Common Core's epic fail: Special Education

[Anonymous]

Also, Common Core is only a "suggested" curriculum for the states. They cannot be compelled to use it (as evidenced by many states "pulling out" now). The schools are locally funded and the Constitution gives the states control of education. The feds may be overreaching.

Yes. It is on its way out. Enough people have caught on to the problems with it.

[Anonymous]

Look what is happening with the GED test. They have made the test harder and now there has been a drop in test takers (in all states). Now some states are using a different test to give diplomas. This is how things can go. There is nothing to say that states will drop out of CC if there is a drop in the graduation rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Look what is happening with the GED test. They have made the test harder and now there has been a drop in test takers (in all states). Now some states are using a different test to give diplomas. This is how things can go. There is nothing to say that states will drop out of CC if there is a drop in the graduation rate.

So they are dumbing it down so more people can pass? That's just great.

[Anonymous]

Or, are fewer people taking it because more are graduating from high school?

[Anonymous]

Politics are gonna happen.

[Anonymous]

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/01/23/guests-new-ged-test-fails-to-measure-skills-that-matter-most/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you consider Alabama a lower standard state? Go look up Mountain Brook High School. Check the average SAT scores.

I don't know what the average SAT scores at Mountain Brook High School have to do with the quality of Alabama's educational standards. SAT scores are closely correlated with socioeconomic status. Mountain Brook High School doesn't seem to publish its demographics, but I'm guessing they're not very representative of the state as a whole.* In Alabama as a whole, half of children live in households at 200% of the poverty level or less; 40% live in households at 150% of the poverty level or less. The FARMS income eligibility limit is 185% of the poverty level or less.

*The baseball team is all white. The boys' basketball team has one black student. The girls' basketball team is all white. The cheerleaders are all white. The color guard is all white. The football team is all white...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also, Common Core is only a "suggested" curriculum for the states. They cannot be compelled to use it (as evidenced by many states "pulling out" now). The schools are locally funded and the Constitution gives the states control of education. The feds may be overreaching.

Common Core isn't any curriculum at all. Common Core is standards.

Also, how many is "many states"? "Many" is apparently vague and unmeasurable -- or at least it's vague and unmeasurable when it comes to a Common Core standard saying that kindergarteners should be able to print "many" letters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/01/23/guests-new-ged-test-fails-to-measure-skills-that-matter-most/

OK, so that article basically states that the reason a lot kids that take GEDs don't go onto college is not because of a lack of academic ability, but more likely because of the very reason they probably dropped out of HS:

"he GED test — and achievement tests in general — miss skills like motivation, persistence, self-esteem, time management and self-control. A growing body of evidence has shown that these types of skills can be measured and that they rival raw intelligence in determining success in the labor market and school."

[Anonymous]

I don't know what the average SAT scores at Mountain Brook High School have to do with the quality of Alabama's educational standards. SAT scores are closely correlated with socioeconomic status. Mountain Brook High School doesn't seem to publish its demographics, but I'm guessing they're not very representative of the state as a whole.* In Alabama as a whole, half of children live in households at 200% of the poverty level or less; 40% live in households at 150% of the poverty level or less. The FARMS income eligibility limit is 185% of the poverty level or less.

Exactly. It's not the "standards" that make the difference, it is the socioeconomic status. Sad. If you want to change things, you need to get people jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody on this board has said that opposition to Obama is the only reason for opposition to the Common Core standards. What various posters have said is that some of the opposition to the Common Core standards comes from opposition to Obama. Which is true.

I think the opponents have given very specific reasons for not liking Common Core. One of the posters above posted quite a list. Could you please tell us why you think it is good? Please give us specific reasons.

Yes, I agree that there are a lot of reasons why people don't like the Common Core. I'm just not persuaded by any of them. The Common Core standards have become the Rorschach test of educational reform.

The issue is that the reasons people say they don't like Common Core either don't actually directly have anything to do with Common Core (i.e. problems with bad textbooks, lousy implementation, testing) or they simply aren't valid or were specifically intended to inflame (i.e. conservative websites saying CC "forces Islam on kids" - something that has zero merit or truth)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what the average SAT scores at Mountain Brook High School have to do with the quality of Alabama's educational standards. SAT scores are closely correlated with socioeconomic status. Mountain Brook High School doesn't seem to publish its demographics, but I'm guessing they're not very representative of the state as a whole.* In Alabama as a whole, half of children live in households at 200% of the poverty level or less; 40% live in households at 150% of the poverty level or less. The FARMS income eligibility limit is 185% of the poverty level or less.

Exactly. It's not the "standards" that make the difference, it is the socioeconomic status. Sad. If you want to change things, you need to get people jobs.

That is simplistic. Socioeconomic status is relevant to education. Standards are also relevant to education.

[Anonymous]

The issue is that the reasons people say they don't like Common Core either don't actually directly have anything to do with Common Core (i.e. problems with bad textbooks, lousy implementation, testing) or they simply aren't valid or were specifically intended to inflame (i.e. conservative websites saying CC "forces Islam on kids" - something that has zero merit or truth)

I have not read any poster on this thread state that. Have you?

[Anonymous]

The issue is that the reasons people say they don't like Common Core either don't actually directly have anything to do with Common Core (i.e. problems with bad textbooks, lousy implementation, testing) or they simply aren't valid or were specifically intended to inflame (i.e. conservative websites saying CC "forces Islam on kids" - something that has zero merit or truth)

And, the publishers helped write the standards. So, you blame the publishers for the poor texts--but not for the standards? Is that logical?

[Anonymous]

Common Core isn't any curriculum at all. Common Core is standards.

But, Common Core drives the curriculum. It is stated very clearly on the criteria paper on the common core website. Have you read it?