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 Please read and annotate the following three sources, all focusing on the topic of Standardized Testing:
· “Bless the Tests: Three reasons for standardized testing” By Aaron Churchill 
(https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/bless-tests-three-reasons-standardized-testing)
· “The Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing” By Bryan Nixon Nixon    
(https://www.whitbyschool.org/passionforlearning/the-pros-and-cons-of-standardized-testing)
· “How to Address Racial Bias in Standardized Testing” By Young Whan Choi
(https://www.nextgenlearning.org/articles/racial-bias-standardized-testing)
 
· Use ALL THREE OF THE SOURCES here to write a short argumentative essay (5 body paragraphs, double-spaced) on the topic Standardized Testing, making a clear argument about it, synthesizing the material gathered from the articles as evidence or support.
· Make sure your claim is arguable, relevant, and well-focused. Both your claim and your reasons must be backed with evidence: facts, statistics, testimony, expert opinion, etc. from the 3 articles.
· You also must include in your arguments sections addressing opposing views (counterarguments), followed by a refutation where you explain why the opposing views are weak or irrational and why your position is stronger, more rational. The best way to refute your opponents’ positions’ is to examine and contest the facts and assumptions on which they are based. You also can make some concessions, if you are unable to refute certain opposing.
· When quoting, do not forget to integrate your quotes.
· Use quotation marks, and include in-text citations (for all 3 articles, if no page number is necessary, you do not need it)
· You do not need to write a Works Cited page, but you must use the MLA in-text documentation for all references to the articles.
 
Your Argumentative Essay will be graded out of 60 points using the rubric below.
Criteria for marking Argumentative Essay:
/5 Thesis/Claim – Contains an arguable claim that develops fresh insight and has clear supporting claims.
 
/15 Support/Reasoning (with rebuttal/refutation) – The writer includes 3 clear evidence and rhetorical elements (logos, pathos, ethos) in the development of ideas. Details are relevant, original, and convincingly interpreted.
 
/5 Opposing Viewpoints: Counterargument – The writer acknowledges the opposing view and argues it logically.
 
/10 Structure & Organization – Body flows from thesis; transitions guide the reader smoothly through the text; conclusion effectively wraps up the essay
 
/5 Sources/Documentation – Uses sources to support, extend, and inform, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas. Source material is announced by a signal phrase and ended with intext citations.
 
/10 Grammar/Mechanics – Essentially free from mechanical, grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors.
 
***Essay should be 800-1000 words with in-text citations but NO WORKS CITED PAGE