McKenzie Glasgow Infographic

Critical Response Proposal

I am choosing to write my critical response paper on standardized testing.  As a high school senior, standardized testing is extremely important at this point in my life.  Test scores have the power to determine a lot for my future.  Also, standardized testing is a hot topic in politics today.  With the appointment of a new secretary of education, Betsy Devos, the controversy of standardized testing has increased.

As a student, I have the opportunity to hear the opinions of many of my peers.  Most of them hate standardized testing.  They think that it is unfair because they are often unprepared.  They feel that each teacher presents information differently.  Therefore, it is not fair that everyone has to take the same test no matter what teacher they had.

The next point of view comes from teachers.  In most standardized test, teachers do not have access to the test before it is given to their students.  They are often left in the dark, so they have to try their best to predict what information is on the test.

Colleges are the last group stakeholders.  When considering the admission of students, they often look at the ACT and SAT.  Although standardized testing is used when getting into college, these types of tests are not implemented often once the student has made it to college.

For my research, I plan to look at interviews from Betsy Devos.  I also plan on watching her debates on the subject.  I will also look at data charts and graphs to back up the three different stakeholders.  I will also use online articles.

Is standardized testing beneficial?

What elements make up a standardized test?

How could standardized testing be reformed?

How much weight is given to standardized testing by admissions of colleges?

How do students with different backgrounds but similar intellectual levels score on test?

How does a standardized test score effect the future success a student?

How has the emphasis of standardized testing evolved over the years?

Pop Culture Style Analysis Reflection

Reflection on My Pop Culture Analysis Essay

I choose write my Pop Culture Style Analysis on Mean Girls.  I chose this movie because it references a lot of societal issues.  Some of these issues include cliques, homosexuality, and teenage morals.  Most importantly it shows how parental influence affects children.  In my essay, I took a deeper look into this subject.  My goal was to determine how much a parent affects their children.  I also wanted to find out which parenting style was most effective.

Through this essay, I improved my research skills.  I conducted most of my research through the USC Upstate Databases.  Since I attended the USC Upstate library session in February, I was positive that all of the information that I received was credible and reliable.  I also took the CRAP test in preparation for starting my analysis.  I learned that the time in which the article was written is extremely important.  Previously, I rarely looked at the currency.  I just looked at the relevancy and author.

In my Pop Culture Style Analysis essay, I got the opportunity to look deeper into one of my favorite movies.  I analyzed the lessons that Tiny Fey was trying to teach her audience.  She was cautioning parents about their behavior toward their children.  If they want to raise good children, they need to be authoritative.  Observing these lessons made me appreciate Mean Girls even more.

Lastly, I learned about Toulmin’s model.  It is an effective method for writing a persuasive argument.  Toulmin’s model consist of a claim, warrant, data, and a rebuttal.  By using this method, my writing process became much easier.  I was able to organize my information more efficently.  I also used the model as a checklist when taking a final look at my paper before submission.  I will continue to use Toulmin’s model for future essays because it is simple and effective.

I like that the Pop Culture Style Analysis let me choose a topic that I was interested in.  I learned a lot through this paper, and I will continue to build upon this new knowledge.