For this essay, we will use resources at http://standardizedtests.procon.org/. You will find here a discussion on standardized testing in education in America. The argument to make is whether standardized testing is improving education. You will find many sources to investigate both a yes and no answer to this question on this site. You should read what both sides have to say and then come to your own conclusion based on your readings. Using the sources from ProCon.org's site, make your claim on this question.

• Readings: http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

• Due date: July 15th, 11:55 pm

• Submission: As an attachment (doc, docx, rtf, or odt) under Essay 3 in the Assignments area of Cruiser

• Length:  Minimum of 900 words (@ 3 pages following standard MLA style essay formatting, including font type and size)

• MLA Documentation and Research: You must follow all MLA guidelines for citing and crediting sources, as discussed in your handbook. For this essay, you must provide at least FOUR sources to support your claim and refer to at least ONE source to show an opposing view. You MUST ONLY  use sources listed on http://standardizedtests.procon.org/. Not completely citing and crediting all sources used in a paper is plagiarism and will earn a ZERO for the assignment.

• Academic Guidelines: This essay must conform to the appropriate conventions of MLA academic essay writing, as discussed in the class. That means 3rd person point of view ONLY, no exceptions. Rather than rely on personal experience or observation, writers must research and use evidence from outside sources.  Writers must also incorporate the Rhetorical Triangle, relying primarily on LOGOS but also understanding how ETHOS and PATHOS work in academic writing as well. See previous emails, handouts, and discussions in class concerning these three concepts and how to incorporate them in a 3rd person, POV essay. Writers must also follow the MEAT method of developing body paragraphs, using a clearly stated thesis statement, topic sentences (at the beginning of each body paragraph), explanations/examples, analysis, and transitions.

• Argument: On p. 105 of the LB Brief handbook, you will see a list of claim types. This paper will make an argument using a CLAIM OF VALUE - is standardized testing valuable in educating students or not?
  
  You will also incorporate an acknowledgment of opposing views, p. 111 in the LB Brief handbook.  Since ProCon's site offers many resources on both sides of this issue, you will have a good understanding of the opposition's view whatever the position is that you choose to argue. On pp. 116-17, you will see several suggested organizational patterns for writing the argument with a refutation of opposing views. I suggest you follow either the "common scheme" or "a variation" listed on p. 117. You will also see two others below these, called "the Rogerian scheme" and "the problem-solution scheme." We will be using the "problem-solution scheme" for Essay 4. Choose only one from the top two.

• Editing and Proofreading: The final draft of this essay should be the result of editing, which concerns revising content to improve ideas, organization, support, and other argument-related issues.  It should also be a result of proofreading, which tackles grammar and mechanic issue such as sentence structure, parts of speech use, spelling, writing in active voice, consistency in point of view, and other related items. This is also where writers should double check that their essays are formatted correctly using MLA style and that their MLA documentation is complete and accurate. For work cited entries, I recommend using http://easybib.com but even then writers should double check each entry by comparing it to the appropriate example in the handbook and making sure the list and parenthetical notations follow correct formatting guidelines.

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