"Teacher of the Year" quits over Common Core tests

[Anonymous]

And how is a teacher ever going to be able to know how well a student can do with reading instruction when reading instruction is so non-committal, so de-emphasized, so undervalued...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not to mention, while reading is more important than art and music,

No, it is not---especially not for a kid who has not had those experiences in preschool. Those kids NEED art and music more than ever because they didn't get the fine motor control that comes with drawing, cutting, etc. that others had in preschool. They haven't had the listening and group focus that comes with music. Preschool is all about music, rhyme, art, movement, play, etc. Some kids still need that (especially in K-2). If you hone in on reading too soon, they miss the development that they need from those other activities. If you push them to read before they are ready, reading is not enjoyable. To everything there is a season. If you force people to do things before they are ready (and this is at any age), you cause resentment, behavior issues, and later on, self esteem issues. Let the kids have some time to play and laugh and smile. Society will be better for it.

The PP who said they stopped working as a reading intervention person said that they had been working in a middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Look, reading is important. I would say, however, that very specific standards for it in grades K-1 are not helpful. Kids develop differently and some kids come to K with no preschool experience. That puts the kid behind because K is now academic. The kid with no preschool is much more likely to fail the standards . . . and that is not the K teacher's fault.

Also, your idea that reading has to follow some "incremental step" method is wrong. Some kids know how to read before K and it's not because there was an "incremental step" method used. People learn in very different ways.

You're right, it's not necessarily the kindergarten teacher's fault. But the point is not to establish whose fault it is. The point is to get the kid reading at grade level. So, what will it take to get the kid reading at grade level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not to mention, while reading is more important than art and music,

No, it is not---especially not for a kid who has not had those experiences in preschool. Those kids NEED art and music more than ever because they didn't get the fine motor control that comes with drawing, cutting, etc. that others had in preschool. They haven't had the listening and group focus that comes with music. Preschool is all about music, rhyme, art, movement, play, etc. Some kids still need that (especially in K-2). If you hone in on reading too soon, they miss the development that they need from those other activities. If you push them to read before they are ready, reading is not enjoyable. To everything there is a season. If you force people to do things before they are ready (and this is at any age), you cause resentment, behavior issues, and later on, self esteem issues. Let the kids have some time to play and laugh and smile. Society will be better for it.

The PP who said they stopped working as a reading intervention person said that they had been working in a middle school.

Someone working at trying to help struggling kids read (anti-CC reading intervention teacher) seems at odds with the other anti-CC person who prefers to throw reading into the wind and instead just have kids spend ES finger painting.

[Anonymous]

Also, your idea that reading has to follow some "incremental step" method is wrong. Some kids know how to read before K and it's not because there was an "incremental step" method used. People learn in very different ways.

True, but you can bet these kids have parents who pay attention to them, read to them, talk to them, etc.

It may surprise some of you to know this does not go on in every household.

[Anonymous]

I taught K and first. Kids do learn in different ways. I always emphasized phonics--but, believe me, there are kids who really struggle with it. Kind of like music: some people have an ear and some don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Look, reading is important. I would say, however, that very specific standards for it in grades K-1 are not helpful. Kids develop differently and some kids come to K with no preschool experience. That puts the kid behind because K is now academic. The kid with no preschool is much more likely to fail the standards . . . and that is not the K teacher's fault.

Also, your idea that reading has to follow some "incremental step" method is wrong. Some kids know how to read before K and it's not because there was an "incremental step" method used. People learn in very different ways.

You're right, it's not necessarily the kindergarten teacher's fault. But the point is not to establish whose fault it is. The point is to get the kid reading at grade level. So, what will it take to get the kid reading at grade level?

Getting rid of standards certainly won't get kids reading at grade level, because then there's not really any definition or agreement of what "at grade level" even means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught K and first. Kids do learn in different ways. I always emphasized phonics--but, believe me, there are kids who really struggle with it. Kind of like music: some people have an ear and some don't.

Yeah, but being tone deaf isn't going to hurt your academics or lifelong learning, earning and life enjoyment potential nearly as much as being semiliterate will.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but being tone deaf isn't going to hurt your academics or lifelong learning, earning and life enjoyment potential nearly as much as being semiliterate will.

You do know that some kids learn to read without phonics? I think phonics is extremely important, but I would teach kids anyway I could.

[Anonymous]

Update on CC from Wisconsin:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/296535951.html

Test scores will not be reported this year.

[Anonymous]

^ Is that supposed to be a surprise or revelation? Isn't the first year of testing supposed to be just for rollout and calibration?

[Anonymous]

^ Apparently not. Many districts report the scores to the public, rollout and calibration or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Update on CC from Wisconsin:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/296535951.html

Test scores will not be reported this year.

Actually, update on NCLB from Wisconsin.

MADISON, Wis. — There would be no school report cards with results of tests taken by students this spring under a bill that has passed the Wisconsin state Senate.

There is broad support for the proposal passed Tuesday because of concerns related to the troubled implementation of the test and fears that students could fare poorly on it.

This year's test, known as the Badger Exam, is tied to the Common Core academic standards.

The bill passed on a voice vote with no debate. It now heads to the Assembly.

It would ensure that the test results aren't used to measure either a school's performance or be included as a factor in teacher evaluations until next school year.

With no test scores, there would be no report card next fall.

Note that Wisconsin is using its own test.

[Anonymous]

Award winning teacher would not encourage young people to go into teaching because of CC:

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/03/17/bts-nancie-atwell-teaching-award-million-dollars.cnn

[Anonymous]

Note that Wisconsin is using its own test.

No. Wisconsin is using the Smarter Balance (SBAC) test. They are part of that consortium. They just renamed it the "Badger Test" for their own purposes. See the article below.



http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/19/common-core-tests-to-cost-millions-more-than-expected-in-wisconsin/