Common Core's epic fail: Special Education

[Anonymous]

What are the "Common Core" test results? Perhaps you're referring to the test results from the tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress passed in 2001?

These are the standards used for testing in many states. You know that. Yes, NCLB requires testing and CC capitalizes on that requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But problematic data is still more than no data.

Incorrect data has no value. Stressed out kids and teachers also have no value. Get rid of NCLB.

The data are not incorrect -- except for the cases where somebody at the school erased the wrong answers and put in the right ones. There is an important distinction between problematic data and incorrect data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What are the "Common Core" test results? Perhaps you're referring to the test results from the tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress passed in 2001?

These are the standards used for testing in many states. You know that. Yes, NCLB requires testing and CC capitalizes on that requirement.

How do the Common Core standards "capitalize" on the testing required by NCLB? States that did not adopt the Common Core standards (Virginia, for example) conduct NCLB testing, just like states that did.

I'm also wondering how test results from tests related to the Common Core standards have been used to "punish" kids.

[Anonymous]

How do the Common Core standards "capitalize" on the testing required by NCLB? States that did not adopt the Common Core standards (Virginia, for example) conduct NCLB testing, just like states that did

Common core requires testing. It is based on testing. Go read the information on its own website. Also, be sure and read the criteria.

[Anonymous]

When a test question is not appropriate to what it is supposed to be testing, it produces incorrect data.

[Anonymous]

The data are not incorrect -- except for the cases where somebody at the school erased the wrong answers and put in the right ones. There is an important distinction between problematic data and incorrect data.

You are assuming that the tests are valid and reliable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When a test question is not appropriate to what it is supposed to be testing, it produces incorrect data.

No, it doesn't. When a test question is not appropriate to what it is supposed to be testing, then it is an invalid measurement.

In any case, nobody has ever said (I hope) that the NCLB tests have nothing to do with what they're supposed to be testing. The NCLB tests obviously have something to do with it. The question is, how much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How do the Common Core standards "capitalize" on the testing required by NCLB? States that did not adopt the Common Core standards (Virginia, for example) conduct NCLB testing, just like states that did

Common core requires testing. It is based on testing. Go read the information on its own website. Also, be sure and read the criteria.

Here are the criteria -- I'm assuming they're the criteria you're referring to:

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Criteria.pdf

Where does it say in there that the standards are based on testing?

[Anonymous]

There was nothing mysterious about schools before. The SAT scores and numbers of students who went on to various colleges were always public information. Heck, all of that was in the local newspaper back when I was a kid (long before NCLB). Everyone knew which districts were highly ranked. There were also standardized tests in each grade all along. Anyway, the most important scores are not the ones for the school as a whole, but the ones for your own child. The best schools are the ones where students at various levels are learning and that is easier to accomplish now with computer aided instruction. People are making too much out of the differences. They should be more concerned about the strategies used in schools. Schools are incredibly dynamic places (and that dynamism should not be discouraged).

[Anonymous]

Where does it say in there that the standards are based on testing?

Please read the section on "Measureable"--Common Core developers misspelling--not mine.

"can be used to develop broader assessment frameworks"

[Anonymous]

There was nothing mysterious about schools before. The SAT scores and numbers of students who went on to various colleges were always public information. Heck, all of that was in the local newspaper back when I was a kid (long before NCLB). Everyone knew which districts were highly ranked. There were also standardized tests in each grade all along. Anyway, the most important scores are not the ones for the school as a whole, but the ones for your own child. The best schools are the ones where students at various levels are learning and that is easier to accomplish now with computer aided instruction. People are making too much out of the differences. They should be more concerned about the strategies used in schools. Schools are incredibly dynamic places (and that dynamism should not be discouraged).

Totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Here are the criteria -- I'm assuming they're the criteria you're referring to:

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Criteria.pdf

Thanks for posting the link. Great example of how poorly Common Core was put together. They claim to want kids to write--but that paper is a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We had standardized testing when I was a kid WAAAY back in the 60s and 70s. But that testing was done to HELP us and our teachers. We got results in a timely matter and the results were broken down in a way that you could tell what subject areas you needed help in.

Common Core tests results are 1, 2, 3, 4. They tell the student and teacher NOTHING MEANINGFUL and come MONTHS AND MONTHS after the student has already moved on from the teachers and the grade level. They are only used to punish.

What are the "Common Core" test results? Perhaps you're referring to the test results from the tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress passed in 2001?

1, 2, 3, 4 -- that's how Smarter Balanced and PARCC will report their testing results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are the "Common Core" test results? Perhaps you're referring to the test results from the tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress passed in 2001?

These are the standards used for testing in many states. You know that. Yes, NCLB requires testing and CC capitalizes on that requirement.

How do the Common Core standards "capitalize" on the testing required by NCLB? States that did not adopt the Common Core standards (Virginia, for example) conduct NCLB testing, just like states that did.

I'm also wondering how test results from tests related to the Common Core standards have been used to "punish" kids.

When they come up with 1 or 2s, they are pulled out of their electives, so they can be drilled, drilled, drilled and drilled more so they can pass the tests. Their recesses in K are being limited so they can study, and drill and write their "opinion" pieces. Their class plays are canceled so they can do more work.

It goes on and on and on. And the Common Core standards drive it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are the "Common Core" test results? Perhaps you're referring to the test results from the tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which Congress passed in 2001?

These are the standards used for testing in many states. You know that. Yes, NCLB requires testing and CC capitalizes on that requirement.

How do the Common Core standards "capitalize" on the testing required by NCLB? States that did not adopt the Common Core standards (Virginia, for example) conduct NCLB testing, just like states that did.

I'm also wondering how test results from tests related to the Common Core standards have been used to "punish" kids.

When they come up with 1 or 2s, they are pulled out of their electives, so they can be drilled, drilled, drilled and drilled more so they can pass the tests. Their recesses in K are being limited so they can study, and drill and write their "opinion" pieces. Their class plays are canceled so they can do more work.

It goes on and on and on. And the Common Core standards drive it all.

Here's the thing... many people have been complaining about the poor quality of education in our country, including the poor showing on the PISA tests. People have commented on how home life and SES affect test scores and learning, which is very true. But, schools can't control home life. The only thing they can control is the curriculum and learning time. So, now they are trying to address it. Is CC standards, NCLB testing, decrease in recess/play time the way to do it? I'm not an educator, so I don't really know what other viable alternatives there are. But from a lay person's perspective, everything else being out of the school's control, I don't see what else they can do. If you are from a higher SES family with good schools, then you probably don't think extra learning time is as important because you probably have the means to help your kids with HW and such at home. But many people of lower income SES don't have that ability so more learning time at school is much more important. If you have one district with both types of schools (like most districts do), I don't think you can have a policy where school x has more instruction time than school y.

As for writing the "opinion" pieces, I think it's great that young kids are asked to convey what they think about something. Most of the time, what they write makes no sense and come out as gibberish (my DC was in K last year), but I think it's good practice for them to practice their "thinking" skills.