S2 E12: Standardized Testing, Baltimore & Bud Light: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

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Protests in Baltimore and Media Coverage

John Oliver criticizes the media's coverage of the protests in Baltimore following Freddie Gray's death, particularly Heraldo Rivera's mistaken identification of a protestor as Russell Simmons.
Oliver highlights the disparities in bail amounts set for police officers charged in Gray's death compared to protestors, with one protestor facing a $500,000 bail for misdemeanor charges.

Oliver discusses the incident in Venezuela where President Nicolás Maduro was hit in the head with a mango by a woman who was subsequently promised an apartment by the government.
Oliver suggests using fruit to improve government efficiency and proposes sending mangoes to expedite passport renewals.

Oliver criticizes Bud Light's slogan "the perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night," calling it problematic and insensitive.
Oliver points out that the slogan went through multiple layers of approval within Budweiser, suggesting a lack of critical thinking and sensitivity.
Oliver concludes by critiquing Bud Light's "Up for Whatever" campaign, arguing that the ads are misleading and the beer tastes unpleasant.

Standardized tests are causing anxiety among students and teachers.
In the Lower Hudson Valley, over 25% of students opted out of taking the state test.
Students take an average of 113 standardized tests between kindergarten and graduation.
The No Child Left Behind program increased the number of federally mandated tests from six to 17.
The Common Core, which was adopted by many states, also increased the number of standardized tests.
Tying teacher pay to student test scores has led to some unfair evaluations of teachers.
Standardized tests are not always accurate measures of student ability.
Some students who do well in school have low test scores, which can have negative consequences for them.
It is unclear who benefits from standardized tests, as they can be bad for teachers and students.

Pearson, a major educational testing company, has a significant influence on American schools.
Pearson's tests are used throughout a student's education, from kindergarten to 8th grade, and even in the GED exam.
Pearson's tests have been criticized for technical glitches, slow grading, and confusing or erroneous content, such as a test question about a talking pineapple.
Pearson hires test graders through Craigslist, and some former graders have reported being given quotas for certain scores, rather than grading based on merit.

Standardized tests have been in place for over a decade, but there is no evidence that they have narrowed the achievement gap or improved international test scores.
The current testing system enriches companies, pays and fires teachers based on a flawed formula, and lacks transparency.
The author calls for a reevaluation of the testing system and suggests that it may not be working as intended.