s/o Are these standards to hard for Kindergarten students?

[Anonymous]

I am not "emotionally" attached to the CC standards. I just happened to have actually read them, and I find nothing objectionable. I also just find it incredible that so many people on this board, who are so proud that they are well-educated and successful, cannot grasp the basic difference between standards, curricula, and assessments and analyze the issues more deeply.

Do you not understand that the standards drive all of the other things? Whether you like it or not, they are being used for testing, and frankly, that is what drives the train these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A problem with all these standards is that it doesn't leave enough time for social emotional learning. Remember All I needed to Know I Learned in Kindergsrten? Or whatever that book was called?

Playing in the sandbox, role play, singing, art. That's what I want my Ker doing. But he has math and language arts every day...and homework. And he is only level B in reading...target is C by next month! Should I be drilling him? And he's behind in writing...uh oh!

Too much, too soon.

My kindergartener has recess twice, no homework, and colors or draws every day. He also plays with blocks at school almost every day. There's no sandbox but there's plenty of social interaction. The problem is not the standards, but how principals and teachers apply them. Take it up with your school. It's not required by Common Core that kindergarten has to be a drag. These are all things that I learned in my terrible rural kindergarten 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

The same people who pushed for Common Core are also pushing the testing. That is what people see. And, frankly, the standards are not anything exceptional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am not "emotionally" attached to the CC standards. I just happened to have actually read them, and I find nothing objectionable. I also just find it incredible that so many people on this board, who are so proud that they are well-educated and successful, cannot grasp the basic difference between standards, curricula, and assessments and analyze the issues more deeply.

Do you not understand that the standards drive all of the other things? Whether you like it or not, they are being used for testing, and frankly, that is what drives the train these days.

No, the standards are not being "used" for testing. Is it true that for-profit companies are creating tests based on the standards and that states are contracting with said for-profit companies for said testing material? Yes. Does that mean that the standards are bad? No. The test material may be bad. But again, the standards - EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING - are not the same as a the content of a test to measure whether that expectation has been met. I have seen some of the tests and they are ludicrous. I still have no problem with the standards. I just think we have to demand better test content, and take the money out of the equation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A problem with all these standards is that it doesn't leave enough time for social emotional learning. Remember All I needed to Know I Learned in Kindergsrten? Or whatever that book was called?

Playing in the sandbox, role play, singing, art. That's what I want my Ker doing. But he has math and language arts every day...and homework. And he is only level B in reading...target is C by next month! Should I be drilling him? And he's behind in writing...uh oh!

Too much, too soon.

My kindergartener has recess twice, no homework, and colors or draws every day. He also plays with blocks at school almost every day. There's no sandbox but there's plenty of social interaction. The problem is not the standards, but how principals and teachers apply them. Take it up with your school. It's not required by Common Core that kindergarten has to be a drag. These are all things that I learned in my terrible rural kindergarten 30 years ago.

Same here. I do feel sorry for those that are struggling, but our school seems to be implementing the standards fine, and DC enjoys kindergarten. PP who's child is being decimated- what district/school do they go to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The same people who pushed for Common Core are also pushing the testing. That is what people see. And, frankly, the standards are not anything exceptional.

How would you change the standards to make them exceptional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The same people who pushed for Common Core are also pushing the testing. That is what people see. And, frankly, the standards are not anything exceptional.

Which people? Pearson? Obama? The Gates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The same people who pushed for Common Core are also pushing the testing. That is what people see. And, frankly, the standards are not anything exceptional.

How would you change the standards to make them exceptional?

I would like an answer to this as well. Also, how would making the standards more difficult solve the problems that people are complaining about here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The same people who pushed for Common Core are also pushing the testing. That is what people see. And, frankly, the standards are not anything exceptional.

Which people? Pearson? Obama? The Gates?

You know. . . ."they." The mysterious, all-powerful "they."

[Anonymous]

How would you change the standards to make them exceptional?

For starters, there are way too many. I agree that kids should be taught to "understand" the math, but I don't think these standards are helping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How would you change the standards to make them exceptional?

For starters, there are way too many. I agree that kids should be taught to "understand" the math, but I don't think these standards are helping.

So having fewer standards would make them more "exceptional?" I don't understand the logic.

[Anonymous]

I don't think the standards are going to make things better. Poor teachers will still be poor teachers. Good teaches will be good teachers.

[Anonymous]

I think the standards will encourage teachers to start kids on a level that is too difficult for them--and ignore the kids who are achieving at a high level. The testing will require this.

[Anonymous]

So having fewer standards would make them more "exceptional?" I don't understand the logic.

[Anonymous]

All of the standards are things that I want my kindergartener, and other kindergarteners, to know by 5 or 6. They are articulated for the sake of specificity, but I don't think that means there are too many. The comprehension standards on the first page of this thread might as well be summarized as "understand a story and be able to talk about it." That's not beyond the scope of kindergarten.