You’ve heard of the story of  ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ before but you’ve most likely never heard of ‘The Hare and the Pineapple.’ It’s a story that is just as bizarre as it’s title, and in recent news, has been creating controversy in the education system nationwide.

Students all across the nation had been preparing for this moment all year long. The standardized test is one of the most crucial assessments in education – four hours of testing that determine the future of high schoolers educational careers.

But when the time came for students to sit before the thick packet of the most intricate, arduous questions they had ever endured, they approached a section that left every single one of them in shambles. It was a story of ‘The Hare and the Pineapple.’ Students were directed to read the story and answer the six questions that followed- nothing unusual, until you read the story.

Why did the animals eat the talking fruit, and which animal was wisest? Students were incapable of answering these question because well, quite frankly, the story made no sense. When word got around to parents just how ambiguous the content of the test really was, it didn’t take long before the Education Department received an outcry of infuriated parents in need of explanations.

More than ever, there has been much debate whether or not standardized tests adequately measure the quality of our children’s education level. If a school’s standardized test scores are high, the school’s staff are seen as effective. If a school’s standardized test scores are low, the school’s staff are seen as ineffective. But it’s questions like these that make you wonder if measuring educational quality is being measured appropriately.

What are your thoughts? How well do you think the standardized test reflect just how academically capable our children really are?

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