Standardized Testing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

American students face a ridiculous amount of testing. John Oliver explains how standardized tests impact school funding, the achievement gap, how often kids are expected to throw up.
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Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight KZbin channel for more almost news as it almost happens: / lastweektonight
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[@noebadabing]

Why the fuck is everything ruled by private companies in the usa...

[@emiliaholappa7864]

C'est d'la bonne Capitalism :)

[@alexandervandesande3840]

Wooly Draws C'est du bon Capitalisme*. Should've taken the tests.

[@BlackDevilsCat]

Alexander Van de Sande it's capatalism. there's no 'e'

[@noebadabing]

Jack LaPiano It was a joke cause I speak french, and we spell capitalism with an e.

[@BlackDevilsCat]

C'est d'la bonne oh ok I get it then. I guess that explains your name.

[@ybra]

Wait... A privately owned company is used to make and score the test? Seriously, what? If there is to be a standardized test, isn't that the job of the department of education or something like that? Or did they just put it out to the lowest bidder?

[@OmegaGamer04]

Welcome to government spending. Where the contractors are priced low and the bribes are high

[@jktrololo35]

OmegaGamer04 That really does suck.

[@WordsofIvory]

Practically everything in America is run by a privately owned company now, because the government has absolutely no clue what they're doing. There a thousands of different people in office with absolutely no clue what to do with the country, so they just get someone else to do the job.... so now most of the country is run by businesses. Nobody is elected anymore based on their actual abilities. It's based entirely on who can convince to vote for them.

[@connorx447]

ybra This is why people move out of America, to countries that don't have oil.

[@DennisVlaanderen]

ybra It's the same in The Netherlands, there's one company called CITO which handles all the tests from primary to middle school. But it has to create the tests following a standardized set of knowledge quota for each level of education thoughout primary and middle schools. Then there's also a very strict peer review from the examinators, the teacher as well as the students which can file complaints about tests, and if they are indeed valid complaints the test scoring will be adjusted by a modifier giving all the students an x1.2 score modifier. This system has been in place for decades now and there have been very little complaints against this system so far as it does what it's supposed to do and gives everybody a fair and equal chance.

[@susieboo22]

I will never forget sitting in AP Literature, preparing for the AP exam - something my teacher resented the hell out of, since it meant she had to press pause on teaching us the books she'd selected and had a full lesson plan for that she enjoyed doing, and instead get us ready to pass a stupid standardized test that she openly admitted didn't really indicate how well we understood the readings. One of the practice tests we did had a few multiple choice questions centered around a poem, and one of the questions was about the main "theme" of the poem. The entire - and I mean, the ENTIRE - class picked "B" or "C" but, no, according to the answer key, it was "D." Cue a 30-minute long classwide argument about the theme in this poem, during which nearly everyone spoke up with their interpretations - most of which my teacher agreed were well thought-out and easily backed up by the text, and, if it were up to her, she'd mark them correct. But the good people at the AP Exam factory (or wherever these things are crafted) had declared that their interpretation of the poem was the only correct one - so our teacher was left to try and help us figure out what THEY wanted us to pick, not actually analyze or contemplate the work and reach our own conclusions. I'm pretty sure everyone in that class did pass the exam - standardized text taking is a garbage skill, but a skill nonetheless, and twelve years is a long time to get good at it. But we were all very burnt out, and very resentful of the whole thing... and completely convinced the brass didn't actually care if we learned anything at all.

[@Mica_T]

The fact that themes in stories is summarised into multiple choice answers says a lot about the state of the test. I'm not from the US, and when it comes to literature, the text, characters and themes are discussed in essays with evidence and justification to prove your point, allowing for freedom of thought and subjectivity which is essentially what humanities is all about. These kind of tests are teaching the wrong skills 🤦‍♀️

[@goreoproductions6955]

At least your teacher taught you stuff that wasn’t just for the test. Our AP Lang teacher taught the WHOLE year just for the test.

[@morganmartin5860]

This is so true. You can't test something as subjective as literature

[@aldergodric4324]

Right, because as we all know, literature is totally not a lot about interpretation

[@sebastianlavallee706]

@Jim Cornette So were the animals mostly annoyed, amused or hungry?

[@trollskullkid69]

I took the test with the talking pineapple. I'll never forget the famous line "Moral: Pineapples Don't Have Sleeves."

[@unarmedfrog2805]

I feel so bad for you.

[@RenaissanceGrappling]

@@unarmedfrog2805 don’t feel bad for us. It’s like a bond us class of ‘16 kids have for the rest of our lives.

[@Thatguyjack758]

There was a reading portion on the ACT I took concerning rocks at the bottom of the ocean. Yes and cars go vroom vroom when there’s gas in the tank. Who gives a shit about rocks in the ocean.

[@Kpimpmaster]

To quote a scene from Billy Madison “everyone who heard that answer is now dumber”

[@apriljones1013]

I remember that too hahaha!

[@MarkArandjus]

Okay is there any aspect of life in america that has not been completely fucked over by corporations trying to maximize profit?

[@Gonzaga78]

Mark Arandjus that's capitalism...

[@kylexile87]

Mark Arandjus This was the government getting involved and helping these corporations profit. The issue is the government.

[@EccentricSM]

Headphoner Tell that to the Chinese

[@alexgaudette988]

Mark Arandjus Any market with legitimate and fierce competition is usually pretty good. Unfortunately, the bigger companies typically just buy up all the smaller companies and everyone seems to have forgotten about our anti-trust laws.

[@MarkArandjus]

***** I find your lack of faith disturbing. I'm not just quoting Star Wars, I genuinely am disturbed some people truly believe this.

[@21jayface]

The Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Thanks school, now how do i get this thing called a job without having to lie through my teeth about how i'm great at teamwork, a great communicator and that I'm confident?

[@jojochen3360]

+JasonP16 I wouldn't stress out too much. In my opinion your (future) colleagues that interview you and even the (future) bosses realise that these are buzzwords. I don't want to have a bunch of always communicating, overconfident teamworkers. That would be hell! Chatting all the time how great they are... it would be horrible to work with them! And they wouldn't get anything done. Honesty, modesty, an ability to share successes and technical expertise are qualities I'd be looking for.

[@21jayface]

Sounds good, i'll give it a try.

[@tenichebrown4546]

+Jojo Chen t! htfftxy.y passage in all dsp

[@karsaurlong]

+JasonP16 And that there is the problem with our education. YOU'RE NOT JUST LEARNING THINGS, YOU'RE LEARNING HOW TO LEARN.

[@matthewbennett7435]

+JasonP16 Or balance this thing called a checkbook, or file my taxes, use basic tools, maintain a car, or communicate with a fellow human being.

[@kolinmartz]

I remember me and my friends would do the teachers we liked a solid and fail the benchmark test at the beginning of the semester then get high 500s to a 600 (it’s a 600 scale. Don’t ask me why) on the test at the end of the semester. Actually it was one of the things my student body all agreed upon and it was one of the things I advocated for when I was in student government. Win win for everyone. No stress for the students at the beginning of the year, teachers looked better on paper and our school received more grants and funding because the state only looked at growth.

[@guntergrauberger9195]

You is smart. You is good. Have like

[@richardsanchez9190]

You son of a bitch. That's smart.

[@imaanahmed4965]

You clever duck oh my god. That is literally genius oh my god

[@raptorcharly8055]

Outstanding move. In all seriousness, that is brilliant. I remember being criticized as I'd not grown much between the two tests, even though my scores were - not to brag - very high on both beginning and end tests. I wish I'd thought of what you had.

[@kolinmartz]

Yeah. Like I get the merits of a standardised test but I do not agree with all the detriments that it currently has. It’s lazy to simply look at growth without factoring in the starting point. And if you get above a certain amount, negative growth shouldn’t matter as long as you’re still way above passing. Like going from a 97 to a 95 (on a 100 scale) isn’t that bad. But on paper it’s still a 2% negative growth. But it’s way too complicated to use logarithmic or proportional scales to measure progress. Even having a bracketed proportional scales can be problematic because that bracket will still be arbitrarily set. I think standardised tests are great but give the power back to teachers. Don’t take them out of the loop under the pretext of anti cheating secrecy.

[@d-rgk2477]

We used to call our state’s MCAS standardized test the Massachusetts Child Abuse System. We were eight. We still call it that actually.

[@minimoon2374]

That’s clever. Also. Nice profile picture. >_>

[@d-rgk2477]

MiniMoon23 Momento Mori.

[@gothicwebby2097]

As someone who takes the MCAS every year I can confirm it’s like this.

[@EndlessSummer888]

I'm Canadian, in Ontario. We have standardized tests called EQAO. As kids, we said it was Evil Questions Attacking Ontario. And the only reason I know what it _really_ means is because I'm in uni to become a teacher (thankfully, there's no standard EQAO tests for the subject I'll be teaching, to the best of my knowledge. Only math and reading, in Gr 3 and 6. Then just math in Gr 9, and Literacy Test in Gr 10).

[@_daturaa]

I used to call maths Mental Abuse To Happy Students (also memento mori)

[@DrewDPoole]

Welcome to America where we have unquestioned monopolies on EDUCATION.

[@hornchief4839]

Drew Poole YAY, PEARSON! YAY, SCHOLASTIC! >.>

[@The__Creeper]

Drew Poole Right, because America is the only one that does anything shitty with education.

[@RoyalflushHD]

The Creeper Its the worst country for lower education in the western world. Although you have some of the best universities in the world your middle/high school system is pretty bad.

[@The__Creeper]

CrispyHD Bitch please. I've never seen any country with a good system of schooling outside of the university level. The difference is that universities are more tailored to you as an individual. They also cut out a lot of the bullshit. Going by the university style of schooling, you'd be done with high school (and that would include calculus and physics) at 12 years old.

[@FearDeniesFate]

The Creeper Check Denmark then? I'm confident also Germany, Norway and Sweden have a good schooling system although I could be wrong.

[@realstarfarts]

I was a test grader after graduating college. You are put in a room with a thousand people and no air conditioning. Everything is a quota, and if you don't hit quota you are demoted again and again. If you give too many high scores, you are demoted. If you don't give around the average, you are demoted. It's all a competition, down to weekly prizes for the most efficient grader. They also require a college degree requirement, but include two-year tech schools. It's a machine industry, and it's disgusting.

[@gigabic7487]

Organize a strike with anyone who really doesn't have anything to lose who works there. That gets their attention.

[@ASSASSIN79100]

krazyorange Dam they should get sued for giving inaccurate test scores.

[@Mark_Knight]

krazyorange Making money by ruining the lives of kids. Another reason Americans should riot, but don't. Shame, I have seen more care on Black Friday. Put those efforts into overthrowing a corrupt system....not just Standardized Tests, but the government itself.

[@haassleholtz]

Why on earth would you be a test grader right after college....you sir or ma'am are the defintion of insane.

[@haassleholtz]

Mark M riot..and riot well but not unlike baltimore. Focus and see the end goal. Triumph with true freedom and ensure no government makes new laws toward rioters or crowd contol. ensure that you are not overly governed. Ensure that any man or woman is equal even if seen upon your person dependent on intellect or race or rather the depend on needing the two. Know no other country as being more hostile as your own before it falls and know no other person more than the one who strikes the hammer on your nerve. Learn and educate and spread a message of what we know to be freedom and peace...which we know peace doesnt cost dollars but it costs only time with that we charitably give in order to promote a truely free form of people far beyond what we are now.

[@rasaagresti1268]

Legend says if you say “ no child left behind” three times in a mirror a student will vomit.

[@user-cr6qv1bn2u]

No that's No Tolerance policy. America's best policy since Trickle down economics.

[@justajumpingypsygirl]

I took a Pearson test in High school. There was a typo where it said my first name was printed "Lucky" on the booklet instead of Lucy. Got a 97 percentile in it....

[@SinoLegionaire]

Based

[@mississippiboy1581]

The best country in the world on education rankings has next to no tests.

[@mississippiboy1581]

Finland

[@yiannay]

I was just about to say the same. And as a teacher I know that testing can never be a measurement to one's knowledge or skills. Especially the multiple choice questions. They are especially made to confuse.

[@parker469a]

Please use a better picture of yourself for your thumbnail or at least something else, I can't really tell what you look like. I don't mean to be rude but let's just say I completely mistook what was going on in that picture and you don't want people thinking what I was thinking when they look at it.

[@ghost-kv4ii]

bruh, Are you a complete fucking idiot? you can't just go telling random people to use better pictures themselves

[@parker469a]

Yes I can and it was more about the lighting in the picture than anything else. Also I wasn't talking to you so fuck off.... what the hell is the person holding up in your picture... celery or is it some Beaker from the muppets sorta thing? A peanut with an afro? It's hard to tell with the picture being that small and being in black an white.

[@RedHairedRiot]

The minute they start handing out books on trying to win a standardized test by working with the way the test is created and graded: How to Fake Your Way Through the SATs, Recognize the Scoring Pattern, (and/or) If You Don't Know, the Answer is C... The moment when we realized we didn't know real information anymore, we had to conform ourselves to thinking like the creator of the test, Thats when we should have realized something was wrong.

[@unoiamacutie]

+RedHairedRiot Anytime I took these tests, I always told myself "when in doubt, pick C." C seems to be the correct answer most of the time.

[@fir3fly360]

+RedHairedRiot we are basically learning a factory style method. (im bout probably botch this but bear with me) we are not learning the material we are learning how to follow directions, which is only good if you want to stay as teammate status at McDonald. like seriously, i learned a shit load my highschool years, and i still don't remember anything.

[@UltraGalaxyify]

+Le Kazibam Unfortunately, you are not far off the mark. All schools and some colleges want to do is regurgitate the text for you, and expect you to do the same. You think I remember anything from my freshman, soppomore, junior, or senior years of high school, other than the fact that I was always one of the nerds and had to fight my way to survival? No, because what they taught us half the time was utter shit!

[@fir3fly360]

+UltraGalaxyify and they always cling onto the excuse of "you'll need this for the job you want" in want time day or place do i need to learn the quadratic formula or the pythagorean theorum if im studying to be an art major. and what truly sucks is how they talk about those that dropped were uneducated and will never amount to anything, yet we can clearly see who's living their dream while the other is doing a job.

[@UltraGalaxyify]

+Le Kazibam Oh yeah, that old chestnut: "If you want to succeed in your future career(never mind the fact you'll probably have no idea what you want your career to be), you have to learn basic useless crap that you had no idea existed. And if you don't, you'll end up as a drop out and won't get into a good college, just like Bill Gates, Patrick Stewart and Dan Aykroyd." Hell, I have a history teacher right now in college who is probably one of the smartest people I know, because he gives us sage advice like "If you're able to, get out of college and make money." I'm serious, that's what he said

[@FuugaNatsu]

Here's a Pearson thing I had to deal with just a few weeks ago; testing for disturbed sensory perception. I'm autistic, and recently had a specialised therapist assigned to basically help me figure out both a way to make my daily life more easy to handle, and how likely I am to get a higher education and hold a full time job given my specific challenges. As part of that she suggested we find out if there are signs of a disturbed sensory perception, which is when I ran into this standardised Pearson test. How the test roughly works is that you get about 3 pages worth of questions in regards to your recent reactions to various sensory stimuli (to be answered taking basis in the last couple of months or so), you mark how often you react to it, and once you've filled it all out you give it back to the specialist, who then uses your answers to make a diagram that's supposed to show the likelihood of you having any disturbances, and which senses are affected. However, a good chunk of the questions are... how do I put this diplomatically... fucking vague to such a degree that they're borderline pointless. When I showed a few of my friends the test their reaction was roughly the same as mine, namely that going *just* by the wording of the questions, a large majority of everyone they know exhibit signs of a disturbed sensory perception. To give just a few examples that illustrate my point, one question was if I found "too much noise" disturbing, to which my immediate reaction was that OF COURSE I FUCKING DO, if it didn't disturb me it wouldn't be *TOO MUCH* noise. Another was how often I found myself avoiding bad smells, which would of course be literally every time possible when I notice a smell I dislike, just like everybody else I know. I can't think of a single person I've ever met who wouldn't avoid any bad smells whenever that's an option. Then there were a few that honestly seem like they'd be just as likely to have to do with personality, like if I found people hugging me uncomfortable. Or personal taste, like if I use a lot of seasoning on my food, or if I avoid eating anything spicy. Or if I tend to wear bright colourful outfits.

[@gluestickgenius2644]

I remember taking the PISA test in Germany. Our teacher said something like: "Here is some test as part of a study. But it does not affect your grades. So ... do what you want." Most people left without finishing the test.

[@imaanahmed4965]

Bro what??? Dang man I can't walk out of an SOL (a standardized test) or final exam without my grade being at stake. if you pass the SOL your exempt from the final exam for that class, but if the class has no SOL, then you need a 90 or something to be exempt from the exam. 90!! The expectations are absurd. It's ride or die, literally. But if you ride and fail you're screwed over with more tests to try to raise your grade. And if you straight up don't take the tests it just looks bad on your record and bad for colleges if you plan to go. Dang, it'd be amazing to do that here man..

[@giovannieich7487]

I‘ve had similar experiences, but I think it‘s noteworthy to mention that the PISA test and US Standardized Testing are two very different concepts, seeing as the PISA test doesn’t have any direct influences on students or teachers, mainly because PISA is designed to compare different countries‘ quality of education and not how educated an individual student is. Additionally, PISA is not very good at achieving what it set out to do, because whereas some countries (like Germany) collect all test results from across the country, others (like China) refuse to publish any results outside of the Shanghai metropolitan area, arguably the richest and best developed in the entire country. This leads to China, a country where only 17% percent of the population has attained tertiary education (compared to 54% in Russia or 44% in the US) repeatedly being cited as the country with the best education worldwide. This is why most students and teachers in Germany don’t really care about it anymore.

[@overgrownkudzu]

wir mussten bis zum ende da bleiben, aber ob man sich dabei wirklich muehe gab, wage ich mal zu bezweifeln

[@giovannieich7487]

@@overgrownkudzu Ja gut, das kommt ja letztendlich aufs Selbe raus...

[@johannaisolde]

wann macht man normaler weise PISA???? Ich hatte irgendwie nie die möglichkeit

[@ChainReactionsProductions]

The whole “don’t discuss the contents of your test” thing is probably the least followed school rule, second only to the dress code

[@mosskin2016]

Except for girls

[@andrewmelnikov292]

What's worse, truly secure system is based on transparency and reliability, not on hiding things. Security through obscurity, as far as I know, works only for state secrets, not for automated tests.

[@KamenRiderHellhound]

Also not legally binding.

[@ezekielmartin4323]

Every single year, the second the ACT is over, the internet is flooded with memes about the shit on the ACT. Like clockwork. It's fantastic.

[@86_percent28]

Ezekiel Martin I just took the ACT and my brain is fried

[@willh8682]

The problem with American education is that it's too grade oriented; all students care about is a passing grade because that's all the teachers stress to us. It's no longer about learning, it's about passing. I'm a senior in high school and I can honestly say that for me personally, after 8th grade, you don't even care about learning , you just wanna pass the damn class *update four years later* I’m graduating college in two weeks and I can honestly say that college is no different 💀. You’re more focused on passing than learning😩

[@sciencepower608]

Right,you can see the terror on my peers faces,some look like they are about to have a heart attack.

[@markie4195]

This is true.I'm a junior and honestly I've given up on learning.I just need to graduate.

[@willh8682]

And if you take advanced classes like AP or IB (like me), it's even worse. The amount of apathy is unreal

[@pierrespoutnik]

I agree, I'm a junior (just started IB) and I've got to get at least a 40. No learning required though

[@POSIboys5]

IB exams in november *cries*

[@karensmith6074]

How come every time children are getting screwed, there's always a company getting rich off it?

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Children are societally easier targets, it turns out. Other sources of screwing over children are muscled out of the field.

[@akish302]

Children can’t vote. Children can’t run for office. Children are not taken seriously.

[@kermitenthusiast485]

@@akish302 Children can't call for help, because if they do, they're punished for hassling their parents, teachers, the police, etc. Or, alternatively, they're threatened with it.

[@0wolfmoon]

I was going to come up with a joke but after reading the other comments I got too sad

[@leeb9342]

America.

[@huhhwuhh]

the worst part about standardized testing was the time block. every test was dedicated an entire day, including a 4-5 hour time block, a requirement to bring one’s own lunch, and a requirement that each student stay at their desk until the block is over (no matter if they finish their test in 1 or 3 hours). i knew kids who would hold on to their test hours after finishing just so that they could have paper to draw on for entertainment.

[@martalaatsch8358]

Oh my goodness, yes! I was a gifted student and, apparently, ADHD. That was literally painful.

[@jessuka]

Literature tests need to be open-ended. I'm sick of there being only one possible interpretation of text, but I feel that unfortunately, this would be abused.

[@jessuka]

+Nerdy Cat Exactly what I mean. Of course, there will be questions where there IS only one answer (based on context clues and whatnot), but for others, as long as your logic is justifiably correct then you shouldn't be penalized.

[@ProfessorSyndicateFranklai]

Try writing the question and then grading them. We lost an entire section on our french exam because our teachers got lazy. Quote "It takes us 10 seconds to mark a page of multiple choice questions, but 10 minutes per page of writing." You're not the only one that hates reading literature.

[@MrZerodayz]

Well, over here in Germany, literature exams ARE technically open-ended, though some of the more incompetent teachers still just write "wrong" and give 0 points if it doesn't match what they think. still, i feel like this system IS better by a mile, because you aren't trained on thinking there's only one possible solution, but instead learn thinking for yourself about this kind of things

[@medha6735]

Jessica Nguyen Thank you! Even if it is multiple choice, let the student justify why they put what they did.

[@hedgehog3180]

In Denmark you don't get two hours to complete a literature test, you get two days. You go to your school, draw a text and then you have two days to analyze it and write a synopsis of your analysis. Then you go back to the school and present your analysis to your teacher and censor, you have 10 minutes to do this, after which you spend another 10 minutes discussing the text where you basically have to defend your analysis. You're mainly scored based on how well you argued and how well you supported your arguments with evidence from the text. While most teachers will stress that there is a correct way to interpret a text they are also prepared to accept alternative interpretations if you can support them well enough.

[@taiasoncole8148]

One thing I always hated was English standerized tests. At least with Math there was something to study for and only one right answer. But the English tests is based solely on whether or not you can read a passage and have the same opinion on it the same way the test makers did which isn't an objective way to grade kids. It frustrated me.

[@ParallaxScene]

Exactly, why I hated English were way too open to interpretation .

[@psycoNaughtplaysMCPC]

The thing with literature is it intentionally lends itself to interpretation. For example in the case of "Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus" my friend felt that Dr. Frankenstein did no wrong and only meant to advance science in which his death was unintentional, while I felt his ambition drove him mad and forced him to become what he feared the most (the monster was him in other words) and thus his death was unavoidable

[@taiasoncole8148]

Psyconaught Gaming Exactly.

[@thomasross4578]

English tests suck, thats about it. It is all opinionated and my scores massively varied from top 5%( from 3rd to 7th) to the 81st in 8th and back to the top 5% in 9th. The AP tests are the only descent non-math tests at all, and they can suck sometimes too.

[@evelynfinegan4687]

The problem with a lot of testing for english classes in the Elementary and Middle School years is that it's supposed to test reading comprehension, and not interpretation. Middle school is supposed to introduce students to interpretation (with "short answer" questions), but it isn't until high school where you're really supposed to get into interpreting literature. I don't know if I agree it should wait that long, but it's based off of early 1900's ideas about education and etc etc etc that's not what I'm here for. It's hard to gauge comprehension though, you can have the obvious questions (Who's the main character, the antagonist, the climax, the this, the that, and the other) but how do you gauge the more advanced comprehension? Those "level 2" and "level 3" questions? You can ask about the themes and symbolism of a piece of fiction, that's easy enough, but it's not always easy. The minute you frame something as an opinion (what do you THINK would have happened) all bets are off. In my opinion, the education in the English classroom shouldn't judge whether or not the student can correctly interpret what the question's author was thinking, but whether or not they can articulate and back their answer. If you're reading Romeo and Juliet, and someone asks what you think would've happened if Romeo hadn't drank the poison and your answer is the Mongols invade and give everyone ice cream, as long as you can articulate a reasonable explanation that fits the narrative of the rest of the story than that should be all that matters.

[@ranjanbiswas3233]

10:11 Her cry literally broke my heart, I thought I can't cry.

[@aet5807]

Agreed. Yeah, kick a girl who works hard, loves school, and wants to do well out of a class.

[@rainbowdragon2878]

It’s 2020 now, school feels more like a prison than anything. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve thought of suicide as an alternative to going to school. I’ve told everyone that I just need to survive, I don’t care about straight A’s, I just need to survive long enough to get out of this hell hole, even if it means getting C’s and D’s.

[@foundhorrificgames.2505]

Rainbowdragon 287 lol wow how old are you?

[@onemillionpercent]

@@foundhorrificgames.2505 probably high school, because many high schoolers (including myself, a straight A, once in a while a B in an AP, student) can relate.

[@stimlord]

Found Horrific Games Did you really just reply “lol wow” to someone saying their schooling made them feel suicidal? Damn, man. That’s sick.

[@A_T216]

I hope you're safe. School isn't forever. Things will get better. You will get through this. I hope you have supportive people in your life and that you are feeling hopeful for the post-school future. You deserve better than survival and you will get that one day soon. Please stay safe.

[@A_T216]

@@RetardGamingHDx of course suicidal ideation is serious??? It's really normal, unfortunately. I also struggle with it and a big part of why is school; my anxiety and depression definitely exacerbate things. Even if I didn't have these issues, though, school would still be a brutal place to be. By the way, your tone is rather demeaning. No one needs that, especially not here, in a discussion of mental health and safety. Please edit if you didn't mean to come across that way.

[@minefilms1122]

i wonder how much children secretly died inside while filming those terrible parodies

[@namingisdifficult408]

All of them died inside

[@maxiejay9618]

I even died inside

[@patrickharrison6293]

+Kenzie Jefferson I just died. Literally. I'm a ghost right now.

[@skyewright2587]

Like I was already pretty dead inside but yo that just just stove the headstone into the ground

[@TheAnimefreak2001]

My old school did things like this and it was cringeworthy and irritating. Everyone involved died inside.

[@MauroTamm]

If pineapple has three legs, how many colors does it take for him to reach moon on a boat, considering he was eating BBQ three days later on the pluto?

[@guesswho180]

None. Pineapples have 10 legs.

[@argonunyacartel2631]

Mauro Tamm Orange, because motorcycles don't have doors.

[@derciolichucha5864]

Hahahaha Argo! That answer was killer!

[@emiemivideos]

random does not equal funny- jacksfilms

[@drgeorgej5562]

+Argo Nunya Cartel wooooow I dont remember how long I laughed so much at youtube comment

[@ciaraoreilly3844]

During tests we were told “think like a test maker not a test taker”

[@ianlawrence1576]

This makes all the sense in the world. In my first semester of college, there was a class called Quantitative Reasoning. The homework assignments and tests were regulated by Pearson. I would sometimes find an easier way to do the problems, but for some reason they would be wrong. I would use their 30 minute long ass method which guided me through it, get the same damn answer, and just realize I wasted 30 minutes doing some thing I could’ve solved in five. I ended up failing that class, and while some of the blame is on myself, a vast part of it is on Pearson, for their horribly designated systems.

[@leullakew9579]

My Quantitative Studies class also used Pearson.

[@underwaterlion5453]

The show needs to be renamed " "Reasons I am happy to be Canadian instead of American" with John Oliver"

[@HackersSun]

J Lal (grunts) got room up there for me? I kind of want to move where the polar bears are C:

[@jsmetalcore]

J Lal This is when I hide my US passport and pull out the UK passport and say "Who's an American?"

[@SpankinDaBagel]

jsmetalcore Lmao I feel you.

[@Nathan-vg4bl]

J Lal Canada is not much better right now.

[@austinpeay1615]

But he's British?

[@aprilmazae4811]

I NEVER KNEW I COULD OPT OUT OF TESTS We had to take the Pearson tests in elementary school.

[@jalenm6920]

Some counties allow you to opt out some don't. Most don't

[@poke548]

Oh god Peason. Never mention that name again.

[@sukki6887]

all the schools I went to would not let you go on to the next grade without taking every test in the courses that where set for the whole grade

[@glossygloss472]

April Mazae, Lol. If you can't handle a test you have a weak mind.

[@carolinasarmiento4895]

+April Mazaae it's not that I can't handle a test, I can't handle inefficient systems, incompetence in the educator's part and don't need to take at least 3 tests weekly

[@ivys1991]

In my state, from 3rd grade to 8th grade, you take the ACT Aspire, which is supposed to prepare you for the ACT and predict how well you'll do on the ACT. I took the ACT as a 7th grader, and my ACT Aspire scores directly contradicted my ACT scores. These tests are bullshit. My dad teaches in this state and every time test season comes around we rant about how much it sucks. We found out that my little sister had anxiety disorder because she was having panic attacks about the ACT Aspire in 3RD FUCKING GRADE. We did get her a 504, but even then she was quite a bit anxious.

[@balinorgryffudd2963]

Testing has gotten so pervasive that teachers only teach the test. My senior algebra teacher actually started to cry in the week leading up to each test.

[@veronica_hon]

there is something fundamentally wrong with the system when my future, goals and ambitions can be shut down with one number...

[@Insertnamehere188]

You gotta work for what you want dude.

[@ughkac]

Insertnamehere188 The problem with that is that some people are just not good test takers. For those people working hard won't change anything, they still would get bad scores. The intelligence of a person should not be dictated by a few tests that are purposely written to be confusing.

[@nataliagonzalez1698]

Insertnamehere188 did you not hear the guy with freaking degrees even scoring low on the tests?

[@reginaphalange8955]

kac "For those people working hard won't change anything" That just means you're less intelligently capable. I could try my hardest to play basketball yet I still wouldn't be as good as Michael Jordan, it doesn't mean the game of basketball itself is wrong but rather that I wasn't born with the natural talent. That's the hard truth, I've seen quite a few people who naturally have a great comprehensive understanding ability and are better than even those who put in more effort than them; just because it's unfair (in the sense that some people can't get high scores despite being dilligent whereas others can get high score due to natural born talent), doesn't mean it's not accurate representation of one's intelligence.

[@morganmartin5860]

+Regina Phalange But there are students who are very smart who still get low test scores. A lot of kids get good grades but low scores on standardized tests. Which one do you think is a better measure of one's intelligence: how a student is evaluated through a variety of assignments, projects, and tests over the course of an entire school year in a class, or a single standardized test?

[@boyinaband]

Also, there are huge amounts of scientific evidence that adding direct financial incentive to a task requiring as much creativity as teaching is massively detrimental in terms of achieving results. You would think ONE person developing the system which teaches people science would be frickin' scientifically literate. Awesome episode.

[@neeneko]

Boyinaband The evidence gets even worse for situations like this where financial incentives are linked to things largely outside the individual's control.

[@bradleyhollingsworth4691]

Boyinaband Hi Dave!

[@shaneglasser5162]

I would tell everyone here about how messed up these tests are in full detail, but if I did so I would get a detention or even a suspension for just telling how bad these tests are.

[@YekouriGaming]

Boyinaband Also, judging everything by tests are only in favour of the persons who are good in tests. A lot of people are like the girl, who is good at the subject but bad at taking tests, where the importance of the tests also takes part, since people get nervous and perform worse than they would otherwise. Some people are 1 hit wonders in tests, while other people are perfoming good in a longer period of time and failing the tests. Standardardized tests that counts for everything, even the teachers wage is really really bad

[@Cheezy27]

Boyinaband Schools will be around forever and they will be just as shit as they are today and as they were a decade ago, deal with it.

[@remytherat966]

When I was in middle school, most of teachers told us whatever they taught was to teach us whatever was on the standardized tests we took. Come test day and none of us know what the material is because what they taught us wasn't even close to the test material and the teacher didn't like that most of us scored below average

[@anonwa4309]

for the “juniors boycotting common core test”, that happened at nathan hale high school in washington. in response, washington REQUIRED that you pass (score of 3 or 4) THREE DIFFERENT EXAMS before you can earn your highschool diploma.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

...perfect opportunity for a buncha kids to start doing less than legal things to make that non-possible in an attempt to straight up hold the whole system hostage...

[@jaridkeen123]

I FUCKING FAILED THAT TEST BC OF THAT FUCKING PINEAPPLE!

[@namingisdifficult408]

I bet Daniel Pinkwater, the author of that atrocity, is an alias or pseudonym because no one should want to be associated with such a horrendous piece of fiction.

[@Pile_of_carbon]

I feel for you man. It wouldn't surprise me if Pearson got a basket of pineapples laced with strychnine after that one.

[@tejkavan]

I wish that one went to the ceo. i fucking hate pearson

[@taradrake1085]

same, fuck standardized tests

[@lazerd3662]

Standardized tests can suck metaphorical dicks and die. Schools should use the time they spend preping for standardized tests on practical skills like balancing a check book or doing taxes.

[@ayahsaid8356]

my sister was told that if she doesn't do good on the Reading test she'll be forced to repeat the whole grade. so they made her read every fucking day of her spring break... for a grade.

[@feliciacanez3769]

6f

[@Ajcruz913]

Ayah Said Is that a bad thing? To read?

[@gjm346]

Ajcruz913 Reading for the sake of reading? NO. Reading for something that can mentally torture, scare, and or make you go insane all for a score that shouldn't apply to the real world but does? maybe. Reading is a method for learning(non-fiction/text books) or entertainment(Fiction), it can give a person Knowledge, giving new understanding on one or more subjects or to escape from reality for a bit. It should not be used to make people never want to read again.

[@farrex0]

Ajcruz913 Well I thought that reading was boring most of my life because I was forced to read in school it wasn't until I decided for myself to read that I discovered that it was awesome, but forcing someone to read might just make that person never want to read again.

[@ayahsaid8356]

gjm346 couldn't have said it better

[@radiofuel2733]

When my dad saw this episode, he was questioning me over how bad the tests were. I had to break it to him that everything John brought up is true. Kids in my class would be sweating and crying before tests, and during finals, throwing up was as normal as the sunrise. There were times when I would be in a bathroom stall just so I could cry, and another student would go into another stall and start sobbing as well. If your system causes people to break down into tears and get sick, then you should feel ashamed of yourself.

[@victoriandoll2164]

Not to mention how hurtful standardized tests are for children with learning disabilities.

[@kaemart3465]

Pineapples don't have sleeves is still a running joke with my class

[@itsikabitch9005]

My class was scarred by an essay about a camel that we collectively failed so the state of Florida lowered the pass requirement and still let 27% of students fail 😂

[@michelleantici6651]

Our school didn’t even have that test, but I brought it up and now it’s a running joke in my friend group.

[@Bloodlyshiva]

To be fair, that's a wonderful line. Terrible for the test, but a wonderful line.

[@nore7729]

So as a non American - care to let the rest of us in on the jokes ? Edit: made it to the end of the video ... omg this is just sad

[@0Clewi0]

At least in my version of the SATs the ridiculous question of what "Be carefull with the mexicans" meant made sense to be hard to understand as it was the dialogue of two artists.

[@mal7559]

we had to quit using pearson because of things like you said: 2+2=4 correct answer: 2+2=4

[@richiem5112]

What?

[@mal7559]

Richie M haha you clearly have never used pearson

[@richiem5112]

@@mal7559 Not that I can remember, used plenty of their text books. Enlighten me.

[@mal7559]

@@richiem5112 basically its the worst math program to ever exist because it will constantly delete your progress halfway through but then it wont give you the same problems so its not even like you can just enter the same answers. often times it will tell you that your answer is wrong and they will tell you the right answer but it will be the same as the answer you put (hope that makes sense). in some classes tests are run through pearson, so basically you do homework through pearson and the problems are randomly chosen but then the problems on the tests have not ever been on the homeworks (not the teachers fault, it pearsons fault) sorry if that was scatterbrained. in short it freaking sucks

[@aparanoidbw]

absolutely true. Mylab, by pearson absoulutely sucked. myprogramminglab was riddled with things like. "what data type stores numbers" your answer : integer correct answer : Integer myspanishlab was not much better.... I heard same for chem, statistics, etc... the prices were bad too.

[@Anonymous-eo2er]

At the end of the last semester, I was given a question by one of my teachers. “Many assignments are not graded. How does this affect the time and effort you put into the assignments?” I’m assuming they wanted me to be honest so I wrote “I tend to not finish or put effort into assignments that don’t affect grades.” American schools depend of grades

[@imaanahmed4965]

God that's so annoying. We're only graded off of tests and quizzes man. They just give us practices and say "Hey it's not graded but you should really practice if you wanna do good on the quiz/test."

[@raptorcharly8055]

@@imaanahmed4965 I'm the same. I do the practice quizzes I'm given sometimes, but not always.

[@morganqorishchi8181]

I didn't get to take AP English because in fifth grade, when I was 11, I had the reading comprehension, speed and conceptualization skills of a college freshman. Or in other words, I got a perfect score - highest in the Northwestern United States - and was unable to improve my score after that. So I was put in remedial English for all of middle school and high school. I read War and Peace and the entirety of Lord of the Rings when I was 14 and was put in a class where they taught us to sound out words because I "hadn't improved".

[@Tonyhouse1168]

Same. Read The Hobbit in a weekend when I was 12, got put into the gifted and talented program. Started public school for 8th grade, stayed in the program, did football, academic decathlon, track, drama, choir, and had a part-time job all through high school; transferred schools right before senior year, took all the AP classes, was informed the penultimate day of class that I wasn’t getting college credit for the AP classes bc some document I didn’t signed was mailed to a random address bc I didn’t have a permanent address until the second month of school. Turned down all the scholarships after being so disillusioned with the whole thing, made a million+ working in the bar business and never looked back. It absolutely sucks that the system is actually rigged and that you got a raw deal. I hope you’re doing well now.

[@BEEEELEEEE]

Woah, woah, woah, I CAN OPT OUT???

[@zoe5766]

RIGHT?!

[@Monkey14891]

I mean, some colleges do look at test scores.

[@davebets5294]

If you take the PARCC this year they say only a small percentage of kids can opt out, unlike last year but everyone's still going to opt out

[@jessicalindly2118]

+R.J. Beasley If the test is pretty new, probably. Like the SBAC you can opt out of, and I think there aren't many consequences since I don't believe colleges look at that test anymore.

[@calvincramer3309]

+R.J. Beasley The smarter balance test for juniors that year was just a trial for the juniors for the next year, so you could opt out

[@worldwidehandsome240]

Testing industry??? What Those questions are made by companies??? Wtf

[@dantefiore8442]

murica

[@SayHelloHelli]

Nikita Roza you would be so shocked by the amount of preparation that goes into the tests. There are special panels to try to route out biases and all sorts of things. I read this book about it, it was astounding. let me find the book.

[@Hotmankillu]

The same companies that write your textbooks and other supplies you use. Collegeboard, Pearson, and other companies make exam review and then the test questions. Textbooks are a ridiculous scam and testing is worse. But yeah, it's an industry, a nasty one. So, try your best to not buy textbooks if/when you attend college.

[@korayacar1444]

Hotmankillu Or just buy introductory books from trusted authors. They serve as textbooks, and aren't garbage.

[@XenomorphsWrath]

Free marked and capitalism my frind! As long as you can convince enough people that it works, no one will bat an eye if you abuse it to the fullest.

[@_caith]

As an Austrian, I went to an American School. I'm 28 now, back in Austria, and in a relationship with a teacher. I remember how odd it felt when she explained the different teaching models we have here, and how there just plain arent any standardized tests, since each class gets treated as a unique situation, which just can't be fairly compared with other classes...

[@elimorozov4769]

I remember when I took the AP Chemistry exam and one of the free response questions wasn’t actually a question, it was a statement of fact. I drew a picture instead of answering the question and I still scored a 4 out of 5 on the test, so I’m not sure what that was about.

[@lowereastsideastrologist7769]

Standardized tests are essentially glorified short term memory tests.

[@Dawn24Michele]

Not even that. They are only used to determine how much a teacher's raise will be. Nothing more.

[@fredreickweaver809]

As someone with a severe cognitive impairment resting to short term memory and who scored extremely well on standardized test which saved my college app experience, I reject this. Their are problems of course, but these tests identify people with learning disabilities who are missed by the system. Also the blatant anti intellectualism of the “look how complicated the formula looks” is hilarious, and a bit depressing.

[@spritemon98]

I was 2 points off of my English test and I still failed

[@ericschnautz6603]

I got a perfect score on the Math part of my PSAT in my freshman year and my scores just started declining after that because the only time I was using that information was in freshman algebra and Geometry. Most students are supposed to build up to that and take algebra two in their junior year and then nail the SATs because the information is fresh in their minds. Being in the advanced classes actually made me and my friends have worse test scores than average students. Standardized testing is so useless and it pisses me off.

[@jonc8074]

No Child Left Behind was just an excuse to cut funding for schools with lots of poor kids, and children who don't speak english at home as in general they do not do as well as rich white kids on this type of test, rolled out around the same time as the School to Prison pipeline. Republicans.

[@jaydencierra6214]

"what is oil? and be specific" a real question i once got a standardized test

[@alexanderreusens7633]

This is the only acceptable answer to such a question: "Just Google it!!"

[@santumi2298]

What is oil? Fucking unrefined Gas. I hate standardized test for this reason

[@GrapeappleTree]

Freedom and Democracy is the only correct answer

[@ZNI492]

The reason the US invaded my country

[@condimentking3395]

Morgan Freeman Please, your not the only one. We invade our own citizens land for it

[@peasantsoul]

Seeing the kid cry made me tear up. I hate seeing how these tests mess with the kids.

[@Butterfly1798]

Exactly. It's not right

[@joshemane]

Kids aren’t learning content. They’re learning how to take tests. There’s a difference, and a big one.

[@gnoufignon]

The tests examine the takers' knowledge of the content. Dartmouth is the first to wake up. How do you evaluate anyone's abilities without testing?

[@joshemane]

@@gnoufignon by practicing it with them. Put another way, let’s say you’re at a job, and let’s pick a base level job for the fun of it. Cashier. Do you have to take a written test? Nope. You have someone train, and you get to be taken off of training the more you demonstrate proficiency. Your hand is held and slowly let off as necessary. Most jobs, you don’t train for the test. You go through training itself - if you can’t make it past the training period, you don’t have the job. Going back to the topic of school, a lot of school systems aren’t holding the students hands and guiding them, but rather setting the students up for test taking, and then on to the next thing. I have a daughter in kindergarten. Obviously, she really hasn’t gotten to the test taking stage. I’d rather a dialogue be created as to how she’s doing on a particular subject, rather than just her get assigned a number. The fact is, some kids ARE bad test takers. They don’t learn that way.

[@joshemane]

@@gnoufignon I’m going to be super nerdy for a moment and say that I view it like “The Flash” from DC. His brain is very much enhanced by the speed force. He can learn entire languages in seconds. He can essentially freeze time and read a book on how to, let’s say, build a house. But the problem is that it doesn’t stick in his brain for very long. I view our test taking system the same way. Kids are learning as much as they need to pass the test, and then it doesn’t stick. Sorry, I’m a huge comics nerd lol

[@MrGreensweightHist]

"That question about the pineapple was stupid and absurd" The fact she realizes this tells me this girl deserves credit for her reading comprehension :)

[@Kpimpmaster]

I try to figure it out...but I keep coming back to a scene from Billy Maddison were Billy tries to compare a kids story book to a question and was told everyone who heard was now dumber

[@xelloskaczor5051]

In all fairness could be a fluke children call every test stupid and pointless. Couls be a fluke

[@kebubas]

@@xelloskaczor5051 yes, but if it was a generalization, the kid would have said the whole test was stupid. The fact she points out a part of the test shows critical thinking, which is what we should encourage in children

[@JoeCnNd]

I'll be your 666th like.

[@MrGreensweightHist]

@@idiosyncraticname Compared to many people, including more than a few in this comment section, she deserves at least a 'B'

[@karmaz3r025]

Almost all students, except for high school seniors if they are 18 or older, can legally discuss the SAT and similar tests with those little "i will not discuss this" signatures. Why? Because minors cannot enter a legal-binding contract. Unless your parent or guardian signed that test for you, you can discuss the test all you want, because your own personal underage signature voids the contract.

[@danielfrank323]

KarmaZERO holy shirt your right.

[@mintentha]

You can legally discuss them but that doesn't mean they can't cancel your scores. It's not like they're pressing legal charges, it's just an agreement

[@cookieandme23]

We don’t have to sign anything but we follow those same rules if you have a lunch. In between finishing the test you are isolated in a room with only other people who have to take the test they have a persons watch you as you eat to make sure we don’t discuss it

[@marieadelegrosso163]

Oh my gosh you’re right

[@akiakiii5879]

Actually, a contract entered by a minor is not void. It is merely voidable

[@aniawolf5491]

Last Week Tonight should do an updated piece on standardized testing, and a piece on The College Board.

[@malcolmbuehler5619]

I'm actually watching this a few hours after my AP world history test

[@shilpashiju1510]

Dude college bored has a case against it form this year exam. Ya!

[@ChazzzyF]

And now we have Betsy DeVos as our Secretary of Education. Jesus Christ, we're fucked.

[@ZeldagigafanMatthew]

not if that bitch drops dead.

[@gninja92]

ChazzzyF maybe vote on every election ? Not just when the orangutan fights the "I have a vaginas so I'm qualified " candidate

[@morganmartin5860]

We are most definitely fucked. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@remenir97]

+Robert1811 you're standards must be low. What are you into? granny?

[@wesleylance8221]

I can't say that I've ever burst into tears or vomited on my test, but i can say firsthand that us kids are given about as much respect as horny cows.

[@Polarcupcheck]

Do you play on your phone and fuck around the whole class?

[@jayjaythejetplane5390]

Polarcupcheck I think I speak for many students when I say that I work hard and pay attention in class. We still get fuck all respect from people who I assume have a similar mind set as you.

[@avocadokin]

Polarcupcheck I work hard and get good grades but before I was diagnosed and given medication for my ADHD I got bad test scores. I didn't play around in class and didn't have a mobile device. I still got bad scores though. Luckily because how how well I did in class I still got in advanced classes but this could have easily gone a lot worse for me.

[@98doom]

I constantly use to crave ABCD over and over during pracc testing

[@daylight8208]

Wesley Lance most ACT like horny cows

[@rinwhittney5039]

I remember standardized test in my middle school, they said they wouldn't keep the scores and it wouldn't affect anything. guess what they lied, you can still see the scores and they DID affect our grades

[@theshawshankinception1220]

As a white guy who grew up in an upper-middle-class household who has a natural gift for test-taking and information absorption, especially in Mathematics, and who is just seeing this now as a 23 year old man, this is a massive eye-opener.

[@ameynanote]

Do parents watch this show. Do adults realize what is happening to our system? This is very sad indeed the education system must be improved.

[@nicholishaw6833]

+Amey Nanote Currently a student myself, it's complete bullshit. Had to take a test last year for Algebra I, if you don't pass the test you don't graduate. You needed to get 1500, I got 1498 and will have to take the test again, or take a "project", which is a thirteen hour question and analysis test which is harder than the test itself.

[@ameynanote]

Nicholi Shaw Same here I have to get atleast Excellence or I don't get the wanted subjects next year and will have to repeat the whole year again.

[@dedrick7949]

+Amey Nanote I'm 12 so when i take FSA (Florida, Standerized, Assesment[ Something may be spelled wrong]) and we sign the contract and my parents say "screw the contract tell us everything".

[@caothienphuc]

+Amey Nanote My parents, including their siblings, agree that the only thing parents should give a dam about is the grade. Doesn't matter whether the school throw a ridiculous tests or knives and bullets at the students, straight As or get disowned. (a little exaggeration but you still don't want to get anything less than A- in this family)

[@ameynanote]

Ganhur Cao No Offense but maybe its case of if you can buy your parents good grades then cool. Meaning if I say "Hey do you want your son to get good grades just pay this much" your parents would probably do that. I mean I really don't mean any offense heck my friend has parents like this. I do too to some degree (more career-wise strict). But yeah I agree with you man its hard now a days.

[@Tracymmo]

The comments here from high school students are terrific. So many bright, articulate kids who want a good education and who see through bad curriculum and standardized tests. That kind of skepticism and thoughtfulness will be a lifelong strength.

[@Bobelponge123]

Is this sarcasm?

[@aoeu256]

Some of them are just repeating what other people say though...

[@marcmarroquin259]

Hey I go to a public school and this shits actually real, like it or not our systems fucked up

[@Mica_T]

Except, as far as I see, few are coming up with solutions as to how to fix the system. It's easy to identify a problem. It's difficult to find a feasible solution.

[@B.A.G.Studios]

Not sure it’s indicative of intelligence, I know a lot of morons and we all hated the Pearson shitrags they handed us. Most anyone is going to buck at “Hello. Take this test, if you fail, you don’t have a future anymore. Hope you like trash collection! You have 65 minutes.”

[@DepressinglyOptimistic]

When we did our standardized tests (before no child left behind), we had one grade that did english, one that did math, and so on... so I ended up doing math tests for 5 years in a row. It wasn't until 8th grade that our state began testing each grade in all subjects. And the problem isn't the test itself, it is that the teachers knew what their class was going to be tested in, so that would be our main focus. So for 5 years in a row, we had 20 students (in my class alone) mainly learning math with everything else falling to the wayside (the other class in my grade always got english, thne other schools in the district would get the other subjects) . This made for a lof of catching up when we went to middle school and suddenly had to understand what we should have been learning equally the entire time. And by seperatign subjects across the schools, we never had a clue we were supposed to do anything different.

[@jsdrury2416]

School is hell, im a sophomore in highschool and its hard to even get out of bed anymore

[@spookyscaryskeletonssendss2789]

I'm now in college, but I can still remember my teachers literally telling us that our scored would affect their jobs. They would straight up tell us that if we didn't do well they could get in trouble. I also don't think that standardized testing, even tests like the SAT or ACT, are accurate. Don't get me wrong; to a certain degree they are. People don't just get a 2000+ on the SAT for nothing, but it definitely punishes students who are slow readers, or the ones who have an eye for detail, or one's that like to write more things out. I was a decent student, didnt study, and scored 1830 on my PSAT without studying. My friends who had consistent honor student records, had 4.0+ gpas, and were state level competitors in various science club competitions like Science Olympia did not score more than a 1600 after studying for it for a week. And before people say "oh, it doesn't matter" or "it balances out", just know that these scores can cause them to lose out on THOUSANDS of dollars in scholarship money. I wish John Oliver would do a video on colleges to follow this one up :)

[@reginaphalange8955]

Revo Red "Fuck the ACTs" because you're upset you got a low score despite trying hard... I don't understand the logic behind that argument

[@optimisms]

Absolutely! I have ADHD and get testing accommodations, but my school didn't tell me that I had to file with College Board to get those accommodations on their tests. So my PSAT, the big one in 11th grade, I didn't get extended time, and I literally didn't even get to half of the test questions in the math sections. So in 11th grade, my english score went up 30 points, but my math went down 50, and I'm ONE point below my school's threshold for the National Merit Scholar competition. I get a letter, commending me for my score, and that's it. And they refuse to admit any responsibility for my THOUSANDS of lost dollars. My parents considered suing but we don't have the energy or time to deal with that, lots of medical issues and stuff that take away from that. But it's so infuriating every time I think about it. Oh, and here's the zinger: when I took the SAT after getting accommodations, I got a 1580 (out of 1600) without studying. Perfect on math. Who knows what I could have gotten on the PSAT?

[@personncfdhbhbv]

Problem is you really can't study for the Sat or Act. You just have to hope you have seen the topics in your classes up to that point

[@BSKX17]

Is there anything in America that's not controlled by big companies?

[@yes904]

Profano Caballero Big Companies.

[@kingchimp1942]

Project Pancake they are controlled by bigger companies

[@andromedaiscoming185]

where are you from? just wondering.

[@pattizayas1051]

ikr.......

[@erinjones4902]

John Oliver

[@jxc1640]

Hearing the names McGraw and Pearson immediately make my day worse. Also, I’m in an AP US history class. What does my teacher say on the first day? “There isn’t enough time for me to go over everything in the test.” Well that was very reassuring. Want to know what the class passing rate was for the test in 2020? Only 30%.

[@akish302]

“There are 800 small children weighing 50 lbs each on a rickety bus on a tightrope. Find the color of the tightrope.”

[@skipperinoagadmatorino5788]

I'm a French middle scooler and I'm offended *puts out his cigarette*

[@Churuhut]

Dude... you spelled "schooler" wrong

[@Churuhut]

@@zUJ7EjVD I wasn't being rude or anything. Was just letting him/her know. BTW I do speak French and German.

[@Kittsim]

@@Churuhut You really scooled him.

[@rehksthemess9800]

My friend actually attempted suicide last year when finals came around she's fine now thankfully but if school drives you to do that, I think we have a problem

[@Elisabeth4844]

That is so sad!

[@megabigblur]

Kids killing themselves over exam stress happens all the time in Asia. That's what you get for worshipping Singapore and South Korea just because they have high science and maths scores. So do the Scandinavian countreis but they don't have an academic culture that stresses kids out to the point of suicide. Dunno why the USA didn't look to them instead.

[@nostalgicmind3432]

G G even though they have everything handed to them from day 1

[@whatever9097]

I know so many people who have immense stress, depression, and so many other issues because of school.

[@nicoleb695]

Jesus I'm glad shes doing better but that's horrible that she was pushed by the system to that point!

[@LakeFX]

Watching in 2020 like: What are these "schools" of which you speak?

[@nerdly745]

Me: *hears Pearson* *ptsd enabled* PEARSONNN!!!! I’ve been outta high school for 2 years and I still get chills when I hear Pearson..

[@willzyxOfficial]

I was raised in one of these top ranking European countries, never had any intense testing as a kid. One nationwide test at age 12, that we barely prepare for, and at high school graduation. How does the US think education works...? Americans have some deeply ingrained hate of government interference, but seem to not mind being slaves to corporations.

[@cuuy]

+Not Todd Howard "1. Look at the rest of the world 2. Pretend it doesn't exist" Really seems like it's true, otherwise I cant understand how the us government believed that they can improve the school system simply with more tests. So many countries have better school system, and they don't do it with more tests. Maybe except some asian countries. But you don't really want that pressure and high suicide quote around exam season for the students.

[@EmilioReyes_97]

willzyx .....Mind letting me in on how your country's education works?

[@angeldela7633]

willzyx how does you system work

[@Careonovam]

@@angeldela7633 since there was no answer, I feel like it won't hurt to butt in... In Germany, we have a system that is clearly not the best, but works pretty well - without students passing out or vomiting because of tests. When the child starts school, it will be in the "Grundschule" (Basics School, don't know how to describe it better) for 4 years, where the basics are taught. After that, the way splits. Children who have passed their tests (a few small ones, a few bigger ones over the years, all count together) with very good and good marks (rated from good to bad 1 to 6) have the opportunity to go to the "Gymnasium", where they receive a more difficult education. Students who do average also have that option if they want to, but mostly they choose to go to the "Hauptschule" (Main School). While the Gymnasium will be 8 years (so 12 together with the Grundschule), the Hauptschule is only 6 years (10 together with the Grundschule. While it still has a good education, it is not as highly regarded as the Gymnasium. Lastly, children who do poor on most of their tests and in school (behavior, social interaction etc) because of either learning disabilities or other reasons will go to the "Realschule", which is only for 4 years, so 8 together with the Grundschule. If you finish the Gymnasium, you will be able to study in every field you want to or visit an university. If you finish the Realschule, you will be able to study MOST jobs. And lastly, if you finish the Hauptschule, you will (in most cases) only be able to work in low paying "no-brainer" jobs. That last point is a big flaw in the system, because it doesn't take children with ADHD, bad family backgrounds and such into consideration. There are other options for such children, but to explain that, I would need way more time and space than I have. Hope I could be of help, have a beautiful day, good sir =)

[@Elisabeth4844]

And now the interests of the corporations ARE the government!

[@SirLotzz]

You study for an exam that you'll forget about after you take it. >.>

[@BigWalt1722]

SirLotzz #Im14andIthinkthisisedgy

[@martix41]

SirLotzz yeah because after you take the exam, you stop studying it... In order for you to actually remember, you need to be continuously studying the same subject, or endlessly revising it.

[@GrantTheHierophant]

SirLotzz I completely forgot all of the math taught to me in 10-12th grade, as well as any science taught to me ever.

[@goclbert]

That's how school everwhere works. You spend 12 years of your life learning ramdom crap and then you go to university where you slowly trim the fat until you are finally only taking classes that matter.

[@davethewave9939]

I'm planning to become a biochemist, and I can already see that most of the math I am taught is useless. Tell me, when am I going to ever use geometry or algebra 2 trig when mixing chemicals?

[@arianal5028]

10:59 as a student that is still in school I have seen 4 of those logos this month. And McGraw Hill is my homework every day so I’m not surprised

[@oliverc.karstark1950]

This is the first time my country has been in one of your episodes... When showing the ranking in 1999... For a split second. Shoutout from international number 12, Austria! BTW: schools sometimes don't let students take these tests if they're too bad at the tested subject... So these "bad students" don't mess up the overall score. We have a lot of work to do still, too, despite what our rankings say.

[@ziziroberts8041]

The No Child Left Behind Act is the longest oxymoron ever written. Standardized discrimination. How many Congress members own stock in educational publishing and testing services?

[@EndlessSummer888]

That's the problem, education isn't happening in the meeting rooms of our legislative buildings. It happens in schools and classrooms, and the people who are doing it are students and teachers. If you remove their discretion, it stops working. And the No Child Left Behind legislation was bullshit from the beginning, because millions of children are being left behind. Which, obviously, wouldn't be an attractive name for legislation - Millions of Children Left Behind. And it's only been a couple decades since the politicians were talking about giving kids a headstart. Headstart? Left behind? Someone's losing ground here.

[@itsikabitch9005]

No Child Left Behind is a nicer way of saying No Child Gets Ahead, and it didn’t even help the ones getting left behind.

[@oliverc.karstark1950]

We have something similar in our country, too. Our school system divides kids at the age of 9/10 into "classes" depending on overall intelligence and how well you did. The "smartest" go on to schools called "Gymnasium" that go for 8 to 9 years, whose Motto is "we encourage talents" meaning they'll support whatever you seem to be good at but recently they've made changes testing every higher educational school on the same standards. so schools focusing on languages will get tested on the same standards and with the exact same exercises as those who focus on physics, math, and chemistry. it's pretty demented, really... Progress? Nah fam. Greetings from Austria, national motto: we're irrelevant suckers you've never heard of, but we sure are important!

[@Contra1828]

And it gives schools a financial incentive to teach for the test, even cheat to raise test scores. I remember an incident when I was in 5th grade that seems really sketchy in retrospect: I was taking a 5th grade state standardized test when I was in elementary school - for context, it was an inner city school, not terrible, but probably below average as schools go, and I was always a pretty smart student, so it's quite possible I got one of their highest scores. The next day, they called me into the office, gave me my test with some questions circled, and told me I should re-read them and take another chance to answer. Didn't strike me as odd then, but I'm pretty sure that's against the rules - probably they really wanted to brag about having a student with a perfect score so they could get more funding.

[@vee1267]

Zizi Roberts sometimes I think the people who drafted No Child Left Behind must have met up one day and were like, “alright, we gotta name this thing, and I’m getting bored just looking at it - hey guys, what’s the most ironic name you can think of? I could use a good laugh”. And then they just rolled with it.

[@Zelousmarineinspace]

All I can say is: THANK FUCK I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA

[@tessabunselmeyer9432]

Lucky

[@hayleymoore4344]

SAME WE ARE BLESSED BESIDES NAPLAN

[@hayleymoore4344]

I know its easy, but the preparation for it and its so stressful during the weeks that its on.

[@naimacrisp926]

+That Guy I think you are missing a huge point: our schooling system is equally based upon poor assumptions such as: each child comes into school with thousands of hours of reading. However, not every culture tells their stories through 'reading' and so these children do not come to school with the necessary 'schooling equipment' to help them succeed - because our system assumes that each child will have a certain type of experience at home. NAPLAN is no exception and in fact, through research it has been shown that NAPLAN is mainly projected by ordinary businesses. It is a huge income revenue for educational companies such as Pearson, who continue to help extend the differences between those who find NAPLAN easy and those who just don't have the cultural capital to complete it to the best of their ability. Not only this, schools put a lot of pressure on their teachers to ensure that their students do well in NAPLAN to make their school look good. So teachers have to succumb to the rising pressures of the curriculum, which has to get put aside so that the school 'looks good'. This means that students are learning purely for the test situation and not for life skills. Just because you had an easy experience of NAPLAN does not mean everyone else has and that it is a good system. Maybe you should try to put yourself in someone else's shoes or try doing NAPLAN in a language that is not one that you know - then maybe you will start to see that Australia's NAPLAN is not so 'easy'.

[@spartanhawk7637]

+Zelousmarineinspace and you have the most deadly creatures on Earth living on your continent. sleep tight, don't let the salt water crocodiles and black mamba snakes bite!

[@alexiggutierrez]

I grew up in FL (I'm 22 now), I can say from personal experience that I always got put in the classes with the "lower-performing" students because of my test scores; because of that I was an average grade student, I was never challenged and classes where just stuff I already knew so I didn't care. Also, no one cared/knew what the FCAT stood for so it was regularly defined as "Florida Children Are Tortured" so yeah... it was fun. I've also known people to have panic attacks, faint, vomit, etc. I had a large HS so every year it happened. I was genuinely surprised they didn't just have an ambulance on standby. Hell, when I got my SAT results I had a full-on breakdown and it took my mom 2 hours just to get me to stop crying.

[@WolfenRyujin]

Considering my school years are almost two decades behind me, i'm still very glad that here in germany there are few, if any, standardized tests. Most of the tests we took in school were built in a way that you had to freely write your answer, which helped at least me remember most of the stuff better.

[@peanutbutter1009]

that clown reference at the beginning is terribly relevant right now...

[@mindermedia9136]

Omg....

[@jamesmcclellan907]

I agree and for that I'm not going to dreas up like a clown for howleen

[@megdmstie4348]

💃🏻👉🏻👌🏻😈👶🏼

[@alvarohernandez4557]

Eli Schwartz I'm from the future and it's going to be alright they're irrelevant now

[@jake0q213]

Eli Schwartz and terribly unfunny

[@incendere244]

"benchmarks, diagnostics and tests" what are they, kids or computer components?

[@incendere244]

FCAT? THAT SHIT IS A GPU BENCHMARK, THEY DO TEST KIDS LIKE COMPUTER COMPONETS

[@helioskitty9328]

It makes sense that a culture which treats its adults as mechanical parts would use equipment-based metrics for the children.

[@Omegeddon]

I wish GPU rendering was on the curriculum

[@larrygan9839]

HeliosKitty

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Or? That would require schools seeing any difference.

[@chaoticnetural5752]

Common core was so terrible- I’m so glad I moved to an IB school. I remember writing a guided essay about the safety pin- did you know the original inventor of the safety pin actually make it to pay off debt to the person who actually got all the credit for it? I know that. I also, at the time of writing that essay, did not know where Portugal was on the map. In 5th grade.

[@jessierabbit]

I took the SAT's a couple years back in high school when I was a junior. Now I'm not a mathematician or anything, but I'm pretty decent at math, especially algebra and trigonometry. Now you can understand my complete and utter confusion when solving a very simple algebra question on the SAT where none of the correct answers are listed. I talked to my friends after about it, and they also said they were confused. On top of that, there was also a calculus question that was wrong (I was in precalc at the time, so I couldn't solve it anyway). How do you even answer a question correctly when they're wrong to begin with????

[@obrien92]

There was one test I took where a girl literally cried, vomited, and then passed out because she didn't eat or sleep in preparation for the test. They still made her take it.

[@matthew_natividad]

That's fucked up

[@GregaMeglic]

Damn. If that happened in our country people would start screaming bloody vengence and demanding heads start to roll.

[@ChunkyWaterisReal]

+Grega Meglic if you do that in america you just get labeled as a violent progressive/terrorist. the propaganda machine in america is fucking insane.

[@GregaMeglic]

Conlan Hinkel that is sad to say the least. the base for democracy is a population taking the government out on every single piece of bullshit they produce, going by defenition.

[@leviethan7893]

That's f'd up

[@EnLaLuna23]

They’re supposed to measure intelligence, but all they measure is your ability to take a test. I’m lucky in that I usually do well on standardized tests but I have so many friends who are incredibly smart but don’t do well because of test taking anxiety. It sucks that these tests determine ours (and our teachers’) scores

[@lizvargas6576]

I also get anxiety when taking test and is what brings my grades down.🙁😔

[@charlescannon2469]

And I'm the exact opposite, I rock at tests and couldn't really do shit with daily work, tedium shuts my brain down. But since tests were so important I passed a multiple grades spending nearly every day not doing any school work or being detention.

[@jirachiteaminstinct4310]

Charles Cannon I was exactly the same way. Class is tedious and boring. Often completely irrelevant to real life. Tests on the other hand are competitive and put you under pressure, so it feels like your doing something productive.

[@no_peace]

They're supposed to measure learning/improvement not intelligence

[@adelepattonxxx]

How can he make legitimate social and political issues that are awful and research them in a wonderful journalistic manner, going over so many awful things and make me laugh, so much. John oliver and Team- i vote for you !!!

[@Marlyjade]

This gives me flashbacks to highschool. I am so glad that I have graduated and don't have to take the STAAR anymore. To put how crazy it is, they make you take mock staar tests before the real one before freshman year. I moved to America and my first day of school was on a 'STAAR Simulation' day. It is a 4 hour test that literally doesn't count to anything. It fucking sucked. I legit was scared Especially because it is not that good for those of us with disability. It is draining. I hated it.

[@agitodragoon3736]

I relate so hard to this- STAAR is just a fuckin nightmare of a test since you could get straight As in a class but still fail the grade if you fail the STAAR

[@Midna127]

"What does the test say?" "Get your middle finger out, get your middle finger out, GET YOUR MIDDLE FINGER OUT!!!"

[@testticklehead]

So while I was working at Pearson all of the employees were notified that John Oliver was doing a "positive" piece on Pearson. Most employees tuned in and quickly realized that he was bashing the company and showing Pearson's true side. The next day Upper management hid their faces in shame and we were told that John Oliver failed to show the true face of Pearson. Oh how we all had a laugh. I worked for Pearson for 6 years in several departments. Long story short.....upper management made such bad decisions that most US employees thought that they were purposely sabotaging the company.

[@batman8214]

Holy crap! That´s crazy, thank you for your comment. It´s good to hear from someone that was once on the inside.

[@jannegrey593]

Thanks for this comment. Seriously.

[@nicolaslevraud5311]

I guess hiding in shame is better than sueing him, at least they admit there is a problem. Thanks for your comment.

[@RickReasonnz]

Whaaaaat.... who in their right mind, when hearing that their company will be featured on LWT... would assume it would be positive? Have the management ever SEEN John Oliver?

[@jimmythornseed8605]

Those execs should get an F for even thinking being the subject of the show would be a good thing. It's obvious none of them studied it.

[@mitchellsimerly6287]

Most kids I went to school with didnt care about the standardized test... it didnt impact our grades

[@crystalcrusader8832]

I just turned 20 this year. I had to take many tests. As a young kid I remember reading a test question about writing a story about a specific moment in my life that the test assumed I had. I did not have that. For most kids they could’ve just lied about it, but the idea of writing something I had no experience with was so overwhelming I began to cry, and had to be escorted out of the room so I wouldn’t cry on my test. My teacher literally came up to me and pushed the booklet away. 12 or so years later I was finally tested for Autism. My grade school teachers and counselors apparently saw the warning signs, but never cared enough to give me the one test that would’ve saved me years of frustration. I’m still mad about that.

[@coalblooded]

Man, seriously, I often look back at moments in my childhood where it was glaringly obvious to everyone but me and yet nothing was done to test and diagnose my autism way back then. It's helpful knowing now, but a few decades ago would've been better.

[@r-robertson-d]

Not only do they have protocol for if a student vomits on the test booklet, they also added protocols for if a student faints, has a panic attack, or attempts to harm themselves during the test. The protocol is essentially "if they don't need to be taken to a hospital, give them water and make them finish the test."

[@megabigblur]

This is child abuse

[@nathanielclaw2841]

Harm themselves!? WTF?

[@brando51]

Nathaniel Claw I was in a class and a girl started cutting her wrists with scissors to get out of the test

[@tearstainsonmycheeks]

G G the incredible amount of stress and knowing that if you do horribly, you will feel like a disappointment, yes. Now, please stop insulting people for things you quite obviously know nothing about.

[@Kpimpmaster]

Sounds like China’s employee heath plan

[@themangotango95]

I couldn't op out of my standardized tests.

[@Sam-ll6wt]

themangotango95 ya i wish i could have, every year i had school was just test prep for the standardized tests so that the schools can get funds... Not to teach kids..

[@fangoroth6600]

Samuel Bechard Junior year my English teacher didn't even bother with the smokescreen. She told us that everything until the last few weeks of the year would be to focus on prepping for the test.

[@KetchupBlogs]

Samuel Bechard My whole grade school life was set like this. They would push and rush us to learn things just in time for the SATs. They did it for school reputation and not for our own benefit. It's sad.

[@Codyak13]

themangotango95 Standarised*

[@AmitAboukrat]

Codyak13 whale-cum 2 da internet were ppl type sht da wai dey liek...

[@ab-hk2ld]

i don‘t know any student who has no nightmares about school, even as grownups. the pressure is immense (even in countries in central europe)

[@wackeydelly2016]

As a math teacher, I took my certification tests by you guested it, Pearson. I failed the calculus portion the first time because it was so badly written. I have a BS in Pure Math and have taken dozens of calculus based classes including ones that required page long proofs but fail a dumb multiple choice test? Its ridiculous.

[@ucHorrible]

20 of us walked out for the parcc test and they locked us out. we ordered 3 large pizzas

[@fossilfighters101]

+

[@chrisanderson1813]

I can eat half a pizza on my own. The math doesn't add up.

[@RJMoreno]

+Chris Anderson They didn't know. They didn't take the test.

[@thetortoise4107]

+Chris Anderson maybe everyone only had one slice? they had 24 slices total and 20 people

[@chrisanderson1813]

Sounds like a lame pizza party.

[@underwaterlion5453]

Who needs sleep anyways?

[@cleansandshark1]

Lol right?

[@Rorington]

J Lal Noone.

[@atomknight8361]

Exactly

[@asspleendough]

I have a standardized test in 4 hours!

[@maxchavez5032]

Funny thing is, i have one of these tests tomorrow.

[@Dalton-ke9rw]

Even after graduating high school a few years ago just hearing the word pearson fills me with rage cause of how awful there tests and assignments were

[@kellyb7321]

I'm from Florida and the first 2 years of high school were basically nothing but FCAT prep. It was so rote and repetitive and you could see the teachers resenting it every single day. Then the next 2 years were all about SATs, AP exams, and college entrance exams. Not sure I really learned anything other than how to properly fill in a scantron.