FYI: New York and New Jersey ... forums and bills on Common core

[Anonymous]

Just FYI. The information is in the public domain. No personal opinion.

New York Revolts Against Common Core

Indeed, teachers and educators have now openly revolted against Common Core. In late January, the board of the New York state teachers union voted unanimously against the standards as they have been implemented so far, representing a devastating blow to the whole scheme. The powerful 600,000-member strong union also voted unanimously for the removal of New York Education Commissioner John King Jr., a fervent advocate of Common Core who critics say refuses to listen to an outraged public.

“We’ll have to be the first to say it’s failed,” New York State United Teachers President Richard Iannuzzi was quoted as saying about the implementation of Common Core. “We’ve been in conversations where we’re all saying our members don’t see this going down a path that improves teaching and learning. We’re struggling with how to deal with it.”

“She was breaking into tears testifying about this,” Graf said about the special-education teacher who shared the story. “I have parents pouring their hearts out telling me how their kids are coming home and don’t want to go to school anymore. I have kids that loved math and now hate math.” Some teachers who testified, knowing that they could be putting their careers in jeopardy, told lawmakers that they just “couldn’t sit there and let them do this to these children.”

http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/item/17577-new-york-revolts-against-common-core

New Jersey

The New Jersey legislature has introduced Senate and Assembly bills S2973 and A4197 calling for further investigation of the CCSS.

http://watchdogwire.com/new-jersey/2014/01/06/nj-common-core-regulatory-privacy-concerns-part3/

[Anonymous]

LOL!
No personal opinion, but you just cut and paste the parts you want to post.
LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL!
No personal opinion, but you just cut and paste the parts you want to post.
LOL!

OP here. Thank you for the comments. You are right. That is the reason why I am not a journalist.

Overall, I do believe that education is for all the kids regardless of gender, race, poor/rich, behind/advanced.

[Anonymous]

New York went nuts. They took the Common Core standards, went and wrote a crappy curriculum that they said was based on those standards, but went absolutely batshit crazy in all the extra things they added to the curriculum.

Then they designed a test testing not Common Core Objectives, but the additional objectives/standards they built into their curriculum.

They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed.

For example: for their English/Language Arts lesson in grade 2 on they state the following goals. (Again, note -- these are NOT Common Core Standards. They are standards invented up by the NY State Department of Education!!)

http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-2-ela-domain-5-the-war-of-1812

By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

Explain that America fought Great Britain for independence;
Explain that the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution;
Explain that Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from the French;
Explain that Great Britain became involved in a series of wars against France;
Explain that due to a shortage of sailors, Britain began to impress, or capture, American sailors;
Explain that some members of the U.S. government began to call for war;
Identify that the British controlled land in the northern Great Lakes region, the northwestern territories, and Canada;
Explain that James Madison was the president during the War of 1812;
Identify James Madison, a Founding Father, as the main author of the Constitution;
Identify Dolley Payne Todd as James Madison’s wife;
Identify James Madison as the fourth president of the United States;
Explain that in 1812 the United States had a small army and a small navy;
Explain that President Madison persuaded farmers to become soldiers;
Explain the USS Constitution became known as “Old Ironsides” because British cannonballs could not damage it;
Explain how the President’s House was a house especially built for the president and his family; today it is called the White House;
Explain that in 1814 the British attacked the capital, Washington, D.C.;
Explain that Dolley Madison had to escape from the President’s House;
Explain that Dolley Madison saved important papers, letters, and a portrait of George Washington;
Explain that the British Army set fire to the President’s House;
Describe how the British attacked the city of Baltimore and Fort McHenry;
Explain that the U.S. commander of Fort McHenry asked for a large flag to be made to fly over Fort McHenry;
Explain that the British failed to capture Baltimore or Fort McHenry;
Explain how Francis Scott Key watched the battle of Fort McHenry and wrote a poem that later became the national anthem;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song, “The Star-Spangled Banner”;
Explain that General Andrew Jackson’s army was made up of militiamen, soldiers, farmers, Native Americans, African Americans, and pirates;
Explain that the Battle of New Orleans actually took place two weeks after the War of 1812 was over;
Describe how the War of 1812 was considered a second war for independence;
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song;
Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph nonfiction/informational read-aloud as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text;
Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an opinion piece in which they introduce a topic, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provides a concluding statement or section;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text that presents information from a nonfiction/informational read-aloud that introduces a topic, uses facts and definitions to develop points, and provides a concluding statement or section;
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., after listening to several read-alouds, produce a report on a single topic);
Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
Generate questions and gather information from multiple sources to answer questions;
Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines, and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue;
Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
Use word parts to determine meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny);
Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify orally what they know and have learned about a given topic;
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, orally predict what will happen based on images or text heard and then compare the actual outcome to the prediction;
Share writing with others; and
Rehearse and perform a read-aloud for an audience using eye contact, appropriate volume, and clear enunciation.

And that is just ONE of the 2nd grade Language Arts Modules. There are like 8 of them!!

So -- watch out!

When you hear that educators in New York State are protesting the "implementation of Common Core" you need to ask, what exactly, are they protesting?

[Anonymous]

New York went nuts. They took the Common Core standards, went and wrote a crappy curriculum that they said was based on those standards....

This is EXACTLY what MCPS did.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. It is always nice to know more detail.

At the top level, you are demonstrating that NY does not set the right objectives for their students. Indeed, it is always a big challenge for any curriculum implementation to set the right targets. The common core can always dodge the bullet and claim that it is good because it is only a "standard". Teachers and schools can not since they are dealing with implementations. However, a well-designed standard must take implementations into consideration. It is surprised me that CC had been widely rolled out before its assessments are ready and local schools had gone up & beyond to design their own assessments. For MCPS, there is a UCARE assessment.

You have pointed out that a center piece of NY implementation failure was "They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed." A high level question is, "Will people be happy if all kids passed the test?" May or may not. MSA had been complained for being too easy. People in this forum complained that P is everywhere.

Overall, at the system level, is there a way for curriculum implementations to take feedback from the field and to evolve themselves? Regardless of who are the ultimate winners/losers in curriculum related clashes, some students are always under cross fire and affected. This is sad.

Anonymous wrote:New York went nuts. They took the Common Core standards, went and wrote a crappy curriculum that they said was based on those standards, but went absolutely batshit crazy in all the extra things they added to the curriculum.

Then they designed a test testing not Common Core Objectives, but the additional objectives/standards they built into their curriculum.

They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed.

For example: for their English/Language Arts lesson in grade 2 on they state the following goals. (Again, note -- these are NOT Common Core Standards. They are standards invented up by the NY State Department of Education!!)

http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-2-ela-domain-5-the-war-of-1812

By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

Explain that America fought Great Britain for independence;
Explain that the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution;
Explain that Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from the French;
Explain that Great Britain became involved in a series of wars against France;
Explain that due to a shortage of sailors, Britain began to impress, or capture, American sailors;
Explain that some members of the U.S. government began to call for war;
Identify that the British controlled land in the northern Great Lakes region, the northwestern territories, and Canada;
Explain that James Madison was the president during the War of 1812;
Identify James Madison, a Founding Father, as the main author of the Constitution;
Identify Dolley Payne Todd as James Madison’s wife;
Identify James Madison as the fourth president of the United States;
Explain that in 1812 the United States had a small army and a small navy;
Explain that President Madison persuaded farmers to become soldiers;
Explain the USS Constitution became known as “Old Ironsides” because British cannonballs could not damage it;
Explain how the President’s House was a house especially built for the president and his family; today it is called the White House;
Explain that in 1814 the British attacked the capital, Washington, D.C.;
Explain that Dolley Madison had to escape from the President’s House;
Explain that Dolley Madison saved important papers, letters, and a portrait of George Washington;
Explain that the British Army set fire to the President’s House;
Describe how the British attacked the city of Baltimore and Fort McHenry;
Explain that the U.S. commander of Fort McHenry asked for a large flag to be made to fly over Fort McHenry;
Explain that the British failed to capture Baltimore or Fort McHenry;
Explain how Francis Scott Key watched the battle of Fort McHenry and wrote a poem that later became the national anthem;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song, “The Star-Spangled Banner”;
Explain that General Andrew Jackson’s army was made up of militiamen, soldiers, farmers, Native Americans, African Americans, and pirates;
Explain that the Battle of New Orleans actually took place two weeks after the War of 1812 was over;
Describe how the War of 1812 was considered a second war for independence;
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song;
Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph nonfiction/informational read-aloud as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text;
Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an opinion piece in which they introduce a topic, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provides a concluding statement or section;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text that presents information from a nonfiction/informational read-aloud that introduces a topic, uses facts and definitions to develop points, and provides a concluding statement or section;
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., after listening to several read-alouds, produce a report on a single topic);
Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
Generate questions and gather information from multiple sources to answer questions;
Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines, and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue;
Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
Use word parts to determine meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny);
Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify orally what they know and have learned about a given topic;
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, orally predict what will happen based on images or text heard and then compare the actual outcome to the prediction;
Share writing with others; and
Rehearse and perform a read-aloud for an audience using eye contact, appropriate volume, and clear enunciation.

And that is just ONE of the 2nd grade Language Arts Modules. There are like 8 of them!!

So -- watch out!

When you hear that educators in New York State are protesting the "implementation of Common Core" you need to ask, what exactly, are they protesting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. It is always nice to know more detail.

At the top level, you are demonstrating that NY does not set the right objectives for their students. Indeed, it is always a big challenge for any curriculum implementation to set the right targets. The common core can always dodge the bullet and claim that it is good because it is only a "standard". Teachers and schools can not since they are dealing with implementations. However, a well-designed standard must take implementations into consideration. It is surprised me that CC had been widely rolled out before its assessments are ready and local schools had gone up & beyond to design their own assessments. For MCPS, there is a UCARE assessment.

NYS Dept of Ed personnel just went nuts. There's no other way to describe it. They were handed a perfectly acceptable set of completely normal language arts standards, like "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing." and "Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text." and they Just. Went. Nuts.

I have been teaching for years. The Common Core State Standards are FINE. They are clear, understandable, and thorough. Sure, some could be tweaked. I have worked in NY State, in VA and in MD. In each state, either the state or the school district had a set of objectives we were to be sure kids could master by the end of the year. Sometimes the school district handed us a curriculum (written up list of lessons we should cover and the order in which we should teach them) other times we were left to devise our own lessons. This is completely normal, for teachers. This is what we do.

There is NO reason that NYS officials needed to take a perfectly normal set of standards (Common Core) and then impose on top of those, that horrendous list of additional objectives.






You have pointed out that a center piece of NY implementation failure was "They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed." A high level question is, "Will people be happy if all kids passed the test?" May or may not. MSA had been complained for being too easy. People in this forum complained that P is everywhere.

Overall, at the system level, is there a way for curriculum implementations to take feedback from the field and to evolve themselves? Regardless of who are the ultimate winners/losers in curriculum related clashes, some students are always under cross fire and affected. This is sad.

Anonymous wrote:New York went nuts. They took the Common Core standards, went and wrote a crappy curriculum that they said was based on those standards, but went absolutely batshit crazy in all the extra things they added to the curriculum.

Then they designed a test testing not Common Core Objectives, but the additional objectives/standards they built into their curriculum.

They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed.

For example: for their English/Language Arts lesson in grade 2 on they state the following goals. (Again, note -- these are NOT Common Core Standards. They are standards invented up by the NY State Department of Education!!)

http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-2-ela-domain-5-the-war-of-1812

By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

Explain that America fought Great Britain for independence;
Explain that the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution;
Explain that Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from the French;
Explain that Great Britain became involved in a series of wars against France;
Explain that due to a shortage of sailors, Britain began to impress, or capture, American sailors;
Explain that some members of the U.S. government began to call for war;
Identify that the British controlled land in the northern Great Lakes region, the northwestern territories, and Canada;
Explain that James Madison was the president during the War of 1812;
Identify James Madison, a Founding Father, as the main author of the Constitution;
Identify Dolley Payne Todd as James Madison’s wife;
Identify James Madison as the fourth president of the United States;
Explain that in 1812 the United States had a small army and a small navy;
Explain that President Madison persuaded farmers to become soldiers;
Explain the USS Constitution became known as “Old Ironsides” because British cannonballs could not damage it;
Explain how the President’s House was a house especially built for the president and his family; today it is called the White House;
Explain that in 1814 the British attacked the capital, Washington, D.C.;
Explain that Dolley Madison had to escape from the President’s House;
Explain that Dolley Madison saved important papers, letters, and a portrait of George Washington;
Explain that the British Army set fire to the President’s House;
Describe how the British attacked the city of Baltimore and Fort McHenry;
Explain that the U.S. commander of Fort McHenry asked for a large flag to be made to fly over Fort McHenry;
Explain that the British failed to capture Baltimore or Fort McHenry;
Explain how Francis Scott Key watched the battle of Fort McHenry and wrote a poem that later became the national anthem;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song, “The Star-Spangled Banner”;
Explain that General Andrew Jackson’s army was made up of militiamen, soldiers, farmers, Native Americans, African Americans, and pirates;
Explain that the Battle of New Orleans actually took place two weeks after the War of 1812 was over;
Describe how the War of 1812 was considered a second war for independence;
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song;
Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph nonfiction/informational read-aloud as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text;
Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an opinion piece in which they introduce a topic, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provides a concluding statement or section;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text that presents information from a nonfiction/informational read-aloud that introduces a topic, uses facts and definitions to develop points, and provides a concluding statement or section;
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., after listening to several read-alouds, produce a report on a single topic);
Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
Generate questions and gather information from multiple sources to answer questions;
Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines, and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue;
Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
Use word parts to determine meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny);
Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify orally what they know and have learned about a given topic;
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, orally predict what will happen based on images or text heard and then compare the actual outcome to the prediction;
Share writing with others; and
Rehearse and perform a read-aloud for an audience using eye contact, appropriate volume, and clear enunciation.

And that is just ONE of the 2nd grade Language Arts Modules. There are like 8 of them!!

So -- watch out!

When you hear that educators in New York State are protesting the "implementation of Common Core" you need to ask, what exactly, are they protesting?

[Anonymous]

Here's more from NY State Grade 2 English Language Arts curriculum:

Again -- these are NOT Common Core objectives.

For the reading impaired, I repeat -- these are ADDITIONAL objectives being introduced by New York State for 2nd grade. They do not come from the Common Core State standards. However if you look at the website from which I got them, the website appears to say these are "Common Core Curriculum"

By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

Identify Asia as the largest continent with the most populous countries in the world;
Locate Asia, India, and China on a map or globe;
Explain the importance of mountains in the development of early Asian civilizations;
Explain the importance of the Indus and Ganges Rivers for the development of civilization in ancient times;
Describe the key components of a civilization;
Identify Hinduism and Buddhism as major religions originating in Asia;
Describe the basic principles of Hinduism and Buddhism
Identify the names for followers of Hinduism and Buddhism;
Identify the holy texts of Hinduism and Buddhism;
Identify holy places for Hindus and Buddhists;
Identify important figures in Hinduism and Buddhism;
Identify Diwali as an important holiday in Hinduism;
Demonstrate familiarity with the folktale “The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal”;
Describe the characters, plot, and setting of the folktale “The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal”;
Identify trickster tales and folktales as types of fiction;
Demonstrate familiarity with the poem “The Blind Men and the Elephant”;
Describe the characters, plot, and setting of the poem “The Blind Men and the Elephant”;
Explain the importance of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers for the development of civilizations in ancient times;
Describe contributions of ancient China (e.g., paper, silk, writing, the Great Wall);
Demonstrate familiarity with the folktale “The Magic Paintbrush”;
Describe the characters, plot, and setting of the folktale “The Magic Paintbrush”;
Describe silk making;
Explain the significance of the Great Wall of China;
Identify Confucius;
Describe the teachings of Confucius;
Describe the Chinese New Year;
Recount fiction read-alouds, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine the central message, lesson, or moral;
Describe how characters in a fiction read-aloud respond to major events and challenges;
Describe the following story elements: characters, setting, and plot, including how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action;
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a read-aloud to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot;
Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Interpret information from diagrams, charts, timelines, graphs, or other organizers associated with a nonfiction/informational read-aloud and explain how these graphics clarify the meaning of the read-aloud;
Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
Plan and/or draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text that present information from a nonfiction/informational read-aloud that introduces a topic, uses facts and definitions to develop points, and provides a concluding statement or section;
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing;
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., after listening to several read-alouds, produce a report on a single topic);
Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
Summarize (orally or in writing) text content and/or oral information presented by others;
Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines, and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information or deepen understanding of a topic or issue;
Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
Use word parts to determine meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurt) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny);
Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify (orally or in writing) what they know and have learned that may be related to the specific story or topic to be read aloud;
Identify and express physical sensations, mental states, and emotions of self and others;
Make predictions (orally or in writing) prior to and during a read-aloud, based on the title, pictures, and/or text heard thus far, and then compare the actual outcomes to predictions;
Rehearse and perform poems, stories, and plays for an audience using eye contact, appropriate volume, and clear enunciation;
Share writing with others;
Use regular and irregular past tense verbs correctly in oral language; and
Sequence four to six pictures illustrating events in a story.

http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-2-ela-domain-2-early-asian-civilizations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You have pointed out that a center piece of NY implementation failure was "They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed." A high level question is, "Will people be happy if all kids passed the test?" May or may not. MSA had been complained for being too easy. People in this forum complained that P is everywhere.

Rich school districts are not used to having lots of kids fail a test, and everyone is upset if a rich, smart kid gets all stressed out taking a test.

If kids in PG County fail the new PARRC tests, no one will give a damn, but if Montgomery County Betheda kids fail it in droves, people will not be happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI. The information is in the public domain. No personal opinion.

New York Revolts Against Common Core

Indeed, teachers and educators have now openly revolted against Common Core. In late January, the board of the New York state teachers union voted unanimously against the standards as they have been implemented so far, representing a devastating blow to the whole scheme. The powerful 600,000-member strong union also voted unanimously for the removal of New York Education Commissioner John King Jr., a fervent advocate of Common Core who critics say refuses to listen to an outraged public.

“We’ll have to be the first to say it’s failed,” New York State United Teachers President Richard Iannuzzi was quoted as saying about the implementation of Common Core. “We’ve been in conversations where we’re all saying our members don’t see this going down a path that improves teaching and learning. We’re struggling with how to deal with it.”

“She was breaking into tears testifying about this,” Graf said about the special-education teacher who shared the story. “I have parents pouring their hearts out telling me how their kids are coming home and don’t want to go to school anymore. I have kids that loved math and now hate math.” Some teachers who testified, knowing that they could be putting their careers in jeopardy, told lawmakers that they just “couldn’t sit there and let them do this to these children.”

http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/item/17577-new-york-revolts-against-common-core


From your link:

Assemblyman Graf said that during testimony from parents and educators, it became clear that the imposition of Common Core had been a total failure — with terrible consequences for teachers, students, schools, and parents. The Common Core modules for New York, for example, are “filled with grammatical errors and haven’t even been edited,” Graf said. “It would be better to call this the un-Common Core, nothing is consistent.”

The material is often highly inappropriate, the lawmaker continued. “Explain to me why a first grader has to point out ancient Mesopotamia on a globe or explain their contributions to modern civilization — they’re six,” Graf said, citing a broad range of examples illustrating that the controversial standards appear to have been poorly thought out — at the very least. “But you know there are a lot of people making money on all this.”

Graf is complaining about the "Common Core modules" -- the ones I posted earlier, that AREN'T anything to do with Common Core State Standards. They were designed by someone in the New York State Dept of Education. From what I can tell, they appear to be trying to combine Common Core State Standards with Core Knowledge (Hirsch).

Just FYI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You have pointed out that a center piece of NY implementation failure was "They didn't field test this assessment, they just rolled it out and kids had a terrible time on the test, and all failed." A high level question is, "Will people be happy if all kids passed the test?" May or may not. MSA had been complained for being too easy. People in this forum complained that P is everywhere.

Rich school districts are not used to having lots of kids fail a test, and everyone is upset if a rich, smart kid gets all stressed out taking a test.

If kids in PG County fail the new PARRC tests, no one will give a damn, but if Montgomery County Betheda kids fail it in droves, people will not be happy.

I agree. If the kids in Prince George's County fail, that proves that the Prince George's County schools are bad. If the kids in Bethesda in MCPS fail, that proves that the test is bad.

[Anonymous]

^^^well, or that they would have passed, if MCPS hadn't made them dumb.

[Anonymous]

http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/it...rk-revolts-against-common-core


From your link:

Assemblyman Graf said that during testimony from parents and educators, it became clear that the imposition of Common Core had been a total failure — with terrible consequences for teachers, students, schools, and parents. The Common Core modules for New York, for example, are “filled with grammatical errors and haven’t even been edited,” Graf said. “It would be better to call this the un-Common Core, nothing is consistent.”

The material is often highly inappropriate, the lawmaker continued. “Explain to me why a first grader has to point out ancient Mesopotamia on a globe or explain their contributions to modern civilization — they’re six,” Graf said, citing a broad range of examples illustrating that the controversial standards appear to have been poorly thought out — at the very least. “But you know there are a lot of people making money on all this.”

Graf is complaining about the "Common Core modules" -- the ones I posted earlier, that AREN'T anything to do with Common Core State Standards. They were designed by someone in the New York State Dept of Education. From what I can tell, they appear to be trying to combine Common Core State Standards with Core Knowledge (Hirsch).

Just FYI

(Reposting because I messed up the quotes)

[Anonymous]

Regardless of the content of NY Curriculum, their effort in putting a thorough list of items and opening access to all is remarkable. This effort paves a way for people coming in to evaluate and improve the curriculum in future.

While criticizing NY's effort at great length, what have we done to get common core curriculum implementation transparent at such a detailed level? Note that without detail and transparency, it is hard for people to understand and follow.

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/it...rk-revolts-against-common-core


From your link:

Assemblyman Graf said that during testimony from parents and educators, it became clear that the imposition of Common Core had been a total failure — with terrible consequences for teachers, students, schools, and parents. The Common Core modules for New York, for example, are “filled with grammatical errors and haven’t even been edited,” Graf said. “It would be better to call this the un-Common Core, nothing is consistent.”

The material is often highly inappropriate, the lawmaker continued. “Explain to me why a first grader has to point out ancient Mesopotamia on a globe or explain their contributions to modern civilization — they’re six,” Graf said, citing a broad range of examples illustrating that the controversial standards appear to have been poorly thought out — at the very least. “But you know there are a lot of people making money on all this.”

Graf is complaining about the "Common Core modules" -- the ones I posted earlier, that AREN'T anything to do with Common Core State Standards. They were designed by someone in the New York State Dept of Education. From what I can tell, they appear to be trying to combine Common Core State Standards with Core Knowledge (Hirsch).

Just FYI

(Reposting because I messed up the quotes)

[Anonymous]

I think that I like the engageny.org site. Is there a site for maryland or montgomery county?