Kiarra Crouch's Letter To Broward Superintendent Robert W. Runcie '

In Kiarra Crouch’s letter to Broward Superintendent Robert W. Runcie, Crouch successfully strives to persuade him to get rid of standardized testing in Broward County. Her use of criticizing diction, rhetorical questions, concessions, and analogies contributed to her effectiveness in convincing Runcie to repeal standardized testing for all Broward County students.

Throughout her letter, Crouch employs criticizing diction as she describes the standardized tests that students are forced to take. She regards the policy on standardized testing as “outrageous” and the test itself as “perpetual”, “strenuous”, and “bias” to convey her feelings and those of other students toward standardized testing. This allows Runcie to truly understand the point of view of students and how this policy truly affects them and their well being. As she goes on, she also questions the effectiveness and validity of the standardized tests. She accomplishes this through the use of rhetorical questions like “can you really infer whether or not students deserve to move forward in their education because of what your test states?” and that if it is evident that the district policy is not accurate enough to make decisions on whether student should move forward with their education then “why is there a strict policy that forces the school

Her employment of concession by recognizing that she is “conscious of those who may argue that the students who practice such skills [hard work] are generally the ones passing the tests,” allows for the establishment of different opinions and approaches toward an issue, indicating an understanding of what causes the actual debate or controversy. It assures the audience, in this case Runcie, that she is a mature thinker, and has considered the issue from all