Frasher 1

Lexi Frasher

Miss Cook

Composition

16 October 2017

Is Standardized Testing Worth it?

Almagor, Lelac. "The Good in Standardized Testing." Boston Review, vol. 39, no. 5,

Sep/Oct2014, pp. 6-9. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=97927514&site=eds-

live&authtype=cookie,ip,custuid&custid=infohio.

This article will be the article I will be refuting in my essay. In the article, the author

explains many things he believes are good about standardized testing; such as

standardized testing being a good measurement to see what students need to be working

on and also how the tests build confidence and community throughout the student body

by bringing students and teachers together so they can pass the test. This will be a good

article to refute because there is a lot of information that I can go against. This is a

reliable source to use because it comes from a peer-reviewed journal and also because it

is a more recent article. This will be a good article to refute throughout my essay.

Armstrong, Thomas. 15 Reasons Why Standardized Tests are Worthless. American Institute

For Learning and Human Development, February 28, 2013,

http://www.institute4learning.com/2013/02/28/15-reasons-why-standardized-tests-are-

worthless-2/

This is a great article because author discusses many points on why standardized testing

is no good and lists explanations. This is a credible source because not only does he give
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reasons against standardized testing, he also gives the reasoning for it. This will fit in my

essay perfectly because the facts in this paper will help me to break down and debunk the

facts in the article that I am refuting.

Is The Use of Standardized Testing Improving Education in America? ProCon.org, June 6,

2016, https://standardizedtests.procon.org/.

This article will be useful to use in my essay because it gives various pro and con

arguments for and against standardized testing. I need an article that gives both that way I

can show the concessions of the article I am refuting by using the pros to backup their

claims; I can also use the cons from this article to back up the claims I will be debunking

throughout my refutation. This is a credible source because it is from procon.org which is

a website that teachers use and a website that covers pros and cons over multiple

controversial subjects. This website always cites their sources after every claim they

make so you can go check and make sure it is a credible source if you wanted to; it is all

linked right below their statements.

National Council of Teachers of English. How Standardized Tests Shape- and Limit- Student

Learning. A Policy Research Breif, 2014, pp.1-3,

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0242-

nov2014/CC0242PolicyStandardized.pdf

This brief discusses how standardized testing narrows kids minds and affects their

learning, as well as their teachers. This will be an important article to support my

refutation because it supports the reasoning that we should be against standardized testing

and it shows the consequences of standardized tests. This is a credible source because it is
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straight from the National Council of Teachers of English so they know first hand the

effects of testing and the consequences it can have on everyone.

Morgan, Hani. Relying on High-Stakes Standardized Tests To Evaluate Schools and Teachers:

A Bad Idea. Taylor & Francis Online, June 2, 2016, pp. 67-72,

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00098655.2016.1156628?scroll=top&need

Access=true

This will be a great source to find information about why to be against standardized

testing. He discusses how we should not use testing to evaluate students and teachers for

various reasons. Some of the reasons include corruption and cheating, teachers only

teaching the tests, unfair treatment of teachers, less collaboration between staff and

collaboration among the students. This is a credible, reliable source because he uses

twenty references and because this is a peer-reviewed article. This source will be very

helpful to refute my opposing article.

Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing. Office Of Work Life, School and Child Care Services

at Columbia University, Spring 2013, pp. 1-2,

http://worklife.columbia.edu/files_worklife/public/Pros_and_Cons_of_Standardized_Test

ing_1.pdf

This is a credible source because it is a PDF straight from Columbia University. This

article discusses the unimportance of standardized testing because some people just are

not good at taking tests, because it causes teachers to only teach the tests, and so on. This

article also discusses some good things about standardized testing which will once again

help me once I state the concessions because this will support it. With this article I plan to

use it to back up why I believe standardized testing should not be as big of a deal as we
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make it to be and why it is actually not doing much good for students. This article will

really come in handy to backup my feelings against standardized testing and it will also

backup the authors statements for standardized testing in the article I am refuting.

Sheffer, Sarah. Do ACT and SAT Scores Really Matter? New Study Says They Shouldnt. The

Rundown, February 18, 2014, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/nail-biting-

standardized-testing-may-miss-mark-college-students/

This paper is about how ACT and SAT scores really are not that significant. It discusses

many negatives of standardized testing and explains how GPA is more important than

test scores and how good test scores do not promise that a student will do well in college.

This is a credible source because it is from PBS Newshour which is a reliable news

source. This will be helpful in my essay because it gives points that support my views

against standardized testing.

Rubric rating submitted on: 10/16/2017, 1:32:21 PM by danielle.cook@redstreaks.org

3 = Demonstrated 2 = Attempted to 1 = Attempted to 0 = No attempt
demonstrate, but a demonstrate, but made
couple errors exist multiple errors exist

Annotations: All annotations All annotations All annotations All annotations

Summaries (1) include objective include objective include objective include objective
3 = Demonstrated summaries summaries summaries summaries

Annotations: All annotations All annotations All annotations All annotations

Summaries (2) include objective include objective include objective include objective
3 = Demonstrated summaries summaries summaries summaries

Annotations: Clear explanation of Clear explanation of Clear explanation of Clear explanation of

Explanation (1) how the source is how the source is how the source is how the source is
3 = Demonstrated relevant and useful relevant and useful relevant and useful relevant and useful

Annotations: Clear explanation of Clear explanation of Clear explanation of Clear explanation of

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Explanation (2) how the source is how the source is how the source is how the source is
3 = Demonstrated relevant and useful relevant and useful relevant and useful relevant and useful

Annotations: Clarity Annotation Annotation Annotation Annotation

3 = Demonstrated information is information is information is information is
logically and clearly logically and clearly logically and clearly logically and clearly
written written written written

Annotations: All resources are All resources are All resources are All resources are
Attempt annotated annotated annotated annotated
3 = Demonstrated

Bibliography/Works
Cited (1) All resources are All resources are All resources are All resources are
3 = Demonstrated correctly cited in correctly cited in correctly cited in correctly cited in
MLA or APA MLA or APA MLA or APA MLA or APA
format format format format

Bibliography/Works
Cited (2) All resources are All resources are All resources are All resources are
3 = Demonstrated correctly cited in correctly cited in correctly cited in correctly cited in
MLA or APA MLA or APA MLA or APA MLA or APA
format format format format

Content Knowledge: Information Information Information Information

Knowledge provides reader provides reader provides reader provides reader
3 = Demonstrated essential knowledge essential knowledge essential knowledge essential knowledge
of the topic of the topic of the topic of the topic

Content Knowledge: Use of content area Use of content area Use of content area Use of content area
Word Choice vocabulary is vocabulary is vocabulary is vocabulary is
3 = Demonstrated consistently precise consistently precise consistently precise consistently precise
and accurate and accurate and accurate and accurate

Sources: Variety Cited sources Cited sources Cited sources Cited sources
3 = Demonstrated represent various represent various represent various represent various
genres (ex. genres (ex. genres (ex. genres (ex.
literature, scholarly literature, scholarly literature, scholarly literature, scholarly
journal, journal, journal, journal,
encyclopedia, news encyclopedia, news encyclopedia, news encyclopedia, news
article, etc) article, etc) article, etc) article, etc)

Sources: Credibility All cited sources All cited sources All cited sources All cited sources
3 = Demonstrated come from come from come from come from
authoritative authoritative authoritative authoritative
resources resources resources resources
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Sources: All resources are All resources are All resources are All resources are
Appropriateness appropriate for appropriate for appropriate for appropriate for
3 = Demonstrated target audience target audience target audience target audience

Quantity of Sources Document cites the Document cites the Document cites the Document cites the
3 = Demonstrated number of sources number of sources number of sources number of sources
outlined in the outlined in the outlined in the outlined in the
assignment assignment assignment assignment

Quality of Sources All sources cited can All sources cited can All sources cited can All sources cited can
3 = Demonstrated be considered be considered be considered be considered
reliable and/or reliable and/or reliable and/or reliable and/or
trustworthy trustworthy trustworthy trustworthy

Comments:
Total: 45/45

You have a variety of sources from each angle. You do a very good job explaining each of your
source and its credibility.