Updated IQ and Well-being Scores for the 50 U.S. States

At the level of the 50 U.S. states, an interconnected nexus of well-being variables exists. These variables have been shown to strongly correlate with estimates of state IQ in interesting ways. But the state IQ estimates (McDaniel 2006) are now more than 16 years old, and the state well-being estimates (Pesta et al., 2010) are over 12 years old. Updated state IQ and well-being estimates are therefore needed. I thus first created new state IQ estimates by analyzing scores from both the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competency (for adults), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (for fourth and eighth grade children) exams. I also created new global well-being scores by analyzing state variables from the following four well-being subdomains: crime, income, health, and education. When validating the nexus, several interesting correlations existed among the variables. For example, state IQ most strongly predicted FICO credit scores, alcohol consumption (directly), income inequality, and state temperature. Interestingly, state IQ derived here also correlated .58 with state IQ estimates from over 100 years ago. Global well-being likewise correlated with many old and new variables in the nexus, including a correlation of .80 with IQ. In sum, at the level of the U.S. state, a nexus of important, strongly correlated variables exists. These variables comprise well-being, and state IQ is a central node in this network.

Pemantauan Pelaksanaan Asesmen Nasional Berbasis Komputer (ANBK) Sekolah Dasar Binaan Kecamatan Kopang Kabupaten Lombok Tengah Tahun 2021

The purpose of this study is to describe the monitoring of the Implementation of the Computer-Based National Assessment (ANBK) at the Kopang District Primary Schools in 2021. The research method used is a descriptive method. The research data collection techniques used were observation, interviews, and documentation. While the data analysis technique used descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis. The results of the study indicate that in order to improve the quality and quantity of the implementation of ANBK in the future, it is necessary to: (1) Improve the competence of educators and education staff in preparing literacy and numeracy-oriented questions in each subject through workshops. (2) Capacity building of educators and education staff in implementing school digitization through IHT. (3) Increasing the provision of ANBK facilities and infrastructure by procuring at least one IT laboratory space in one school cluster through DAK. (4) Increasing the availability of computer/laptop equipment through the use of Regular/Affirmative/Performance BOS funds. (5) Capacity building of school principals in school management. (6) Increasing the capacity of school supervisors in academic supervision and managerial supervision. (7) Empowerment of KKG, KKKS and KKPS forums in completing their respective main tasks and functions.

Equal Opportunities in Learning in Diverse Groups in Nepal in the Pre-COVID Realm: Socioeconomic Status, Mathematics Learning, and the Diverse Groups

The article discusses the diversity and equity issues behind the learning outcomes of mathematics in the pre-COVID context in Nepal. The article intends to give a baseline for the further studies on the effect of COVID-19 pandemic in the educational realm. Datasets from the national assessment of student achievement in Nepal at grades 3 and 5 and grade 8 are reanalyzed based on socioeconomic status (SES), gender, caste-ethnicity, language, and geographical variables. In Nepal, where the society is customarily highly structured, gender-biased, and poverty-driven, SES influences remarkably in mathematics achievement. The datasets show notable relationships between SES and mathematics achievement (r = 0.35, 0.27 and 0.30 in grade 3, 5 and 8, respectively). In lower grades, the difference between the highest and lowest SES in the achievement of girls is wider than boys and it is reverse in grade 8. Nepali speakers had high scores when they had high SES but, when SES was very low, the non-Nepali speakers performed better in all grades. The advantageous castes tended to always perform higher irrespective of their level of SES. Nevertheless, it is difficult to know with certainty when average and marginalized caste/ethnic groups perform better.

PENDAMPINGAN PENGEMBANGAN SOAL EKONOMI/AKUNTANSI BERBASIS ASESMEN KOMPETENSI MINIMUM (AKM) PADA GURU SMA ANGGOTA MGMP KABUPATEN JEMBER SEBAGAI PERSIAPAN ASESMEN NASIONAL PENGGANTI UN 2021

ABSTRAKAsesmen Kompetensi Minimum (AKM) merupakan asesmen yang mengukur kemampuan minimal yang dibutuhkan siswa untuk dapat belajar dan merupakan bentuk penyederhanaan dari Ujian Nasional yang begitu kompleks. Kegiatan ini dilakukan dengan tujuan memberikan pendampingan pengembangan soal ekonomi/akuntansi berbasis Asesmen Kompetensi Minimum (AKM) pada guru SMA anggota MGMP Kabupaten Jember sebagai persiapan asesmen nasional pengganti UN 2021. Metode yang digunakan dalam pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah metode Tutorial. Hasil yang didapat setelah dilakukannya kegiatan ini adalah peserta mampu menyusun soal-soal ekonomi/akuntansi berbasis Asesmen Kompetensi Minimum (AKM). Simpulan hasil pengabdian adalah guru SMA anggota MGMP dapat menambah pengetahuan tentang pembuatan soal berbasis AKM. Kata kunci: pendampingan; soal berbasis AKM ABSTRACTMinimum Competency Assessment (AKM) is an assessment that measures the minimum skills required by students to be able to learn and is a simplification of the complex National Examination. This activity was carried out to assist in the development of economic/accounting questions based on the Minimum Competency Assessment (AKM) for high school teachers who are members of the Jember Regency MGMP as a preparation for the national assessment to replace the 2021 UN. The method used in this community service is the Tutorial method. The results obtained after this activity was carried out were that participants were able to compile economic/accounting questions based on the Minimum Competency Assessment (AKM). The service results conclude that high school teachers who are members of MGMP can increase knowledge about making AKM-based questions. Keywords: assistance; AKM-based questions.

The Challenges of Struggling Writers: Strategies That Can Help

Writing is a necessary skill in our technological world. Many people have a mobile device that they use for e-mailing, social media, as an alarm clock to start the day, reading the news, searching for information, ordering food, managing transportation (e.g., monitoring traffic, accessing public transit), or for relaxing pursuits, such as watching a movie or listening to music. While these tasks are natural and almost effortless for numerous people, many students struggle with composing longer prose, especially for academic tasks. The 2021 U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress for Writing, for example, indicates that as many as 75% of students cannot write at a basic level. In this article, the author discusses recent examples from the professional literature about why writing can be a challenge for students, what is involved in writing assessment, how we can help students improve their writing skills, and how we can promote technology as part of the instruction and learning processes.

Valuation of Forest Ecosystem Services in Taiwan

Forest is the largest ecosystem in the land area of Taiwan. In the past, most of the studies on the evaluation of forest ecosystem services were regional, and therefore lacked national assessment. This study uses a market value method and a benefit transfer method to assess the value of the forest ecosystem services in Taiwan, and expounds the link between ecosystem services and the effectiveness of forestry management and conservation. Preliminarily, it is estimated that the total value of forest ecosystem services in 2016 was approximately NT $749,278 million (equal to approximately 47.6 billion U.S. dollars, PPP-corrected), accounting for 4.28% of the GDP in 2016. The quotation of unit price data has a huge impact on the final assessment results of forest ecosystem service value, and therefore it is necessary use it appropriately.