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Maggid

A maggid (מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a darshan. The title of maggid mesharim ('a preacher of uprightness'; abbreviated ) probably dates from the sixteenth century. There have long been two distinct classes of leaders in Israel—the scholar and rabbi, and the preacher or maggid. That the popular prophet was sometimes called "maggid" is maintained by those who translate (maggid mishne), by "the maggid repeats" (Löwy, "Beqoret ha-Talmud," p. 50). Like the Greek sophists, the early maggidim based their preaching on questions addressed to them by the multitude. Thus the Pesiqta, the first collection of set speeches, usually begins with "yelammedenu rabbenu" ('let our master teach us'). An excellent example is the Passover Haggadah, which is introduced by four questions; the reciter of the answer is called the maggid. When there were no questions, the maggid chose a Biblical text, which was called the petichah (opening).

The term maggid comes from Jewish mysticism (see Magid) and originally referred to a celestial entity, most commonly an angel, who manifests itself as a voice delivering mystical secrets to a kabbalist, or sometimes speaking through the mouths of the chosen ones.

Popularity of the Maggid
The greater popularity of the maggid as compared with the darshan is instanced from aggadic (homiletical or narrative material, as opposed to legal halachic material) stories in the Talmud (main text of Rabbinic Oral Torah discussion). The Talmud relates that the people left the lecture-room of R. Chiyya, the darshan, and flocked to hear R. Abbahu, the maggid. To appease the sensitive Chiyya, Abbahu modestly declared, "We are like two merchants, one selling diamonds and the other selling trinkets, which are more in demand" (Sotah 40a).Talmudic Sages like Rabbi Meir combined the functions of a darshan and a maggid (Sanhedrin 38b). When Rabbi Isaac Nappaha was requested by one in his audience to preach a popular haggadah, and by another a halakic discourse, he answered, "I am like the man who had two wives, one young and one old, and each wishing her husband to resemble her in appearance; the younger pulled out his gray hair while the older pulled out his black hair, with the result that he became entirely bald." R. Isaac thereupon delivered a lecture that embraced both halakah and aggadah (Bava Kamma 60b).

In the Gaonic period and the Middle Ages
Levi ben Sisi, his son Joshua, and others were at the head of a regular school of rabbinical maggidim. R. Ze'era was opposed to their methods of twisting and distorting the Biblical verses to suit their momentary fancy. In Ze'era's estimation their works were of no more value than books on magic (Yer. Ma'as. iii. 9). In the Gaonic period and in the Middle Ages the principal of the yeshivah, or the rabbi, delivered a lecture before each festival, giving instructions in the laws governing the days of the festival. The maggid's function was to preach to the common people in the vernacular whenever occasion required, usually on Sabbath afternoon, basing his sermon on the sidra of the week. The wandering, or traveling, maggid then began to appear, and subsequently became a power in Jewry. His mission was to preach morality, to awaken the dormant spirit of Judaism, and to keep alive the Messianic hope in the hearts of the people. The maggidim's deliverances were generally lacking in literary merit, and were composed largely of current phrases, old quotations, and Biblical interpretations which were designed merely for temporary effect; therefore none of the sermons which were delivered by them have been preserved.

Maggidism reached a period of high literary activity in the 16th century. The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 revealed a master maggid in Isaac Abravanel. His homiletic commentary on the Bible became an inexhaustible source of suggestion for future maggidim. In his method of explaining every chapter, preceded by a number of questions, he followed the early maggidim and sophists. His long argumentations in an easy and fluent style were admirably suited to the purposes of a maggid. Moses Alshech, a maggidic scholar, was one of a community of great Jewish spiritual figures who shaped Jewish thought, in the 16th-century town of Safed in the Galilee. Others in his circle included the compiler of the Shulchan Aruch code, Yosef Karo, and the leading Kabbalists Moses Cordovero and Isaac Luria. In the mystical environment of this community, the Alshech preached every Sabbath before large audiences. Isaac Luria attended his expositions, which included Kabbalistic aspects. In his classic Biblical commentaries he followed closely the method of Abravanel. Alshech also became an authority for the maggidim, who quoted him frequently.

Relation to Messianic fervour
The persecutions of the Jews brought forth a number of maggidim who endeavored to excite the Messianic hope as a balm to the troubled and oppressed Jewry. The new articulation and cosmic doctrines of redemption in Kabbalah, taught by Isaac Luria in the 16th century, inspired a new mystical awareness and focus on Messianism. Messianic messengers and potential candidates sought to advance the Messianic quest in Judaism. Asher Lemmlein preached in Germany and Austria, announcing the coming of the Messiah in 1502, and found credence everywhere. Solomon Molko preached, without declaring the date of the advent, in both Italy and Turkey, and as a result was burned at the stake in Mantua in 1533. R. Höschel of Cracow (d. 1663) delighted in the elucidation of difficult passages in the midrash known as the "Midrash Peli'ah" ('wonderful, obscure midrash'). H. Ersohn's biography of Höschel, in his "Chanukkat ha-Torah" (Pietrkov, 1900), gives a collection of 227 "sayings" gathered from 227 books by various writers, mostly Höschel's pupils. These sayings became current among the maggidim, who repeated them on every occasion. Some maggidim copied his methods and even created a pseudo-Midrash Peli'ah for the purpose of explaining the original ingeniously in the manner initiated by R. Höschel. Behr Perlhefter is considered the first Maggid of the Sabbatian Abraham Rovigo in Modena. Perlhefter restored the Sabbatian theology after the death of the pseudo-Messiah, and advocate of mystical heresy, Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676).

Motivation and admonishment
Elijah ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen of Smyrna, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, published his "Shebet Moussar", which he divided into fifty-two chapters, one for each week. This book caused him to be known as the "Terror Maggid"; he preached moral and religious conduct as a safeguard against the terrible punishments of the day of judgment. Dante could not picture the horrors of hell and the punishments awaiting the wicked more minutely than did the author of the "Shebet' Musar". It established a new "fire and brimstone" school of maggidim. Musar ('admonishment') is a thread in traditional Jewish thought that seeks ethical inspiration, integrity or admonishment to motivate religious devotion. Classic texts of ethical guidance from the Middle Ages articulate spiritual and psychological levels to righteousness. The later 19th century Musar movement sought to incorporate spiritual introspection and self-analysis into the scholarly yeshiva curriculum. The Musar movement seeks to inspire spiritual advancement by discovering personal integrity and revealing the unworthiness of material temptations. Its spirituality does not always describe rewards and punishments, but admonishment can be a factor. It can draw ethical lessons from Jewish mysticism, but is often compared and contrasted with the mystical paths to inspiration of Kabbalistic dveikus (cleaving to God), and the popularisation of mystical fervour in Hasidism. Typically, Hasidism avoids rebuke of punishments, replacing it with shame and remorse from nullification of self-awareness, before the omnipresent Divine presence that awakens joy.

Judah Rosanes of Constantinople (d. 1727), in his "Parashat Derakim," combined the darshan with the maggid. He adopted a new method of harmonizing the acts of Biblical personages with the legal views of Talmudic scholars. For instance, Pharaoh, in refusing to release Israel from bondage, acted according to the contention of Abaye, while Moses insisted on Israel's release in accordance with the decision of Rabba. This farfetched pilpulism had many followers, some of whom asserted that Ahasuerus concurred in the decision of Maimonides, and that Vashti coincided with the opinion of RaBaD.

The Dubner Maggid
Jacob Kranz of Dubno, the Dubner Maggid (d. 1804), author of "Ohel Ya'aqob", adopted the Midrash's method of explaining by parables and the incidents of daily life, such as the relations between the man of the city and the "yeshubnik" (village man), between the bride, the bridegroom, and the "mechuttanim" (contracting parents), and compared their relations to those between Israel and God. He drew also moral lessons from the "Arabian Nights" and from other secular stories in illustrating explanations of a midrash or a Biblical text. Moses Mendelssohn named Kranz the "Jewish Æsop".

His most famous parable is about how he finds appropriate parables: Walking in the woods a man sees many trees with targets drawn on them. Each target with an arrow in the center, and a little boy with a bow. The little boy acknowledges that he had shot all the arrows. When further questioned he answers: 'First I shoot the arrow, then I draw the target'.

Kranz's pupil Abraham Dov Bär Flahm edited and published the Dubner Maggid's writings, and a host of other maggidim adopted this method. In the same period there were Jacob Israel of Kremnitz, author of "Shebet' mi-Yisrael," a commentary on the Psalms (Zolkiev, 1772); Judah Löw Edel of Slonim, author of "Afiqe Yehudah," sermons (Lemberg, 1802); Chayyim Abraham Katz of Moghilef, author of "Milchama ve-Shalom" (Shklov, 1797); Ezekiel Feiwel of Deretschin, author of "Toledot Adam" (Dyhernfurth, 1809) and maggid in Wilna (Levinsohn, "Bet Yehudah," ii. 149).

In modern times, a descendant of the Dubner Maggid, Moshe Kranc wrote down several parables of his, along with modern interpretations, in a book about business and Jewish stories: "The Hasidic Masters' Guide to Management" (The Dubner Maggid was not Hasidic, but followed Lithuanian Jewish Orthodox spirituality. There are stories of his relationship with the Vilna Gaon).

Philosophical Maggidim
The most celebrated maggid during the nineteenth century was Moses Isaac ben Noah Darshan, the "Kelmer Maggid" (b. 1828; d. 1900, in Lida). He was among the "terror" maggidim of the "Shebet' Musar" school and preached to crowded synagogues for over fifty years in almost every city of Russian Poland. Another prominent maggid was Chayyim Tzedeq, known as the "Rumsheshker" (Gersoni, "Sketches of Jewish Life and History," pp. 62–74, New York, 1873). The "philosophical" maggid is one who preached from Arama's "Aqedat" and Bachya's "Chobot ha-Lebabot" ('Duties of the heart'). Enoch Sundl Luria, the author of "Kenaf Renanim", on "Pirqe Shirah" (Krotoschin, 1842), was a noted philosophical maggid.

Meïr Leibush Malbim (d. 1880), in his voluminous commentaries on the Bible, followed to some extent Abravanel and Alshech, and his conclusions are pointed and logical. Malbim's commentaries are considered to offer the best material for the use of maggidim.

From the "terror", or "Musar", maggid developed the "penitential" maggid, who, especially during the month of Elul and the ten days of penitence between New-Year's Day and Yom Kippur, urged the wicked to repent of their sins and seek God's forgiveness. One of these "penitential" preachers was Jacob Joseph, chief rabbi of the Russian Jews in New York (d. 1902), formerly maggid of Wilna, and a student of the Musar movement. In the middle of his preaching he would pause to recite with the people the "Shema koleinu", and the "Ashamnu," raising the audience to a high pitch of religious emotion. The maggid usually ended his preaching with the words. "u-ba le-Tziyyon goel," etc. (a redeemer shall come to Zion speedily in our days; let us say "Amen"). Some of the wandering maggidim acted also as meshullachim (collectors of money for institutions). The yeshivot in Russia and the charitable institutions of Jerusalem, especially the Va'ad ha-Kelali, sent abroad meshullach-maggidim. The resident maggid who preached at different synagogues in one city was called the "Stadt Maggid", as in Wilna and other large cities in Russia. The modern, or "maskil", maggid was called "Volksredner" (people's orator), and closely followed the German "Prediger" in his method of preaching. Tzebi Hirsch Dainow (d. 1877) was the first of the modern type of maggid, which soon developed into that of the "national," or "Zionistic," maggid. Yehuda Zvi Yabzrov from White Russia, as well as Tzvi Hirsch Masliansky and Joseph Zeff, both of New York, were representatives of the latter class. See Homiletics.

See also Category:Maggidim

Hasidic Maggidim
The founder of the Hasidic movement, Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov (Besht) (1698-1760), awakened a new stage and revival in Jewish mysticism. Hasidic philosophy internalised the abstract theological system of the earlier Kabbalah, by relating it to man's inner psychological awareness. This saw Divine omnipresence in everything, and brought this into personal dveikus (cleaving) through joyful fervour in daily life. This new teaching had popular appeal to the common folk, but also attracted great scholars who saw its deeper significances and philosophical depths. The Baal Shem Tov opposed the admonishing methods of the "musar" maggidim, which criticised and demoralised, as well as motivated, the community. His mysticism saw the inner holiness of each person. He would often illustrate to his disciples the preciousness in God's eyes of the simple sincerity of the unlearned Jewish folk. In the biographical hagiography of stories about the Baal Shem Tov, his encounters and "conversions" of admonishing preachers are recounted, as well as his encounters with the isolated, ascetic scholars, whose practices he also opposed.

His personal model of the Hasidic Master Rebbe was passed to the subsequent Hasidic Masters in the new Hasidic interpretation of the Tzaddik (saintly leader), who channels Divine blessing to the world. The microcosmic Messianic redemption offered by a Hasidic Rebbe, gave a new form of teacher and leader to the Jewish community, combining public mystic and redeemer, along with the traditional notions of darshan and maggid. Some Hasidic leaders are known with the name of "maggid", sometimes gained from before their adherence to Hasidism. The continual regard of this title to them, indicates a new interpretation of the traditional notion of a maggid, incorporated into the Hasidic role of Rebbe. The mystical revival of Hasidism elevated hagiographic storytelling about the Masters to a new degree in Judaism, reflecting the importance of the mystical adherence to a Tzaddik. The popular titles of each Master therefore reflect personal endearment and reverence.

Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch (דוב בער ממזריטש) (1704/1710?-1772) is known as the Maggid (literally 'Sayer') of Mezritsh after being the Maggid of the town of Rovne. After initially being opposed to the Baal Shem Tov's new ideas, he became a disciple and member of the Baal Shem Tov's close inner circle. After the death of his Master, the disciples appointed Dov Ber to become his successor, leading the new Hasidic movement in the early years of its establishment. Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch or "Great Maggid", is regarded as the first exponent of the philosophical system within the Baal Shem Tov's new teachings and doctrines, and one of its most important propagators. He became the architect of the new movement, devoting his attention to developing an academy of leading scholars and future leaders (the "Chevra Kaddisha"-Holy Society) to spread Hasidism across each of the regions of Western Europe after his death. His teachings appear in the volume Magid Devarav L'Yaakov. His inner circle of disciples included Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rabbi Aharon (HaGadol) of Karlin, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi.

Notable Maggidim

 * Glusker Maggid, see also Abba Glusk Leczeka, a poem by Adalbert von Chamisso
 * Hillel Noah Maggid (Steinschneider), Lithuanian genealogist and historian, a descendant of the family of Saul Wahl
 * Jacob ben Wolf Kranz of Dubno, der "Dubner Maggid" (1741-1804)
 * Dov Ber of Mezeritch (about 1700–1772), the propagator of the early Hasidic movement
 * Solomon ben Moses of Chelm, (also known as Shlomo of Chelm or Shlomo Chelma)
 * Yechezkel Feivel (1755–1833), Maggid of Vilnius
 * Zev Wolf of Zbarazh and Zloczow
 * Sholom Schwadron (d. 1997), the "Maggid of Jerusalem"
 * Zvi Hirsch Masliansky, American preacher
 * The Kozhnitser (Kozienizer) Magid Yisroel Hopsztajn (c. 1733 - 1814), the "Maggid of Kozhnitz" and one of the three "patriarchs" of Polish Hasidism
 * Shlomo Flam, the Lutzker Maggid
 * Asher Zebi of Ostrowo

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Paula Lehtomäki

Paula Lehtomäki (born 29 November 1972 in Kuhmo, Finland) is a Finnish politician. She started her political career in 1996, when she was elected to the Kuhmo town council. In 1999 she was elected to the Finnish Parliament, and again in 2003. In 2002, she was elected as the vice-chairman of Keskusta. In April 2004, she was chosen as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, making her the youngest minister in Matti Vanhanen's first cabinet.

She is married and the mother of three children. Her hobbies include cross country skiing, cycling, Nordic walking, badminton, and karaoke.

On 17 April 2007 it was announced that she would be the Minister for Environment in Matti Vanhanen's second cabinet. At the same time it was also announced that she is pregnant, and would take her second maternity leave from a ministerial post later in 2007.

She was Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers from 2019 - 2022. She is the first woman to hold the position, as well as the first person under 50. In her free time she sometimes sings in a band called Punatähdet, which means Red Star.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Paula Lehtomäki


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Cova

Cova or COVA may refer to:

Algeria

 * Cova, North Africa, the Ancient Roman city and modern Catholic titular see located at modern Ziama Mansouriah

Cape Verde

 * Cova Figueira, a small city in the island of Fogo
 * Cova (crater), a caldera in the island of Santo Antão
 * Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park, a protected area on the island of Santo Antão

Portugal

 * Cova, Portugal, a parish in the municipality of Vieira do Minho

United States

 * Commonwealth of Virginia (COVA), a U.S. state

Persons

 * Alberto Cova (born 1958), Italian long-distance track athlete

title: Cova


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Mr Big (British band)

Mr Big were a British pop rock band, active in the 1970s and 1990s. They were formed by Jeff Pain (aka Dicken) and best known for their 1977 Top 5 hit, "Romeo". The band was originally active from 1972–78 and then for a second period from 1990–98.

Biography
The members of Mr Big had been playing together since the late 1960s, under the name 'Burnt Oak'. They first played under the name, 'Mr Big', in 1972, at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London, when the manager billed them as Mr Big instead of Burnt Oak. The manager refused to change it, so it stuck for the rest of the band's career.

In 1974, the band signed to Epic Records, releasing three singles, none of which made a significant breakthrough, but which did lead to appearances on Lift Off, a TV pop show presented by Ayesha Brough.

In 1975, Bob Hirschman, then manager of Mott the Hoople, took over as the band's manager. Their first album, Sweet Silence, was released on EMI, to greater acclaim than their previous singles. Promotional TV appearances for this album included Supersonic with Mike Mansfield and Superpop. In November 1975, Mr Big supported Queen on their A Night at the Opera tour.

In 1976, Mr Big embarked on their own UK headline tour and supported Sweet on their tour of Europe, performing on TV in Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK. Mr Big were also the first British band to be signed to Clive Davis's Arista Records in America. They recorded their second album, Photographic Smile, in Los Angeles, California, with Val Garay.

In 1977, the band toured the United States in February, March and April with Tom Petty, Journey, Kansas and The Runaways. Meanwhile, the single "Romeo" reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart, despite a temporary ban by the BBC. It also peaked at number 44 in Australia. It also sold well in Japan, the U.S. and parts of Europe, and was covered in 1977 by the South African band 'Pendulum'. The follow-up single "Feel Like Calling Home" failed to capitalise on the success of the previous one, and only reached No. 35 in UK. The band embarked on a UK headline tour with more television appearances in the UK and Europe.

In 1978, the third album Seppuku was recorded with Ian Hunter as producer and the band again toured the UK. They appeared on Top Of The Pops with "Senora", and split up soon afterwards.

After the breakup
Dicken and bassist Pete Crowther went on to form another band named Broken Home, which released two albums and played the Reading Festival in 1980, also scoring a couple of minor hits in Norway and Germany. Dicken has since collaborated with a variety of different artists under various names, as well as releasing solo material and performing 'Mr. Big Greatest Hits' tours. The current Mr Big consists of originals Dicken and Eddie Carter with new members on bass, keyboards and percussion. Their album, Rainbow Bridge, was released in 1996.

Albums

 * Sweet Silence (EMI, 1975)
 * Photographic Smile (Arista, 1977) (US release consisting of songs from Sweet Silence and Mr. Big)
 * Mr. Big (EMI, 1977)
 * Rainbow Bridge (Rock Shop, 1996)
 * Seppuku (Angel Air, 2001) (originally recorded in 1978, but was not released)
 * Bitter Streets (Soundfactor, 2011)

title: Mr Big (British band)


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User talk:Patheros

Welcome!

Hello,, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Where to ask a question, ask me on my talk page, or place  on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome!
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Thanks for pointing out the low quality of the Null hypothesis significance testing debate page. Now we are voting on deleting it (see link from the page itself). You could also put in your opinion. Oleg Alexandrov 23:36, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Patheros


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Nexuscience

See also Articles for deletion/Nexuscience/old  This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was delete. Block compress error; pending deletion. Joyous 03:03, Mar 7, 2005 (UTC)

Nexuscience
This page describes a non-notable former Wikipedia mirror which was not in compliance with the GFDL and has since gone offline. Apparently it was tagged for deletion a couple of times before and reverted by IP users. NTK 23:37, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC) This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Delete interesting story behind it, though. Their website now says "account suspended", so I guess it's all over but the screaming. Andrew Lenahan - St ar bli nd  01:45, Mar 2, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, no longer online, wasn't notable while it was--nixie 01:53, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)


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Talk:Acid Bath

Untitled
I think that deadboy & the Elephantmen should get it's own article. If an article is "important" according to the above (of course, this may be controversial, and can be discussed on the article's talk page, using this policy as a guideline), it should not be deleted on the basis of it being: insufficiently important, famous or relevant, or currently small or a stub. Xpendersx 23:38, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Vandal?
Given the other contributions by this IP address, I suspect these edits are vandalism. But I don't know. -- RHaworth 10:15, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

Agents of Oblivion
Why is there a seperate page for Deadboy and the Elephantmen and a redirect for Agents of Oblivion? If Agents of Oblivion is going to redirect to this page, there needs to be some information about them on here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.147.135.2 (talk • contribs) 21:56, 14 December 2006

Page protection
I've protected this page from editing for five days. The protection isn't an endorsement of either version, just a call for the editors here to defend their preferred versions with references. Please see the site's verifiability, reliable sources, and citation pages. I'd like to resolve this dispute without using any more of my sysop tools, but bear in mind that edit warring is a justifiable reason for user editing blocks. It shouldn't be too hard to look up some CD liners and magazines. Best wishes improving the article. Durova Charge! 08:12, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks. one of the users was blocked also since he was removing the info for no apparent reason... so now i think only a few more to get rid of and this article can actually get back to my version, which uses info found on the record label page (which for some reason the users try to remove...???) — Preceding unsigned comment added by HDS (talk • contribs) 11:55, 14 May 2007
 * there is no rotten records page so i see no sense to link it    and the line up for the band is the correct lineup cause boon was never in acid bath — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sammysatan (talk • contribs) 23:38, May 14, 2007
 * There are no links to many other record labels. There are also no links to most of the demos or members. should we remove them as well? your explanation is not valid enough for wikipedia, which consists of all past and related information of the band. it is to be a complete retrospect of the band. If you want to get technical Acid Bath was never on any other record labels other than Rotten, as nuclear blast only distributed the album further, not released it. It is therefore the sole record label to have released Acid Bath stuff, regardless of your opinion on how they treated the band, or what they have done. You can state the facts in a trivia section, but you cannot change the bands history to your own views, to accommodate your vision of how it should have been. — Preceding unsigned comment added by HDS (talk • contribs) 02:36, 15 May 2007
 * ron peterson of rotten tried to put the band in jail cause they wanted to see the record sales by trying to set them up amd their will be band member pages up soon  ill make sure of it — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sammysatan (talk • contribs) 10:29, 15 May 2007
 * well there you go. you have said it yourself that the band was on the label (if the cd releases were not obvious enough). so the label belongs on the bands page. your information about the label belongs in a Trivia section. You cannot make the bands history your own views... but you can state the facts on the page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by HDS (talk • contribs) 11:52, 15 May 2007
 * i know the band history i was there from the beginning   they are not from kenner  boon was never in acid bath  and  they are all former members    and there are no current ones — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sammysatan (talk • contribs) 22:15, 15 May 2007

Grindcore?
How can a band be doom metal and grindcore? They are essentially polar opposites. Mezmerizer 19:46, 13 July 2007 (UTC)
 * People definitely need to chill with music genres. I'd argue that Acid Bath is probably neither a doom metal nor a grindcore band. They're sort of a genre transcending band, which is more than likely why we're still talking about them 11 years after their last album came out. Kgppra17 11:40, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
 * i agree... i don't personally see them as either, but especially not grindcore. i can understand the sludge metal or doom metal classification, but they are DEFINITELY NOT grindcore.  personally, i'd say heavy metal is the only genre that accurately applies... they incorporate qualities of many different types of metal, but if we have to classify them specifically, i'd say sludge metal and stoner metal.  I'll remove the grindcore classification, because it is highly inacurate, if anyone has a problem with this, i apologise. - AeturnalNarcosis 16:49, 13 Aug. 2007
 * they definitely have some grindcore riffing sometimes. that was part of how they pulled off the tempo changes... meander in the slow bluesy sludge stuff, then break into hyper grind chromatic stuff. the fast part of toubabo koomi where the drums drop and he sings "i slept the last mile..." definitely has a grindcore sound to it. 128.59.34.109 (talk) 15:58, 22 March 2008 (UTC)
 * "Locust Spawning" is definitely a grindcore song. 72.240.82.155 (talk) 23:03, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Musical legacy part
"Acid Bath are best known for blending extreme, grindcore-influenced sludge metal with a mixture of death metal growls and melancholic goth/grunge-style vocals and acoustic guitar passages, as well as use of sampling and the spoken word." This is too convoluted. Any ideas on how to fix that? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kgppra17 (talk • contribs) 05:07, 22 August 2007

 * Do they really have growls in any of their songs? To be honest I haven't heard much of them, but none of the songs I heard have growls. I could be wrong though. Doppelganger 02:13, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

 * They don't really growl, no, certainly not death metal style. The vocals tend to veer more between a industrial (see Godflesh and Ministry) harsh type and a more melodic sludge/alternative type. Prophaniti (talk) 17:27, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

 * Dr. Seuss is Dead and Jezabel would disagree with you. That's what's so tough about this band. They are completely genre defying, and they have such a varied toolbox in only two albums. It's tough to say what they do and don't do, because there is such a small sample of work, and they tend to do just about anything throughout. 76.189.230.210 (talk) 03:15, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

 * I hate to reply to an old topic, but they do have some "death growls". but I don't think I've heard them use it for an entire song. Just in small portions. So, I think that part still stands.TheElderFox (talk) 18:28, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

Genre
I've added "Extreme metal" to the genre section, just because that's a nice vague one I think everyone can agree on, as per Strapping Young Lad. As for what they are, the band generally defies catagorisation. They really don't fit into anything. Listening to it, you can hear sludge, doom, death, industrial. Any of those could find a place in describing them. Prophaniti (talk) 17:24, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

 * Sludge is both a type of doom and extreme metal, so these tags are not needed. And while the band may have influence from differnet types of music, They consistanly fit the bill for sludge. 66.222.233.178 (talk) 04:32, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

 * True, but bear in the mind that the genre section doesn't say "This band is this genre, and this genre". It is a summary of their overall style. Many bands do not fit into one genre conveniently. Acid Bath fit best into the sludge metal genre, so that is the best thing for their lead. But their music also has strong doom and extreme metal sides to it, so they would be worthy of inclusion. It is not saying "Acid Bath are a doom metal" band. That's what the lead line is for. Instead, it simply says "Acid Bath are in part doom metal". And to be fair, Sludge isn't a form of extreme metal. Some of it comes under that heading, but it's not overall considered an extreme metal subgenre, as death or black or thrash metal are. Prophaniti (talk) 17:12, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
 * According to the extreme metal page it is. It even has a source stating that it is a type of extreme metal 66.222.239.4 (talk) 05:24, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Well, it's listed as a fusion genre, so even then it's only partially the case. I'm not enormously fussed, I just don't feel sludge on it's own truly covers Acid Bath's sound. Songs like Finger Paintings of the Insane, Jezabel or Cassie Eats Cockroaches go beyond the usual bounds of sludge and bear traits (albeit minor) of more straight-up extreme metal genres like thrash, early black or death metal. Prophaniti (talk) 09:40, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

I would like to mention the guitar riffing in the song Cassie Eats Cockroaches sounds very groove metal-oriented. The processed vocals also give it an industrial feel. Think about what I said and then listen to it again. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.240.112.36 (talk) 20:26, 16 January 2009 (UTC)
 * They do indeed. Acid Bath has many influences from all over the place. Maybe a scan over any available sources to properly determine genre classification is in order? Prophaniti (talk) 20:41, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Look, I'm not a wikipedia contributor. If you want to create a subsection in this article dedicated to describing the bands sound, there is enough information on the web to do so. Considering the fact that they only released two official albums, this article will never be as long as the Opeth article. The Opeth, Lamb of God, Cradle of Filth, Celtic Frost, etc. articles all have a subsection dedicated to describing their own unique styles. The Acid Bath article has something similar to this. Like the Opeth article, someone can add audio samples and excerpts as examples from the article. This section does not have to be limited to arguing over the band's genre. It can list what bands influenced them. According to Allmusic, A.B. was also influenced by
 * Steve Albini
 * Throbbing Gristle
 * Pigface
 * Down
 * These can be added to the other list of musicians that influenced them. The Abominable Iron Sloth was influenced by Acid Bath, and I read somewhere Slipknot was influenced by them. Perhaps someone can locate the slipknot source. The Abominable Iron Sloth citation is Allmusic. Dax Riggs sings with a melodic croon (allmusic). He sometimes experiments with falsettos and what I think is a Trill (music). I am not sure if "trill" is the correct term. I may be confusing it with mordent or tremolo. Maybe someone else knows. Links that mention different genres AB wxperimented with include
 * http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=ACID|BATH&sql=11:gxfyxqe5ldfe~T1
 * http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aifixqwhldse~T1
 * http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:avfpxqlhldfe~T1

 * Encyclopedia Metallum has excellent reviews submitted describing what techniques and styles AB used. Go here:
 * http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=65
 * http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=67
 * http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=7217 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.240.112.36 (talk) 01:22, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

 * Metallum does have some good reviews, but unfortunately it's not accepted as a source here because they are user-submitted reviews. All I'm suggesting I may do is go over any available sources and include those in the article, making the infobox reflect overall source consensus, whatever that may be. Prophaniti (talk) 08:37, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

About the Band
This section of the article is totally useless and poorly written. Dax never cared for bands such as Acid Bath? Um... OK. Can we delete this section? Not only is it composed poorly, but the info seems to have been made up. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.166.45.45 (talk) 12:43, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
 * That section was poorly written. I stumbled on it once when visiting the article, and from there, I tried rewording a few things here and there and expanding the newly added section. In a sense, I seem to agree with Its original author, who seems to hint in the paragraph that Audie Pitre was, in fact, the main glue of the band. 72.240.82.155 (talk) 15:07, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

Should I add this?
Recently, some of the members(Of the band) have been considering starting an Acid bath tribute band. I have links about it but I don't know if it's important enough to put on the page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TheElderFox (talk • contribs) 18:33, 9 August 2014 (UTC)
 * I'm going to add it anyway and if you disagree just tell me and we can discuss it. TheElderFox (talk) 07:05, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Acid Bath


text:
Paroxysmal hypertension

Paroxysmal hypertension is episodic and volatile high blood pressure, which may be due to stress of any sort, or from a pheochromocytoma, a type of tumor involving the adrenal medulla.

Patients with paroxysmal hypertension who test negative for pheochromocytoma are said to be suffering from a clinical entity called "pseudopheochromocytoma." This disorder is due to episodic dopamine discharge and has been observed predominantly in hypertensive women whose presentation mimicked pheochromocytoma, but with subsequent testing being negative for malignancy. In patients with pseudopheochromocytoma, dopamine was found to be significantly increased post-paroxysm. The paroxysm is said to be similar to the hypertensive episodes described by Page in 1935, and has been colloquially referred to as "Page's Syndrome". These episodes can occur after diencephalic stimulation.

The exact cause of pseudopheochromocytoma is unknown, though it is thought to be related to episodic dopamine discharge. External stressors that may contribute include pain, anxiety, or emotional trauma. Therefore, treatment of pseudopheochromocytoma is aimed at psychological support and intervention with antidepressants, but also treatment with alpha and then beta blockers in resistant cases.

title: Paroxysmal hypertension


text:
James Emanuel

James Emanuel (born June 15, 1921 – September 28, 2013) was a poet and scholar from Alliance, Nebraska. Emanuel, who is ranked by some critics as one of the best and most neglected poets of the 20th century, published more than 300 poems, 13 individual books, an influential anthology of African-American literature, an autobiography, and more. He is also credited with creating a new literary genre, jazz-and-blues haiku, often read with musical accompaniment.

Early life
Born in Nebraska in 1921, Emanuel was raised in the state. He comes from a family with seven children where he is the fifth. Literature has been part of his life since a really young age. He was induced into stories, poetic rhythms and prose ny various authors. Due to this and all the readings he did reinforced and induced Emanuels ambition to become a writer. His childhood and adolescence were marked by racism which Emanuel says he owes less to the town's egalitarianism than to the more ideological drift of his family conversations and to his general popularity and success in school. He was a straight A student which gave him confidence to obtain a good work and successful life.

Emanuel, before after graduating from high school worked on farms and ranches and this work experience served as an inspiration to write poems such as "Three Chores: One Country Day". He spent his early years in the western United States where he worked at a variety of jobs. At age twenty he joined the United States Army and served as confidential secretary to the Assistant Inspector General of the U.S. Army Benjamin O. Davis Sr. He did this in order to make enough money to pay for college. He did wartime duty as a staff sergeant with the 93rd Infantry Division in the Pacific.

Academic and professional life
After his discharge, he did his undergraduate work at Howard University. In 1950 he was awarded his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude. And in his time at Howard he found motivation to write. He published several poems in college anthologies and campus newspapers. On that same year he moved to Chicago and married Mattie Etha Johnson. He started working on his master's degree and obtained it from Northwestern University (M.A.) while working as civilian chief in the preinduction section of the Army and Air Force Induction Station. After a long time in this position he resigned because he thought that he had been passed over because of his race.Through his time at Northwestern he became more convienced that he wanted to write. His professors praised him for his work and called him a real poet. After hard work and rejections Emanuel was awarded a John Hay Whitney Fellowship which supported his work at Northwestern and received the M.A. degree in 1953, and his first year of work toward the Ph.D. degree at Columbia University (Ph.D.). During time at Columbia he worked as a teacher at the Harlem YWCA Business School. In 1957, He moved to New York City, where he taught at the City College of New York (CUNY), where in the 1960s he taught the college's first class on African-American poetry and mentored future scholars such as Addison Gayle Jr. He worked on his poetry regularly which was encouraged by various well known publication sources such as the New York Times.

Emanuel also worked as an editor, with his first editorial project being the publication of a collection of poetry by Langston Hughes, whom Emanuel considered his mentor. Finally yn 1962 he received his degree with the support of her wife and seven-year-old son. He was able to overcome the obstacles of his personal and professional life. As the years passed Emanuel became frustrated with the state of racism in America. He was used to black writing from his own childhood but recent works were related to English masters such as Shakespeare. As he studied Hughes he realized the lack of attention that black writers received and decided to take matters into his own hands. He started to read work of black authors and intended to uncover the importance of black writers. And this is how he initiated the movement. In 1966, the first course in black poetry to be taught at CCNY. His desire was to focus on racial identity, race consciousness, and awareness of an attention to his literary forebears and contemporaries. On being offered teaching positions at universities in Europe in the late 1960s, he moved overseas. When his only child, James A. Emanuel Jr., committed suicide in Los Angeles two decades later, after being beaten by, in Emanuel's words "three cowardly cops," he vowed never to return to the United States. Emanuel eventually taught at the University of Toulouse (as a Fulbright scholar in 1968–1969), at the University of Grenoble, and at the University of Warsaw. He was living in Paris, France, at the time of his death.

Poetry
Emanuel was a poet, scholar, and critic. As a poet, he published more than 300 poems and 13 individual books. Emanuel has been called one of the best, and most overlooked, poets of his time. Critics have put forward several reasons for Emanuel's poetry being neglected by the larger literary world, including the fact that he wrote more traditional poetic forms, that he left the United States, and the fact that he refused to take part in the politically correct world of Black academia. On 1968 Emanuel's first poetry named "The Treehouse and Other Poems" was published. This volume contains themes such as innocence, pain of youth and events of racism from his experience. This poems sometimes serious, sometimes ironic, sometimes lyrical, but never light. Almost uniformly they employ traditional patterns of rhythm and rhyme, but occasionally reflect blues and jazz forms learned first, perhaps, from the poetry of Langston Hughes. His poems reflect a racial concern and as his friend Marvin Holdt said that it also expresses the aspects of the black American experience in America, treated with bitterness and revolt.

His poems appear in 11 books of his own and in over 120 other volumes. His poems include "Christ, One Morning", "Snowman", "Bojangles and Jo", and many others Emanuel is also credited with creating a new literary genre, jazz-and-blues haiku, which he read to musical accompaniment throughout Europe and Africa. For this creation he was awarded the Sidney Bechet Creative Award in 1996. Emanuel was also awarded the Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement in 2007 from Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and was also honored with a John Hay Whitney Award, a Saxton Memorial Fellowship, and a Special Distinction Award from the Black American Literature Forum.

Criticism and letters
In addition to his poetry, Emanuel also edited (with Theodore Gross) the influential anthology of African American literature Dark Symphony: Negro Literature in America. The anthology, published in 1968 by Free Press, was one of the first major collections of African-American writings. This anthology, and Emanuel's work as an educator, heavily influenced the birth of the African-American literature genre.

In 2000 a collection of Emanuel letters and writings were placed in the United States Library of Congress. Included among the papers was correspondence with Gwendolyn Brooks, Ralph Ellison, Benjamin O. Davis, Ossie Davis, W. E. B. Du Bois, and many others.

Emanuel also edited five Broadside Critics books (1971–1975) and wrote a number of critical essays. His other published works include a memoir, The Force and the Reckoning, published in 2001.

title: James Emanuel


text:
Per Stig Møller

Per Stig Møller (, informal: Per Stig; born 27 August 1942 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish politician. He was a member of the Folketing (Danish national parliament) for the Conservative People's Party from 1984 until 2015, and was Minister for the Environment from 18 December 1990 to 24 January 1993 as part of the Cabinet of Poul Schlüter IV and Foreign Minister from 27 November 2001 to 23 February 2010 as part of the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I, II and III, and the first Cabinet of Lars Løkke Rasmussen. From 23 February 2010 to 3 October 2011 he was Minister for Culture.

Per Stig Møller is the son of the former Finance Minister Poul Møller and journalist Lis Møller, who were both Members of Parliament.

Education
Per Stig Møller completed his master's degree in comparative literature at the University of Copenhagen in 1967, and was awarded a dr.phil. (higher doctorate) in 1973 for his thesis Malte-Bruns litterære kritik og dens plads i transformationsprocessen mellem klassicisme og romantik i fransk litteraturhistorie 1800-1826 (Eng.: Literary criticism of Malte-Brun and its position in the transformation process between classicism and romanticism in French history of literature 1800-1826).

Non-political career

 * 1973 - 1974: Editor of culture in Danmarks Radio.
 * 1974 - 1976: Lecturer at the University of Paris.
 * 1974, 1976 - 1979: Vice president (souschef) at the department of culture and society at Danmarks Radio.
 * 1979 - 1984: Working with the program manager at Danmarks Radio.
 * 1985 - 1986: Vice president of Radiorådet, the leading organ of Danmarks Radio which is appointed by Folketinget.
 * 1986 - 1987: President of Radiorådet.
 * 1984 - 2001: Commentator at the newspaper Berlingske Tidende.

Political career

 * 1983 - 1989: President of Folkeligt Oplysningsforbund.
 * 1984 – 2015: Member of Folketinget for the Conservative People's Party.
 * 1985 - 1998: Member of hovedbestyrelsen, the leadership of the Conservative People's Party.
 * 1987 - 2001: Member of the Council of Europe.
 * 1990 - 1993: Minister for the Environment in the Cabinet of Poul Schlüter IV.
 * 1994 - 2001: Member of Udenrigspolitisk Nævn, the committee for foreign policy.
 * 1994 - 1996: President of Sikkerhedspolitisk Udvalg, the committee of security.
 * 1997 - 1998: Leader of the Conservative People's Party, succeeding Hans Engell. He resigned after a poor result in the election in 1998.
 * 1998 - 2001: Foreign policy spokesman for the Conservative People's Party.
 * 2001 - 2010: Foreign Minister of Denmark
 * 2010–2011: Culture Minister of Denmark
 * 2011–2011: Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs of Denmark

title: Per Stig Møller


text:
Front Mission: Gun Hazard

Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard (フロントミッションシリーズ ガンハザード) is a 1996 side-scrolling shooter game developed by Omiya Soft and published by Squaresoft for the Super Famicom. It was released only in Japan on February 23. Gun Hazard is the second entry in the Front Mission series and is a side-scrolling shooter with role-playing game elements. The game received an English language fan translation in 2004.

Gameplay
As a side-scrolling shooter spin-off, the gameplay of Gun Hazard differs from the tactical role-playing game entries of the numbered Front Mission titles. Rather than being played out on a grid-based map and using a turn-based structure, battles takes place in real-time on scrolling 2D maps akin to Assault Suits Valken (titled Cybernator outside of Japan), a game which shared several key development staff with Gun Hazard. The player controls one character who pilots a bipedal mech known as a wanzer.

Game progression in Gun Hazard is done in linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up wanzers and vehicles during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. The player travels to locations on a point-and-click world map.

In Gun Hazard, the player can leave the mech and explore. Another feature of Gun Hazard is its usage-based progression system. The usefulness of parts and weapons increases with prolonged usage; the more they are used in missions, the more effective they become.

Story
Set in 2064, the story of Gun Hazard takes place all over the world in an alternate Front Mission universe. In the early 21st century, nations around the world fought over the control of natural resources. With natural resources dwindling in supply, the nations of the world eventually banded together to seek a solution to the growing crisis. Realizing the potential in space-based energy, they began development of an orbital elevator known as "Atlas" in 2024. As the orbital elevator's completion drew near, a breakthrough was achieved in miniature fusion reactors. The countries responsible for Atlas began to halt development of the orbital elevator and pursued miniature fusion reactor technology. Left unfinished, Atlas became a symbol of failed dreams and hopes as the world regressed back into a world of conflicts. One such conflict is the Bergen coup d'état in 2064.

Plot
The plot of Gun Hazard revolves around a soldier based in Bergen, Norway named Albert Grabner (whose parents reside Eningen, Germany). In January 2064, Ark Hellbrand of the Bergen Army stages a coup d'état in an attempt to overthrow the government led by President Moss Orwen. As the coup d'état forces begin to take over the country, President Orwen radios for assistance from NORAD and a faction of the Bergen Army loyal to him. Albert Grabner is sent to act as the president's bodyguard and helps him escape the country. However, the two are eventually captured by Hellbrand. Albert escapes from prison with the help of Brenda Lockheart, a mercenary employed by the Kernelight Association. Upon escaping Bergen and reaching New York City, they visit the Kernelight Association headquarters. Hoping to return to Bergen and rescue Orwen, Albert agrees to working for the Kernelight Association to find allies that can help him overthrow Ark. As the two work for the mercenary guild and travel to war-torn countries around the world, Albert begins to see a link between the civil conflicts, the Bergen coup d'état, and an organization only known as "The Society".

Development and release
The game was developed by Omiya Soft, which had some members from Masaya, developer of Assault Suits Valken. Gun Hazard is the first spin-off entry and the second entry overall in the Front Mission series. The game takes place in a completely separate universe from the other Front Mission games.

Gun Hazard was unveiled at a Square of Japan press conference in early September 1995. It was released in Japan and published by Squaresoft, on February 23, 1996 for the Super Famicom game console. Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard sold over 184,000 copies in Japan by the end of 1996, and 300,000 copies in Japan in total.

It was also released on the Japanese Wii's Virtual Console service on May 20, 2008. The game later received an unofficial fan translation into English by the group Aeon Genesis.

Music
The game's soundtrack was composed by Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda, with additional tracks provided by Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu. The soundtrack was the second collaboration between Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda, after Chrono Trigger the previous year. According to Uematsu, Mitsuda worked so much on the soundtrack that he eventually had to be hospitalized.

The soundtrack has a "mechanical" theme to its music, and incorporates both electronic and traditional instruments. The music from the game was released on an album titled Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard Original Sound Track. It was released by NTT Publishing on February 25, 1996. Kero Hazel of Square Enix Music Online called the soundtrack album "a thumping example of fine industrial music" and complimented its use of other musical styles to influence that core style. Patrick Gann of RPGFan also praised the album as "downright awesome" and highly recommended it.

After the end credits, a voice sample quietly appears. This voice sample is from the uncensored version of the 1994 song "Dog Tribe" by UK hip hop group Fun-Da-Mental.

Reception
Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.

UK magazine Super Play gave it a score of 45 out of 100.

Super GamePower gave it a 4.2 out of 5.

Fun Generation gave it a 7 out of 10.

In 2016, Nintendo Life gave it a score of 8/10.

title: Front Mission: Gun Hazard


text: Template:EU Constitution

title: Template:EU Constitution


text:
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was the fourth Texas state standardized test previously used in grade 3-8 and grade 9-11 to assess students' attainment of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills required under Texas education standards. It is developed and scored by Pearson Educational Measurement with close supervision by the Texas Education Agency. Though created before the No Child Left Behind Act was passed, it complied with the law. It replaced the previous test, called the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), in 2002.

Those students being home-schooled or attending private schools were not required to take the TAKS test.

From 2012 to 2014, the test has been phased out and replaced by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test in accordance with Texas Senate Bill 1031. All students who entered 9th grade prior to the 2011-2012 school year must still take the TAKS test; all students that entered high school in the 2011-2012 school year or later must switch to the STAAR test. Homeschoolers cannot take the STAAR; they can continue to take the TAKS test if desired.

Test development
The Texas Education Agency, Pearson, and Texas educators collaborate to make TAKS. First, teachers reviewed the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (state-mandated curriculum) to determine the objectives to assess on each grade level. Then educators determined how the objectives could be best assessed and developed guidelines outlining eligible test content and test-item formats. TEA created a test blueprint. Each year Pearson develops test items based on the objectives and guidelines, and the TEA reviews those items. Teacher committees are brought to Austin to review the proposed test items, and finally the items are field-tested on Texas students. Using the input of the teacher committee and the results of field-testing, TEA and Pearson build the TAKS. A more detailed explanation is available from the Student Assessment Division of TEA.

Scoring
The science, social studies, math, and reading tests (before grade 9) consist of multiple-choice questions scored by computer. On each test, a scaled score of 2100 is required to pass and 2400 is required to earn "commended" status. Performance standards showing the raw scores are available online.

The essay and short answer portions found in grade 4, 7, 9, 10, and 11 are scored by graders in Dallas, Austin, and Albuquerque. The graders are not all teachers, but Pearson requires its graders to have a bachelor's degree and prefers experience in education.

The written composition is graded on a scale of 0–4. Students must earn a score of 2 or better on their written composition in order to meet the standard in writing or ELA.

The open-ended items (short answer) are graded on a scale of 0–3.

The ELA (10th–11th grade) raw score is calculated as shown in this chart.

The 9th grade reading test raw score is calculated as shown in this chart.

The raw score for the 7th grade writing test is calculated as shown.

The raw score for the 4th grade writing test is calculated as shown.

Then, the raw score is converted to a scaled score. As with the other tests, a scaled score of 2100 meets the standard and 2400 is a commended performance. In 2007, the 11th grade "met standard" level was a raw score of 42, 10th was 44, and 9th was 28; 7th "met standard" with 26 points and 4th with 20. However, the points needed to meet the standard may change slightly from year to year depending on the test's level of difficulty, so all students should do their best and not aim for a particular numeric score.

The TAKS reading/ELA scale is linked with the Lexile Framework for Reading. Thus, Lexile measures are reported out for students in grades 3–11. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability.

Graduation requirements
Texas high school seniors cannot graduate unless they pass exit-level TAKS tests in English language arts, social studies, math, and science. During their junior and senior years of high school, students are given five chances to pass the test.

Students new to Texas public education who enroll after January 1 of the school year in which they are otherwise eligible to graduate may use scores from the SAT or ACT to replace the ELA and Math TAKS. However, students are still required to pass the exit level science and social studies TAKS test as well as satisfy all coursework requirements in order to be eligible to receive a Texas high school diploma.

Alternate assessments
In 2007, the TEA introduced TAKS (Accommodated), TAKS-M, and TAKS-Alt to assess students receiving special education services. Determination of the appropriate assessment is made by the ARD committee based on each individual student's instructional supports and current level of functioning. A brief description of each assessment can be found on page 19 of the ARD manual. TAKS (Accommodated) has fewer items per page, larger font size, and no field-test items, but still possesses the same content as standard TAKS. TAKS-M (modified) is adjusted to have a larger font size, fewer items per page, reduced number of answer choices, and embedded questions depending upon the subject being assessed. While the TAKS-M items use simplified wording, content is still assessed on grade level. Only 2% of students per district will be permissibly scored as "Proficient" using the TAKS-M. TAKS-Alt (alternative) has a 1% permissibility ceiling and is for students facing significant cognitive disabilities.

(Current as of March 2008)

Controversies and changes
Former State Board of Education candidate Mark Loewe identified scoring mistakes made on questions of the Spring 2003 TAKS Mathematics and Science tests; two of the science questions were discussed in The New York Times. Incorrect scores were issued to more than 400,000 students. According to Loewe, the Texas Education Agency issued false statements about several of the mistakes and failed to correct any of the mistakes.

Also controversial is the mathematics section of the exit level test. This section of the test covers Algebra I, Geometry, and minimal use of basic skills, such as graphs, charts, and grids. The controversy lies in the fact that many students who take higher levels of mathematics seem to fail this test because it does not test their higher-level skills, instead testing skills that they have not recently studied. However, many in the educational community praise the test not for testing higher-level skills but for its assessment of critical thinking based on lower-level skills.

The TAKS test's grading standards have come under fire, as some deem them to be too easy. In addition, hundreds of schools throughout Texas have been investigated and audited by the Texas Education Association due to suspicious scoring discrepancies. Also, there is the issue with teachers teaching to the TAKS test, instead of the standard Texas curriculum.

In order to reduce the burden of field testing, the Texas State Board of Education has not released to the public those questions used to determine student scores on the Spring 2005 or Spring 2007 TAKS tests. Regrettably, this prevents public review of the questions and answers (for appropriateness and correctness) and denies opportunities for students, teachers, and others to learn from the tests. However, university-level experts in each of the fields review each high school-level test for accuracy. Grade-level teachers also review test items for appropriateness prior to field testing and review the field test results in order to select the best questions for inclusion in the test item bank.

Transition to End-of-Course exams
With Senate Bill 1031 in spring 2007, Texas legislators repealed TAKS in favor of End of Course exams in high school; however, this change will happen gradually. Students who enter ninth grade in the 2011-2012 school year will have to take end-of-course exams in core subjects. Students who entered ninth grade before 2011 will still have to pass the exit-level TAKS to graduate. A calendar which shows the field test and implementation schedule has been developed.

According to the Texas Federation of Teachers, the EOC will require students taking either the Recommended or Advanced curriculum to take three end-of-course exams in each of four core subjects: English I, English II, English III; Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry; Biology, Chemistry, Physics; World Geography, World History, U.S. History

In 2010, Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott announced a retooled version of the proposed EOC exams, called the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). STAAR will be used for the 12 end-of-course assessments mandated by SB 1031 in 2007 and the new grade 3-8 assessments mandated by HB 3 in the 2009 legislative session.

In June 2013 TEA announced another change to the testing requirements as a result of HB 5. The five assessments required for graduation are Algebra I, English I (combined reading/writing), English II (combined reading/writing), biology, and U.S. history and the scores on the STAAR test were no longer calculated into a students final grade for the course.

The new tests will be used beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. Students in the graduating Class of 2015 will be the first students who must meet the end-of-course testing requirements, as well as pass their classes, in order to earn a diploma.

The new tests will be significantly more rigorous than previous tests and will measure a child’s performance, as well as academic growth.

The grade 3-8 STAAR tests in reading and mathematics, by law, must be linked from grade to grade to performance expectations for the English II and Algebra I end-of-course assessments.

During a speech at the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference in Austin, Scott also said the last TAKS-based school accountability ratings will be issued in 2011. Ratings will be suspended in 2012 while a new accountability system is developed.


text:
User talk:Ikrey

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia! Hope you like it here, and stick around.

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title: User talk:Ikrey