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Izzy Bowen

Jamey Dunham

English Composition 1201

20 Jan 2019

Topic Proposal

My research topic is about standardized tests and how they measure student’s

intelligence. I feel like this topic did choose me. I feel this way because every year of high

school I have had at least a 3.8 GPA. I was at the top of my classes, and I was even invited to the

Rotary Honors Dinner for being top 5% in the county. There was just one problem with this, I

couldn’t seem to pass the state tests.

My freshman year I had a 4.0 GPA, but I did not pass the biology state test or the algebra

state test. It was not until after I had to retake them the next year that I did pass them. There were

people in my grade who did not have good grades but still pass these tests just because they

guessed on every single question. Most of the people I talked to who passed just guessed on the

questions. It also seemed that almost all of the people who actually studied for it, did not pass.

This is why I want to know how these tests can be an accurate measure of a student’s

intelligence.

I am very interested in this topic because I want to know how I and many other students

who have good grades cannot pass a standardized test. Before doing the research, I think that the

states should not require standardized tests to graduate. I think this because the states do not

know what our schools are teaching us, and if we are getting good grades that means that we

must know what is being taught. I believe that standardized tests are not an accurate measure of

student’s intelligence. I believe this because of my past experience with standardized tests. I
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already know some things about standardized tests. I know that we spend most of the time in

class reviewing questions that could be on the state test rather than actually learning the material,

and it doesn’t matter what grades you have to pass these tests.

I still hope to know how standardized tests measure a student’s intelligence and why

standardized tests determine if a person graduates high school. I also want to know how

standardized tests prevent teachers from actually teaching the material they know we should

learn. I think that I will start to find these answers by researching different things about

standardized tests and looking in the library to see if I can find any books or articles about these

tests.