Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.msnbc.com/all/you-asked-randi-weingarten-answered-common-core-standardized-testing

Randi Weingarten: Common Core should be a guide, not a straitjacket

"Standards are only meaningful once you see them in real practice. That’s why so many of us question why the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers—the very people who oversaw the writing of the standards—copyrighted them, rather than encouraging change and adjustment as educators saw the standards work in practice. The K-2 standards seem developmentally inappropriate for our youngest children, and educators and parents report that they are having a disproportionately negative impact on our younger students. Without doubt, this is a place where we need course correction and where the voices of early childhood educators must be heard.

I’ve heard from pre-K and kindergarten teachers alike that the Common Core is inappropriately pushing written literacy standards when the focus should be on the development of oral literacy skills. And that’s actually delaying the development of literacy."

People keep asking which Common Core standards, specifically, are bad. And people keep not getting an answer to that question. Just more handwaving. If the Common Core standards are bad, it really shouldn't be so hard to point to specific bad Common Core standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2014/03/chuck-grassley-leads-effort-defund-common-core-u-s-senate/

Washington, DC) Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter seeking cosigners for a letter that will be sent to the leaders of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee – Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) asking that they include language in their next appropriations bill to block the further use of any funding from the U.S. Department of Education to incentivize or otherwise coerce states into adopting and retaining the Common Core State Standards.

Oh, well, if Senator Grassley is against it...

Actually, as a general rule, "If Senator Grassley is against it, I'm for it" works pretty well for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.msnbc.com/all/you-asked-randi-weingarten-answered-common-core-standardized-testing

Randi Weingarten: Common Core should be a guide, not a straitjacket

"Standards are only meaningful once you see them in real practice. That’s why so many of us question why the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers—the very people who oversaw the writing of the standards—copyrighted them, rather than encouraging change and adjustment as educators saw the standards work in practice. The K-2 standards seem developmentally inappropriate for our youngest children, and educators and parents report that they are having a disproportionately negative impact on our younger students. Without doubt, this is a place where we need course correction and where the voices of early childhood educators must be heard.

I’ve heard from pre-K and kindergarten teachers alike that the Common Core is inappropriately pushing written literacy standards when the focus should be on the development of oral literacy skills. And that’s actually delaying the development of literacy."

People keep asking which Common Core standards, specifically, are bad. And people keep not getting an answer to that question. Just more handwaving. If the Common Core standards are bad, it really shouldn't be so hard to point to specific bad Common Core standards.

Bullshit. Exact standards HAVE been posted, and then the CC fans just say, "Oh, those are totally appropriate in Kindergarten." (Or 1st or middle school).

Too much writing, too much math, too much reading expected in Kindergarten. Too many word problems in math, that's cutting off the learning of math and making math inacessible to many.


You can be as dense as you like. All the teacher unions are pulling their support, and 35 out of the 45 states have had some legislative activity to oust the core from their state.

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard from pre-K and kindergarten teachers alike that the Common Core is inappropriately pushing written literacy standards when the focus should be on the development of oral literacy skills. And that’s actually delaying the development of literacy."

Totally agree. I don't object to some of the CC standards being taught--but setting them as a standard is too high. It really ignores the old time readiness factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Bullshit. Exact standards HAVE been posted, and then the CC fans just say, "Oh, those are totally appropriate in Kindergarten." (Or 1st or middle school).

Too much writing, too much math, too much reading expected in Kindergarten. Too many word problems in math, that's cutting off the learning of math and making math inacessible to many.

You can be as dense as you like. All the teacher unions are pulling their support, and 35 out of the 45 states have had some legislative activity to oust the core from their state.

Suppose you post some of them again, please? It would be nice not to have to go back through 100+ pages on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Suppose you post some of them again, please? It would be nice not to have to go back through 100+ pages on this thread.

Oh, you want a retest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Suppose you post some of them again, please? It would be nice not to have to go back through 100+ pages on this thread.

Oh, you want a retest?

No, I just thought that "we have posted specific standards we object to!" would be more persuasive with a link to either the specific standards or the posting.

[Anonymous]

Okay. I'll bite. Start with Kindergarten. Read the post just on this page.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay. I'll bite. Start with Kindergarten. Read the post just on this page.

I don't see any references to any specific standards. Which specific kindergarten standards are inappropriate?

You can find the kindergarten standards here:

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/CC/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/OA/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/NBT/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/MD/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/G/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.msnbc.com/all/you-asked-randi-weingarten-answered-common-core-standardized-testing

Randi Weingarten: Common Core should be a guide, not a straitjacket

"Standards are only meaningful once you see them in real practice. That’s why so many of us question why the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers—the very people who oversaw the writing of the standards—copyrighted them, rather than encouraging change and adjustment as educators saw the standards work in practice. The K-2 standards seem developmentally inappropriate for our youngest children, and educators and parents report that they are having a disproportionately negative impact on our younger students. Without doubt, this is a place where we need course correction and where the voices of early childhood educators must be heard.

I’ve heard from pre-K and kindergarten teachers alike that the Common Core is inappropriately pushing written literacy standards when the focus should be on the development of oral literacy skills. And that’s actually delaying the development of literacy."

People keep asking which Common Core standards, specifically, are bad. And people keep not getting an answer to that question. Just more handwaving. If the Common Core standards are bad, it really shouldn't be so hard to point to specific bad Common Core standards.

Bullshit. Exact standards HAVE been posted, and then the CC fans just say, "Oh, those are totally appropriate in Kindergarten." (Or 1st or middle school).

Too much writing, too much math, too much reading expected in Kindergarten. Too many word problems in math, that's cutting off the learning of math and making math inacessible to many.


You can be as dense as you like. All the teacher unions are pulling their support, and 35 out of the 45 states have had some legislative activity to oust the core from their state.

Can you imagine the outcry from MoCo parents - the same ones who are already complaining about how the curriculum has been dumbed down - if they change the standards so as not to have too much writing, too much math, too much reading?

[Anonymous]

I don't see any references to any specific standards. Which specific kindergarten standards are inappropriate?

You can find the kindergarten standards here:

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/CC/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/OA/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/NBT/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/MD/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/G/

You do understand that those are not ALL of the K standards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.msnbc.com/all/you-asked-randi-weingarten-answered-common-core-standardized-testing

Randi Weingarten: Common Core should be a guide, not a straitjacket

"Standards are only meaningful once you see them in real practice. That’s why so many of us question why the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers—the very people who oversaw the writing of the standards—copyrighted them, rather than encouraging change and adjustment as educators saw the standards work in practice. The K-2 standards seem developmentally inappropriate for our youngest children, and educators and parents report that they are having a disproportionately negative impact on our younger students. Without doubt, this is a place where we need course correction and where the voices of early childhood educators must be heard.

I’ve heard from pre-K and kindergarten teachers alike that the Common Core is inappropriately pushing written literacy standards when the focus should be on the development of oral literacy skills. And that’s actually delaying the development of literacy."

People keep asking which Common Core standards, specifically, are bad. And people keep not getting an answer to that question. Just more handwaving. If the Common Core standards are bad, it really shouldn't be so hard to point to specific bad Common Core standards.

Bullshit. Exact standards HAVE been posted, and then the CC fans just say, "Oh, those are totally appropriate in Kindergarten." (Or 1st or middle school).

Too much writing, too much math, too much reading expected in Kindergarten. Too many word problems in math, that's cutting off the learning of math and making math inacessible to many.


You can be as dense as you like. All the teacher unions are pulling their support, and 35 out of the 45 states have had some legislative activity to oust the core from their state.

I can't for the life of me see what K standards are inappropriate. Someone did post that the requirement to be able to read emergent level text by the end of K was "inappropriate" for K students. The rationale was that K students shouldn't be reading -- it is developmentally inappropriate for reading instruction to being in Kindergarten, for most students.

I agree. K students should not be asked to read. But that's exactly why emergent Text was developed. You don't need to read to "read" an emergent level book. Emergent readers were designed for kids in Grades pre K and k, to basically get the concept of opening a book, turning pages, and so forth. There's maybe one picture on each page, and the text matches the picture exactly. There's a picture of an apple, and the text says "apple". So no actual reading is involved.

I would love to ask these so called "Early Education experts" who are complaining that K students shouldn't be reading, to come here and say that "yes, we don't believe reading Emergent level text" is an appropriate standard." Because I truly don't think they believe that. I think it was a knee jerk reaction to seeing a "requirement" that K students are "reading" by the end of the year.

Other than that one problem, I haven't seen a single, specific criticism of any Grade K ELA requirement. The standards seem perfectly normal and appropriate, and aside from people saying generally "they are inappropriate", it seems to me their arguments are really that not all kids will master them by the end of K and that there should be no testing until 3rd grade, which is why that's when standardized testing will start. So I don't see what the problem is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't see any references to any specific standards. Which specific kindergarten standards are inappropriate?

You can find the kindergarten standards here:

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/K/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/CC/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/OA/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/NBT/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/MD/
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/G/

You do understand that those are not ALL of the K standards?

Those are all of the K standards on the Common Core standards website. So no, I don't understand that. Are there other, secret Common Core standards that are not on the Common Core standards website?

[Anonymous]

Those are all of the K standards on the Common Core standards website. So no, I don't understand that. Are there other, secret Common Core standards that are not on the Common Core standards website?

Hope you are not a teacher. You just failed the test. You only put in the Reading Literature requirements. You left out several other categories for Reading. So , there goes your job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Those are all of the K standards on the Common Core standards website. So no, I don't understand that. Are there other, secret Common Core standards that are not on the Common Core standards website?

Hope you are not a teacher. You just failed the test. You only put in the Reading Literature requirements. You left out several other categories for Reading. So , there goes your job.

I think you didn't click on the links. Try doing that.