Dive Brief:
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The presence of brand names on New York's standardized tests have raised concerns of paid product placement among parents and others.
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Nike, Barbie, iPod, Mug Root Beer, and Life Savers are some of the brands that popped up on the tests taken by third through eighth grade students this year.
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Pearson — the educational publishing company giant that created the test — and the New York State Education Department have denied claims that payment was exchanged for the mentioning of these products.
Dive Insight:
While it is a bit peculiar that such specific brands were mentioned on the tests — why "Mug Root Beer" and not just "root beer," or better yet, "soda" — the company that created the tests denies any payment for the "product placement." This should ease some fears.
As more and more facets of public education deal with the private sector, fears like this will more than likely become the norm regardless of whether or not the fears are valid. The motivations of the companies involved are no longer as transparent, and so the public's imagination is free to run wild.
The mentioning of these brands feels like a somewhat small complaint when looking at the bigger picture. A far more detrimental issue that has come up around standardized tests is a gap in socioeconomic experiences and how that can negatively impact test results. A typically used example to make this point is a question dealing with someone playing the oboe. If a child is unfamiliar with this musical instrument they are at a disadvantage.
Of the listed brands, it seems safe to say, for better or for worse, all students will understand the reference point regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds.