There is a great article by George Will in the Washington Post slamming Common Core. Here’s a clip and link.
Doubts over Common Core
By George F. Will, Published: January 15
Viewed from Washington, which often is the last to learn about important developments, opposition to the Common Core State Standards Initiative still seems as small as the biblical cloud that ariseth out of the sea, no larger than a man’s hand. Soon, however, this education policy will fill a significant portion of the political sky.
The Common Core represents the ideas of several national organizations (of governors and school officials) about what and how children should learn. It is the thin end of an enormous wedge. It is designed to advance in primary and secondary education the general progressive agenda of centralization and uniformity.
Understandably, proponents of the Common Core want its nature and purpose to remain as cloudy as possible for as long as possible. Hence they say it is a “state-led,” “voluntary” initiative to merely guide education with “standards” that are neither written nor approved nor mandated by Washington, which would never, ever “prescribe” a national curriculum. Proponents talk warily when describing it because a candid characterization would reveal yet another Obama administration indifference to legality.
World Net Daily has posted an excellent article on the data collection issues under Common Core.
The spying on Americans by the National Security Agency and the Internal Revenue Service’s attacks on conservative groups are “like a walk in the park” compared to government plans to track school children, says a prominent national education researcher, analyst and Johns Hopkins-trained pediatrician.
Dr. Karen Effrem, president of the national watchdog group, Education Liberty Watch, is sounding an alarm about Common Core, the federal education standards that almost all states are adopting by accepting federal “Race to the Top” funding.
Under Common Core, Effrem said, students’ personal information increasingly is being collected, measured and assessed while the standards shift the focus away from academics and toward psychological training and testing of personal attitudes and behaviors.
Browsing the web there are more and more teachers speaking out against Common Core. Here’s one by teacher Elizabeth Natale that is a sad commentary on the plight of teachers.
“Teaching is the most difficult — but most rewarding — work I have ever done. It is, however, art, not science. A student’s learning will never be measured by any test, and I do not believe the current trend in education will lead to adults better prepared for the workforce, or to better citizens. For the sake of students, our legislators must reach this same conclusion before good teachers give up the profession — and the children — they love.”
Amazing news. Blue state New York looks to be the first on its way to fully dropping Common Core, and it’s a push from teachers who saw first hand the damage done to children with Common Core’s high stakes adaptive testing. I never would have thought the NY teachers union was taking its marching orders from the extreme right wing… :) Looks like that argument will have to be replaced.
“The Board of Directors of the New York State United Teachers, a union with more than 600,000 members, has approved a resolution that withdraws its earlier support for the Common Core State Standards ”as implemented and interpreted” by the New York Education Department. It also declares ”no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King and calls for a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.”
…
The resolution declares “no confidence” in King, calling for his removal, and, according to a union release, is asking for the following:
* completion of all modules, or lessons, aligned with the Common Core and time for educators to review them to ensure they are grade-level appropriate and aligned with classroom practice;
* better engagement with parents, including listening to their concerns about their children’s needs;
* additional tools, professional development and resources for teachers to address the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English language learners;
* full transparency in state testing, including the release of all test questions, so teachers can use them in improving instruction;
* postponement of Common Core Regents exams as a graduation requirement;
* the funding necessary to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve the Common Core standards. The proposed Executive Budget would leave nearly 70 percent of the state’s school districts with less state aid in 2014-15 than they had in 2009-10; and
* a moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education Department – and school districts – more time to correctly implement the Common Core.
The best way to express your disappointment is to help your legislators understand that we want out of Common Core and it’s agenda and strings. We already know that the state signed onto Common Core knowing it would have high federal involvement, a full year before the standards were released (read here). Statements from the Governor or State Board members denying these facts and failing to provide documents to the contrary, just illustrate how much trouble we are in.
Gotta love this exchange. Alison Moore Smith, homeschooling mom and blogger, just posted an enlightening conversation she had over email with Dixie Allen who serves on the State School Board. You don’t want to miss this one. Alison hits Common Core over the head and raises a lot of valid concerns.
Utah signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May 2009 which was included as Appendix 8 of our Race to the Top grant application. To be clear, this is an agreement between the sovereign state of Utah, and two private, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and the National Governor’s Association (NGA).
Here are some quotes from the document, and the entire document is embedded below if you want to read it. Thanks to Morgan Olsen for providing these quotes, comments, and the document.
“CCSSO and the NGA Center will convene, Achieve, ACT, and the College Board in an open, inclusive, and efficient process to develop K-12 standards that are grounded in empirical research and draw on best practices in standards development.”
Where’s that research again?
“The parties support a state-led effort and not a federal effort to develop a common core of state standards; there is, however, an appropriate federal role in supporting this state-led effort…”
Not constitutionally there isn’t. Do they only not support the federal effort during the development stage of the CCSS?
“…In particular, the federal government can provide key financial support for this effort in developing a common core of state standards and in moving toward common assessments such as through the Race to the Top Fund authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment act of 2009….”
Evidence they’ve been working with the department of education from the beginning. Those who claim the Federal Government came in and hijacked the innocent standards no longer have a leg to stand on.
“Further the federal government can incentivize this effort through a range of tiered incentives, such as providing states with greater flexibility in the use of existing federal funds, supporting a revised state accountability structure, and offering financial support for states to effectively implement the standards.”
Flexibility – NCLB Flexibility waiver comes to mind. It’s all part of the plan.
“Additionally the federal government can provide additional long-term financial support for the development, other related common core standards supports, and a research agenda that can help continually improve the common core standards over time.”
Did you ever hear of the golden rule? Whoever has the gold makes the rules. Long-term federal involvement has been the plan from the beginning.
“Finally the federal government can revise and align existing federal education laws with the lessons learned from states’ international benchmarking efforts and from federal research.”
How will this federal research be accomplished without data?
The last paragraph in its entirety is below:
“Federal Role. The parties support a state-led effort and not a federal effort to develop a common core of state standards; there is, however, an appropriate federal role in supporting this state-led effort. In particular, the federal government can provide key financial support for this effort in developing a common core of state standards and in moving toward common assessments such as through the Race to the Top Fund authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment act of 2009. Further the federal government can incentivize this effort through a range of tiered incentives, such as providing states with greater flexibility in the use of existing federal funds, supporting a revised state accountability structure, and offering financial support for states to effectively implement the standards. Additionally the federal government can provide additional long-term financial support for the development, other related common core standards supports, and a research agenda that can help continually improve the common core standards over time. Finally the federal government can revise and align existing federal education laws with the lessons learned from stats’ international benchmarking efforts and from federal research.”
Tim Roper is running for Davis School District’s board against current board president Tamra Lowe. Please like his FB page if you are in Davis school district and contact him to help with his campaign.
Tim’s son was just threatened with an “opps” ticket if he didn’t start doing math the right way instead of the way his parents taught him. An opps ticket gets you sent to the principal for a chat. The teacher sent a letter home this week telling parents to stop teaching the kids standard math and they would learn that in the 5th grade. She sent a packet with example division problems to work which was incomprehensible.
Unfortunately, Tim’s story is all too familiar. I got my start in education advocacy 10 years ago when my daughter’s teacher hadn’t been teaching students the times tables and I asked why near the end of her 3rd grade school year. The reply? “It’s not part of the curriculum.” Huh? I asked, “well how do you expect students to learn the times tables?” Teacher: “Well, the smart kids will just pick it up as they go.” (this was a 22 year veteran teacher). I bought flashcards that day.
The next year my daughter was in 4th grade under the same torturous constructivist math program known as Investigations math. One day I came home to find her sitting in the kitchen with a piece of paper with circles all over it. 120 to be exact. She was carefully drawing lines down the page and I asked what she was doing. She said, “long division.” I was stunned. I said, “why aren’t you doing it the way I taught you?” She immediately burst into tears and replied, “I’m not allowed to.” My math crusade had begun.
At one point I was invited by Brett Moulding, the state curriculum director, to visit him in his office. He asked me, “Oak, you’re a parent who is very involved in your children’s education. How can we get other parents so involved in their children’s education?” I replied, “Easy, just implement Investigations math statewide.” I had no idea that tongue-in-cheek suggestion would be taken literally and implemented through Common Core math.
When the state implemented Common Core, I knew it was only a matter of time until parents like Tim around the state became incensed. In Alpine School District, there was a flood of parents creating charter schools and putting their children in them to get better math (such as using Saxon).
If you are a frustrated parent, what can you do?
1) Run for school board. Even if you don’t intend to run all the way, toss your name on the ballot to send a signal to the district and state that you are frustrated enough to run. Find others to do it as well. By doing so, you’ll be taking out a low cost ad against Common Core. Let the media have a field day asking people why they are running and getting hundreds of “Common Core” answers. Look up on your county website if your area’s seat is up for grabs, both local district and state school board.
2) Attend school board meetings. Last fall when classes started, people were attending board meetings and complaining about Common Core. That has probably ended in most districts.
3) Teach your children math. They need to know efficient algorithms for solving problems. I love Singapore math (the Primary math series). I even created a site to tout its benefits a few years ago, hoping Utah would pilot this math series that allowed Singapore to become the math leader in the world.
Ann Marie Banfield, a parent in New Hampshire, got Dr. Jim Milgram and Dr. Sandra Stotsky on the phone together to explain what happened while they served as validation committee members on Common Core and why they refused to sign off on the standards. This discussion goes for 1.5 hours.
Tim’s son was just threatened with an “opps” ticket if he didn’t start doing math the right way instead of the way his parents taught him. An opps ticket gets you sent to the principal for a chat. The teacher sent a letter home this week telling parents to stop teaching the kids standard math and they would learn that in the 5th grade. She sent a packet with example division problems to work which was incomprehensible.