Why are people so upset about Common Core?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

From OHIO:
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/04/common_core_tests_are_tough_fo.html

Students taking the tests in trial runs this spring are reporting harder questions, being asked for more complex answers than they normally have to give and not having enough time to provide the full answers they want.

“The questions were beyond where they are typically asked,” said Joelle Magyar, assistant superintendent of the Mayfield school district. She said the exams left some students frustrated, and a few in tears.

agyar said Mayfield middle school students reported that questions on the exams asked them to cite multiple examples in essays they didn’t have time to finish reading. She said one student said he felt like he had to write an essay in 45 minutes that his class normally spends a week on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:(Because as it has been well established, "Common Core" is a list of standards. So if "Common Core" is dreadful, then it must be a standard that is dreadful.

So look up the standards, and tell us which one or ones are particularly dreadful, for Midwestern children.

It is clear this is a drum teachers beat. BYW? Beck covers this type of mentality.

Standards need implementation. If the implementation is poor, the kids don't learn the standards. So the standards the become moot, whether they are 'poor' or not.

But since public school teachers have not held a job outside of government, I do understand this might be a hard concept to understand for y'all.

If implementation is poor -- address the implementation. No need to change the standards. Talk to the states and the school districts who are purchasing or creating poor curriculum and worksheets and tell them "This is a bad textbook. Buy something different!"

Contact your state department of education and say "Don't add on all these extra hard standards in social studies and Science that are stressing out our kids. Stick to just the Common Core standards, and a few easy achievable standards in Science and Social Studies, like we used to have, not all these hard ones from Core Knowledge. They are too hard for our kids."

Sweetheart, this should have been considered when the standards were written, i.e. what would be the resources and who would create them. And in fact, they were, but the materials coming out are STILL crap. You act as if there is no relationship between the creators of the standards and the creators of the curriculum, when in fact, the same people were involved in both. You really need to do some reading on how these standards were created, who the players are and what the relationships are that tie them all together into a neat little package.

I pay my taxes and expect my money to be used efficiently. Now you are telling me I have to spend my time and effort to try and clean up the BS that they created? You and I both know that it's not very effective nor efficient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
For all I know, you could be a flaming witch to the kids when they come in without their homework done, and my kid knows this, so melts down because he/she knows it's big trouble when the erroneous worksheet could not be completed nor understood. Amazing how you put these errors onto the kids, as in, well, I made a mistake and don't really care how it affects my students. Glad you have such a caring demeanor.

Well, I usually don't make mistakes on any worksheets I send home with kids. And I would never want a child to be stressed out about homework. It's just homework! I also don't want kids to be stressed out about tests. I do in fact have to make my ESOL students take tests that they cannot possibly pass. Every year I have beginner ESOL students who cannot read or write a word of English, who have to sit and pretend to take the test of English Language Proficiency. Somehow, they all manage to get through it just fine, with laughs and "oh wells" and even some peppermints, treats like stickers, pencils and extra recess.

We can help develop kids' resiliency through modeling how we approach difficult or challenging situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

From NY State's website:

Curriculum Supports for the Common Core
NYC is among the first large urban school districts in the nation to recommend new high-quality Core Curriculum materials, with ELL supports, for grades K- 8 in ELA and math that align to the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and promote the instructional shifts. NYC is working to provide high school supports in ELA and math.

The below FAQs offer guidance to support educators in implementing the Core Curriculum:
FAQ: Pearson’s ReadyGen
FAQ: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Go Math!
FAQ: Scholastic’s Code X
FAQ: Pearson’s Connected Math Program 3

Sure as hell sounds like they are using common core curriculum materials, not NY State ones.

Nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Sweetheart, this should have been considered when the standards were written, i.e. what would be the resources and who would create them. And in fact, they were, but the materials coming out are STILL crap. You act as if there is no relationship between the creators of the standards and the creators of the curriculum, when in fact, the same people were involved in both. You really need to do some reading on how these standards were created, who the players are and what the relationships are that tie them all together into a neat little package.

I pay my taxes and expect my money to be used efficiently. Now you are telling me I have to spend my time and effort to try and clean up the BS that they created? You and I both know that it's not very effective nor efficient.

Those resources however, are STATE decisions. Each state has autonomy to decide how it wants to teach children. That was the whole point of having, not a national curriculum, but simply national standards.

I disagree that "the materials" are crap. Our school district is not using crap. My kids do not come home with crap. They are coming home with perfectly find HW and texts. I really approve of the writing they are doing. So somewhere things are working OK.

I don't care who you contact or what you personally do with your time, sweetie pie. But if you are concerned with how standards are being IMPLEMENTED then the place for those concerns are with the people who are doing the IMPLEMENTATION. That's not Common Core. That is happening with curricular decisions, either in your local school or at the school district or state level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

Keep telling yourself the lie. Your kids will find out the hard way next April when they're the ones vomiting.

I just posted from the NY State website that states they are using the curriculum materials by the companies who wrote them to directly align to Common Core standards. I'm sure the PP will find a way to try and refute this, but the website specifically details the four companies they get their materials from and specifically state they were chosen BECAUSE they are common core approved. You and I know the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

From NY State's website:

Curriculum Supports for the Common Core
NYC is among the first large urban school districts in the nation to recommend new high-quality Core Curriculum materials, with ELL supports, for grades K- 8 in ELA and math that align to the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and promote the instructional shifts. NYC is working to provide high school supports in ELA and math.

The below FAQs offer guidance to support educators in implementing the Core Curriculum:
FAQ: Pearson’s ReadyGen
FAQ: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Go Math!
FAQ: Scholastic’s Code X
FAQ: Pearson’s Connected Math Program 3

Sure as hell sounds like they are using common core curriculum materials, not NY State ones.

Nice try.

They added a great deal of standards above and beyond what was required by Common Core, and then put these questions on these tests that are apparently causing kids in NYS to have panic attacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For all I know, you could be a flaming witch to the kids when they come in without their homework done, and my kid knows this, so melts down because he/she knows it's big trouble when the erroneous worksheet could not be completed nor understood. Amazing how you put these errors onto the kids, as in, well, I made a mistake and don't really care how it affects my students. Glad you have such a caring demeanor.

Well, I usually don't make mistakes on any worksheets I send home with kids. And I would never want a child to be stressed out about homework. It's just homework! I also don't want kids to be stressed out about tests. I do in fact have to make my ESOL students take tests that they cannot possibly pass. Every year I have beginner ESOL students who cannot read or write a word of English, who have to sit and pretend to take the test of English Language Proficiency. Somehow, they all manage to get through it just fine, with laughs and "oh wells" and even some peppermints, treats like stickers, pencils and extra recess.

We can help develop kids' resiliency through modeling how we approach difficult or challenging situations.

And you think this is funny? It's sick.

How does this play out for the disabled student, who may never have a hope of passing the tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

Keep telling yourself the lie. Your kids will find out the hard way next April when they're the ones vomiting.

I just posted from the NY State website that states they are using the curriculum materials by the companies who wrote them to directly align to Common Core standards. I'm sure the PP will find a way to try and refute this, but the website specifically details the four companies they get their materials from and specifically state they were chosen BECAUSE they are common core approved. You and I know the truth.

Anyone can say that their materials are based on Common Core. New York State added a great deal to its standards, above and beyond what was stated in Common Core. The tests they chose to design themselves isn't the same as the PARCC that is coming out. Even so -- note what the teacher above said -- the first 2 days of their NYS test for math was fine for 3rd grade. But the third day was very hard. Their test was overly ambitious. That was NYStates decision to create such a hard test. Common Core didn't require them to have 3 days of testing, or to add all those extra standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

From NY State's website:

Curriculum Supports for the Common Core
NYC is among the first large urban school districts in the nation to recommend new high-quality Core Curriculum materials, with ELL supports, for grades K- 8 in ELA and math that align to the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and promote the instructional shifts. NYC is working to provide high school supports in ELA and math.

The below FAQs offer guidance to support educators in implementing the Core Curriculum:
FAQ: Pearson’s ReadyGen
FAQ: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Go Math!
FAQ: Scholastic’s Code X
FAQ: Pearson’s Connected Math Program 3

Sure as hell sounds like they are using common core curriculum materials, not NY State ones.

Nice try.

They added a great deal of standards above and beyond what was required by Common Core, and then put these questions on these tests that are apparently causing kids in NYS to have panic attacks.

Same panic attacks happening in states field-testing PARCC and Smarter Balance. Look at testingtalk.org

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

From NY State's website:

Curriculum Supports for the Common Core
NYC is among the first large urban school districts in the nation to recommend new high-quality Core Curriculum materials, with ELL supports, for grades K- 8 in ELA and math that align to the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and promote the instructional shifts. NYC is working to provide high school supports in ELA and math.

The below FAQs offer guidance to support educators in implementing the Core Curriculum:
FAQ: Pearson’s ReadyGen
FAQ: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Go Math!
FAQ: Scholastic’s Code X
FAQ: Pearson’s Connected Math Program 3

Sure as hell sounds like they are using common core curriculum materials, not NY State ones.

Nice try.

NY has combined 2 things into 1. One is the Core Knowledge Curriculum which was written well before Common Core and goes beyond Common Core in that it includes other subjects. The other is that they have now adopted Common Core Standards. Both initiatives have the word Core in them, but they are two separate things. The reference to "Core Curriculum" above is a reference to NYS's Core Knowledge based curriculum.

Pretty much every text book manufacturer has come with new versions of their textbooks that they claim are aligned with the Common Core. The good ones that people love, and the ones that people hate have both done this. Common Core doesn't "approve" standards. It is the responsibility of the State or Local Education Authority to review the text books and see if they match with what they hope to accomplish. These are materials that NY State has chosen and purchased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Sweetheart, this should have been considered when the standards were written, i.e. what would be the resources and who would create them. And in fact, they were, but the materials coming out are STILL crap. You act as if there is no relationship between the creators of the standards and the creators of the curriculum, when in fact, the same people were involved in both. You really need to do some reading on how these standards were created, who the players are and what the relationships are that tie them all together into a neat little package.

I pay my taxes and expect my money to be used efficiently. Now you are telling me I have to spend my time and effort to try and clean up the BS that they created? You and I both know that it's not very effective nor efficient.

Those resources however, are STATE decisions. Each state has autonomy to decide how it wants to teach children. That was the whole point of having, not a national curriculum, but simply national standards.

I disagree that "the materials" are crap. Our school district is not using crap. My kids do not come home with crap. They are coming home with perfectly find HW and texts. I really approve of the writing they are doing. So somewhere things are working OK.

I don't care who you contact or what you personally do with your time, sweetie pie. But if you are concerned with how standards are being IMPLEMENTED then the place for those concerns are with the people who are doing the IMPLEMENTATION. That's not Common Core. That is happening with curricular decisions, either in your local school or at the school district or state level.

Not when they are taking the same national tests. In order to do so, the curriculum has to align with those tests. And since the SAT and ACT will also be re-written to align to those standards, that makes them national, regardless of what you are being told.

If the materials have errors, then those materials are crap. I assume you work? Try and experiment. For the next month, turn in your work with errors. If you are an accountant, screw up some numbers. Need to produce a report? Make some spelling errors. Extra bonus points if those errors make your work frustrating for your bosses to understand. Let me know at the end of the month how you are received. If you are a federal worker though, I suspect it will be business as usual.

It's pretty hard to challenge something you're left out of to begin with. Did you have a seat at the Common Core table? How about when the materials were being written? Were you asked to participate? Was your input solicited? Now if those products are meant to be consumed in a free market, well, that's fine - I have a choice. If it sucks, I don't buy it. But in this case, the only choice I have is pay my taxes, even if the product is crap, or go to jail. Hmmm, that sounds an awful lot like Obamacare, come to think of it....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I just posted from the NY State website that states they are using the curriculum materials by the companies who wrote them to directly align to Common Core standards. I'm sure the PP will find a way to try and refute this, but the website specifically details the four companies they get their materials from and specifically state they were chosen BECAUSE they are common core approved. You and I know the truth.

Anyone can say that their materials are based on Common Core. New York State added a great deal to its standards, above and beyond what was stated in Common Core. The tests they chose to design themselves isn't the same as the PARCC that is coming out. Even so -- note what the teacher above said -- the first 2 days of their NYS test for math was fine for 3rd grade. But the third day was very hard. Their test was overly ambitious. That was NYStates decision to create such a hard test. Common Core didn't require them to have 3 days of testing, or to add all those extra standards.

Case in point: No one told NYS they needed to add Social Studies standards.

http://ny.chalkbeat.org/2014/04/29/new-york-adopts-new-common-core-aligned-social-studies-curriculum/

New York approves new social studies curriculum guidelines, with Common Core influence

The new kindergarten-through-high-school roadmap, called the New York State Social Studies Framework, adds recent world events, groups historical topics into themes, and puts a Common Core-inspired emphasis on literacy and critical-thinking skills. Unlike the Common Core standards, the framework spells out which information students should learn and in what order. State officials note that local districts retain control over how the framework is taught and the teaching materials used in classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/02/6-reasons-to-reject-common-core-k-3-standards-and-6-axioms-to-guide-policy/

As a teacher for 24 years who has spent her entire career teaching inner city youth, all I can say is YES! The standards are inappropriate for young children. Today was the last day of NYS math tests, and I had to supervise lovely, bright, hard-working students who were crying, sitting in fetal positions, asking me questions I was not allowed to answer, and two of them ended up in the nurse's office throwing up. The ELA test was entirely appropriate for 5th graders, not the third graders who endured 3 1/2 hours of it without the slightest chance of understanding it. The first two days of the math test were fair, full of questions that third graders can understand and reasonably answer. That was not the case today. All of the adults had trouble answering a number of the questions. Each question required 2 or 3 different computations and a level of math comprehension well beyond what a child this age could truly be expected to answer. Why are people with no credentials in these areas creating the standards, curriculum and testing? If this was any other field, there would be an uproar. Imagine if elementary teachers were creating standards for lawyers, if doctors created the standards for bankers, if politicians created the standards for medical care? Would it be acceptable? We are losing a generation of children to nonsense. It should be intolerable for everyone.

New York State. Not Common Core state Standards. New York State.

From NY State's website:

Curriculum Supports for the Common Core
NYC is among the first large urban school districts in the nation to recommend new high-quality Core Curriculum materials, with ELL supports, for grades K- 8 in ELA and math that align to the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and promote the instructional shifts. NYC is working to provide high school supports in ELA and math.

The below FAQs offer guidance to support educators in implementing the Core Curriculum:
FAQ: Pearson’s ReadyGen
FAQ: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Go Math!
FAQ: Scholastic’s Code X
FAQ: Pearson’s Connected Math Program 3

Sure as hell sounds like they are using common core curriculum materials, not NY State ones.

Nice try.

NY has combined 2 things into 1. One is the Core Knowledge Curriculum which was written well before Common Core and goes beyond Common Core in that it includes other subjects. The other is that they have now adopted Common Core Standards. Both initiatives have the word Core in them, but they are two separate things. The reference to "Core Curriculum" above is a reference to NYS's Core Knowledge based curriculum.

Pretty much every text book manufacturer has come with new versions of their textbooks that they claim are aligned with the Common Core. The good ones that people love, and the ones that people hate have both done this. Common Core doesn't "approve" standards. It is the responsibility of the State or Local Education Authority to review the text books and see if they match with what they hope to accomplish. These are materials that NY State has chosen and purchased.

These books were specifically aligned with Common Core. The books are aligned with the standards, according to the NY website. Those are the facts. You can twist those facts any way you choose, but the facts are there. You are incorrect in your assumption that they are speaking of two different things. I know you REALLY want it to be that, but it's simply not. I know many teachers in NY (I have family there) and they are quite emphatic about the fact that what you are saying is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Not when they are taking the same national tests. In order to do so, the curriculum has to align with those tests. And since the SAT and ACT will also be re-written to align to those standards, that makes them national, regardless of what you are being told.

If the materials have errors, then those materials are crap. I assume you work? Try and experiment. For the next month, turn in your work with errors. If you are an accountant, screw up some numbers. Need to produce a report? Make some spelling errors. Extra bonus points if those errors make your work frustrating for your bosses to understand. Let me know at the end of the month how you are received. If you are a federal worker though, I suspect it will be business as usual.

It's pretty hard to challenge something you're left out of to begin with. Did you have a seat at the Common Core table? How about when the materials were being written? Were you asked to participate? Was your input solicited? Now if those products are meant to be consumed in a free market, well, that's fine - I have a choice. If it sucks, I don't buy it. But in this case, the only choice I have is pay my taxes, even if the product is crap, or go to jail. Hmmm, that sounds an awful lot like Obamacare, come to think of it....

I teach, using Common Core standards, and the materials I choose and that have been chosen by my school district, are not crap and do not contain errors.

My kids are in schools, being taught using Common Core standards, and there has not been a large outcry that Common Core materials are horrible.

No one asked me to come up with the standards; but the standards they came up with are good, and better than the old MD standards, in my opinion. Significantly so for math and foundational skills in reading. And extremely better, in terms of writing, because I don't think MD even had standards that required students to be able to write an essay.

In fact the writing standards are far and away the best thing about Common Core. If you are arguing that the current standards are WORSE than the standards you had before, tell me in which state you live.