Should standardized testing be eliminated? As a junior in high school who has to constantly be thinking about standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, I wonder if these tests should even exist. In my research, I found that there were many different opinions on the matter. Certainly, “standardized tests can help identify problem areas in individual students, as well as schools and curriculums.” These forms of testing can evaluate the level of student’s knowledge across several subject areas. However, I also discovered that standardized testing may not be the best way of evaluating how students are doing. These tests may evaluate a students performance, but they don’t take into consideration a number of external factors that could be affecting the tests results, such as “the fact that some kids are extremely bright but just don’t test well.” Throughout my search, I have made an opinion on the subject. I don’t think standardized testing is a good way to evaluate students. I think the tests can be looked at to a certain extent, but should not be stressed about as much as they are today. I think there are a lot of other things that should be made more important throughout a student’s career. There are a lot of other important factors, like how they are doing in their classes and how they are growing their knowledge over the course of a semester. 

Source: https://gradepowerlearning.com/pros-cons-standardized-tests/

Recently my family had been thinking about getting a DNA testing kit for my father, however when a friend mentioned to us how unsafe it could be, I decided to look more into it. There were many articles to find about DNA testing companies, from just about any news website, so it made it easier to find out whether we should be giving our DNA to these companies or not. DNA companies seem very appealing to consumers because they can “learn about their ancestry and health risks at the cost of just $99” (CNBC). Even a company called FamilyTreeDNA now uses the phrase “Give us your DNA. Help catch a criminal.” (The Atlantic) to encourage that law enforcement can access the DNA to solve violent crimes throughout the nation. However, as these companies may seem good, most articles told me of all the negative consequences and risks of giving up your DNA. One reasoning that stood out to me was that the genetic-testing companies “do not state that protecting customer’s privacy is their highest priority” (CNBC). With all of the research I have done so far, I don’t think that it’s a good idea to share your DNA with these companies, because they can’t be trusted with something as valuable as your unique genetic code.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.