Buckingham encourages Texans to visit Texas State Veterans Cemeteries to view headstone illuminations during Memorial Day Weekend
"This beautiful tribute is one of the many ways the VLB shows reverence for the selfless sacrifices of our nation's fallen heroes," said Commissioner Buckingham. "Memorial Day weekend is a special time for families and communities whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice. As VLB Chairwoman, I am beyond honored to help provide Texans with expertly maintained Texas State Veterans Cemeteries where they can cherish the memories of the brave souls lost in battle this Memorial Day."
Texas State Veterans Cemetery Locations:
Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery
— 11463 Fort Hood Street
— Killeen, Texas 76542
— (254) 616-1770
Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery
— 9974 IH 37 Access Road
— Corpus Christi, Texas 78410
— (361) 248-4830
Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery
— 2520 South Inspiration Road
— Mission, Texas 78572
— (956) 583-7227
Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene
— 7457 W. Lake Road
— Abilene, Texas 79601
— (325) 673-4446
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Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Yahoo
Could bumper A-level grades this year could be the 'new normal'?
As hundreds of thousands of pupils are set to get their GCSE and A-level results, here is everything you need to know about what it all means. The number of students getting top A-level grades is likely to be higher than before the pandemic. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has predicted a 'pretty straightforward year'. However, it has also been suggested that grade inflation could be creeping back in. Professor Alan Smithers, the director of education at the University of Buckingham, who forecasts exam results each summer, said last year's bumper A-level grades were likely to continue in 2025. In a report published ahead of A-level results day, he said that the proportion of A-level entries scoring top grades this summer is likely to be higher than pre-COVID years, and could be the "new normal". The rate of A*s handed out at A-level had been gradually declining since the exams regulator was introduced in 2010 to clamp down on grade inflation. However, top grades surged during the pandemic when formal exams were replaced by teacher assessments, leading to the proportion of A*s nearly trebling between 2019 and 2021, with almost one in five A-levels awarded the top possible grade four years ago. So what is on the cards for students this year? What date are exam results for A-levels released? A-level and AS results are out on 14 August, while GCSE results will be released on 21 August. Pupils in England will also receive results for T-levels – which were launched to provide high-quality technical alternatives to A-levels – on 14 August, and pupils taking vocational technical qualifications (VTQs) will also get their results this month. Scotland has a different qualification system and students received their results on 5 August. What time are A-level results released? A-level results are expected to come out at 8.00am BST on 14 August, and can be collected in person from this time, while GCSE results also come out at 8.00am BST on 21 August. A-level students may also receive an email from their chosen university on the day the results come out. What is expected of A-level results this year? Last year, 27.8% of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up from 27.2% in 2023. It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades. The COVID pandemic led to a marked increase in top A-level and GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Prof Smithers said that grade inflation could be "creeping back in again", saying: 'A-level grades have a chance to settle down this year after the volatility of Covid and its aftermath. They are likely to be close to last year's, where top grades were a percentage point or two above pre-Covid levels." He said although last year's results made this year's harder to predict, 'my best guess is that the grade pattern in 2024 could be the start of a new normal', adding: 'It may be that grades never get back to what was regarded as the norm before the Covid crisis, and 2024 has set the new benchmark." What happened to A-level and GCSE results during COVID? In-person exams were cancelled during the pandemic, with those due to sit A-levels and GCSEs in 2020 and 2021 instead having their results based on teacher assessments. As such, the results for both A-levels and GCSEs shot up during these two years - with 38.1% of A-level entries in England achieving A and A* in 2020, and 44.3% of A-level entries achieving A and A* grades in 2021 (up from 25.2% in 2019). However, the following two years saw these results decrease, to 36.4% of A and A* grades in 2022 and 27.2% of A and A* grades in 2023, with last year's results closer to pre-pandemic levels (at 27.8%). Is COVID still affecting the way pupils sit exams? Exam aids have been given to GCSE pupils in England in maths, physics and combined science since 2022 to limit the impact of COVID on learning. In October last year, the education secretary asked England's exams regulator Ofqual to continue providing formulae and equation sheets to GCSE pupils in these subjects in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Most pupils who took their GCSE exams this summer were in Year 6 when schools closed after the national lockdown in 2020. What do the results mean for university places? A record number of 18-year-olds are likely to be successful in securing their first choice of university this A-level results day even if they narrowly miss their grades, the head of Ucas has suggested. Jo Saxton, chief executive of the university admissions service, told the PA news agency it was a 'good year to be a UK-domiciled 18-year-old' that wants to go to university, as British universities are keen to recruit UK school and college leavers due to 'uncertainty' around the international market. Nearly 22,700 courses with vacancies for undergraduate students living in England were available on the Ucas clearing site as of Wednesday last week – eight days before results day, a PA analysis showed. A sample of 129 of the UK's largest higher education providers showed 17 of the 24 elite Russell Group universities had more than 3,600 courses with vacancies for English residents on clearing. What can students do if they do not get their first-choice university? If you don't get the grades to win a place at your first choice university, you can go through "clearing". Students who did not receive any offers, or who have changed their mind about what or where they wish to study, and also those who have applied outside the normal application window, can also use the clearing process through Ucas. Applicants will be able to add a clearing choice from 1pm on results day. In England, if a student is unhappy with their grade they can ask their school or college to request that the exam board review the marking. If there are still concerns, the student can ask their school or college to appeal against the result.
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Yahoo
Top A-level grades may remain higher this year than pre-pandemic levels
Top A-level grades may remain higher this year than pre-pandemic levels – expert The proportion of A-level entries scoring top grades this summer is likely to be higher than pre-Covid years, it has been suggested. An education expert has predicted that a higher percentage of UK A-level entries awarded an A or A* grade – compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic – may be the 'new normal'. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research (CEER) at the University of Buckingham, has raised concerns that grade inflation 'may be creeping back in again'. Last year, more than a quarter (27.8%) of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up from 27.2% in 2023. In a report, published ahead of A-level results day, Prof Smithers said he believes this year's results 'are likely to be close to what they were in 2024'. It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – 25.4% of entries were awarded A or A* grades. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top A-level and GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Ahead of A-level results day on Thursday next week, Prof Smithers said the grade pattern in 2024 'could be the start of a new normal'. He added that the proportion of UK A-level entries awarded A or A* grades – of between 27% and 28% – could be the 'new norm' for results. Figures covering A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be published by the Joint Council for Qualifications on Thursday. Ofqual brought A-level grading standards back in line with pre-Covid levels in England in 2023, and exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland aimed to return to pre-pandemic grading last summer. Prof Smithers said A-level grades should have been 'back to normal' last year, but he added that they rose to a level higher than pre-Covid years. He added: 'There has to be the suspicion that the inflation which bedevilled A-level grades in the days before the regulator, Ofqual, may be creeping back in again.' In his report, Prof Smithers also suggested that 'girls will do better than boys' once again at the top A-level grades. Last year, the proportion of girls' A-level entries awarded A or higher was 28.0%, which was 0.4 percentage points higher than the equivalent figure for boys' entries (27.6%). But the proportion of boys' entries awarded A* was 9.5% – which was 0.4 percentage points higher than girls (9.1%). Prof Smithers has suggested that the success for boys at A* will 'continue to be overshadowed in 2025 by the longstanding superior results of girls overall'. He said: 'Sadly, the under-performance of boys is no more likely than in previous years to receive the attention it deserves. 'They and the country would benefit considerably if ways could be found of ensuring that the potential of many boys is not wasted.' Reflecting on provisional exam entries data for England, Prof Smithers said a decline in the social sciences this summer 'could be an early sign that they have been rumbled' in promising more than they deliver. A-level entries for psychology and sociology are down, but entries for mathematics, physics and chemistry are up, according to provisional figures from Ofqual in June. Prof Smithers said: 'The swing towards maths and the physical sciences could be a response to the former government's promotion of them.' He added: 'I wonder if there is growing recognition that these social sciences promise more than they deliver, whereas the quantitative may be hard but they are meaningful.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'These claims are completely false. 'It is vital that qualifications are rigorous, and we are confident in Ofqual's work, as the independent regulator, to manage the risk of grade inflation and ensure this is not impacting standards. 'This suggestion demonstrates a lack of understanding of Ofqual's role and the work they do every year to ensure fairness, with this year being no different.'
New York Post
28-07-2025
- New York Post
Inside ‘busy season' for hero local Coast Guard crew
These boots-on-the-ground rescues start from thousands of feet in the air. The busy season is just ramping up for the US Coast Guard's Air Station Atlantic City crew, which patrols the skies and conducts search-and-rescue operations from the Long Island Sound to the Chesapeake Bay, crew members told The Post in an exclusive interview Monday. Advertisement 'It was kind of a slow start to our busy season … but it's been picking up lately,' said Cmdr. Randall Slusher, a pilot whose team's coastal coverage includes that of the Big Apple, Jersey Shore and Long Island almost daily. 7 Coast Guard pilots Randy Slusher (left) and Tyler Smith of Air Sation Atlantic City pose after flying up the Jersey Shore to Manhattan on Monday. Aristide Economopoulos He said the colder spring months staved off droves of recreational boaters until after Memorial Day weekend — then all heck broke loose. Advertisement 'There's a lot of people out on the water this time of year, all trying to use the same space,' Slusher said. 'We'll have everything from boat crashes to jet skis getting stuck to people in the water, especially when riptides are heavy.' The eight-chopper fleet's more dramatic search-and-rescue operations involve crew members using giant baskets and slings to hoist people to safety while also regularly picking up and flying cruise-ship passengers for emergency medical treatment. It's not uncommon for training crews to be diverted to rescue missions while in the air, either. During Manhattan's Fleet Week in May, the team's own demonstration was diverted for an actual offshore search mission. Advertisement And 'last year, we had a case where the crew was doing a normal training on Saturday morning and upon coming back, saw someone … in the water, and we pulled him out,' pilot Lt. Tyler Smith said. 7 Petty Officer Adam Timberlake, a flight mechanic, makes adjustments while flying over the Hudson River. Aristide Economopoulos 'We've recently had a few cases where you're flying around and seeing someone clinging to a boat or clinging into a jet ski,' Smith said. He said one of his most memorable saves involved rescuing two boaters in February when their vessel capsized off the coast of Staten Island, killing three other passengers. Advertisement The air station also assisted in search and rescue operations during the Baltimore bridge disaster in March. 'When you have to rescue people that really need help, it's hard to beat that — it's a rewarding experience,' Slusher said. 7 'I think our mission is so unique: We're a military branch, and lifesaving is our goal,' Timberlake told The Post. Aristide Economopoulos The jumpsuit-clad heroes provide air space security during presidential travel and major tri-state area events such as United Nations summits, too. In the wintertime, the crew even provides aid to duck hunters who frequently get stuck on the water, Slusher said. Jet ski incidents in particular have exploded recently, he said. Last week, the crew hoisted two jet skiers stuck in South Jersey marshland. 7 Slusher (left) and Smith return to Air Station Atlantic City after flying their MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. Aristide Economopoulos Slusher said one memorable incident occurred in 2016 when a pair of New Jersey teens stole their parents' jet skis and took them for a joy ride through the mud. Advertisement 'The cabin of the helicopter was a [muddy] disaster,' Smith recalled of the teens' rescue. 'I think they took a shower … and we gave them clothes so their mom could come pick them up.' False-alarm and prank distress calls are unfortunately a regular issue the crew has to deal with, too, he said. Prank calls can happen multiple times a week, but the crew still must treat every instance as if it were a real emergency, Slusher said. 7 Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hunter Ruddell, 24, talks about how he saved an elderly couple and their two dogs from a marooned boat in November. Aristide Economopoulos Advertisement 'We spend a lot of time flying on those,' he said. 'Very rarely is it actually someone in distress.' Petty Officer Adam Timberlake, a flight mechanic who inspects the crew's choppers before and after each flight, said, 'I think our mission is so unique: We're a military branch, and lifesaving is our goal.' For 24-year-old helicopter rescue swimmer Hunter Ruddell, his first two years on the team have been nothing short of eventful. 7 Ruddell rescued a seasick boater from choppy Long Island Sound waters on Oct. 7 before driving the boat back to shore himself. Courtesy of Hunter Ruddell Advertisement In October, Ruddell drove a distressed boater in the Long Island Sound back to shore after the boat's operator fell ill and his ship was taking on water, he said. The rescue operation also doubled as the first time Ruddell had ever operated a boat. 7 Ruddell (right) and his colleagues rescued two adults and their two dogs in the Chesapeake Bay in November. Courtesy of Hunter Ruddell 'I had no idea how to drive a boat, I was just holding onto the steering wheel making sure we were going in the right direction,' the Florida native said. 'But the crazy thing is … I didn't have my phone, so I just followed my [smart] watch the entire time. Advertisement 'There's crazy days, but it's really fun,' he added. Roughly a month after the Long Island rescue, Ruddell and his crew members pulled two elderly boaters and their two dogs to safety after they were beached for hours in rising tides on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. '[The boat operator] wasn't following the correct path, and they got caught at low tide,' he said. 'Everyone was alright, but they would've gotten hypothermia if they were there for much longer. 'You can't really train for the cases that you're gonna get,' Ruddell said. 'You really have to adapt, and overcome the cases that you do get.'
