US opts out of test designed to teach students to spot biased reporting

By ERIN DOOLEY • Jan 25, 2018, 6:09 PM ET

The United States - along with the U.K and 42 other countries - has opted out of a standardized test designed, in part, to assess whether children can spot "biases" in news reports, the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development confirms to ABC News.

The "global competence test," developed by OECD for 15-year-old students worldwide, aims to measure a student's ability to identify "biases and gaps in information," according to documents posted by the organization's committee on student assessment.

A test handbook includes a sample question about a misleading article on global warming.

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A spokesperson for the federal Department of Education declined to respond to ABC News' request for comment, but the department told Business Insider: "All schools are already required to teach pupils to have a mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs, so in order to not place additional burden on them, we will not be taking part in this smaller scale Global Competence assessment."