The following information is provided by Ze’ev Wurman.
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The Common Core math standards were written by three people:
Bill McCallum: PhD in mathematics
Jason Zimba: PhD in mathematical physics
Phil Daro: Masters degree in English, with some involvement in elementary math but almost no knowledge of higher mathWhat do the math related writers say?
Bill McCallum, a key CCSSM author, said this at the 2010 joint AMS/MAA annual meeting:
“the overall standards would not be too high, certainly not in comparison other nations, including East Asia, where math education excels.”
In March 2010 Jason Zimba, another of the key CCSSM authors, testified in front of the Mass. Board of Ed and said:
“[Common Core’s] concept of college readiness is minimal and focuses on non-selective colleges.”
And just recently we’ve heard from Trevor Packer, Senior VP at the College Board and in charge of its AP program, speaking at the 2013 annual conference of School Superintendents Association (AASA) (video here) and indicating that the Common Core is less rigorous than what high schools routinely teach today and, consequently, the College Board is considering eliminating AP calculus.
“In particular, AP Calculus is in conflict with the Common Core, Packer said, and it lies outside the sequence of the Common Core because of the fear that it may unnecessarily rush students into advanced math classes for which they are not prepared.
The College Board suggests a solution to the problem. of AP Calculus. “If you’re worried about AP Calculus and fidelity to the Common Core, we recommend AP Statistics and AP Computer Science,” he told conference attendees.”
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So, the two authors who are experts in math say the standards aren’t very high, and the AP college board says AP calculus is in conflict with Common Core and students won’t be prepared for it. It appears Common Core has put calculus on death row. How can the Utah state board and state office of education continue to maintain that Common Core standards are more rigorous than our A- rated 2007 math standards which got most students through algebra in 8th grade and allows most students to take calculus in 12th? Common Core gets most students to pre-calculus by 12th grade, leaving them to take calculus in college.
Here’s a suggestion for Common Core…GET RID OF THIS HORRIBLE CURRICULUM!!!!
FYI, Common Core is a set of Standards. It is not the Curriculum. There is a vast difference between the two, which many posters on this forum seem to be missing.
Standards are a set of minimum goals that students should meet.
Curriculum is set by the states and school districts so it is still under local control. There is nothing stopping the states from setting their curriculum to meet these standards and going beyond them if they choose to.
Common Core standards WILL become the curriculum. Every textbook publisher has probably already got most of their new materials underway to meet the needs of and support Common Core. To think textbook publishers will go above and beyond Common Core is a pipe dream. Remember what has happened to education and standards in the last decade. History repeats itself, don’tcha know. Dumbing down again. How low can ya’ go.
Common Core is not a “curriculum,” and it does not prescribe precisely what should be taught or how that content should be delivered. Common Core is a set of minimum standards that students for which students are expected to be held accountable. Local districts have flexibility to meet these minimum standards in the way they see fit — nobody is forcing a particular set of lessons on students or saying more advanced content cannot be included.