Essay Outline For Standardized Testing

I. Introduction
a. Attention Grabber: Is the score on one standardized test a true assessment of a student’s knowledge and skills? Did you know standardized tests have been a part of American education since the mid-1800s?
b. Topic: My topic is whether or not the use of standardized tests is improving education in New Jersey and America and if it is fair or unfair to take the SATs.
c. Specific Purpose: My specific purpose with my topic is to inform my audience about how standardize testing, SATs, is presented in the media, and how the media has helped come up with two different ways to argue whether or not the SATs is fair or unfair for students.
d. Thesis: The dilemma of standardized testing is whether or not SATs are fair or unfair for
Antagonists say the tests are neither fair nor objective, that their use upholds a narrow course and drill-like teaching to the test, and that excessive testing undermines America's ability to produce innovators and critical thinkers. iii. Being forced to take standardized tests is something all students in the United States must endure.
1. The SAT is an attempt to predict how well a student will perform during their first year of college without measuring past academic achievement.
II. Main Point 1
a. Positives of taking a standardize test
i. We can see now that a standardized test can only do its job if it manages to test the same fundamental concepts in the same underlying ways every single time.
1. They must measure the same skill-set every time, which means using questions that are designed according to certain standards, patterns, and rules.
2. They are nondiscriminatory because they ensure content is equivalent for all students.
a. This helps students because everyone is getting the same questions and everyone is at the same advantage. ii. The SAT gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their college-preparedness despite inconsistent grading systems throughout the nation’s high schools. And SAT scores provide a national, standardized benchmark that neutralizes the risk of grade
Due to the fact that people do have testing anxiety, they will not perform the way the do in a classroom environment with a regular GPA. iv. In the campaign Students Against Testing and Fair Test, which gets groups of students who challenge these exams, particularly challenge the admission offices.
1. This is due to the fact that people have different learning communities at school, can/cannot afford tutors or after school programs, and money is a major issue.
v. The target audience for this article would be the students taking the SATs, the parents of the students, and the teachers who are teaching the material.
IV. Conclusion
a. Standardize test scores have been around for many years. Recent arguments have come across as it testing the knowledge of students or taking up time for the teachers to teach life important lessons.
b. Throughout the articles, the pros of taking the SAT is because everyone is a fair advantage of having the same test questions and guidelines.
c. The unfair part of the SAT is that students who are not privileged do not have tutors to help them; teachers are spending time on teaching the test instead of teaching real world material, and it inhibits higher education.
d. Being forced to take standardized tests is something all students in the United States must