Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

Here's another standard to write a test question for:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1
Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.


Test question:

Here's a line segment. How long is it in inches?

----------------------------------

[Anonymous]

So, what is the plan when the kids don't pass the K test? Are they going to repeat?

[Anonymous]

Here's a harder concept to test. Again 2nd grade.



CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2
Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.


Test question:

Here's a line segment. Measure it in paperclips, and then in pencil erasers.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



__3____ paperclips

___12___ pencil erasers

You can fit more pencil erasers, because they are small. You can only fit three paperclips, because they are bigger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize your test is not in multiple choice form for the "why". You also must realize that a test on the standards will take hours?

What is your point? Must the tests be in multiple choice form? Who says? And why would a test on the standards have to take hours? How many hours? Two hours? Ten hours? 100 hours?

Anybody would think, from reading this, that nobody has ever taken a standardized test before, let alone designed one.

The PP you are replying to has, I believe, a child who is learning disabled in the verbal area and cannot write well. Asking children with dysgraphia to write an answer like "2 tens plus 5 tens = 7 10s" is sheer torture to such children; I know, because my child had a writing difficulty in 2nd grade though not as bad as to be labeled dysgraphia.

This standard should also be able to be measured by students responding orally. You don't need to ask the question hundreds of times, tough, just enough to be sure they get the concept.

OK, that's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what is the plan when the kids don't pass the K test? Are they going to repeat?

What K test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what is the plan when the kids don't pass the K test? Are they going to repeat?

Again. These are Common Core standards. They are not tests. They are not curricula. They are not promotion policies. They are standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what is the plan when the kids don't pass the K test? Are they going to repeat?

In our school, when we have Kindergarten children who can't master the majority of grade level standards, we know this at the start of the year. Kids are identified in the first weeks of the school year (through testing!) and are given extra help all year; after school programs, etc. These would be your kids who enter school without one to one correspondence in counting, not having any sense of how to copy a letter, etc.

We meet with parents in February to discuss possible retention -- we don't wait for the results of an end of the year test.

In some cases, retaining children who are below grade level is an option, but it isn't the first one we look to, especially not if there are LD or ESOL concerns.

[Anonymous]

So, we are going to spend hours and hours testing these standards instead of teaching? That is what is going to happen. Just like Virginia SoL which are exceedingly easy.

[Anonymous]

They are standards.

Duncan says that teacher competency should be tied to student achievement. What do you think they are going to use to assess this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, we are going to spend hours and hours testing these standards instead of teaching? That is what is going to happen. Just like Virginia SoL which are exceedingly easy.

How many hours do you think will be spent testing?

[Anonymous]

Go read about Race to the Top. It clearly ties assessment and student achievement to grants within the common core.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They are standards.

Duncan says that teacher competency should be tied to student achievement. What do you think they are going to use to assess this?

Well, let's see. I did some very quick Googling, and I came up with this:

http://tntp.org/assets/documents/Teacher-Evaluation-Oct10F.pdf

Have you read it? One thing that is not in there is: "We should evaluate teachers based exclusively on whether or not their students meet the Common Core standards for the year."

(Teacher evaluation, by the way. Not teacher competency.)

[Anonymous]

Suggest you read the booklet. Pay particular attention to pages 6 and 7. Look at the pie chart. 50% based on student achievement.

[Anonymous]

Booklet also says that evaluation of students should give far more weight to standardized evaluation rather than teacher designed.

[Anonymous]

Good luck hiring teachers in the district. They will be held to same standards as everyone else.