PAA leader sparks Pineapplegate
by pagrundy
If you spent this weekend chuckling or fuming about a nonsensical standardized test question involving a hare and a talking pineapple, you have PAA co-founder Leonie Haimson to thank. Leonie wrote the blog that started the media storm, highlighted the absurdity of high-stakes standardized tests and got the question pulled from the exam.
Leonie, who’s worked on educational issues for years, was the right person in the right place in the right time.
She’d been looking for a way to spotlight problems with standardized test questions when she got an intriguing comment on a blog about this year’s New York state exams, purchased from testing giant Pearson to the tune of $32 million.
“Apparently the New York State 8th Graders thought the story about “The Hare and the Pineapple” was so ridiculous that they have started a Facebook page about it,” the
