introduction CARS model

My topic of the differences between high school and college writing is important because knowing how to better prepare themselves many college freshman can go further in college quicker. Many college students take at least the first year to relearn their writing skills which really delay their achievement. It has been shown that the differences are mainly because of standardized testing, which inhibits the actual teaching of new topics, but sets students goal solely for passing the end of the year test. Most of the research done is done by teachers. This raises the question of whether or not all of the research that the claims are based on is biased. And I also would like to know what can be done to fix these gaps of education. This paper will deal with the various differences that high school and college writing have as well as why it is different. It will outline the differences, why the styles of writing have become different as well as goals and ideas for politicians and teachers to hopefully one day fix the problems that standardizing testing has done.

Ch 7 and 8 Quiz

My core four will be an argument of fact. In Lunsford it states "many factual arguments begin with people actively looking for a problem or working within a framework that will turn one up" (Pg 183). Because of the experiences I have had leaving high school and entering into a much vigorous college experience I began a search to find out the differences between high school and college writing. My research turned up results that showed mostly a single variable responsible for the differences – standardized testing. Another reason my last paper will be an argument of fact is because all of the research I have found has studies and surveys that bring about “hard evidence” that my argument will rely on. It is important for me to add that most of my research has been done by teachers, and this could lead to biases because they are in the field that they are researching and are part of the results of the testing. They could have already formed an answer before they started their research. In Lunsford it explains spin as a representation of a factual argument. Spin is “the only arguments offered are favorable le to one’s own side and evidence is either made to conform to this pre determined claim or wholly ignored when it doesn’t suit the party line” ( Pg 183 ). Arguments of fact tend to explain to a community new information, which can be at time controversial. My paper is controversial because if it become widely known that the testing that schools are performing on their students is no longer aiding them, but in fact hurting them, it needs to be stopped. Some parties in this argument would like to keep the testing because it helps to keep poor schools with poor grades that way and high schools that get the extra funding stay on top. My factual argument addresses also the broader question of what can be done to fix the consequences that the testing has put the students through. “ It’s especially important to have factual arguments that flesh out or correct what’s narrowly or mistakenly reported – whether by various news media, corporations, or branches of government” (Pg 180 ). Government officials still report that the testing is useful and needed, but it is very clear from the studies and surveys taken that it is bringing about the worst in its results. My paper is not an argument of definition because there is no single word or phrase that needs defining. It is widely known that tests such as the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) are standardized tests because it was created to be one. If there was an argument of definition we would need to research figure out what kind of definition it was, and then how to go about making it an argument. It could not be an argument of definition because research is being done to find out not what standardized testing is, but how it affects students, teachers, and school systems.

Research Conversation

All of the authors in my research about the differences between high school and college writing are fairly in tune with the reasoning behind the differences. I think that their ideas that standardized testing is the reason for a lack of teaching in high school is a good explanation. Because teachers in high school are demanded to teach based on a rubric for their students to pass an end of the year test it keeps them from teaching analytical skills. They teach their students so they can pass, which will give their school more money. But as students enter college, where standardized testing does not exist for the purpose of government assistance students are taught to analyze texts and think freely about what is going on. Another thing the authors are talking about is what needs to change in terms of preparation in high school for college. Some feel that taking away the standardized testing will allow teachers to really teach, but then how will government money be alloted to schools? I think that the standardized testing should be deleted from the school system, but if it needs to stay it should not be something that the curriculum is based on because it is too stressful for students and holds teachers as well as students back from their full potential.

Most of the research I found is done by college professors or high school teachers. Obviously these people are biased in their ideas because they are only seeing one side, the teachers side, of this argument. I need to remember that their is a reason these tests were created to begin with, as well as look at other reasons why writing in high school and college is different such as maybe maturation among students. Maybe in high school they are just not able to comprehend the material like college students are, but then if they were taught to analyze instead of just summarize in high school then they would not be so overwhelmed in their freshman year of college with all of these new expectations. Another problem is some papers do not have solutions to the problems they find. I feel that if you are willing to do the research to find a problem you should be willing to also offer a solution.