单选题Passage1Today's adults grew up in schools designed to sort us into the various segments of our social and economic system. The amount of time available to learn was fixed: one year per grade. The amount learned by the end of that time was free to vary: some of us learned a great deal；some，very little. As we advanced through the grades，those who had learned a great deal in previous grades continued to build on those foundations. Those who had failed to master the early prerequisites within the allotted time failed to learn that which followed. After 12 or 13 years of cumulative treatment of this kind，we were，in effect，spread along an achievement continuum that was ultimately reflected in each student's rank in class upon graduation.From the very earliest grades, some students learned a great deal very quickly and consistently scored high on assessments. The emotional effect of this was to help them to see themselves as capable learners, and so these students became increasingly confident in school. That confidence gave them the inner emotional strength to take the risk of striving for more success because they believed that success was within their reach. Driven forward by this optimism, these students continued to try hard, and that effort continued to result in success for them. They became the academic and emotional winners. Notice that the trigger for their emotional strength and their learning success was their perception of their success on formal and informal assessments.But there were other students who didn't fare so well. They scored very low on tests, beginning in the earliest grades. The emotional effect was to cause them to question their own capabilities as learners. They began to lose confidence, which, in turn, deprived them of the emotional reserves needed to continue to take risks. As their motivation warned, of course, their performance plummeted. These students embarked on what they believed to be an irreversible slide toward inevitable failure and lost hope. Once again, the emotional trigger for their decision not to try was their perception of their performance on assessments.Consider the reality-indeed, the paradox-of the schools in which we were reared. If some students worked hard and learned a lot, that was a positive result, and they would finish high in the rank order. But if some students gave up in hopeless failure, that was an acceptable result, too, because they would occupy places very low in the rank order. Their achievement results fed into the implicit mission of schools: the greater the spread of achievement among students, the more it reinforced the rank order. This is why, if some students gave up and stopped trying (even dropped out of school), that was regarded as the student's problem, not the teacher's or the school's.Once again, please notice who is using test results to decide whether to strive for excellence or give up in hopelessness. Thedata-based decision makers in this process are students themselves.Students are deciding whether success is within or beyond reach, whether the learning is worth the required effort, and so whether to try or not. The critical emotions underpinning the decision making process include anxiety, fear of failure, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take risks-all triggered by students' perceptions of their own capabilities as reflected in assessment results.Some students responded to the demands of such environments by working hard and learning a great deal. Others controlled their anxiety by giving up and not caring. The result for them is exactly the opposite of the one society wants. Instead of leaving no child behind, these practices, in effect, drove down the achievement of at least as many students as they successfully elevated. And the evidence suggests that the downside victims are more frequently members of particular socioeconomic and ethnic minorities.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word plummeted in Paragraph 3?APunished timely.BSpread widely.CContinued gradually.DDropped sharply.
单选题
Passage1Today's adults grew up in schools designed to sort us into the various segments of our social and economic system. The amount of time available to learn was fixed: one year per grade. The amount learned by the end of that time was free to vary: some of us learned a great deal；some，very little. As we advanced through the grades，those who had learned a great deal in previous grades continued to build on those foundations. Those who had failed to master the early prerequisites within the allotted time failed to learn that which followed. After 12 or 13 years of cumulative treatment of this kind，we were，in effect，spread along an achievement continuum that was ultimately reflected in each student's rank in class upon graduation.From the very earliest grades, some students learned a great deal very quickly and consistently scored high on assessments. The emotional effect of this was to help them to see themselves as capable learners, and so these students became increasingly confident in school. That confidence gave them the inner emotional strength to take the risk of striving for more success because they believed that success was within their reach. Driven forward by this optimism, these students continued to try hard, and that effort continued to result in success for them. They became the academic and emotional winners. Notice that the trigger for their emotional strength and their learning success was their perception of their success on formal and informal assessments.But there were other students who didn't fare so well. They scored very low on tests, beginning in the earliest grades. The emotional effect was to cause them to question their own capabilities as learners. They began to lose confidence, which, in turn, deprived them of the emotional reserves needed to continue to take risks. As their motivation warned, of course, their performance plummeted. These students embarked on what they believed to be an irreversible slide toward inevitable failure and lost hope. Once again, the emotional trigger for their decision not to try was their perception of their performance on assessments.Consider the reality-indeed, the paradox-of the schools in which we were reared. If some students worked hard and learned a lot, that was a positive result, and they would finish high in the rank order. But if some students gave up in hopeless failure, that was an acceptable result, too, because they would occupy places very low in the rank order. Their achievement results fed into the implicit mission of schools: the greater the spread of achievement among students, the more it reinforced the rank order. This is why, if some students gave up and stopped trying (even dropped out of school), that was regarded as the student's problem, not the teacher's or the school's.Once again, please notice who is using test results to decide whether to strive for excellence or give up in hopelessness. Thedata-based decision makers in this process are students themselves.Students are deciding whether success is within or beyond reach, whether the learning is worth the required effort, and so whether to try or not. The critical emotions underpinning the decision making process include anxiety, fear of failure, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take risks-all triggered by students' perceptions of their own capabilities as reflected in assessment results.Some students responded to the demands of such environments by working hard and learning a great deal. Others controlled their anxiety by giving up and not caring. The result for them is exactly the opposite of the one society wants. Instead of leaving no child behind, these practices, in effect, drove down the achievement of at least as many students as they successfully elevated. And the evidence suggests that the downside victims are more frequently members of particular socioeconomic and ethnic minorities.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word plummeted in Paragraph 3?
A
Punished timely.
B
Spread widely.
C
Continued gradually.
D
Dropped sharply.
参考解析
解析：
相关考题：
We may infer from the second paragraph that[A] DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.[B] in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.[C] historians deliberately made up some stories of Jefferson’s life.[D] political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.
We may infer from the second paragraph thatA．DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.B．in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.C．historians deliberately made up some stories of Jefferson's life.D．political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.
The house I grew up ________ has been taken down and replaced by an office building.A. in itB. inC. in thatD. in which
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Given:What,insertedatline39,willsortthekeysinthepropsHashMap?() A.Arrays.sort（s）；B.s=newTreeSet（s）；C.Collections.sort（s）；D.s=newSortedSet（s）；
According to the surveys in the U. S., _____.［A］ bullying among adults is also rising ［B］ parents are not supervising their children well［C］ parents seldom believe bullies ［D］ most parents resort to calling to deal with bullying
Sometimes I scratch my head when I read about the government′s efforts to improve schools:new standards and tests to be applied,strict teacher evaluations,and threats of school closures and?job losses．They frighten the school employees,not to mention the students．Instead of making people?unable to solve problems or try new ideas—which is what fear does to us—research on school reform?strongly suggests that policy-makers should encourage school leaders to take a more humane?approach．In their study on the reform efforts of twelve Chicago public schools,Bryk and Schneiderfound that enabling positive social relationships between the adults was the key to successful school?improvement and that trust was at the heart of those relationships．Trust in schools comes down to one thing:psychological safety or safety to speak one′s mind,to?discuss with openness and honesty what is and isn′t working,to make collective decisions．Yet this kind of safety doesn′t come easily to schools．According to Bryk and Schneider,the?adults in school rely on each other to do their jobs correctly and with integrity(正直)．The challenge?is that our expectations are very diverse based on our unique backgrounds．At one school where I taught,each teacher had different expectations about how much extra?effort teachers should put into their work—a big difference between the teachers who left after the?last bell and those who worked into the evening．And when expectations are unconscious or?unspoken,it becomes impossible for others to live up to them．We also make assumptions about the intentions behind a person′s behavior．As we all know,assumptions are often wrong．For example,parents and teachers may think the principal made a?particular decision based on his career advancement rather than what′s best for the students．If we?don′t feel psychologically safe to question our assumptions and expectations,trust flies out the?window and our relationships suffer．What is meant by trust in school?《》（）A.Freedom to express one's views．B.Extra effort teachers put into their work．C.Independence of the teachers in schools．D.Unconscious and unspoken expectations．
Sometimes I scratch my head when I read about the government′s efforts to improve schools:new standards and tests to be applied,strict teacher evaluations,and threats of school closures and?job losses．They frighten the school employees,not to mention the students．Instead of making people?unable to solve problems or try new ideas—which is what fear does to us—research on school reform?strongly suggests that policy-makers should encourage school leaders to take a more humane?approach．In their study on the reform efforts of twelve Chicago public schools,Bryk and Schneiderfound that enabling positive social relationships between the adults was the key to successful school?improvement and that trust was at the heart of those relationships．Trust in schools comes down to one thing:psychological safety or safety to speak one′s mind,to?discuss with openness and honesty what is and isn′t working,to make collective decisions．Yet this kind of safety doesn′t come easily to schools．According to Bryk and Schneider,the?adults in school rely on each other to do their jobs correctly and with integrity(正直)．The challenge?is that our expectations are very diverse based on our unique backgrounds．At one school where I taught,each teacher had different expectations about how much extra?effort teachers should put into their work—a big difference between the teachers who left after the?last bell and those who worked into the evening．And when expectations are unconscious or?unspoken,it becomes impossible for others to live up to them．We also make assumptions about the intentions behind a person′s behavior．As we all know,assumptions are often wrong．For example,parents and teachers may think the principal made a?particular decision based on his career advancement rather than what′s best for the students．If we?don′t feel psychologically safe to question our assumptions and expectations,trust flies out the?window and our relationships suffer．According to Bryk and Schneider,what was most important for successful school improvement?《》（）A.New standards and tests in schools．B.Positive social relationships．C.Strict teacher and student evaluations．D.Assistance of the government．
Sometimes I scratch my head when I read about the government′s efforts to improve schools:new standards and tests to be applied,strict teacher evaluations,and threats of school closures and?job losses．They frighten the school employees,not to mention the students．Instead of making people?unable to solve problems or try new ideas—which is what fear does to us—research on school reform?strongly suggests that policy-makers should encourage school leaders to take a more humane?approach．In their study on the reform efforts of twelve Chicago public schools,Bryk and Schneiderfound that enabling positive social relationships between the adults was the key to successful school?improvement and that trust was at the heart of those relationships．Trust in schools comes down to one thing:psychological safety or safety to speak one′s mind,to?discuss with openness and honesty what is and isn′t working,to make collective decisions．Yet this kind of safety doesn′t come easily to schools．According to Bryk and Schneider,the?adults in school rely on each other to do their jobs correctly and with integrity(正直)．The challenge?is that our expectations are very diverse based on our unique backgrounds．At one school where I taught,each teacher had different expectations about how much extra?effort teachers should put into their work—a big difference between the teachers who left after the?last bell and those who worked into the evening．And when expectations are unconscious or?unspoken,it becomes impossible for others to live up to them．We also make assumptions about the intentions behind a person′s behavior．As we all know,assumptions are often wrong．For example,parents and teachers may think the principal made a?particular decision based on his career advancement rather than what′s best for the students．If we?don′t feel psychologically safe to question our assumptions and expectations,trust flies out the?window and our relationships suffer．According to Paragraph 1,why does the author scratch his head．′?《》（）A.Because he doesn't know what to do once schools are closed．B.Because he is not sure about the practicability of those new tests．C.Because he is concerned that many teachers will lose their jobs．D.Because he is not in favor of the government's reform efforts．
Sometimes I scratch my head when I read about the government′s efforts to improve schools:new standards and tests to be applied,strict teacher evaluations,and threats of school closures and?job losses．They frighten the school employees,not to mention the students．Instead of making people?unable to solve problems or try new ideas—which is what fear does to us—research on school reform?strongly suggests that policy-makers should encourage school leaders to take a more humane?approach．In their study on the reform efforts of twelve Chicago public schools,Bryk and Schneiderfound that enabling positive social relationships between the adults was the key to successful school?improvement and that trust was at the heart of those relationships．Trust in schools comes down to one thing:psychological safety or safety to speak one′s mind,to?discuss with openness and honesty what is and isn′t working,to make collective decisions．Yet this kind of safety doesn′t come easily to schools．According to Bryk and Schneider,the?adults in school rely on each other to do their jobs correctly and with integrity(正直)．The challenge?is that our expectations are very diverse based on our unique backgrounds．At one school where I taught,each teacher had different expectations about how much extra?effort teachers should put into their work—a big difference between the teachers who left after the?last bell and those who worked into the evening．And when expectations are unconscious or?unspoken,it becomes impossible for others to live up to them．We also make assumptions about the intentions behind a person′s behavior．As we all know,assumptions are often wrong．For example,parents and teachers may think the principal made a?particular decision based on his career advancement rather than what′s best for the students．If we?don′t feel psychologically safe to question our assumptions and expectations,trust flies out the?window and our relationships suffer．What does the author say about the assumptions made about the intentions behind a person′s behavior?《》（）A.They should be trusted．B.They are often bold．C.They are often incorrect．D.They should be encouraged．
High schools are made up of（）different types of schools with somewhat different tasks.AfourBthreeCfiveDNone of the above
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单选题Passage1Today's adults grew up in schools designed to sort us into the various segments of our social and economic system. The amount of time available to learn was fixed: one year per grade. The amount learned by the end of that time was free to vary: some of us learned a great deal；some，very little. As we advanced through the grades，those who had learned a great deal in previous grades continued to build on those foundations. Those who had failed to master the early prerequisites within the allotted time failed to learn that which followed. After 12 or 13 years of cumulative treatment of this kind，we were，in effect，spread along an achievement continuum that was ultimately reflected in each student's rank in class upon graduation.From the very earliest grades, some students learned a great deal very quickly and consistently scored high on assessments. The emotional effect of this was to help them to see themselves as capable learners, and so these students became increasingly confident in school. That confidence gave them the inner emotional strength to take the risk of striving for more success because they believed that success was within their reach. Driven forward by this optimism, these students continued to try hard, and that effort continued to result in success for them. They became the academic and emotional winners. Notice that the trigger for their emotional strength and their learning success was their perception of their success on formal and informal assessments.But there were other students who didn't fare so well. They scored very low on tests, beginning in the earliest grades. The emotional effect was to cause them to question their own capabilities as learners. They began to lose confidence, which, in turn, deprived them of the emotional reserves needed to continue to take risks. As their motivation warned, of course, their performance plummeted. These students embarked on what they believed to be an irreversible slide toward inevitable failure and lost hope. Once again, the emotional trigger for their decision not to try was their perception of their performance on assessments.Consider the reality-indeed, the paradox-of the schools in which we were reared. If some students worked hard and learned a lot, that was a positive result, and they would finish high in the rank order. But if some students gave up in hopeless failure, that was an acceptable result, too, because they would occupy places very low in the rank order. Their achievement results fed into the implicit mission of schools: the greater the spread of achievement among students, the more it reinforced the rank order. This is why, if some students gave up and stopped trying (even dropped out of school), that was regarded as the student's problem, not the teacher's or the school's.Once again, please notice who is using test results to decide whether to strive for excellence or give up in hopelessness. Thedata-based decision makers in this process are students themselves.Students are deciding whether success is within or beyond reach, whether the learning is worth the required effort, and so whether to try or not. The critical emotions underpinning the decision making process include anxiety, fear of failure, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take risks-all triggered by students' perceptions of their own capabilities as reflected in assessment results.Some students responded to the demands of such environments by working hard and learning a great deal. Others controlled their anxiety by giving up and not caring. The result for them is exactly the opposite of the one society wants. Instead of leaving no child behind, these practices, in effect, drove down the achievement of at least as many students as they successfully elevated. And the evidence suggests that the downside victims are more frequently members of particular socioeconomic and ethnic minorities.Which of the following will be triggered by the assessment results according to the passage？AStudents'learning efforts.BLeaving-no-child-behind policy.CSocioeconomic and ethnic ranking.DSocial disapproval of schools'mission.
单选题The house _____ I grew up has been taken clown and replaced by an office building.Ain itBin whatCin thatDin which
单选题This passage suggests that the U.S. parentsAdo not respect orders.Bdo not trust their schools.Cshould pick up their children first in case of evacuation.Dwill protect their children at all cost.
单选题Passage1Today's adults grew up in schools designed to sort us into the various segments of our social and economic system. The amount of time available to learn was fixed: one year per grade. The amount learned by the end of that time was free to vary: some of us learned a great deal；some，very little. As we advanced through the grades，those who had learned a great deal in previous grades continued to build on those foundations. Those who had failed to master the early prerequisites within the allotted time failed to learn that which followed. After 12 or 13 years of cumulative treatment of this kind，we were，in effect，spread along an achievement continuum that was ultimately reflected in each student's rank in class upon graduation.From the very earliest grades, some students learned a great deal very quickly and consistently scored high on assessments. The emotional effect of this was to help them to see themselves as capable learners, and so these students became increasingly confident in school. That confidence gave them the inner emotional strength to take the risk of striving for more success because they believed that success was within their reach. Driven forward by this optimism, these students continued to try hard, and that effort continued to result in success for them. They became the academic and emotional winners. Notice that the trigger for their emotional strength and their learning success was their perception of their success on formal and informal assessments.But there were other students who didn't fare so well. They scored very low on tests, beginning in the earliest grades. The emotional effect was to cause them to question their own capabilities as learners. They began to lose confidence, which, in turn, deprived them of the emotional reserves needed to continue to take risks. As their motivation warned, of course, their performance plummeted. These students embarked on what they believed to be an irreversible slide toward inevitable failure and lost hope. Once again, the emotional trigger for their decision not to try was their perception of their performance on assessments.Consider the reality-indeed, the paradox-of the schools in which we were reared. If some students worked hard and learned a lot, that was a positive result, and they would finish high in the rank order. But if some students gave up in hopeless failure, that was an acceptable result, too, because they would occupy places very low in the rank order. Their achievement results fed into the implicit mission of schools: the greater the spread of achievement among students, the more it reinforced the rank order. This is why, if some students gave up and stopped trying (even dropped out of school), that was regarded as the student's problem, not the teacher's or the school's.Once again, please notice who is using test results to decide whether to strive for excellence or give up in hopelessness. The"data-based decision makers" in this process are students themselves.Students are deciding whether success is within or beyond reach, whether the learning is worth the required effort, and so whether to try or not. The critical emotions underpinning the decision making process include anxiety, fear of failure, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take risks-all triggered by students' perceptions of their own capabilities as reflected in assessment results.Some students responded to the demands of such environments by working hard and learning a great deal. Others controlled their anxiety by giving up and not caring. The result for them is exactly the opposite of the one society wants. Instead of leaving no child behind, these practices, in effect, drove down the achievement of at least as many students as they successfully elevated. And the evidence suggests that the downside victims are more frequently members of particular socioeconomic and ethnic minorities.What is the author's attitude towards the old mission of assessment?ASupportive.BIndifferent.CNegative.DNeutral.
单选题Passage1Today's adults grew up in schools designed to sort us into the various segments of our social and economic system. The amount of time available to learn was fixed: one year per grade. The amount learned by the end of that time was free to vary: some of us learned a great deal；some，very little. As we advanced through the grades，those who had learned a great deal in previous grades continued to build on those foundations. Those who had failed to master the early prerequisites within the allotted time failed to learn that which followed. After 12 or 13 years of cumulative treatment of this kind，we were，in effect，spread along an achievement continuum that was ultimately reflected in each student's rank in class upon graduation.From the very earliest grades, some students learned a great deal very quickly and consistently scored high on assessments. The emotional effect of this was to help them to see themselves as capable learners, and so these students became increasingly confident in school. That confidence gave them the inner emotional strength to take the risk of striving for more success because they believed that success was within their reach. Driven forward by this optimism, these students continued to try hard, and that effort continued to result in success for them. They became the academic and emotional winners. Notice that the trigger for their emotional strength and their learning success was their perception of their success on formal and informal assessments.But there were other students who didn't fare so well. They scored very low on tests, beginning in the earliest grades. The emotional effect was to cause them to question their own capabilities as learners. They began to lose confidence, which, in turn, deprived them of the emotional reserves needed to continue to take risks. As their motivation warned, of course, their performance plummeted. These students embarked on what they believed to be an irreversible slide toward inevitable failure and lost hope. Once again, the emotional trigger for their decision not to try was their perception of their performance on assessments.Consider the reality-indeed, the paradox-of the schools in which we were reared. If some students worked hard and learned a lot, that was a positive result, and they would finish high in the rank order. But if some students gave up in hopeless failure, that was an acceptable result, too, because they would occupy places very low in the rank order. Their achievement results fed into the implicit mission of schools: the greater the spread of achievement among students, the more it reinforced the rank order. This is why, if some students gave up and stopped trying (even dropped out of school), that was regarded as the student's problem, not the teacher's or the school's.Once again, please notice who is using test results to decide whether to strive for excellence or give up in hopelessness. Thedata-based decision makers in this process are students themselves.Students are deciding whether success is within or beyond reach, whether the learning is worth the required effort, and so whether to try or not. The critical emotions underpinning the decision making process include anxiety, fear of failure, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take risks-all triggered by students' perceptions of their own capabilities as reflected in assessment results.Some students responded to the demands of such environments by working hard and learning a great deal. Others controlled their anxiety by giving up and not caring. The result for them is exactly the opposite of the one society wants. Instead of leaving no child behind, these practices, in effect, drove down the achievement of at least as many students as they successfully elevated. And the evidence suggests that the downside victims are more frequently members of particular socioeconomic and ethnic minorities.Which of the following describes the paradox of the schools？ADiscrepancy between what they say and what they do.BDifferences between teachers'problems and schools'problems.CAdvantages and disadvantages of students'learning opportunities.DStudents'perception and the reality of their performance on assessments.
单选题The VDR system is designed to operate（）once it is set up correctly.There is no user interaction.AautomaticallyBaccuratelyCpromptlyDconspicuously
单选题For many overseas Chinese, China is their real ______., because they were born and grew up there.AhomeBfamilyChouseDhousehold
单选题The projection on a shaft designed to change circular motion into up and down or back and fore motion is called （）.AwheelBcrankshaftCrunning gearDcam
单选题Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?AThe U.S. schools don’t want the parents know their plans for disasters.BParents should push schools to make reasonable plans for disasters.CThe U.S. schools have done too little to prepare for disasters.DMost U.S. parents do not know the disaster preparedness plan of their schools.
单选题High schools are made up of（）different types of schools with somewhat different tasks.AfourBthreeCfiveDNone of the above
单选题ASpecial schools have been set up for them.BPermanent homes have been built for them.CThey are now taught in their own language.DThey are now allowed to attend local schools.
问答题Practice 3 In-state tuition. For decades, it was the one advantage big state schools had that even the Ivy League couldn’t match, in terms of recruiting the best and the brightest to their campuses. But these days, that’s no longer necessarily the case. Starting this September, some students will find a Harvard degree cheaper than one from many public universities. Harvard officials sent shock waves through academia last December by detailing a new financial-aid policy that will charge families making up to $180,000 just 10 % of their household income per year, substantially subsidizing the annual cost of more than $ 45,600 for all but its wealthiest students. The move was just the latest in what has amounted to a financial-aid bidding war in recent years among the U. S.’s élite universities. Though Harvard’s is the most generous to date, Princeton, Yale and Stanford have all launched similar plans to cap tuition contributions for students from low-and middle-income families. Indeed, students on financial aid at nearly every Ivy stand a good chance of graduating debt-free, thanks to loan-elimination programs introduced over the past five years. And other exclusive schools have followed their lead by replacing loans with grants and work-study aid. And several more schools are joining the no-loan club this fall. Even more schools have taken steps to reduce debt among their neediest students.
单选题According to the author, the economy of East Asian countries grew very fast because of the following measures EXCEPT ______.Aencouraging exportBopening up to foreign investmentsClimiting international financial flowsDcontrolling import
单选题Passage1Today's adults grew up in schools designed to sort us into the various segments of our social and economic system. The amount of time available to learn was fixed: one year per grade. The amount learned by the end of that time was free to vary: some of us learned a great deal；some，very little. As we advanced through the grades，those who had learned a great deal in previous grades continued to build on those foundations. Those who had failed to master the early prerequisites within the allotted time failed to learn that which followed. After 12 or 13 years of cumulative treatment of this kind，we were，in effect，spread along an achievement continuum that was ultimately reflected in each student's rank in class upon graduation.From the very earliest grades, some students learned a great deal very quickly and consistently scored high on assessments. The emotional effect of this was to help them to see themselves as capable learners, and so these students became increasingly confident in school. That confidence gave them the inner emotional strength to take the risk of striving for more success because they believed that success was within their reach. Driven forward by this optimism, these students continued to try hard, and that effort continued to result in success for them. They became the academic and emotional winners. Notice that the trigger for their emotional strength and their learning success was their perception of their success on formal and informal assessments.But there were other students who didn't fare so well. They scored very low on tests, beginning in the earliest grades. The emotional effect was to cause them to question their own capabilities as learners. They began to lose confidence, which, in turn, deprived them of the emotional reserves needed to continue to take risks. As their motivation warned, of course, their performance plummeted. These students embarked on what they believed to be an irreversible slide toward inevitable failure and lost hope. Once again, the emotional trigger for their decision not to try was their perception of their performance on assessments.Consider the reality-indeed, the paradox-of the schools in which we were reared. If some students worked hard and learned a lot, that was a positive result, and they would finish high in the rank order. But if some students gave up in hopeless failure, that was an acceptable result, too, because they would occupy places very low in the rank order. Their achievement results fed into the implicit mission of schools: the greater the spread of achievement among students, the more it reinforced the rank order. This is why, if some students gave up and stopped trying (even dropped out of school), that was regarded as the student's problem, not the teacher's or the school's.Once again, please notice who is using test results to decide whether to strive for excellence or give up in hopelessness. Thedata-based decision makers in this process are students themselves.Students are deciding whether success is within or beyond reach, whether the learning is worth the required effort, and so whether to try or not. The critical emotions underpinning the decision making process include anxiety, fear of failure, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take risks-all triggered by students' perceptions of their own capabilities as reflected in assessment results.Some students responded to the demands of such environments by working hard and learning a great deal. Others controlled their anxiety by giving up and not caring. The result for them is exactly the opposite of the one society wants. Instead of leaving no child behind, these practices, in effect, drove down the achievement of at least as many students as they successfully elevated. And the evidence suggests that the downside victims are more frequently members of particular socioeconomic and ethnic minorities.What has made students spread along an achievement continuum according to the passage?AThe allotted time to learn.BSocial and economic system.CThe early prerequisites students mastered.DPerformance on formal and informal assessments.