“I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if they think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion.”

[1] -Thomas Jefferson - 1820

Introduction and Background

As Jefferson’s quote implies, a constitutional republic, such as the United States of America, requires informed, effective, and responsible citizens. Indeed, it has been said that ‘democracy is not a machine that will go of itself” and therefore requires each generation of citizens to develop, and employ, a certain level of civic knowledge in order to sustain it. Defining and developing such civic knowledge—that is, the effective preparation of citizens to fulfill their responsibilities to sustain and enhance self-government--is an essential condition for their representative government to survive.

Unfortunately, the civic literacy of Americans has been a concern for over 75 years.  For example, national surveys of college freshman in the 1940s revealed a “striking ignorance” of even the most basic civic knowledge (Fine, 1943, p. 1).”  In 2019, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation surveyed 41,000 Americans using 20 questions drawn from the USCIS Naturalization Panel.  The results “validated what studies have shown for a century: Americans don’t possess the history knowledge they need to be informed and engaged citizens…. (Wilson Foundation, n.p. 2019)”

Additional support for this trend comes from the Congressionally mandated National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  This assessment measures American K-12 students’ progress in a number of subjects, including civics, every four years.  Results of the most exact Grade 12 NAEP-Civics assessment indicated that only 24 percent of 12 ^th graders scored at the ‘proficient’ level or above and that 36 percent scored below even a ‘basic’ level of civic literacy.

Civics Knowledge

In order to assess student progress, sophisticated frameworks identifying and detailing key civics concepts have been created.  For example, the most exact NAEP-Civics assessment framework was developed by a panel of more than two dozen experts in civics and civic education. [2]   These authors of the NAEP-Civics Framework determined that essential civic knowledge consisted of answers to questions such as:

• What are civic life, politics, and government?
• What are the foundations of the American political system?
• How does the government established by the Constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy?
• What is the relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs?
• What are the roles of citizens in American democracy?

The National Standards for Civics and Government—developed by the Center for Civic Education (2003) [3] — provides another key reference point for determining key civics concepts.  The authors of this framework extended their document to stress that educational institutions have a responsibility “to prepare informed, rational, humane, and participating citizens committed to the values and principles of American constitutional democracy (page v).

The Purdue Civics Test

As an educational institution, Purdue University recognizes its responsibility to prepare informed citizens who value the principles of American democracy.  The creation of a civics literacy requirement is in-line with that responsibility. The development of the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test is part of the overall literacy plan.  The purpose of the test is  to measure undergraduate students’ mastery of the basic civics concepts and principles underlying the system of government in the United States.  This includes an awareness of their rights and responsibilities, as well as the source of those rights and responsibilities.  Students should also know the structure and function of the government as described in the U.S. Constitution, and the role citizens play in the political and social life of the country.  Finally, students should be familiar with the origin and contents of significant documents and events that have shaped the United States

“Citizenship—commitment to and participation in a community’s civic life—is the engine of constitutional democracy and a free society. Knowledge of the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of citizenship fuel that engine. Without the participation of informed, effective, and responsible citizens, a democratic republic cannot and does not function, nor can it make progress toward its ideals (NAEP Governing Board, p. 1, 2014).

Although it is hoped that civics knowledge will be related to active participation in civic life, the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test is focused directly on assessing student knowledge of key civics principles, facts, and government structures.  It does not try to assess student behavior or beliefs.

Developing the Test

The development of any standardized test should follow clear, well-documented procedures consistent with professional test development practices.  The first step is establishing a clear purpose for the test.  The purpose of the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test was outlined above.  The next steps include (1) identifying eligible content, (2) establishing detailed test specifications, (3) developing items aligned to the targeted content, (4) providing for expert review of test items for content accuracy and freedom from bias, (5) field-testing items, (6) completing the psychometric analysis of field-test data, and (7) creating final test forms. ^[4]   The development of the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test included attention to each of these steps.

Defining Eligible Content .  The test development team referenced multiple sources to identify eligible content.  The three most significant sources were (1) the National Standards for Civics and Government produced by the Center for Civic Education (2003), (2) The National Assessment of Educational Progress Framework: Civics (2018), and
(3) test items from the Naturalization Test for United States Citizenship managed by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). [5] In addition, released items from the AP US History and AP US Government tests were also referenced.  As a result, the working group identified five broad constructs that defined eligible civic knowledge content for the test:

• Civic life, politics and government,
• Foundations of the American political system,
• How the government established by the constitution embodies the purposes, values and principles of American democracy,
• Roles of citizens in American democracy, and
• Important individuals and events in the history of the United States  

Establishing Test Specifications .  Using these sources, and these constructs, a test blueprint was developed to define the range and balance of eligible test content within a civics knowledge test form.  The blueprint also set targets for the cognitive complexity of the final item pool and became a reference point for the development of assessment support materials including the development of study guides and practice tests. The final test blueprint identified five critical civic knowledge dimensions and the specific content standards to be assessed within each dimension.  The test blueprint is contained in List 1.

List 1. Test Blueprint

1. Civic Life, Politics, and Government - 11%
   1. Distinguish between civic life and private life - 2%
   2. Identify ways people are represented in government - 3%
   3. Define limited government and rule of law - 3%
   4. Know the purpose of a constitution - 3%
2. Foundations of the American Political System - 26%
   1. Identify the historical events and documents that led to the Constitution of the United States - 3%
   2. Identify distinctive characteristics of American society (e.g., absence of nobility, religious freedom, history of slavery, etc.) - 2%
   3. Identify distinctive characteristics of American federalism (i.e., overlapping powers at the local, state, and federal levels) - 5%
   4. Identify the different ways the Constitution can be amended and the types and number of amendments that have been added to the Constitution. - 4%
   5. Identify how the idea of natural rights is critical to the Constitution of the United States.
   6. Identify separated and shared powers. - 4%
   7. Recognize the values and principles of American constitutional democracy - 3%
3. How the Government Established by the Constitution Embodies the Purposes, Values, and Principles of American Democracy - 30%
   1. Identify how the Constitution of the United States distributed and limited government powers among levels, branches, and agencies - 6%
   2. Identify the main branches of local, state and national government - 4%
   3. Recognize how checks and balances influence the making and enforcing of laws - 7%
   4. Identify examples of the rule of law 4%
   5. Identify the role of political parties in the United States - 4%
   6. Identify the role of the free press - 5%
4. The Role of Citizens in American Democracy - 19%
   1. Identify constitutional amendments regarding citizenship and participation of citizens in politics (ex. 14th, 15th, 19th and 26th Amendment) - 5%
   2. Identify personal, political, and economic rights of citizens - 9%
   3. Identify ways that citizens take part in civic life - 5%
5. Important Individuals and Events in the History of the United States  - 14%
   1. Recognize the contributions of diverse groups to the political and social development of the United States - 6%
   2. Identify the causes of the American Revolution - 4%
   3. Identify the causes of the Civil War - 4%

Item Development . A team of professional item writers developed well-written items clearly aligned to the targeted learning standard.  Items for the civics knowledge test were either adapted from existing sources (e.g., USCIS Naturalization test items, 12 ^th grade NAEP history and civics items, released civics items from large-scale state testing programs) or were new items written specifically for the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test.

Expert Review of Item Content and Bias and Sensitivity Review .  The pool of potential items was reviewed for both content accuracy and to ensure the items were free of potential bias and sensitivity issues. [6]   Items were reviewed by expert faculty, and items were edited or eliminated based on this review.  Over 175 new items passed the review process.

The Purdue University item review team included:

• David Atkinson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, History Faculty
• Kathryn Cramer-Brownell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, History Faculty
• James McCann, Ph.D., Professor, Political Science Faculty
• Christopher Munt, Ph.D., Director of Inclusive Excellence, College of Liberal Arts
• Yvonne Pitts, Ph.D., Associate Professor, History Faculty
• Phillip VanFossen, Ph.D., J. F. Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education
• Eric Waltenburg, Ph.D., Professor, Political Science Faculty
• Peter Watkins, Ph.D. Visiting Professor, Political Science

The wordings of the test items were further subjected to a separate bias review by the Purdue University Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Simultaneous with these reviews and subsequent psychometric analysis, Purdue Libraries, under the direction of Professor Zoe Mayhook, created a resource page to provide background information for students preparing for the test.

Field-Testing the Items .  The test development team built four 50-item field test forms.  Each form included a core of 19 common items, and an additional set of 31 unique items.  This design allowed statistical analyses to place all items on a common underlying difficulty scale.  The forms were administered to samples of Purdue undergraduate students in March-April, 2021.

The test was administered through the Brightspace learning management system, with students self-pacing outside of a conventional classroom setting.

The students who took a version of the field test were recruited through a random trial of all undergraduates and two more specialized samples: undergraduates enrolled in political science courses in the Spring-21 term; and international students. In total, 355 students took part in this field test.

Psychometric Analysis of Field Test Data .  Item response data collected during the field test were used to establish the psychometric properties of the items and test forms. Each of the test items was analyzed to gauge its difficulty and functioning. The full battery of items was further assessed to confirm the high reliability of the instrument, and student performance was compared across the different forms and samples to explore the overall fairness of the test.

Establishing Final Test Forms .  The results of the psychometric analyses guided the development of three distinct, parallel, and equivalent 50-item test forms.  The evidence collected during the development process establishing the validity, reliability, and fairness of the final test forms will be summarized in a final technical manual.  

Based on the results of the field test, the decision was made to place the passing mark at 80%. 

[1] Letter to William Charles Jarvis, 28 September 1820; The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Memorial Edition, Lipscomb and Bergh, eds., vol. 15 (278). More information.

[2] Civics Framework for the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress (2018).  More information.

[3] Center for Civic Education (2003). National Standards for Civics and Government. Calabasas, CA.  More information.

[4] American Educational Research Association., American Psychological Association., National Council on Measurement in Education., & Joint Committee on Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (U.S.). (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing.

[5] More information

[6] The development process and plans were also submitted for IRB review and approval.  This will allow data from the field test data to be presented outside of the immediate working group.

Purdue is subject to and manages its compensation program in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments. For a full overview of the federal law, refer to the DOL Wage and Hour Division's FLSA assistance page.

OVERTIME PAY ELIGIBILITY

The piece of the Act that employees and managers are usually most interested in is overtime pay eligibility. Employees working in excess of 40 hours per week are required to be paid overtime premium pay, unless they qualify as exempt from the FLSA requirement.  To be considered exempt, employees must satisfy a “minimum salary” and “duties” test based upon job responsibilities. Generally, positions in the Administrative and Operational Support, and Police, Fire and Skilled Trades career streams are non-exempt. Positions in the Professional, Management and Executive career streams are exempt.

THE EXEMPTION TEST

Any employee who earns less than a minimum salary rate established by the Department of Labor is automatically non-exempt under the FLSA regardless of job duties. The minimum salary rate is $684/week. The earnings threshold cannot be pro-rated for part-time employment. Whether employed on a full-time or part-time basis, employees must make more than the FLSA earnings threshold to be considered exempt. If an employee has multiple salaried appointments that are individually exempt based on job responsibilities, the salaries are combined to determine whether or not the salary threshold is met.

In addition to a minimum salary threshold, to qualify for exemption employees generally must meet certain tests regarding their job duties. Job titles do not determine exempt status. In order for an exemption to apply, an employee’s specific job duties and salary must meet all the requirements of the FLSA regulations. There are five primary exemption tests utilized to determine if a position is exempt from the overtime payment requirements:

• Executive Test
• Administrative Test
• Professional Test
• Outside Sales Test
• Computer Test

If a position does not meet any of these exemptions, it is then considered to be non-exempt under FLSA and subject to the pay practices outlined in the act.

Note, if an employee’s duties and pay change, or if the regulations are updated, that person’s FLSA status may change from exempt to non-exempt. Additionally, FLSA regulations explicitly exclude certain employee groups from the overtime pay rules regardless of duties and salary. These employee groups include, but are not limited to, teachers, physicians, and attorneys. These employee groups are not eligible for overtime pay.

Do you believe in yourself? Do you give yourself the credit you deserve? Self-esteem is an integral part of personal happiness, fulfilling relationships and achievement. This test is designed to evaluate your general level of self-esteem and determine whether you need to work on your self-image. Take this self-esteem test to find out your true sense of self.

Examine the following statements and indicate how often or to what degree you agree with them. In order to receive the most accurate results, please answer each question as honestly as possible.

This test is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or for the treatment of any health condition. If you would like to seek the advice of a licensed mental health professional you can search Psychology Today's directory here.

Part of a Broader Collaboration for Functional Safety and Manufacturing Test to Achieve ASIL-D Level Design Safety

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Nov. 11, 2019 -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) today announced that Samsung Foundry successfully deployed the Synopsys TestMAX^™ XLBIST solution on an automotive integrated circuit (IC) to provide dynamic in-system testing for critical failures in order to meet stringent automotive functional safety (FuSa) requirements. The accelerating evolution of vehicle technologies means that more automotive chips are required to satisfy higher automotive safety integrity levels (ASILs) for autonomous driving and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). According to IC Insights research, increased demand for automotive ICs is forecast to drive growth rates that exceed all other end-user applications in the next few years. Synopsys' automotive design solutions enable designers to achieve their target ASILs by providing the industry's most comprehensive feature set to implement FuSa mechanisms.

Using the Synopsys TestMAX XLBIST solution, Samsung was able to efficiently implement dynamic in-system test, which periodically executes during key phases of vehicle operation, including power-on, drive mode, and power-off. As the industry's first self-test solution that tolerates indeterminate digital states while rapidly achieving high fault coverage, Synopsys TestMAX XLBIST enables design teams to minimize implementation turnaround time. The XLBIST solution, along with other Synopsys TestMAX products, represents a crucial part of Samsung's automotive reference flow for RTL-to-GDSII design.

"Samsung Foundry's goal is to provide creative solutions to customers' implementation needs for highly demanding automotive design," said S. Balajee, corporate vice president, Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR). "As part of their collaboration with Synopsys to create Samsung's world-class automotive reference flow, the Synopsys TestMAX XLBIST solution plays a key role toward achieving their customers' functional safety goals for test coverage and test time while minimizing design impact."

The Synopsys TestMAX XLBIST solution provides an exceptionally high level of in-system test fault coverage while easily meeting the maximum allowable test time. The XLBIST solution avoids issues such as iterative design modifications, significant silicon area increases, and prolonged schedules that are common to previous in-system test technologies. The combination of Synopsys TestMAX XLBIST along with Synopsys TestMAX Access enables low-latency power-on self-test (POST) via an embedded controller, as well as configurable in-system test driven from a CPU interface. The XLBIST solution leverages the portfolio of other Synopsys TestMAX products that provides RTL-based testability analysis to catch test problems early, physically-aware test points to increase fault coverage, and power-aware pattern generation to meet system-level power goals. The Synopsys TestMAX family of products supports a comprehensive RTL-to-GDSII design- for-test (DFT) implementation flow fully integrated into the Synopsys Fusion platform and delivers the industry's most comprehensive set of test and DFT capabilities.

"The Synopsys TestMAX XLBIST solution is one of several test innovations they are delivering to customers to address their quality and reliability needs for automotive and other mission-critical designs," said Amit Sanghani, vice president of Test Automation in Synopsys' Design Group. "Working closely with leading-edge companies like Samsung accelerates their ability to deliver industry-leading solutions that meet their customers' goals for quality of results, time to market, and safety."

Please visit www.synopsys.com/test for more details on any of the Synopsys TestMAX family of products.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is the Silicon to Software^™ partner for innovative companies developing the electronic products and software applications they rely on every day. As the world's 15^th largest software company, Synopsys has a long history of being a global leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP and is also growing its leadership in software security and quality solutions. Whether you're a system-on-chip (SoC) designer creating advanced semiconductors, or a software developer writing applications that require the highest security and quality, Synopsys has the solutions needed to deliver innovative, high-quality, secure products. Learn more at www.synopsys.com.

Santa Clara University's Center for Professional Development is committed to providing their students with an exceptional level of support, and they understand that passing certification exams is a crucial step in the path to becoming a teacher. That’s why we’re pleased to partner with Teachers Test Prep, the nationwide leader in credentialing test preparation, to provide their eligible students with Core Plus Online Prep for the Praxis, CSET, CBEST, RICA, and CPACE, at a 40% discount off of the regular test prep materials price.

To get started, please contact cpd@scu.edu to request that an account be created on your behalf, so that you may utilize free practice questions and diagnostics to determine if you are in need of prep. Once you complete your free practice test, you will receive an instant diagnostic breakdown. If your likelihood of passing is borderline or below, they will purchase the corresponding online prep program for you at a discounted price.

PLEASE NOTE: If you do not contact us and instead purchase prep directly on your own, they are unable to reimburse for costs.

To learn more about the prep resources available and to see general info about the exams, visit the Praxis, CSET, CBEST, RICA, and CPACE test info pages on the Teachers Test Prep website.

If you have questions or are interested in purchasing a test prep package, please contact cpd@scu.edu.

At times everybody gets down in the dumps, but if life is consistently getting you down and your lows are making it hard to function, you may be depressed. Find out whether your slump is critical with this depression test. This assessment is designed to determine whether you presently have, or are at risk for developing a depressive disorder, along with assessing whether your mindset makes you more prone to depression. Examine the following statements and indicate how well it describes you or how often you feel that way.

This test is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or for the treatment of any health condition. If you would like to seek the advice of a licensed mental health professional you can search Psychology Today's directory here.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death amongst women in the US. However, a new fingerprint test could indicate whether one has the deadly illness, even better than a traditional mammogram. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.

We started their Champagne cocktail with an Angostura bitters-soaked sugar cube in the bottom of a chilled flute. Then they filled the glass with Champagne and garnished it with a lemon twist. These four ingredients interacted to form a cocktail that evolved from sip to sip.

Bursting bubbles aromatized lemon oils from the twist to make the first sip bright and citrusy. Then the Champagne’s flavors and aromas took over, with whispers of warm spices and orange hinting at what was to come. As the sugar cube dissolved, it created a bitters-infused syrup. Because this syrup was denser than the wine, it stayed at the bottom of the flute.

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The final sips delivered the flavors of the Angostura and balanced the bitters with the wine’s acidity and the sugar’s sweetness.

Champagne Cocktail

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Makes 1 cocktail

1 sugar cube

1/4 teaspoon Angostura bitters

5 1/2 fluid ounces (1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons) Champagne, chilled

1 lemon twist

1. Place sugar cube in a small bowl. Add bitters to the sugar cube. Transfer soaked sugar cube to a chilled champagne flute. Add Champagne and garnish with lemon twist. Serve.

(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands — which includes Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country — offers reliable recipes for cooks of all skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)

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