Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

It's all a mess! Homeschoolers here probably against common core because it is all a aprt of a disjointed educational system further muddling up everything.

[Anonymous]

You are very uniformed, PP.

And naive. Scary you are a teacher.

[Anonymous]

For everyone that thinks math is so intimidating, 2+1 still = 3. It's the manner how it is being taught. Math hasn't changed. Many of us are used to rote methods and there is no evidence that that the new techniques are any more effective. Teachers who say they straggle with "math concepts" have no business teaching it (and never did.)

[Anonymous]

We have one using Common Core and we are not thrilled with it. I can see where the style math would be good in 3-4-5-6 grade but it is not very good for a K. and 1st grader who needs to know the basics. He can do basic word problems in K. but he is not understanding HOW you get 2+2 as he can only do it their style. We are supplementing to teach him the basics as it concerns us he can do their style math, but cannot do basic addition and subtraction. If you do the homework, the concepts are not particularly easy. An average or above average child can do it and it may work for them, but we are facing our 4 year old with delays going into K. and are going to have to go private to avoid it. The 4 year old cannot do that kind of abstract reasoning yet due to his delays. He can do 2+2=4 the old fashion style with no problem and I'm sure he will get there but the logic style thinking does not work for him. There is no alternative for kids like him and that is where I have my main issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have one using Common Core and we are not thrilled with it. I can see where the style math would be good in 3-4-5-6 grade but it is not very good for a K. and 1st grader who needs to know the basics. He can do basic word problems in K. but he is not understanding HOW you get 2+2 as he can only do it their style. We are supplementing to teach him the basics as it concerns us he can do their style math, but cannot do basic addition and subtraction. If you do the homework, the concepts are not particularly easy. An average or above average child can do it and it may work for them, but we are facing our 4 year old with delays going into K. and are going to have to go private to avoid it. The 4 year old cannot do that kind of abstract reasoning yet due to his delays. He can do 2+2=4 the old fashion style with no problem and I'm sure he will get there but the logic style thinking does not work for him. There is no alternative for kids like him and that is where I have my main issue.

If your child has cognitive delays, it is understandable that grade level standards may be too much for him of course.

These are the Common Core Standards in Math Operations for grade K.

Which standards do you anticipate will be hard for your 4 year old once he hits K? Which ones require abstract reasoning? I see only concrete manipulation of objects.

Understand addition, and understand subtraction.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.1
Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings1, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.2
Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.3
Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1).

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.4
For any number from 1 to 9, find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record the answer with a drawing or equation.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.5
Fluently add and subtract within 5.

Are you concerned about standard #3-- making number bonds (4 = 3 + 1 OR 4=2+2 OR 4= 0 +4)

These kindergarten standards seem very solid and basic to me. If a child hasn't mastered these skills by the end of the K year, he or she will not do well in first grade math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Common Core is totally untested. In states that have been using it and testing with it, like New York and Kentucky, about 70 percent of kids fail the standardized tests. They simply don't understand what they've been taught. When you factor in race or any kind of disability, the failure rate skyrockets. It's very language intensive, so if your child is a slow reader or has any other kind of language based learning disability, they're just screwed.


I was talking to a mom in another state. In her daughter's 6th grade class, out of 31 students, 23 failed.

Is it possible common core is just exposing that your children are not as advanced as you assumed?

Arne Duncan, is that you?

Not the pp, but I do education research for a living. It's absolutely true. Sorry you do not wish to hear it. This is why more challenging standards are needed. (Though I don't disagree that implementation has been a real sh*tshow in many districts. That's a huge problem.)

Just by way of a history lesson, so people can understand how we got here, NCLB gave states a huge incentive to dumb down their standards. States that didn't meet self-established performance goals got dinged. So, many states just set low standards so they wouldn't face the consequences. In many cases, this resulted in a dumbing down of some education systems and curriculum. This has been going on for the better part of a decade. We're so used to it by now that we can't even seen how far behind we really are -- until you look at kids in other countries. Then you realize that we simply have to do better.

What I don't like about Common Core is that it continues to place the emphasis on schools instead of parents. Parents who don't invest in their kids, who don't read to them, who don't contribute toward their education in and outside of class, who rely on the schools to do all of the educating, are the reason kids do poorly. I realize that it's hard for parents who are working two jobs, etc., and we as a society need to do more to support that group. But, there are plenty of parents who don't work two jobs who still think the school is responsible for educating and they just follow along. There are plenty of parents who work two jobs and still insist on driving their kids to excel in school too. In my opinion, it's our parenting that needs to change if we are to move the needle on achievement. Perhaps not this extreme, but a little more Tiger momming would not kill us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Just by way of a history lesson, so people can understand how we got here, NCLB gave states a huge incentive to dumb down their standards. States that didn't meet self-established performance goals got dinged. So, many states just set low standards so they wouldn't face the consequences. In many cases, this resulted in a dumbing down of some education systems and curriculum. This has been going on for the better part of a decade. We're so used to it by now that we can't even seen how far behind we really are -- until you look at kids in other countries. Then you realize that we simply have to do better.

AMEN! This is very true. I am a teacher and I can attest to the fact that the "pass" score on the state tests were in many cases set laughably low.

In addition, the accommodations allowed for students with diagnosed learning disabilities or who were English Language Learners have been too lenient. For example, if a child had difficulty learning to read and had an IEP, he could get the state tests (even in Language Arts) read aloud to him. Whole paragraphs of text read aloud, so the child could demonstrate that he was able to "get the main idea" and "make inferences." Great! ... meanwhile, the school basically just lost any incentive to actually teach the child how to read. Same problem with allowing kids with IEPs to use a calculator in the early grades. Certainly in SOME instances it is truly acceptable to allow these accommodations, but for the most part schools are desperate to have their LD kids pass these state tests, but not so desperate that they actually figure out ways to teach the kids the skills they need. THey just kept accommodating and accommodating the kids until they ended up in Middle School where even with the accommodations, the kids weren't able to pass the tests.

What I don't like about Common Core is that it continues to place the emphasis on schools instead of parents. Parents who don't invest in their kids, who don't read to them, who don't contribute toward their education in and outside of class, who rely on the schools to do all of the educating, are the reason kids do poorly. I realize that it's hard for parents who are working two jobs, etc., and we as a society need to do more to support that group. But, there are plenty of parents who don't work two jobs who still think the school is responsible for educating and they just follow along. There are plenty of parents who work two jobs and still insist on driving their kids to excel in school too. In my opinion, it's our parenting that needs to change if we are to move the needle on achievement. Perhaps not this extreme, but a little more Tiger momming would not kill us.

I disagree that Common Core state objectives should have anything to do with parents. They are just a statement of what kids should know and be able to do by the end of each grade. How schools and parents get the kids there is up to the schools and the parents. In my opinion, the state standards are basic enough that if a child is in school most of the time, and the teachers are competent, the students should be able to master the standards without extensive parental help or outside tutoring. If the child has learning disabilities they will need extra or more specific instruction to meet the standards. If the child has cognitive delays or is intellectually disabled (what used to be called mental retardation) that child will have trouble meeting the standards in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Common Core is totally untested. In states that have been using it and testing with it, like New York and Kentucky, about 70 percent of kids fail the standardized tests. They simply don't understand what they've been taught. When you factor in race or any kind of disability, the failure rate skyrockets. It's very language intensive, so if your child is a slow reader or has any other kind of language based learning disability, they're just screwed.


I was talking to a mom in another state. In her daughter's 6th grade class, out of 31 students, 23 failed.

Is it possible common core is just exposing that your children are not as advanced as you assumed?

Arne Duncan, is that you?

Not the pp, but I do education research for a living. It's absolutely true. Sorry you do not wish to hear it. This is why more challenging standards are needed. (Though I don't disagree that implementation has been a real sh*tshow in many districts. That's a huge problem.)

Just by way of a history lesson, so people can understand how we got here, NCLB gave states a huge incentive to dumb down their standards. States that didn't meet self-established performance goals got dinged. So, many states just set low standards so they wouldn't face the consequences. In many cases, this resulted in a dumbing down of some education systems and curriculum. This has been going on for the better part of a decade. We're so used to it by now that we can't even seen how far behind we really are -- until you look at kids in other countries. Then you realize that we simply have to do better.

What I don't like about Common Core is that it continues to place the emphasis on schools instead of parents. Parents who don't invest in their kids, who don't read to them, who don't contribute toward their education in and outside of class, who rely on the schools to do all of the educating, are the reason kids do poorly. I realize that it's hard for parents who are working two jobs, etc., and we as a society need to do more to support that group. But, there are plenty of parents who don't work two jobs who still think the school is responsible for educating and they just follow along. There are plenty of parents who work two jobs and still insist on driving their kids to excel in school too. In my opinion, it's our parenting that needs to change if we are to move the needle on achievement. Perhaps not this extreme, but a little more Tiger momming would not kill us.

Ah, an academic who doesn't understand how real, live, breathing children work.

Back in my day (I am in my 50s) parents did squat for the kids regarding school, except maybe drive us to the bus stop. We did all our work - but then, it was pretty attainable. It was much more age-appropriate. No Kindergarten homework. No abstract "Everyday Math" or Common Core in first grade. Heck, I don't remember having homework until 6th grade. We had one standardized test a year, starting in middle school. There were different tracks for kids who wanted to do different things. NOt everyone took college math. They took business math. Somehow, we all got jobs and are paying members of society.

Today, homework starts in K, and the kids don't understand it -- and neither do the parents.


It's a total crock that it's the parents' fault kids aren't doing well. Common Core sets up kids to fail. It's a bizarre over-correction from No Child Left Behind, the last piece of garbage foisted upon the schools. The families I know work hard with the kids on Common COre, but the kids still aren't getting it. Many kids just don't learn in the fashion that Common Core demands.

[Anonymous]

Common core math standards in K and first grade are not the best. The basics need to come first. Would you try to read a Russian language newspaper without first knowing the Russian alphabet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Common core math standards in K and first grade are not the best. The basics need to come first. Would you try to read a Russian language newspaper without first knowing the Russian alphabet?

Please refer us to some specific K and first-grade math standards in the Common Core that you consider too advanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's a total crock that it's the parents' fault kids aren't doing well. Common Core sets up kids to fail. It's a bizarre over-correction from No Child Left Behind, the last piece of garbage foisted upon the schools. The families I know work hard with the kids on Common COre, but the kids still aren't getting it. Many kids just don't learn in the fashion that Common Core demands.

The Common Core doesn't demand that anybody learn in any fashion. The Common Core is not a curriculum. The Common Core is standards. All that the Common Core says is, "You should be able to do [x] in [y] grade."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Common core math standards in K and first grade are not the best. The basics need to come first. Would you try to read a Russian language newspaper without first knowing the Russian alphabet?

The Common Core basic standards for end of year of Kindergarten include:

- count to 100
- write numerals to 10
- draw pictures or use objects to show addition and subtraction (i.e. if told 2+3 child can draw 2 cats plus 3 cats, and then count to get 5 cats.)
- do the above for numbers that add up to 10
- break numbers up to 10 into two groups. For example, if given 6 buttons, be able to break them into 4+2, or 3+ 3, etc. And then beable to WRITE 4 under the group that has 4, and 2 under the group that has 2.
- know what two numbers add up to 10. (1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6 , 5 and 5)
- know math addition and subtraction facts to 5 fluently (from memory, not needing to count on your fingers)

These standards ARE the basics.

[Anonymous]

The short and simple answer: people confuse the standards with curriculum. The standards are rigorous but appropriate, and the idea that every child, no matter what state he/she lives in should have the same baseline of education is a good one.

If you don't like the currcicula your school system chose or chooses to teach the standards, THAT is a different issue.

[Anonymous]

break numbers up to 10 into two groups. For example, if given 6 buttons, be able to break them into 4+2, or 3+ 3, etc. And then beable to WRITE 4 under the group that has 4, and 2 under the group that has 2.
- know what two numbers add up to 10. (1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6 , 5 and 5)
- know math addition and subtraction facts to 5 fluently (from memory, not needing to count on your fingers)

These standards ARE the basics.

These are basic and teachers have always taught them. The problem comes with standardized testing. It is one thing to draw a picture on a large piece of paper, it is quite another with a standardized test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not the pp, but I do education research for a living. It's absolutely true. Sorry you do not wish to hear it. This is why more challenging standards are needed. (Though I don't disagree that implementation has been a real sh*tshow in many districts. That's a huge problem.)

Just by way of a history lesson, so people can understand how we got here, NCLB gave states a huge incentive to dumb down their standards. States that didn't meet self-established performance goals got dinged. So, many states just set low standards so they wouldn't face the consequences. In many cases, this resulted in a dumbing down of some education systems and curriculum. This has been going on for the better part of a decade. We're so used to it by now that we can't even seen how far behind we really are -- until you look at kids in other countries. Then you realize that we simply have to do better.

What I don't like about Common Core is that it continues to place the emphasis on schools instead of parents. Parents who don't invest in their kids, who don't read to them, who don't contribute toward their education in and outside of class, who rely on the schools to do all of the educating, are the reason kids do poorly. I realize that it's hard for parents who are working two jobs, etc., and we as a society need to do more to support that group. But, there are plenty of parents who don't work two jobs who still think the school is responsible for educating and they just follow along. There are plenty of parents who work two jobs and still insist on driving their kids to excel in school too. In my opinion, it's our parenting that needs to change if we are to move the needle on achievement. Perhaps not this extreme, but a little more Tiger momming would not kill us.

Ah, an academic who doesn't understand how real, live, breathing children work.

Back in my day (I am in my 50s) parents did squat for the kids regarding school, except maybe drive us to the bus stop. We did all our work - but then, it was pretty attainable. It was much more age-appropriate. No Kindergarten homework. No abstract "Everyday Math" or Common Core in first grade. Heck, I don't remember having homework until 6th grade. We had one standardized test a year, starting in middle school. There were different tracks for kids who wanted to do different things. NOt everyone took college math. They took business math. Somehow, we all got jobs and are paying members of society.

Today, homework starts in K, and the kids don't understand it -- and neither do the parents.


It's a total crock that it's the parents' fault kids aren't doing well. Common Core sets up kids to fail. It's a bizarre over-correction from No Child Left Behind, the last piece of garbage foisted upon the schools. The families I know work hard with the kids on Common COre, but the kids still aren't getting it. Many kids just don't learn in the fashion that Common Core demands.






Could you list concrete things you think parents should be doing with their kids? I was not pleased with the low standard set for learning math facts so I sent my kids to kumon. I'm 43 and my parents didn't participate in my education except for setting up homework space at home and drilling me on vocab and spelling wo err jsimurdiak, and multiplication tables.