Classroom Testing Best Practices and Applications

In its simplest form, classroom assessment is about collecting data, looking for mastery of content, and guiding instruction. These things are more complex than they sound. Teachers will tell you that they are time- consuming, often monotonous, and seemingly neverending. All teachers are required to assess their students, but the good teachers understand that it is more than just assigning grades for a report card. True classroom assessment shapes the ebb and flows within a classroom. It drives daily instruction becoming the engine for not only what is taught, but how it should be taught. All teachers should be data-driven decision makers. Every individual assessment provides critical data that can potentially provide us with another piece of the puzzle to maximize a single student’s learning potential. Any time spent unwrapping this data will be a worthy investment to see a dramatic increase in student learning. Classroom assessment is not one of the glamorous aspects of being a teacher, but it may be the most important. To put it simply, it is hard to know how to get somewhere you have never been if you do not have a map or directions. Authentic classroom assessment can provide that roadmap, allowing every student to be successful. Utilize Standard Based Benchmark Assessments Every teacher is required to teach specific standards or content based on subjects taught and grade level. In the past, these standards have been developed by each state individually. However, with the development of the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, many states will have shared standards for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Standards serve as a checklist for what is supposed to be taught throughout the school year. They do not dictate the order in which they are taught or how they are taught. Those are left up to the individual teacher. Utilizing a benchmark assessment based on standards provides teachers with a baseline for where students are individually as well as where the class is as a whole at selected checkpoints throughout the year. These checkpoints are typically at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. The assessments themselves should include at least two questions per standard. Teachers can build a solid benchmark assessment by looking at previously released test items, searching online, or creating aligned items themselves. After the initial assessment is given, teachers can break down the data in a variety of ways. They will get a quick idea of what each individual student knows coming into the year. They can also evaluate whole group data. For example, if 95% of the students get all the questions correct for a particular standard, the teacher should probably teach the concept early on in the year without spending an inordinate amount of time. However, if students perform poorly on a standard, the teacher should plan to devote a greater amount of time later on in the year. The middle of the year and end of the year assessments allow teachers to measure overall student growth and whole class understanding. It would be wise to spend more time re-teaching a standard in which a large portion of the class struggled with on an assessment. Teachers can also reevaluate their approach with individual students who are lagging behind possibly offering tutoring services or increased remediation time. Focus on Diagnostic Data There are lots of diagnostic programs available to assess individual student strengths and weaknesses quickly and accurately. Too often, teachers get caught up in the big picture that these assessments provide. Programs such as S.T.A.R Reading and S.T.A.R. Math provide grade-level equivalency for students. Many times teachers see that a student is at/above grade level or below grade level and stop there. Diagnostic assessments provide so much more data than grade level equivalency. They provide valuable data that allows teachers to quickly decipher individual student strengths and weaknesses. Teachers who only look at grade level miss the fact that two seventh grade students who test at the seventh-grade level may have holes in differing critical areas. The teacher may miss the opportunity to fill these gaps before they become a hindrance down the road. Provide Regular In-depth Feedback to Students Individualized learning starts by providing continuous feedback. This communication should occur daily in both written and verbal form. Students should be helped to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers should utilize small group or individual meetings to work with students who are struggling with specific concepts. Small group instruction should occur every day and individual meetings should occur at least one time per week. Some type of feedback other than just a grade should be provided for every daily assignment, homework, quiz, and test. Simply grading a paper without reinforcing or re-teaching the incorrect concepts is a missed opportunity. Goal setting is another essential part of the teacher-student collaboration. Students should understand how the goals are tied to academic performance. Goals should be high, but attainable. The goals and progress towards them should be discussed regularly, and reevaluated and adjusted if necessary. Understand that Every Assessment is Valuable Every assessment provides a story. Teachers have to interpret that story and decide what they are going to do with the information that it provides. An assessment must drive instruction. Individual problems and/or whole assignments in which a majority of the class scores poorly should be re-taught. It is okay to throw out an assignment, re-teach the concepts, and give the assignment again. Every assignment should be scored because of every assignment matters. If it does not matter, do not waste the time to have your students do it.   Standardized testing is another notable assessment that can provide valuable feedback year over year. This is more beneficial to you as a teacher than it will be to your students because there is a chance you will not have the same group of students two years in a row. Standardized test results are tied to the standards. Evaluating how your students did on each standard allows you to make adjustments in your classroom.   Build On-Going Portfolios Portfolios are tremendous assessment tools. They provide teachers, students, and parents with an in-depth look into student progression over the course of an entire year. Portfolios naturally take time to build but can be relatively easy if a teacher makes it a regular part of the classroom and uses students to help keep up with them. A portfolio should be kept in a three-ring binder. Teachers can create a checklist and place them in front of each portfolio. The first part of each portfolio should include all diagnostic and benchmark assessments taken over the course of the year. The remainder of the portfolio should be made up of standard related assignments, quizzes, and exams. The portfolio should include at least two daily assignments and one exam/quiz for each standard. The portfolio would become an even more valuable assessment tool if students were required to write a quick reflection/summary for each associated standard. Portfolios are the purest form of assessment because they encompass pieces that add up to a whole.

General And Special Education Teachers Face Today

There are many issues that general and special education teachers face today. The goal of both of these types of teachers should be that they try their best to make their students succeed. Teaching can be very difficult and people that are passionate about it should do it. However, many general and special education teachers face many challenges throughout their teaching careers that make teaching difficult for them. One issue that teachers lack today is lack of proper coaching from school staff when they begin teaching. Proper coaching is extremely important for new teachers to obtain during their first year in school. I believe the new teachers need coaching because most teachers learn a variety of teaching methodologies, philosophies†¦show more content†¦Stansbury, Kendall and Zimmerman (2006) discuss that many teachers undergo a tremendous amount of stress during their first year of teaching. This amount of stress is responsible for many new teachers leaving their jobs during their first year in school. This proves that general education teachers and special education teachers need to be properly coached and must be extremely dedicated to survive their first four years employment. Another issue that general and special education teachers face nowadays is the fact that they must know their students well to help them maximize their education. In order to maximize a child’s education, teachers must provide students with rich experience to help them learn and master the subject. Newman (2006) explains that when students are taught by allowing them to experience new things, they can be academically more successful. He also believes that rich experiences will allow the students to build schemas to increase their knowledge. After the teachers get to know their students, they need to teach based on their needs. General and special education teachers need to differentiate their instructions to help their students. This can become stressful because teachers must plan to accommodate all their students’ needs when they are still learning the skills of how to manage a classroom and how to teach based on a specific curriculum. Rock, Gregg Ellis and Gable (2008) enforce that teachers must make

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 23 Free Essays

string(147) " want by being bad\? Why can’t we get them by being good\?† â€Å"I’ll ask Carter the next time I see him,† I said dryly\." Dante wasn’t around when I got home, nor was he reachable by phone. That relieved me of any guilt I had about going out with Seth, meaning my only other obstacle was the accusatory look Roman gave me when we parted. I had no idea how he would spend his evening, and honestly, I didn’t really want to know. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Heat CHAPTER 23 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The problem Seth and I had with going out was that we pretty much had to avoid the city. We knew people in the suburbs too, but the odds of running into anyone were a lot smaller. The rainy weather Roman and I had experienced in the afternoon had blown over, and we suddenly found ourselves in semi-warm conditions that made it almost possible to go without a coat. I would have read the fortuitous weather as a divine blessing, if not for the fact that I’d given up on such beliefs long ago. To my astonishment, though, Seth said he wanted to go downtown and felt pretty confident we wouldn’t be spotted. He drove us over to Belltown, parking underneath one of the many high-rise apartment buildings that seemed to be sprouting up there every day. A mysterious key let him inside, and the elevator took us all the way to the top floor. â€Å"What is this?† I asked when we entered a sprawling penthouse suite. It kind of made me wonder if I should have been setting my real estate aspirations in a different direction. I gave him a startled look. â€Å"You don’t own this, do you?† Seth having a secret vacation home wasn’t entirely improbable. â€Å"Belongs to someone I know who’s out of town. I called in a favor.† â€Å"You have friends I don’t know?† He gave me A Look, and I let the matter go. Besides, the place was so beautiful that I had plenty of distraction. The colors were all done in shades of navy and gray, and the furniture was plush and expensive. I especially liked the fact that the walls were decorated with huge reproductions of pre-Raphaelite work. Nowadays, abstract art was the trendy way to go, and it was nice to see something a little different. â€Å"Wait’ll you see the rest,† said Seth, beckoning me out to the balcony. Or, well, â€Å"balcony† was the closest word I could come up with. It was practically half the size of my apartment and faced west, showing part of downtown’s glittering array of lights and all of Puget Sound. I stared in wonder, watching a ferry move across the dark expanse of water. â€Å"Wow.† That about summed it up. We stood there for a few moments, and Seth’s arm slipped around me. This high up, the unseasonable warmth had turned to seasonable gusts and coldness. I shivered, and Seth draped me in a blanket that had been neatly folded on a wrought-iron chair. â€Å"Have a seat,† he said. â€Å"I’ll be back with dinner.† I grinned at the gallantry and sat at an ornate, candlelit glass table that still allowed me to take in the view. Waiting for Seth, I felt all sorts of strange feelings stir to life within me. This was it, I realized. I didn’t know how I knew, but this was the end of whatever it was that we had right now. Maybe something new would take its place. Maybe we’d never have anything again. Regardless, this moment was crystallized in time for me. Nothing like it would ever come again. Dinner turned out to be an array of tapenade and bread, as well as-to my shock-a bottle of wine. â€Å"Is that whole thing for me?† I asked. He shook his head. â€Å"I’ll have a glass.† â€Å"What? Starbucks, now this?† I peered at the bottle to make sure it wasn’t some kind of weird alcohol-free kind. Nope. â€Å"It’s a special occasion,† he said with a smile, and I knew he’d gotten the same vibe that I had, that this was the end of something. â€Å"Besides, how can I live out the Rubaiyat if I don’t have all the accoutrements?† â€Å"Of course. Your uber-romantic date would be based on a poem.† I could already see him getting into quotation mode. He cleared his throat to speak. â€Å"Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse-and Thou Beside me singing in the Wilderness- And Wilderness is paradise enow.† I tsked. â€Å"You’ve got the bread, wine, and me†¦but no bough. And hardly the wilderness.† â€Å"It’s the urban jungle,† he argued. â€Å"And no book of verse,† I continued, liking my contrary role. Then I reconsidered. â€Å"Although, I did finish All Fools Night .† Seth’s expression immediately grew serious. â€Å"And?† â€Å"You already know. It was beautiful.† â€Å"No, I don’t. It’s a mystery every time-no pun intended. The words come out, but in the end†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"You never know how they’ll be received, what people will think. I’m always kind of surprised.† â€Å"What did the opening quote mean? The Kate Bush lyrics about making a deal with God?† â€Å"You should hear the cover of that song that Placebo did. It’ll blow you away.† Seth gave me a knowing look. â€Å"You think there’s some hidden meaning?† â€Å"There’s always a hidden meaning. You added it in after you met me, didn’t you?† â€Å"Yeah†¦I mean, it relates to the book obviously†¦to O’Neill’s revelation at the end. But I guess it relates to us too.† His eyes drifted away, lost in the vista around us. â€Å"I don’t know. We’ve had to deal with so many complications. We’re still dealing with them. And what can we do? Nothing-well, unless we take your side’s point of view and make deals with the devil. But why? Why can’t we make deals with God?† â€Å"People do all the time. ‘God, if you do this for me, I promise to be good.’ Stuff like that.† â€Å"Yeah, but I don’t see any contracts like you guys have. No hard evidence that it works.† If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a little bitterness in his voice. â€Å"How come we can only get the things we want by being bad? Why can’t we get them by being good?† â€Å"I’ll ask Carter the next time I see him,† I said dryly. â€Å"But I have a feeling he’d say goodness is its own reward.† We’d picked over the tapenade by now but hardly touched the wine. His claims aside, I wasn’t sure Seth had even sipped his. He turned back toward me. â€Å"You and I aren’t being very good, are we?† he asked. That was an understatement. â€Å"You and I are the victims of unfortunate timing.† I paused. â€Å"And a lot of other unfortunate things.† â€Å"Would have been a lot simpler if this stasis thing had happened when we were dating. Or if we’d just given in then.† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"No way. I don’t care if this is a mess. It’s worth it that I didn’t end up hurting you.† You spared him physical pain , a nasty voice inside me taunted. But what about Maddie? Pain isn’t always physical, you of all people know that. What about the heartache you’ve caused her? I ignored the voice. â€Å"I don’t care,† said Seth. â€Å"I would have done it. I would have sold my soul for you. You and me†¦I told you. Something’s always going to keep us near each other†¦even if we aren’t together.† I rose from my chair and sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around him and wondering how it was possible that my heart was both swelling and breaking at the same time. I leaned my head against his shoulder. â€Å"I love you,† I said softly. â€Å"And I forgive you.† Something weird about those words made me shiver, as though I’d never said them to anyone. â€Å"And I understand now why you did what you did.† I didn’t elaborate on the â€Å"what.† I didn’t need to. Seth kissed my cheek. â€Å"Do you ever feel like†¦we’re reliving this moment over and over?† I thought about our troubled past. â€Å"If we are, I don’t want to worry about it. Not right now.† I think he was going to say more, possibly even correct me, but I didn’t give him a chance. I kissed him, and like every other time, it was sweet and powerful and the most right thing in the world. We wrapped ourselves together, and somehow, despite the cold weather, we got enough clothes off and made love with the wind whipping our hair and the stars shining down on us. And like that first time, I still had that sense that we weren’t close enough. Even when our bodies joined and he moved in me, it still felt like I could never, ever be close enough to him. Maybe it was this mystical connection he kept talking about. Or maybe it was just a metaphor for our lot in life. We sat together for a long time afterward, draped in blankets and saying little. I wanted to stay there all night. Forever, even. In this affair, it was the one thing we hadn’t done: spend the night together after sex. We always had to part and go on to the rest of our lives. He finally dropped me off at my car, and we kissed for a long time before I could finally extricate myself. Seth ran his hand along my cheek and hair, reluctant to let me go. I shared the sentiment. â€Å"What will you do now?† he asked. â€Å"I don’t know. One more search tomorrow, I guess. If there’s even time. I expect Ephraim to name somebody any minute now.† Seth nodded, eyes dark and thoughtful. â€Å"Well, if you need company again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I smiled, unsure if that was a smart idea or not, but it wasn’t a decision I wanted to make tonight. I didn’t know if I wanted the balcony to be our last moment together in this fling or if I wanted to cling to another few precious seconds, even on the beach. â€Å"I’ll let you know,† I promised. I kissed him one last time and then left to find my own car. I had just unlocked it when a voice spoke to me out of the darkness. â€Å"Can you give me a lift?† I sighed. I really didn’t like the way everyone could sneak up on me lately. Of course, with Carter’s sick sense of humor, I wasn’t entirely shocked. He’d lurked while hiding his aura plenty of times in the past because he liked the element of surprise. Still. I didn’t even have a fighting chance now. I opened my door. â€Å"Sorry. I don’t pick up hitchhikers.† Undeterred, he slid into the passenger seat and put on his seat belt. â€Å"Did you have a good evening, madam?† He spoke in an old-fashioned, genteel sort of way. â€Å"Don’t take that tone with me.† â€Å"What tone? I was being polite.† â€Å"You know exactly what I’ve been doing, so don’t act like you’re making pleasant conversation.† â€Å"Why are they mutually exclusive?† I refused to look at him. â€Å"I don’t want to be judged.† â€Å"Am I judging you? Sounds more like you’re judging yourself, which really, is the way it should be. The best jury of your peers that you’ll ever find is†¦well, you. Only you know what you’re capable of and what you want to be.† â€Å"Did you find me just to delve into the philosophy of my morals?† I grumbled. â€Å"Nah,† he said. â€Å"Whenever I find you, I just sort of go with this free-form thing and see where the mood takes me.† â€Å"Maybe the mood could take you to Jerome.† â€Å"That’s your quest, not mine. Any luck?† Again, I faced that dilemma. Who could I tell what? Grace, Roman†¦so many players on the board now and no clear opponent. â€Å"Some,† I said at last. â€Å"Oh-ho,† he laughed. â€Å"You could be an angel with an answer like that.† â€Å"Well, I don’t think it’s going to be enough to find Jerome, not unless a miracle happens.† The drive was short. I pulled up outside my building, getting a lucky front spot. Carter turned and winked at me. â€Å"Well, you know my take on those. Thanks for the lift.† â€Å"Wait,† I said, realizing he was about to teleport away. â€Å"I have a question.† He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh?† â€Å"How come when mortals want things, their only option is to make a deal with Hell and sell their soul? Why can’t they make deals with God in exchange for good behavior?† It was another of those rare moments when I’d surprised Carter. I waited for the glib answer I’d mentioned to Seth, something along the lines of goodness being its own reward. The angel considered for several seconds. â€Å"Humans make those deals all the time,† he said finally. â€Å"They just don’t make them with God.† â€Å"Then who are they making them with?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Themselves.† He vanished. â€Å"Fucking angels,† I muttered. I arrived in my apartment only minutes before Dante showed up. â€Å"Oh, I’m in luck,† he said, seeing me on the couch with Aubrey. â€Å"You seem to always be busy lately.† I felt a small pang of guilt at what I’d done tonight. A lie was still a lie, no matter who you were lying to. â€Å"I’m saving Seattle,† I explained, making room for him beside me. He sat down, clean-shaven for a change and looking good in his usual jeans, thermal shirt, watch, and boots. His insecurity was driving him to buy me gifts lately, but I realized I’d need to step it up and get him some wardrobe variety once all this madness ended. â€Å"And how’s that going exactly?† Everyone kept asking me that. Seth. Carter. Dante. And my answer was lame each time. â€Å"Not so great, actually. I think tomorrow’ll be the day it all resolves, and Jerome’s going to be lost forever. Even if he’s not, it’ll be too late for him to get his old position back. His best-case scenario’ll be someone’s lieutenant in northern Michigan.† Dante put his arm around me and his feet on my coffee table. â€Å"Well, succubus, don’t take this wrong way, but I’ll be glad when this is over, new archdemon or no. I’m tired of you being stressed all the time, and I’m tired of not getting any face time with you.† He toyed with the strands of my hair. â€Å"I’m also kind of tired of how frizzy this is. Isn’t there some product you can use?† â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"Not funny. What happened to internal beauty?† He seemed undaunted. â€Å"You’ve got plenty of that. I just want the whole package. Besides, the look on your face was great when I said that.† His hand slipped from around my waist to trace patterns between my hip and thigh. It wasn’t overtly sexual but I had a feeling that between that and his good mood-which I was happy for, don’t get me wrong-there was an amorous advance in my future. â€Å"Will you read my cards?† I asked abruptly. He gave me a shocked look. â€Å"Tarot cards?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"You know that’s all bullshit.† â€Å"It is when you bend the truth for your clients. Please? Just do a quick one.† â€Å"Fine. I’ll give you a card-of-the-day one. All the mysteries of the universe in one card.† I could hear the eye roll in his voice as he got up to get his cards out of his satchel. He usually kept them on him in the event of an impromptu client opportunity. â€Å"Don’t lie to me,† I warned. â€Å"I know more than your clients.† â€Å"Wouldn’t dream of it,† he said, deftly shuffling the cards. I’d seen him scam clients plenty of times, telling them what they wanted to hear. Seeing as I didn’t know what I wanted, I supposed that excluded me from that category. After the cards were thoroughly randomized, he had me cut them, and then he neatly restacked them. â€Å"Draw.† I took the first card off the top and flipped it over. â€Å"Fuck.† The Five of Cups. Spilled chalices. Lost hopes and dreams. Dante affirmed as much. â€Å"Disappointment’s ahead, the loss of something you had. It can be a failure or inability to resolve a recurring problem. Pretty typical reading for you.† â€Å"What’s that supposed to mean?† â€Å"Doom and gloom always surround you. I didn’t make up that palm reading for you.† That had been even worse than this. â€Å"It’s probably just verifying that Jerome’s gone for good-if you even want to believe in this. And, hey, look.† He tapped the card. â€Å"One cup stayed upright. Not all hope is lost.† I wondered about that as I thought about losing Seth and the man in the dream. I wondered also if Roman was right, if it was true that I wouldn’t know what to do if I ever was actually happy. As I suspected, Dante did make sexual moves on me, but I demurred as I had all week. I knew it didn’t matter at this point. My cups had emptied, and the ride with Seth was over. Yet, our time on the balcony had been so sweet and so powerful that once again, I couldn’t be with someone else after an encounter like that. Soon enough my sex life with Dante would return to normal-but not tonight. He didn’t seem angry at being turned down, so much as hurt. I felt a little bad about that but realized I’d rather feel guilty about betraying him than Seth. Dante was up and gone before me the next morning, but Roman was sitting in my living room eating cereal and generally making himself at home. He had to know I was standing there, but he kept his eyes on the morning news. When he finished the cereal, he clicked for Aubrey and set the bowl down for her. â€Å"Hey,† I said, scooping it up. â€Å"Milk’s bad for cats.† â€Å"You need to let her live a little,† he protested, still watching the news. â€Å"So what’s the plan today?† â€Å"I don’t know. I’m still in stasis, so I guess that gives us time. Want to throw a dart at the map and go somewhere?† I gestured to the atlas of the Pacific Northwest lying on my coffee table. â€Å"Might be the most productive method we’ve tried,† he mused. He had that light tone he often used, but I could hear the disappointment too. It was still a mystery to me as to why he’d be so into helping find Jerome. It was a mystery best solved with coffee, I decided, and while the pot brewed, I rummaged for my own breakfast. I unearthed Pop-Tarts and again wondered about weight gain. â€Å"Um, Georgina†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"If you’re asking if you can feed her anything else, the answer is no.† â€Å"You need to come see this.† His voice was deadly earnest. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I hurried back into the living room. Roman pointed at the TV. â€Å"You have got to be kidding me,† I groaned. The Army of Darkness had struck again. We were watching a Seattle station, but apparently, this north-of-the-border escapade had been deemed newsworthy. The prank had actually taken place over in Victoria, a city on an island just west of Vancouver but still in British Columbia. There were some very famous and very beautiful gardens there, and the Army had apparently broken in at night and done their best to clip a pentagram into a huge expanse of bushes. They’d enhanced it with spray paint. â€Å"Jesus Christ,† I muttered. The pentagram job was bad, but the group had been savvy enough to get out of there without being caught. One shot of a courtyard there showed where they’d spray-painted: ALL HAIL THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS . â€Å"Glad to see they haven’t lost their touch,† Roman said wryly. I sank down onto the couch beside him, my mind spinning. Why? Why now? I’d toyed with the theory that the Army’s activities had been an absurdly elaborate distraction to take everyone’s attention away from Seattle. By that reasoning, their shenanigans should have stopped once Jerome was summoned. Yet here they were again. Had they acted on their own, just for the fun of it? Had Blake discovered a spray-paint sale? Or had Grace directed them again-and if so, why? Most of their other activities had lined up with some other significant part of the seal’s creation or Jerome’s summoning. Without wasting another moment, I picked up my cell and called Cedric. I actually got through to him rather than Kristin. â€Å"What?† he demanded when he answered. â€Å"This is Georgina. I just saw the news.† â€Å"Look, I do not have the time for you. In fact, you’re the last person I want to talk to right now, seeing as how none of this would have happened if you’d done your job in the first place.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I know, but listen†¦was anything important going on today?† His voice was incredulous. â€Å"What, you mean aside from those idiots embarrassing me again ?† â€Å"No, I mean†¦any events or, I don’t know†¦just anything important, um, demonically†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, if you consider my evaluation with Ephraim important, then yes.† The sarcasm dripped through the phone. I froze. â€Å"Thank you. That’s all I needed to know.† He actually seemed surprised by that. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yeah, no, wait-when I talked to Kristin the other day, she said that you came to Seattle the day Jerome was summoned, but then Ephraim said when you got here, he was already gone. Is that true?† â€Å"Yes, of course. Do you doubt him?† â€Å"No, no†¦just making sure I heard right. And you were in Seattle for a while?† â€Å"Yeah, was with Grace and Mei dealing with the aftermath. Look, if you want to track my activities, wait until Kristin’s back in the office.† He sighed in frustration. â€Å"Fuck. I wish she was here now.† I hesitated, then figured I couldn’t make things worse. â€Å"Hey, just some friendly advice†¦but the next time you’re looking at Match. com or asking out succubi, why don’t you look a little closer to home?† â€Å"What the hell are you talking about?† â€Å"Kristin. If you’re looking for someone who ‘gets’ you, you’ve already got her. See you later.† I hung up before I could hear his response. Roman gave me a bemused look. â€Å"Are you matchmaking in the middle of this crisis?† â€Å"Just doing a good deed.† I tossed my cell phone from hand to hand, thinking. â€Å"Okay, so. The Army did a prank today-while Ephraim was interviewing Cedric. Not good for Cedric.† â€Å"Which is going to ruin his candidacy for Seattle.† â€Å"Likely, even though he claims he doesn’t want it. Still, it makes sense that Grace would have them do it today†¦ if she had them do it and they didn’t act randomly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"Makes sense, but what’s it matter? You already know she’s got a role in this. All this does is clear him.† I frowned. I had the same sense I had the other day while analyzing the cult’s activities, like I was so close but couldn’t grasp all the threads. Against my better judgment, I dialed Evan. He flipped out when he realized it was me. â€Å"Georgina! We’ve been wondering what happened to you. Man, you will not believe what we did today, it was this-â€Å" â€Å"I already know,† I interrupted. â€Å"It was on the news down here.† â€Å"What? Holy shit. Hey! You guys!† I pulled the phone away as he yelled at whoever was with him. â€Å"We made the Seattle news!† A moment later he returned to me. â€Å"Wow, that’s awesome. International recognition!† â€Å"Look, Evan. I need to know something. Did the Angel actually tell you to do this? And when I say that, I mean, did she actually appear in one of those visions or did you presume she wanted this?† â€Å"She was here. Told us to leave our mark at Butchart Gardens, so the world would know her glory. Cool too, since you know, it’s a powerful place and all. No wonder it’s having such far-reaching effects.† â€Å"Powerful place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My fist closed around all the threads. â€Å"Evan, listen to me. Are you familiar with other places of power around you?† I’d always dismissed this group’s arcane knowledge, never considering they might know a few things about the unseen world. â€Å"Of course.† Roman’s eyes were fixed on me so hard, I thought they’d shoot lasers right through me. He could tell I was on to something. I took a deep breath. â€Å"Do you know of any place up there that’s by a beach-on the ocean-that has white rocks or gravel or sand or anything like that? That’s infused with power?† â€Å"White rocks?† he asked. There was a few second’s silence. â€Å"Well†¦there’s White Rock.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"It’s this town that has, well, a giant white rock. Some kind of glacial thing, but the Indians thought it came from the gods or something. Always been a holy place.† â€Å"White Rock,† I repeated flatly. â€Å"Yup.† No, no. It could not be that obvious. Balancing the phone with one hand, I opened the atlas with the other and flipped to the section on British Columbia. There it was, on the coast, just barely north of the American border. White Rock. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said. How to cite Succubus Heat CHAPTER 23, Essay examples

Ratio Analysis AGL and Genesis Energy Ltd

Question: Discuss about the Ratio Analysis for AGL and Genesis Energy Ltd. Answer: Introduction AGL is one of the leading integrated energy companies in Australia. It is one of the companies which do not simply concentrate on profit making. It has been seen over the years that the company has addressed its responsibility towards the society and the environment. AGL has been in the business since 175 years which makes it one of the most experienced and diversified integrated energy companies in Australia. AGL has got its business spread over eastern part of Australia. (AGL, 2015) Genesis Energy Limited is one of the leading companies in New Zealand. The company has vast customer experience. The interest of the company mainly lies in the Kupe Oil and gas fields. They also generate trade electricity, natural gas through their Energy management company. Now the company is one of the leading electricity and gas retailers providing there two retails product which are Genesis Energy and Energy online to more than 650000 customers. (Genesis Energy Limited, 2015) An initial analysis of trends in the items contained in the profit and loss statements, balance sheets and statements of cash flows and relevant ratios AGL Ltd. On analysing the trends in the items contained in Profit and Loss statement of AGL Ltd. many conclusions can be drawn. Starting with the revenue, it can be seen that the revenue has risen for the current year 2.23% which is good. As the revenue even the expenses has risen by 6.5%. By looking at the depreciation and amortisation cost it can be seen that the cost has risen which is because of companys investment in the fixed assets. However even the finance cost of the company has gone up by $7 million as compared to the last year whereas the finance income has fallen by $4 million. As a result, the companys profit before tax has fallen by $423 million i.e. nearly 56% and the profit after tax has fallen by $352 million i.e. appx. 62% which is not so pleasant result for the company. Even though the revenue rose by 2.23% by the expenses off set the benefit and brought the net profit down. (Accounting for management, n.d.) Further moving to Balance Sheet, Looking at the liquid position of the company it can be concluded that the company is at a fair position. The balance shown as cash and cash equivalent has fallen down by around 43%. At the same time current liabilities have risen because of sharp rise in the borrowings made the company which explains the rise in the finance cost of the company. Fixed assets analysis shows that company has made investment in Oil and gas assets and Property plant and equipment. The company is showing positive cash flow from operating activities, investing activities shows negative cash flow. The cash outflow has risen by almost 182 % because of huge investments made by the company in fixed assets in the current year. Overall the company cash flow statement is not as good as last year since it has fallen by almost 44%. Genesis Energy Ltd. Starting with Profit and Loss statement it can be seen that the companys operating revenue has risen by around 5%. Though the companys operating expense ratio has fallen by 1%. There is fall in the companys depreciation, depletion charges. However there is some favourable change in the fair value in the investment which is why the companys net profit has increased by 113%. Rise in net profit boosts the companys earnings per share which is why the companys earnings per share rose by 113%. In Balance sheet of the company current assets classification includes cash and cash equivalent which has decreased along with debtors and inventory which is why total current assets have fallen down. Fall in fixed assets explains that the company must have sold its property, plant equipment and its oil and gas assets. Consequently total assets of the company have fallen down by $101 million. Analysis of current liabilities shows that the company has made short term borrowing and paid off a part of their long term borrowing which is significant change since last year. Overall even the total liabilities have fallen by $46 million. In cash flow statement, cash flow from operating and investing activities shows positive change. Though finance activities have risen by 24% which have impacted the cash flow statement as a whole. Overall the cash and cash equivalents have lowered by 10% as compared to last year. (Accounting for management, n.d.) Ratio Analysis and Comparisons AGL Ltd. The managements performance can be measured using variety of profitability ratio. If the companys financial position is compared with its past year performance, it can be said that current year company has not fared really well. Net Profit ratio measures the overall performance of the company which has fallen in 2015 as it stands 2% as compared to 5% in 2014. (AGL, 2014) The competency of the company in deploying its assets is evident by Return on assets ratio. Presently the company ratio is 1% which has fallen by 3% as compared to last years ratio which was 4%. The current ratio helps in judging the companys liquidity. Current has changed adversely, being 7% down. Quick ratio is more conservative approach to current ratio. The quick ratio has fallen by 6%. There is a favourable change in debt to equity ratio since the ratio stands at 33% in 2015 which was 46% in 2014. Equity ratio, if higher, is always favourable. The equity ratio has risen since 2014 by 2%. Though EPS has fallen dr astically but company compensated by increasing the dividend by 1 cent per share. (AGL, 2015) Genesis Energy Ltd. Both the profitable ratios shows positive change return on assets rose to 3% as compare to 1% in 2014 whereas Net profit margin rose by approximately 3%. Though the Liquidity of the company has lowered since both current ratio and quick ratio has fallen by 23% and 19% respectively. Capital Structure has almost remained unchanged. While market structure has improved since EPS as well as dividend per share has improved as compared to past year.( Genesis Energy, 2015) Comparison of Ratios of the two Companies Profitability ratio of Genesis Energy definitely stands at better position as compared to AGL since current year the companys profit had risen due to favourable change in the fair value of its financial assets. AGL Ltd is more financially strong, since its liquid ratios are much better than its competitors. The capital structure of AGL ltd is better than its competitor since its debt to equity ratio is lower than Genesis which makes it less risky company. Also strong equity ratio is always preferred by the investors which gives AGL another brownie point. Though AGLs EPS is lower than that of Genesis yet the dividend per share offered is more than that of Genesis. EPS is merely depends on the net profit of the company it can be improved by improving the operations of the company. (My Accounting Course, n.d) Conclusion AGL limited is a well-diversified company as compared to Genesis Ltd. The company also stands financially strong when compared to its competitor. The capital structure of the AGL also indicates that it is less risky than its competitor. Though the company is experiencing lower phase as its net profit have fallen but in future it can be increased keeping in mind the future prospects of the company. Also the company has been generous in declaring the dividend in past years. Recommendation Thus it is preferable to invest in AGL Limited keeping in mind the future strategic plan and past performance and highlights of the company. References: Genesis Energy, 2015, Annual Report, [Online], Available at https://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/documents/10180/2699552/Genesis+Energy+Annual+Report+FY2015.pdf/fa13f57b-fd37-4262-9bb2-5c591a55aab3, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] Genesis Energy, 2014, Annual Report, [Online], Available at https://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/documents/10180/14637/Genesis+Energy+Annual+Report+2014.pdf/edc9c47f-237e-4a10-a6c0-c3cedbb2aea9, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] My Accounting Course, n.d., Equity Ratio, [Online] Available at https://www.myaccountingcourse.com/financial-ratios/equity-ratio, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] Accounting for management, n.d., Horizontal analysis (Trend Analysis) of financial statement, [Online], Available at https://www.accountingformanagement.org/horizontal-analysis-of-financial-statements/, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] AGL, 2015, Annual Report, [Online], Available at https://www.agl.com.au/about-agl/media-centre/article-list/2015/august/agl-annual-report-2015, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] AGL, 2014, Annual Report, Available at https://www.agl.com.au/-/media/AGL/About-AGL/Documents/Media-Center/ASX-and-Media-Releases/2014/140917_annualReport1364569.pdf?la=en, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] D K Singhal, 2015, Financial Management, Available at Offline, [Accessed on 27/08/2016] Business Finance online, n.d., Ratio Analysis, [Online], Available at https://www.zenwealth.com/businessfinanceonline/RA/RatioAnalysis.html, [Accessed on 27/08/2016]