Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Follow the money. The reason NY feels they've been duped is because - they were.

New York State wasn't duped. Their department of education decided what curriculum they wanted to have, and designed that curriculum. That is how our systemn of education works -- each state designs its own curriculum. THey chose something quite ambitious and it was far more than what was required by Common Core standards.

Again, you are separating the standards from the curriculum. I would like you to specifically show me how the standards over-reach common core, how they are over ambitious. Use examples from the workbooks to prove your point, and show me how they go well beyond the common core standards. It's time for you to prove your rhetoric.

Please also provide examples of what you feel would be appropriate way to meet those standards alongside the over-reaching New York standards.

I'm asking you to do this because you seem to feel you know more than the educators and administrators in NY, and are calling them liars.

Link to New York State standards for social studies:

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/

Link to Common Core standards for social studies:

[blank space here]

That's because there aren't any Common Core standards for social studies.

(I'm not the PP you were talking to.)

How about mathematics and english?

And I posted the CC standard that stated that history and social studies literacy was under english. The question is, what is literacy in social studies and history? How are they going to meet that standard? Will you blame the state if X state does and Y state does not?

Will the tests be the same across the USA? Or will each state have their own test? What about when we get to the SAT and ACT, which is being changed to meet CC standards, and we know that they are the same nationwide.

Lastly, are you saying that the NY teachers and administrators are too stupid to realize that they are not dealing with CC? If so, then I trust you are starting a movement to oust them, correct, because they should not be educating kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

All the Common Core supporters here are incredibly naive. Go to testingtalk.org and look at the teacher comments on how inappropriate the tests are.

And I agree with a PP, you CANNOT separate the curriculum, the standards, and the testing. They are all linked through money that comes from the testing. TO get the Fed Funds you have to use the standardized tests. And the fed funds is the ONLY REASON states adopted Common Core standards -- sight unseen.

I think we might be the only ones here seeing the whole picture here. Perhaps we are the only ones doing the research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What power do I have to change the workbook or choose a better curriculum? None. The state and local governments chose them. You're right, we don't have a common curriculum and that's by design. Because the goal is to create chaos so it can be fixed with a common standard nationwide curriculum. I'm sure that would be fine with you, because you don't see the downfall.

You're right. You have no power. The only thing you can do is complain about it anonymously on an anonymous internet message board.

Or, alternatively, you can go out there and get involved and actually try to do something about this problem that you consider so important.

Indeed I have been. But you have to remember this isn't about education. It's about Federal control. And that, my friend, I have been fighting tooth and nail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the Common Core supporters here are incredibly naive. Go to testingtalk.org and look at the teacher comments on how inappropriate the tests are.

And I agree with a PP, you CANNOT separate the curriculum, the standards, and the testing. They are all linked through money that comes from the testing. TO get the Fed Funds you have to use the standardized tests. And the fed funds is the ONLY REASON states adopted Common Core standards -- sight unseen.

I think we might be the only ones here seeing the whole picture here. Perhaps we are the only ones doing the research.

I think you're the same person. Haha. And instead of sharing your "research" you just keep spouting g the same nonsense and asking others posters for proof of this and that without actually answering any questions yourself or offering "proof" for your own assertions.

[Anonymous]

The CC supporters are naïve if they do not realize that all of this is run by publishing companies. Follow the money.

[Anonymous]

cont. Education has always been influenced by publishing companies--but this will make it much, much worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What power do I have to change the workbook or choose a better curriculum? None. The state and local governments chose them. You're right, we don't have a common curriculum and that's by design. Because the goal is to create chaos so it can be fixed with a common standard nationwide curriculum. I'm sure that would be fine with you, because you don't see the downfall.

You're right. You have no power. The only thing you can do is complain about it anonymously on an anonymous internet message board.

Or, alternatively, you can go out there and get involved and actually try to do something about this problem that you consider so important.

Indeed I have been. But you have to remember this isn't about education. It's about Federal control. And that, my friend, I have been fighting tooth and nail.

Congratulations! You have successfully persuaded me that people who oppose the Common Core are black helicopterists.

[Anonymous]

Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Turley "black helicopterists"? I don't think so.

Turley quoted Ravitch saying "They (CC standards) were developed by an organization called Achieve and the National Governors Association, both of which were generously funded by the Gates Foundation. There was minimal public engagement in the development of the Common Core. Their creation was neither grassroots nor did it emanate from the states."

from: http://jonathanturley.org/2013/11/24/rotten-to-the-common-core-on-the-subject-of-education-standards-arne-duncan-white-suburban-momsand-badss-teachers/

Obviously, there are many, many grey areas to CC, particularly its emphasis on testing and teaching to the test. Nuanced debate should go beyond ad hominem attacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The CC supporters are naïve if they do not realize that all of this is run by publishing companies. Follow the money.

Show me proof! Since you've already followed it, shouldn't be that hard for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:cont. Education has always been influenced by publishing companies--but this will make it much, much worse.

How? Again, show me actual evidence this is happening. And not your second amendment rant again.

[Anonymous]

How? Again, show me actual evidence this is happening. And not your second amendment rant again.

Do you think there is only one poster? I have never commented on the second amendment. There are lots of reasons not to like CC.

[Anonymous]

Because of text adoption policies, in the past, TX and CA pretty much determined curriculum because of huge contracts with publishing companies.

[Anonymous]

Publishing companies would gear their curriculum towards CA and TX, and therefore other states followed what CA and TX decided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Follow the money. The reason NY feels they've been duped is because - they were.

New York State wasn't duped. Their department of education decided what curriculum they wanted to have, and designed that curriculum. That is how our systemn of education works -- each state designs its own curriculum. THey chose something quite ambitious and it was far more than what was required by Common Core standards.

Again, you are separating the standards from the curriculum. I would like you to specifically show me how the standards over-reach common core, how they are over ambitious. Use examples from the workbooks to prove your point, and show me how they go well beyond the common core standards. It's time for you to prove your rhetoric.


I'm asking you to do this because you seem to feel you know more than the educators and administrators in NY, and are calling them liars.

The CURRICULUM New York State designed to meet COMMON CORE OBJECTIVES has been posted on its website www.engageny.org

It comes in MODULES by Grade Level.

Here are the objectives of a 2nd grade module in Language Arts/History (Domain 9: the US CIVIL WAR)

The first thing that "goes beyond" Common Core standards is the inclusion of a specific topic, the CIvil War. This was the decision of NY State. Not a requirement of Common Core.

The next things that go beyond Common Core standards in English Language Arts are the numerous history requirements. They are not required by Common Core. They were decided upon as part of the New York State Curriculum.

I will BOLD all the objectives that NYState added that are NOT a part of Common Core.

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

Demonstrate familiarity with slavery and the controversy over slavery in the United States;

Identify the contributions that enslaved African Americans made to the success of plantations in the South;

Describe the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman;

Identify the Underground Railroad as a system of escape for enslaved Africans in the United States;

Demonstrate familiarity with the poem, “Harriet Tubman”;

Demonstrate familiarity with the song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd”;

Differentiate between the North and the South;

Describe the adult life and contributions of Abraham Lincoln;

Demonstrate familiarity with the poem, “Lincoln”;

Differentiate between the Union and the Confederacy and the states associated with each;

Describe why the southern state seceded from the United States;

Identify the U.S. Civil War, or the War Between the States, as a war waged because of differences between the North and the South;

Identify the people of the North as “Yankees” and those of the South as “Rebels”;

Define the differences between the Union and the Confederacy;

Explain Abraham Lincoln’s role in keeping the Union together during the U.S. Civil War;

Identify Robert E. Lee as the commander of the Confederate Army;

Explain why Lee was reluctant to command either the Union or Confederate Army;

Identify Clara Barton as the “Angel of the Battlefield” and the founder of the American Red Cross;

Describe the work of the American Red Cross;

Identify Abraham Lincoln as the author of the Emancipation Proclamation;

Explain the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation;

Identify Ulysses S. Grant as the commander of the Union Army;

Explain that the North’s victory reunited the North and the South as one country and ended slavery;

Recount fiction read-alouds, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures and determine the central message, lesson, or moral;

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;

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;

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, 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;

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 tissue;

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 the 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;

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);

Identify and express physical sensations, mental states, and emotions of self and others;

Share writing with others;

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; and

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.

http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-2-ela-domain-9-the-us-civil-war#anthology

[Anonymous]

More examples of New York State choosing a curriculum for its state that went above and beyond the requirement of Common Core

Again this is second grade. Each Domain includes pretty much the same language arts standards as I posted above for Domain 9, so I am including only the social studies/science standards they came up with. Here are just a few of the Domains and their requirements. It actually sounds like a very interesting, and challenging, second grade year, but I can see why teachers and kids in New York state are having a rough time with the curriculum that New York State ambitiously came up with, that went above and beyond anything which was required by Common Core.



Domain 5: War of 1812 (New York State Second Grade Curriculum)

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;

Domain 6: Cycles on Nature (New York State CUrriculum Grade 2)

Explain that a cycle is a sequence of events that repeats itself again and again;
Recognize that the rotation of the earth causes daytime and nighttime;
Explain that it takes twenty-four hours for the earth to rotate once on its axis;
Recognize that living things have a life cycle;
Demonstrate familiarity with the poem “Bed in Summer”;
Recognize that Earth orbits the sun;
Explain that it takes one year for Earth to orbit the sun;
Describe the seasonal cycle: spring, summer, autumn, winter;
Identify that the tilt of Earth’s axis in relation to the sun causes the seasons;
Explain effects of seasonal changes on plants and animals;
Demonstrate familiarity with the poem “Bee! I’m expecting you”;
Describe animal processes in spring, summer, autumn, winter;
Define the term life cycle;
Identify the stages of the life cycle of a flowering plant (seed to seed);
Identify the stages of the life cycle of a tree (seed to seed);
Identify the stages of the life cycle of a chicken (egg to egg);
Identify the stages of the life cycle of a frog (egg to egg);
Explain metamorphosis;
Identify the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly (egg to egg);
Define the term water cycle;
Explain that there is a limited amount of water on Earth;
Describe evaporation and condensation;
Identify forms and importance of precipitation;
Describe the formation of clouds;
Identify three types of clouds: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus;

Domain 7 Westward expansion (New York State Curriculum, Grade 2)

Describe a pioneer family’s journey westward;
Describe family life on the frontier;
Explain the significance of the steamboat;
Identify Robert Fulton as the developer of the steamboat;
Identify steamboats, canals, and trains as new means of travel that increased the movement of people west;
Describe the importance of canals;
Identify the Erie Canal as the most famous canal built during the Canal Era;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song “The Erie Canal”;
Explain the significance of Sequoyah’s invention of the Cherokee writing system;
Explain why writing was important to Sequoyah and the Cherokee;
Describe the Cherokee writing system in basic terms;
Explain that the U.S. government forced Native Americans from their lands;
Identify the Trail of Tears as a forced march of the Cherokee;
Identify the Oregon Trail as a difficult trail traveled by wagon trains;
Identify the Pony Express as a horseback mail delivery system;
Identify steamboats, canals, and trains as new means of travel that increased the movement of people west;
Identify the transcontinental railroad as a link between the East and the West;
Identify “iron horse” as the nickname given to the first trains in America;
Explain the advantages of rail travel;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”;
Explain that westward expansion meant displacement of Native Americans;
Explain that the development of the railroad ushered in a new era of mass exodus of the Native Americans from their land;
Describe the effect of diminishing buffalo on the life of Plains Native Americans;

Domain 8: Insects (New York State Curriculum, Grade 2)

Explain that insects are the largest group of animals on Earth;
Explain that there are many different types of insects;
Explain that most insects live solitary lives, but some, such as honeybees, paper wasps, ants, and termites, are social;
Explain that insects live in virtually every habitat on Earth, with the exception of the oceans;
Classify and identify particular insects as small, six-legged animals with three main body parts;
Identify and describe the three main body parts of insects: head, thorax, and abdomen;
Identify the placement and/or purpose of an insects body parts;
Describe an insect’s exoskeleton;
Explain why spiders are not insects;
Describe insect life cycles and the processes of complete and incomplete metamorphosis;
Describe how some insects look like miniature versions of adults when they are born from eggs;
Explain why some insects molt;
Describe how some insects go through four distinct stages of development, including egg, larva, pupa, and adult;
Distinguish between social and solitary insects;
Describe how all members of a social insect colony come from one queen;
Describe the roles of honeybee workers, drones, and queens;
Describe how honeybees communicate with one another through “dances”;
Describe the social behavior of ants and ant colonies;
Describe the roles of worker ants, males, and queens;
Compare and contrast grasshoppers and crickets;
Identify ways in which insects can be helpful to people;
Identify ways in which insects can be harmful to people;

Domain 11 Immigration (New York State Curriculum, Grade 2)

Explain the term immigrant;
Describe reasons immigrants leave their home countries to make a new home in the United States (e.g., push and pull factors);
Explain why the United States was and is called the “land of opportunity”;
Identify the meaning of e pluribus unum;
Explain the significance of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty;
Describe how immigration has brought millions of newcomers to the United States;
Describe why large populations of immigrants settled in major cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, and San Francisco;
Describe why some immigrants settled in the Midwest;
Describe how their ancestors may have been immigrants who helped make America the country that it is today;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song “The Land Is Your Land”;
Explain what it means to be a citizen of a country;
Identify ways that a person becomes an American citizen;
Identify that the government of the United States is based on the Constitution, the highest law of our land;
Identify James Madison as the “Father of the Constitution”;
Explain that the United States is founded on the principle of consent of the governed, American citizens: “We the People”;
Explain the basic functions of government (making and enforcing laws; settling disputes; protecting rights and liberties; etc.) by making analogies to familiar settings such as the family, the school, and the community;
Identify the Bill of Rights as a document amending the Constitution;
Describe the rights and responsibilities of an American citizen;
Demonstrate familiarity with the song “The Star-Spangled Banner”;