Teachers, parents souring on Common Core across U.S.

[Anonymous]

Not the parent of the sixth grader. How about you tell us what good things CC is accomplishing? I'm the teacher who thinks it is awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the parent of the sixth grader. How about you tell us what good things CC is accomplishing? I'm the teacher who thinks it is awful.

It has enormously improved my child's writing curriculum. And I think that the math curriculum is better too. Less emphasis on a single, correct way to do it; more emphasis on understanding and number sense.

[Anonymous]

Less emphasis on a single, correct way to do it; more emphasis on understanding and number sense.

Confusing for most kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Less emphasis on a single, correct way to do it; more emphasis on understanding and number sense.

Confusing for most kids.

You are basically saying that better math education is confusing for most kids in the US.

I'm going to post this here again, although I assume that most people who are going to read it have already read it: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Less emphasis on a single, correct way to do it; more emphasis on understanding and number sense.

Confusing for most kids.

Do you know most kids, or just the few that you know find it confusing? Maybe the teacher is confused, too. From what I understand, a lot of the ES teachers, especially lower grades, are very weak in math.

Neither of my DCs (1st and 4th) find it confusing. DH and I were a bit confounded when DC#1 started bringing home math HW that looked nothing like how either of us learned math (DH is from Europe, I'm from the US). But it didn't take us that long to figure it out; plus, the teacher sent home a cheatsheet on the different methodologies being used. I think it's great that the kids are learning base 10 addition earlier on. I figured it out on my own when I was probably in MS. No one taught it to me. I also think it's great that they are tackling math word problems earlier on, too. Really helps with the comprehension and critical thinking skills.

[Anonymous]

From what I understand, a lot of the ES teachers, especially lower grades, are very weak in math.

Oh, so that's the problem. Dumb teachers. Are you serious?

[Anonymous]

CC math is repeating some of the mistakes we made in the past--cyclical instruction. That is one of the reason that our math scores fell. Look it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

From what I understand, a lot of the ES teachers, especially lower grades, are very weak in math.

Oh, so that's the problem. Dumb teachers. Are you serious?

Yes, I'm serious. Many ES teachers major in "education", which is an easy major. Read the "why do people look down on teachers" post. I'm not saying all ES teachers are bad. My DC had a fabulous math teacher in 3rd grade. But, I do think a lot of the lower grade teachers are weak in math.

http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2010/study-us-needs-better-trained-math-teachers-to-compete-globally/

[Anonymous]

Yes, I'm serious. Many ES teachers major in "education", which is an easy major. Read the "why do people look down on teachers" post. I'm not saying all ES teachers are bad. My DC had a fabulous math teacher in 3rd grade. But, I do think a lot of the lower grade teachers are weak in math.

You really think that primary teachers do not understand primary math? Really? Calculus, maybe not. But, not understand math. You really have a low opinion of teachers, don't you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CC math is repeating some of the mistakes we made in the past--cyclical instruction. That is one of the reason that our math scores fell. Look it up.

How do the Common Core standards involve cyclical instruction? Please explain. I don't perceive it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CC math is repeating some of the mistakes we made in the past--cyclical instruction. That is one of the reason that our math scores fell. Look it up.

This isn't true. It may be that some school districts have chosen more cyclical programs, such as Saxon, but the standards themselves are significantly less cyclical than the previous standards.

For example, under the previous standards in most states, identifying and counting coins was taught in small increments each year starting in Kindergarten. Under the CCSS work with coins happens in 2nd grade, where kids study coins from identification to counting combinations to using this information to solve word problems. One of the big ideas of the Common Core is that each year kids learn fewer topics in greater depth, the opposite of a cyclical program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I'm serious. Many ES teachers major in "education", which is an easy major. Read the "why do people look down on teachers" post. I'm not saying all ES teachers are bad. My DC had a fabulous math teacher in 3rd grade. But, I do think a lot of the lower grade teachers are weak in math.

You really think that primary teachers do not understand primary math? Really? Calculus, maybe not. But, not understand math. You really have a low opinion of teachers, don't you?

The way 2.0 math is, you can't just know 2+2 = 4. You need some number sense. Most of the teachers I've come across have been fine. But, based on the study I posted, and anecdotal evidence (which most of us are basing our opinions on), there are some teachers that are weak in math. That impacts how well the teacher teaches that subject, which then impacts how well kids learn it.

So yes, if the teacher is weak in math to begin with (not just being able to add; that's not what this is about), then trying to understand 2.0 math and teach it would be tough. I'm sure it doesn't help that they probably haven't had much time to learn the materials themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I'm serious. Many ES teachers major in "education", which is an easy major. Read the "why do people look down on teachers" post. I'm not saying all ES teachers are bad. My DC had a fabulous math teacher in 3rd grade. But, I do think a lot of the lower grade teachers are weak in math.

You really think that primary teachers do not understand primary math? Really? Calculus, maybe not. But, not understand math. You really have a low opinion of teachers, don't you?

Lots and lots of Americans -- including teachers -- don't understand primary math. That's not singling out teachers.

In addition, understanding math and teaching math are two different things. A person may have a very good understanding of math and still not teach math effectively. (Just ask almost all of my college math professors; or rather, don't ask them.) To teach math effectively, teachers must learn effective math teaching methods. Some teachers are able to acquire those methods on their own, but many aren't. Again, this is not singling out teachers. It's analogous to (for example) some people being able to learn how to play piano on their own, but most people needing piano lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In California:
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2014-12-26/changing-classes-concern-for-parents-teachers-administrators-say-common-core-standards-reason-for-modifications/1776425135624.html

Changing classes concern for parents, teachers: Administrators say Common Core standards reason for modifications
December 26, 2014, 05:00 AM By Angela Swartz Daily Journal

Parents are still concerned about losing math as they know it at the middle school level, but school officials say math is just not the same with the new Common Core standards.

When parents in the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District found out most of their children will no longer be taking algebra or geometry in middle school, they contacted the district stating they wanted the classes to still be available so their children wouldn’t be left bored or miss out on opportunities to take Advanced Placement math classes like calculus in high school. Some parents were displeased with how the district responded to the concerns about math at a recent board meeting.

“Everyone was just stunned the district said, ‘Trust the district and this process,’” said Highlands Elementary School parent Nancy Hsieh. “We have asked them for a dialogue forum. We didn’t think they’d say, ‘Sure we’ll keep geometry.’ It’s important to have dialogue on an ongoing basis; that was the big disappointment.”

She notes that with the new state Common Core standards that shift to more technology in the classroom and project-based learning, there’s confusion that algebra and geometry are the same as they were before.

“They’re not in even the same courses,” Going said. “Standards in the old geometry course have been mostly pushed down into seventh- and eighth-grade. The old course of pre-algebra doesn’t even exist anymore. One of things we’re (the district) working on is document that shows each of the standards taught in each of those courses. When parents understand that they see having a student take half of math high school career within their middle school is an awful lot of mathematics.”

BUUUULLSHIIIT!!!

First of all, Common Core is a minimum standard. Schools are perfectly free to go above and beyond Common Core. As for geometry, there IS an expectation of Geometry content in Common Core in Middle School grades. http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/G/ Also, there is still Pre-Algebra, it's in the 7th and 8th grade standards. Schools are free to move students ahead, provided they've mastered the content, so to say Algebra couldn't be started in 8th grade is not actually valid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/286678751.html?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+renall+%28All+Stories+-+Renton+Reporter%29&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner%3Fmobile%3Dtrue

In Washington state:

Teachers and staff in the Renton School District are expressing their frustrations about a lack of support for aligning curriculum with the new national reading, writing and math standards adopted by Washington state.

At a recent school board meeting on Dec. 10, four teachers spoke during the comment period, one near tears, addressing problems with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. The standards are academic benchmarks for reading and math that lay out what students should know and do at each grade level and after high school.

Fighting back tears, Katie Thorleifson, a teacher at Campbell Hill Elementary, Eeported that 11 out of 14 teachers informally surveyed at her school said they have thought about quitting.

Last year, teachers, principals and staff were expressing a positive and optimistic view of the new national standards. Now, the mood seems to have soured as the process to align the standards to curriculum and do the required assessments clunks along.

There's a ton of curriculum and content out there. However, one of the issues is that textbook companies have more often than not simply rebranded and remarketed some of their lousy prior content as "Common Core" without much modification.... There's ultimately no reason why educators can't develop content and curriculum as well to dump the lousy textbook providers.