Brand names that appear in NY standardized tests vex parents - Hannah Selby 4th

Parents of students in New York schools have recently been concerned about indirect advertisements in the NY Common Core standardized English tests.

Product names such as Nike, Barbie, Mug Root Beer, and Wrigley have showed up on a multitude of test questions for grades 3-8 this month, leaving over a million students and their parents scratching their heads.

Although the brands are not getting paid for it and several of them were not even aware of the fact, something still seems fishy about the fact that specific brand names would be mentioned in standardized test questions at all.

Several student witnesses have explained the questions they were asked and have all reported that there was no particular need for specific brand names to be mentioned.  For instance, one question talked about a busboy who failed to clean some spilled root beer - Mug Root Beer, a registered trademark of PepsiCo, to be exact.

Comments from various critics have followed along the lines of “It seems so unnecessary,” “It’s taking something that shouldn’t be a commercial experience and commercializing it,” “Why are they trying to sell me something during the test?” and “I’m sure they could’ve used a historical figure who took risks and invented things rather than using Nike’s slogan to express their point.”

Advertising experts have also given critique, stating that product advertisement on tests is “inappropriate and fraught with peril” because the outrage caused just has the opposite effect on the companies.

A marketing professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Kelly O’Keefe, stated that he loves brands, but believes there is a proper time and place for them.  “Education, religion and civic life are places where brands are unwelcome. It would be wise for Pearson to avoid using brands in their testing even if they're not paid for by the brand itself."

In contrast, the NY state educators argue that brand names being mentioned in the test is not inappropriate because they are a part of everyday life.

In my opinion, the brand names being mentioned is certainly peculiar but nothing to get super upset about. I think it's a bit silly that all these people are this upset about this - they're making a mountain out of a molehill.  However, I think it's certainly unnecessary and unadvisable for them to keep the specific brand names mentioned in the test questions. It gets people confused and distracted, it's bad for the businesses mentioned, and the Common Core tests already have a bad reputation of being too difficult and not testing students over what they're actually learning.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/20/brand-names-that-appear-in-ny-standardized-tests-vex-parents/