiesel car goes from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in under 4 seconds and gets over 50 miles to the gallon. It is built mainly from a car kit, donor parts, and also has a number of custom innovations.

Under the Hood

Electrical control unit reprogrammed to increase power

Racing intercooler cools air for turbocharger

Body and frame assembled from a kit and other parts from a donor vehicle

200 horsepower electrical engine receives power from batteries and uses power from braking to recharge batteries

Engine runs on biodiesel fuel

Custom-built radiator

Custom-built axles connect engine to wheels

Custom wiring matches engine to other parts

In Other Words pedestrians people walking on the street eco-friendly environmentally safe vocational education students students learning technical skills scholarships awards that help pay for college grants money to pay for the project

custom innovations special features designed for this particular car

Key Vocabulary efficient adj., working well without wasting energy solution n., the answer that solves or fixes a problem

Interpret the Diagram What does the diagram show about the amount of work the students put into the car?

In Other Words with pit crew precision like expert teams that work on racecars during races hybrid electirc and biodiesel car car that runs on battery power and fuel made from vegetable oils and/or animal fats donor parts parts from other cars

The Tour de Sol is an annual competition that honors the “greenest vehicles.” The goal is to produce a vehicle that reduces gasoline use and greenhouse gas emissions by 100% . West Philadelphia High School’s Electric Vehicle Team won the Tour’s category for student-built vehicles in 2002 and 2005—could they win again in 2006? 1 1 Problem

and Solutionand Solution The author begins by introducing the team’s main problem. What is it?

2 Ask Questions What questions and answers help you understand this section more fully?

Clayton Kinsler, auto mechanics teacher at West Philadelphia High School, scanned Locust Street to make sure there were no pedestrians. Then he hammered the throttle, rocketing the mean little coupe down the block. The car was the Attack— the country’s fastest, most efficient , eco-friendly sports car. And it was created by a West Philadelphia High School team.

The asphalt-hugging, gunmetal- gray roadster was preparing for the Olympics of environmental auto competitions—the Tour de Sol in

upstate New York. And much was riding on this car.

The car had won the race in 2002 and 2005, earning national attention for the team of about a dozen mostly African American vocational education students. If it won more Tour de Sol victories, there could be scholarships and well-paying jobs in the auto industry for the students— and badly needed grants, sponsor- ships, or even partnerships with major automakers for the city school’s auto- motive academy.

Maybe Hollywood would come knocking. 2

For the moment, though, on Locust Street, it was time to cut loose and show off. At each high-speed pass by Kinsler, 47, the car’s student builders whooped and cheered. Then, zooming down Locust, Kinsler suddenly felt a

A Test Run

Online Coach

Teens develop eco-friendly cars.

138 Unit 2 The Art of Expression Hip-Hop as Culture 139

The Beastie Boys release the first rap album to reach #1 and the best-selling rap album of the decade.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince win the first Grammy Award for rap music.

Monitor Comprehension

I was born in 1969, so I am a part of the original hip-hop generation. I watched hip-hop evolve from underground house parties in the basements of my friends’ houses, to the first Run DMC video on cable television to, today’s rap millionaires like Sean “Diddy” Combs, Master P, Suge Knight, and Russell Simmons. 4 These successful African Americans are more than just rappers. As a matter of fact, Russell Simmons doesn’t even rap. Simmons has been behind the scenes of hip- hop—developing it from rap artists and groups to films and clothing lines. Simmons, a true pioneer of the culture, opened the door so that others in the movement could start their own record labels and develop their own clothing lines.

These innovators are the architects of culture. 5 They started from the streets of the city and now influence suburban areas and even small rural towns. They took the hustle of the street and turned it into a Wall Street economy. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a city or suburb. It doesn’t matter if you are Latino, Asian, or Irish. Hip-hop is influencing your situation.

The H ip-Hop Influence Kids may not love hip-hop, but they’re being influenced by it. If

teens are wearing oversized jeans with the tops of their boxers showing, oversized athletic jerseys, or long chains around their necks, this is hip-hop. Girls on a bus braiding their hair in the style of an Ethiopian queen, that’s hip-hop. There are things around you that daily scream at you, “long live hip-hop!” If you want to understand the culture teens live in today, it’s important to understand hip-hop and understand it as culture, not just music.

In the book Hip-Hop America, Nelson George writes this:

“ Now we know that rap music, and hip-hop style as a whole, has utterly broken through from its ghetto roots to assert a lasting influence on American clothing, magazine publishing, television, language, . . . and social policy as well as its obvious presence in records and movies. . . . [A]dvertisers, magazines, [television], fashion companies, . . . soft drink manufacturers, and multimedia conglomerates . . . have embraced hip-hop as a way to reach not just black young people, but all young people.” 6

Kurtis Blow’s song, “The Breaks,” becomes hip-hop’s first gold single.

Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons form Def Jam Records, one of the top labels in hip-hop.

ZEarly to Mid-1980s

4 Author’s Purpose Why does the author include his own experience with hip-hop? Explain.

In Other Words its ghetto roots where it began in poor areas social policy the way the government and leaders treat different groups multimedia conglomerates organizations that control TV, film, news, and advertising

In Other Words underground secret behind the scenes of working to support and help pioneer early leader architects of designers who plan and build

ZMid to Late 1980s

5 Language Smith describes Russell Simmons as a “pioneer.” What other words does he use to describe early hip- hop leaders? How is this different from calling them “artists” and “producers”?

6 Determine Importance What is the main idea of this paragraph from Hip-Hop America?

Explain According to Smith, how did leaders like Russell Simmons help later hip-hop artists?

Key Vocabulary evolve v., to develop over time innovators n., people who introduce something new