Why are people so upset about Common Core?
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Anonymous
Every minute of every school day is going to be all about the end of the year tests, because teachers who have their kids fail are going to be fired -- the tests are tied to their jobs. SO you create a bitter circle of certain failure. No one is going to want to teach special ed within 5 years. And kids who sit for hours in tests they can't possible do are having terrible reactions all over the country. Their anxiety is through the roof. Tell you what: You go sit for 10 hours for an Engineering test in Chinese. And if you don't pass it, we'll take away your diploma, your job, your home, your bank account and any chance you have to make it in the world. And you have do it year after year after year, or we'll threaten and harass your parents. |
Anonymous
Yes. But, the classroom teachers will be judged on these tests. Remember, the standards apply to far more than reading. |
Anonymous
In MD, the teachers are being evaluated on selected Student Learning Objectives. These measure growth over time. Not how many kids in your class pass the end of the year test. Examples: http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/2F02A913-FB2E-43D6-8F3D-DC0397B3B38B/35427/Grade_3_Fraction_SLO_.pdf http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/2F02A913-FB2E-43D6-8F3D-DC0397B3B38B/35428/Gr7_SLO_for_Teacher_102312_.pdf |
Anonymous
Classroom teachers are also using the DRA or SRI, actually. Certainly in 1st and 2nd grade as there is no PARCC. Also in grades 3-6 in my school. For math they are using other tests. |
Anonymous
Or in some cases, how many kids are on grade level at the end of the year -- but you get to pick which kids you are focusing on, and they can be only the ones who show up to class 90% of the time or whatnot. And PP, before you say "Yeah, but that's in MD.... people in NY or NJ aren't going to be able to do that...." that's the beauty of the fact that the standards are national, but the implementation is up to each state. Each state gets to decide what to do, how to best help their kids meet the Common standards. |
Anonymous
Every state = 2. Kentucky and New York. Neither of the states used the two main Common Core-aligned tests (PARCC and Smarter Balanced), because those tests won't be ready until next year (this year they're getting field-tested). In Kentucky, it's pretty clear that one of the reasons so many kids failed is because their education was not as good as it should be. And the New York so-called "Common Core" curriculum is full of stuff that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Common Core. Add North Carolina to the mix. Their results were the same as Kentucky and New York. One person who worked on the Common Core ELA standards said they were designed for the top 30 percent of students, not the entire student population. And that is exactly the percentage who passes them. Hardly a coincidence. Seems like you've made up your mind prior to the standards even being put into place (and certainly before the national standardized tests are in place)). That's fine, but own up to it. Frankly I don't think higher standards are bad, clearly you do. I think more kids lose interest in school out of boredom than too much challenge. But I don't think you can judge common core on the data that is currently available -- it will take 5 to 10 years to have a clear picture |
Anonymous
| Just wondering. What do you propose for the teacher of a class of kids like that poor little girl that disappeared. The one who missed so much school and had so many awful things going on in her life. You do know those teachers will be held to the same standards? |
Anonymous
See above, several teachers have indicated that they are judged in improvement from beginning to end of year, not by passage rate for the standardized assessment tests. |
Anonymous
Add North Carolina to the mix. Their results were the same as Kentucky and New York. One person who worked on the Common Core ELA standards said they were designed for the top 30 percent of students, not the entire student population. And that is exactly the percentage who passes them. Hardly a coincidence. Seems like you've made up your mind prior to the standards even being put into place (and certainly before the national standardized tests are in place)). That's fine, but own up to it. Frankly I don't think higher standards are bad, clearly you do. I think more kids lose interest in school out of boredom than too much challenge. But I don't think you can judge common core on the data that is currently available -- it will take 5 to 10 years to have a clear picture 5 to 10 years -- and an entire generation's education down the toilet. You act like the standards are any good. There is ZERO PROOF that they are better. And for kids with language disabilities, they make every party of the curriculum unattainable. That is what my child is experiencing right now. Why are you such a gullible believer? They trot out standards, and you are immediately on your knees worshipping them. They are a fad, just like Everyday Math and New Math. |
Anonymous
If I were trying to get an engineering degree, in a Chinese university, it would be perfectly fair to expect that I could sit for the test, in Chinese. That's what the Chinese Engineering School Diploma would certify -- that I had met the standards of the University in engineering! If I am a fifth grader, "passing" the fifth grade in MD at a proficient level, I should be expected to have mastered the basic concepts in math, reading and writing. |
Anonymous
You are the parents who has a child who is failing in school because he has trouble writing, is that correct? I remember there is a parent here who has a child who can answer math questions OK, but can't write his reasoning down. (which BTW isn't a Common Core objective, but is some weird thing Montgomery County Public Schools is requiring.) So your concern is that your child isn't going to be able to pass the PARCC? You liked the earlier MSAs, because they had more allowable accommodations (like maybe your child got "scribe"? But now it is no longer being allowed?) Here's the thing -- do realize that as long as kids who can't write well, are allowed the accommodation of "scribe" on state tests -- there is NO MOTIVATION for schools to figure out ways to actually teach kids how to write. If the kid can pass the MSA with the accommodation (read aloud, or scribe) then they have shown that they can pass the tests. Finish. The End. So why would any teacher (LD or otherwise) have any incentive to teach your kid how to write? Maybe there are some special programs or schools that could teach your child how to read or write, but the public school system isn't going to invest time, energy or money into seeking them out, and they aren't going to pay for your child to attend these programs either, because your child is passing the MSAs so hey, no problem! Meanwhile, your child will be entering middle school and high school with a debilitating handicap, always needing text to speech software and scribe accommodations. |
Anonymous
But why should the standards for the general population of students, be limited to that which is possible for students with language disabilities? |
Anonymous
No, the CHILDREN will be held to the same standards. Because we don't have lower expectations for kids, just because we think they have suffered enough already. We cannot just say, "Well, you are poor, and black, and your mommy doesn't love you, so we don't expect that you can learn to read and do math at grade level." No we don't, we don't say that to kids. |
Anonymous
Which standards do you think are bad? Specifically, which standards, and for what reasons? |
Anonymous
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PP that I have been responding to -- I will admit that there is a valid complaint to be made, about the COmmon Core standards and ESOL/LD students. One that definitely needs to be addressed.
Apparently teachers ARE being told that the law (not Common Core, but IDEA, I think) that LD students (and ESOL students as well... some other law) MUST be taught from the grade level or mainstream curriculum. Teachers are at times at least being told they must teach the current grade level standards, not teach from lower year standards (even if that is the level their students are at.) Again this isn't a Common Core issue but a federal law for LD students issue. But since the Common Core standards are probably a lot higher than the former state standards (which probably had more wiggle room in them) this IS going to cause a problem with instruction. But the problem isn't that Common Core standards are high. It is that LD teachers and ESOL teachers need the leeway to select from below grade level standards in order to teach children who are currently working below grade level. |