Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You object to the Common Core English/language arts standards because they are subjective? Could you provide some examples of standards in English/language arts that are not subjective? Or do you object to standards, period?

I wonder if you are also somebody who objects to multiple-choice tests.

No. I don't object to tests that measure objective standards. The standards posted above contain lots of subjective requirements. Think about it.

Yes, they include subjective requirements. Could you provide some examples of standards in English/language arts that are not subjective?

[Anonymous]

Here's one:
Name the parts of speech in a simple sentence.

[Anonymous]

Another: from a group of words, choose the one that uses the long vowel sound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These standards are subjective. What does "participate" mean? Listening to a lesson? Describing? Drawing a picture?

The standards for speaking and listening in Grade 1 (and likely upper grades as well) are not terribly objective, I'll agree. Usually that is because speaking and listening are considered to be more difficiult to assess, and generally they aren't tested starting in third grade as the other standards will be.

The standards in 1st grade for Language (Conventions, grammar, mechanics) are far more objective and detailed; same for Foundational Skills which is the bulk for first grade instruction

Language:
(Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.)

Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop).
Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their, anyone, everything).
Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).
Use frequently occurring adjectives.
Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).
Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).
Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).
Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Capitalize dates and names of people.
Use end punctuation for sentences.
Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series.
Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word.
Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.
Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes).
Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).
Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner (e.g., look, peek, glance, stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by defining or choosing them or by acting out the meanings.
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).


Foundational Skills

Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.
Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.
Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
Read words with inflectional endings.
Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another: from a group of words, choose the one that uses the long vowel sound.

That's not a standard. It is an activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's one:
Name the parts of speech in a simple sentence.

That's not a standard either. And what is a "simple" sentence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another: "with guidance and support from adults"........one teacher's idea of guidance and support is one thing. It is something else to another.

Are you the same poster who is upset that the standards are written so learning disabled kids are doomed to fail? Wouldn't you LIKE the standards to include more phrases like this?

I agree it makes the standard pretty wishy-washy. You don't see the phrase that much, and usually only in early elementary -- by 3rd grade when benchmark tests begin, students should be able to do all the work independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's one:
Name the parts of speech in a simple sentence.

That's not a standard either. And what is a "simple" sentence?

A simple sentence is a sentence with one independent clause. I'm glad to see this standard, as I definitely feel that a lack of emphasis on formal grammar instruction was a problem in the school system I grew up in. What do you mean it's not a standard? To me, a standard is a statement of a skill or piece of knowledge over which a student should have mastery in a certain grade and this certainly fits that criterion. How are you defining standard and what would an appropriate standard look like to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another: from a group of words, choose the one that uses the long vowel sound.

That's not a standard. It is an activity.

Would you consider it a more appropriate standard if it was rephrased as "from a group of words, demonstrate the ability to choose the one that uses the long vowel sound?

To me it's clear that the "standard" is a specific skill but they're written in a way that shows how they are to be tested/assessed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another: from a group of words, choose the one that uses the long vowel sound.

That's not a standard. It is an activity.

Would you consider it a more appropriate standard if it was rephrased as "from a group of words, demonstrate the ability to choose the one that uses the long vowel sound?

To me it's clear that the "standard" is a specific skill but they're written in a way that shows how they are to be tested/assessed.

But what does "demonstrate the ability" mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another: from a group of words, choose the one that uses the long vowel sound.

That's not a standard. It is an activity.

Would you consider it a more appropriate standard if it was rephrased as "from a group of words, demonstrate the ability to choose the one that uses the long vowel sound?

To me it's clear that the "standard" is a specific skill but they're written in a way that shows how they are to be tested/assessed.

But what does "demonstrate the ability" mean?

Um... wouldn't it just mean that the student can consistently do so on an assessment? I'm sorry, I must be missing something because that seems pretty obvious to me -- is this a trick question somehow? I thought that was why they were doing the field tests of the common core aligned standardized tests this year, in order to make sure the tests measure the skills and to figure out what the passing scores should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another: from a group of words, choose the one that uses the long vowel sound.

That's not a standard. It is an activity.

Would you consider it a more appropriate standard if it was rephrased as "from a group of words, demonstrate the ability to choose the one that uses the long vowel sound?

To me it's clear that the "standard" is a specific skill but they're written in a way that shows how they are to be tested/assessed.

But what does "demonstrate the ability" mean?

Um... wouldn't it just mean that the student can consistently do so on an assessment? I'm sorry, I must be missing something because that seems pretty obvious to me -- is this a trick question somehow? I thought that was why they were doing the field tests of the common core aligned standardized tests this year, in order to make sure the tests measure the skills and to figure out what the passing scores should be.

Yes, I agree with this. And I don't see why they can't do it for the other "subjective" standards also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Another: "with guidance and support from adults"........one teacher's idea of guidance and support is one thing. It is something else to another.

Are you the same poster who is upset that the standards are written so learning disabled kids are doomed to fail? Wouldn't you LIKE the standards to include more phrases like this?

no

[Anonymous]

That's not a standard either. And what is a "simple" sentence?

You think you know what a standard is, and yet you have no clue of a "simple sentence"? I learned that back in the dark ages when I was in third grade.

[Anonymous]

According to the Common Core website, the standards should be measurable. Some of those posted from NY were vague and not clearly measurable.