The Pineapple Story Tests Us: Have Test Publishers become Unquestionable Authorities?
The New York Daily News has perhaps inadvertently shed some light on why teachers might be hesitant to have a large portion of their evaluations based on standardized test scores. In a rare moment of transparency, one of the 8th grade reading comprehension questions has been published, and it has many people scratching their heads.
The story is an absurd tale of a talking pineapple, who challenges a hare to a race. The story must be read to comprehend the controversy.
The questions that follow make even less sense. Students are asked
1. Why did the animals eat the pineapple? a. they were annoyed b. they were amused c. they were hungry d. they wanted to
2. Who was the wisest? a. the hare b. moose c. crow d. owl
Pearson, the largest test publisher in the world, has said that
The story is an absurd tale of a talking pineapple, who challenges a hare to a race. The story must be read to comprehend the controversy.
The questions that follow make even less sense. Students are asked
1. Why did the animals eat the pineapple? a. they were annoyed b. they were amused c. they were hungry d. they wanted to
2. Who was the wisest? a. the hare b. moose c. crow d. owl
Pearson, the largest test publisher in the world, has said that