A Utah parent posted this on his Facebook page. This is from a Common Core assessment.
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PARENTS please read this. My 3rd grade little girl was out sick for one week. Her teacher asked if she could complete a test online. Here is an example of a comprehension story with questions. THIS IS PURE BRAINWASHING. I am a capitalist and find the below completely inappropriate. What education value does the below have. I look forward to your comments. WARNING YOU MIGHT NEED SOME DUCT TAPE!
“Money Means Worries”
A rich merchant named Chen had all the money he needed. He lived in perfect comfort. His food was rich, his bed was soft, and his clothing was beautiful.
A poor potter named Li lived next door. He did not have much money. He ate simple food, he slept on the floor, and he wore old, plain clothes. His only treasure was a golden canary that lived in a wooden cage.
The merchant worked day and night. He hunched over his account books, adding and subtracting. He yelled at his clerks and made them work as hard as he did. He rarely stopped work to eat a real meal. He ate at his desk and hardly noticed the delicious food. Late at night, the tired man went to bed, but he was unable to sleep. Thinking about money, he tossed and turned in his soft bed.
His neighbor spent the day making pots from clay. At the end of the day, Li sat in his garden and enjoyed a simple supper. Then he brought his canary outside. Li played his flute while the canary sand. At night, Li slept soundly on his floor.
For years, the music from the garden had disturbed the merchant. It made him angry. One sleepless night, he came up with a plan to make the music stop.
The next afternoon, he visited his neighbor. He held out a sack of gold coins and gave it to Li. Chen said, “You have been a good neighbor for many years. Here is a gift for you.”
Li thanked Chen. Then he sat in his garden, thinking about the money. Should he hide it? Should he spend it? The poor canary cried for its owner, but Li was lost in his thoughts. He forgot about his supper. He forgot about his flute. He thought all night long.
Chen grinned happily at the success of his plan. He knew that having money would destroy Li’s simple pleasures.
Le made no pots the next day. He did not eat or play the flute. He just worried about the money all day. He worried throughout the long, sleepless night.
The next morning, his canary took pity on him. “Money means worries,” she sang. “Give it back. Give it back.”
Li heard the canary’s song. He remembered how happy he had been before the money arrived. He picked up the bag of coins and went next door.
WHY WAS CHEN ANGRY?
A. His clerks were cheating him
B. Li’s happiness disturbed him
C. His neighbors were richer than he was
D. Li made beautiful pots while he only made money
WHAT LESSON DID LI LEARN IN THIS STORY?
A. Nature is beautiful
B. People should save their money
C. Money does not buy happiness
D. It is important to be a good neighbor
WHAT WOULD BE ANOTHER GOOD TITLE FOR THIS STORY?
A. “The Magic Canary”
B. “A Mean Neighbor”
C. “Rich with Happiness”
D. “Music and Money”
Which meaning of the homonym plain is used in the following sentence?
He wore old, plain clothes.
A. Flat
B. Pure
C. Clear
D. Simple
Li sat in his garden and enjoyed a simple supper.
Which word has the same middle sound as the pp in supper?
A. Open
B. Nap
C. Rabbit
D. Pilot
Ridiculous! Was this in Utah?
This is a Pearson online Common Core test. It happened in Utah, but Pearson is national. The school just allowed the child to take the test at home due to being sick for a week. That might have been a no-no, but it’s perfect to illustrate that we don’t know what our children are being tested on because the parent happened to see this test question. The upcoming AIR/SAGE exams are not allowed to be viewed by parents or teachers. There is a 15 parent panel that is supposed to review thousands of questions in 1 single week in the next month or so to look for issues. There’s no way they can see all the questions and carefully evaluate them for content and indoctrination.
My daughter attends Mount Jordan Middle School in Canyons School District. My daughters first story in her Language Arts textbook (Mirrors and Windows) at school was about a dog that dies but then comes back to visit a girl in the hospital at the end of the story. I know this because I asked my child to check out the textbook so I could see just what sort of stories she is being exposed to her LA class.
My daughter told me that they took a test after they read the story. She then told me what was “strange” was that they had to take a *separate* test before the test asking if they “believed in ghosts” as well as after the test, again asking if “they believed in ghosts.”
Does anybody think this has significance? More agenda here? More indoctrination? I agreed with her that it was strange. Especially the fact that it was a *separate* questionnaire.
I would like to know what the “correct” answers were. I know what my answers would be but I am sure that is not what the indoctrination answers would be in this story.
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