Thesis on "Special Needs Students High Stakes Testing"

Quoted Instructions for "Special Needs Students High Stakes Testing" Assignment:

A Critical Research Argument

Assignment:

1. Write a critical research essay that is approximately 1,000 words. Include required documentation for 4 sources, using MLA citation system.

Subject: No Child Left Behind Act of 2002

Topic: Students with learning disabilities

Issue: Assessment model

Question: Does the assessment model of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 meet the needs of children with learning disabilities?

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Audience

1. Your audience members for the essay are mature, college-educated adults. This audience has general knowledge of the subject area which has generated your research question. Some of your audience members are actively concerned about the question, while others will be reading your project because they believe the issue to be one of concern to our society as a whole.

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Purpose:

The goal of the essay is to provide the necessary background for the audience's understanding of the question and to persuade them to join you in your position.

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A Critical Paper:

The most common type of research paper assigned to students in college courses falls into the category of critical papers. In doing a research project that is going to culminate in a critical paper, a researcher starts with his assumption of what he will find when he gathers the evidence, he turns that assumption into a working thesis, and he constantly tests that working thesis as he studies and evaluates the evidence he finds. The major objective of a critical research paper is for the ***** to draw his own conclusions, conclusions based on his critical assessment of what the evidence adds up to. The goal is to construct an independent answer, not to report out the answers of others.

In completing this assignment, students will engage in the following tasks:

1. Select and evaluate material and use it as proof in an original argument.

2. Invent an original question and develop a structure for the argument.

3. Examine sources for discrepant facts, conflicts, or other interesting material.

4. Read source texts as arguments and think about the rhetorical contexts in which they were written.

5. Use material to answer a question, rather than simply repeat it or evaluate it.

6. Refute the opposition and defend their own argument.

As you begin to write the paper, be sure that your thesis(which should include a claim of policy and several supporting points) is stated clearly in the introduction. Following the introduction, you may need to provide background information (one paragraph should be sufficient). Most of the paper should then focus on developing each of the supporting points with evidence, such as facts, statistics, and expert opinion. Also, be sure to explain the opposing views and, with a moderate tone, point out the weaknesses of those views. Finally, you will need to include a Works Cited page and parenthetical references that follow the MLA system of citation. It is important to give credit to your sources every time that you quote, paraphrase or summarize the ideas of those sources. If you decide to use a modified problem-solution approach, you could identify the problem and causes of the problem briefly at the beginning, and then explain your solution and develop several reasons (with evidence) that the audience should accept your solution. Also, a position paper should include a discussion of opposing views.

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Grading of Research Paper

1. Hypothesis/Thesis/Intro:

Thesis establishes a claim of policy for a controversial topic, which may include the solution to a problem.

Introduction clearly and effectively establishes position, purpose, and issues.

Organization/Coherence:

Organization reflects a clear decision about most effective structuring approach to type of claim chosen.

Ideas are clearly connected throughout. Transitions and ordering reinforce organizational pattern.

Sources:

Value of evidence is made clear to reader and the evidence is assessed in terms of other contradicting and supporting evidence.

Overall quantity of evidence/support and correct distribution of paraphrase, summary, and quotation/effective.

Author and credentials are signaled and identified.

Positions, qualifications, and other qualifying material are appropriately presented.

Notation of notes (paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation) follow MLA specifications exactly. Works Cited page follows MLA exactly.

Use a minimum of four sources. Two of the four sources must be current periodical articles.

Elements of Effective Argument or Problem Solving:

Supports own position

Clearly identifies issue, selects evidence which directly supports arguments, uses clear reasoning.

Refutes the opposition

Clearly identifies opposing arguments and refutes them effectively with solid assessment of evidence and reasoning.

Paper Format and Proofing Final Draft:

The ***** avoids errors in grammar, punctuation, mechanics.

The ***** constructs unified, coherent, and developed paragraphs.

The ***** uses strong transitional devises: key words, transitional words, and transitional paragraphs.

The paper is an adequate length of approximately 900-1,000 words.