Common Core's epic fail: Special Education

[Anonymous]

To repeat -- you're saying that, as long as the home environment is good, it doesn't matter what teachers teach in school?

What a low opinion you must have of teachers and school.

I never said that. Home environment is huge, though. It determines the level of the kids when they start school and carries over. Do you really not understand that?

[Anonymous]

That's your claim, but there's absolutely nothing in Common Core that is forcing teachers or schools to do that. There is no such requirement from Common Core.

If they are choosing to teach to the test, rather than teaching viable content the way they should, then that's strictly the teachers' and schools' own doing, it's not the doing of Common Core.

If that's what you're doing, you're doing it wrong.

Oh, I am a stay at home mom. However, I keep up with schools and teachers. You must not read the newspaper if you don't know that is what is happening. Common core is not the answer. It is just another layer of bureaucracy.

[Anonymous]

If that's what you're doing, you're doing it wrong.

You really think I would be able to write on this thread if I were still working? What kind of teachers do you know? I hardly could get to the restroom when I taught.

[Anonymous]

You honestly don't know that there is a correlation between free and reduced lunch percentages and passing scores on tests? Wow. It's not the teachers-or the standards. It is the base line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

To repeat -- you're saying that, as long as the home environment is good, it doesn't matter what teachers teach in school?

What a low opinion you must have of teachers and school.

I never said that. Home environment is huge, though. It determines the level of the kids when they start school and carries over. Do you really not understand that?

Yes, home environment is huge. But it is not everything. Right? So therefore, it does matter what the teachers teach in school. And that's why standards are important, even though they will not single-handedly solve all problems in US education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That's your claim, but there's absolutely nothing in Common Core that is forcing teachers or schools to do that. There is no such requirement from Common Core.

If they are choosing to teach to the test, rather than teaching viable content the way they should, then that's strictly the teachers' and schools' own doing, it's not the doing of Common Core.

If that's what you're doing, you're doing it wrong.

Oh, I am a stay at home mom. However, I keep up with schools and teachers. You must not read the newspaper if you don't know that is what is happening. Common core is not the answer. It is just another layer of bureaucracy.

What is the question?

[Anonymous]

Here's a quote from a retired teacher whose daughter teaches in a CC state:

"Xxxxx has to turn in her lesson plans right down to the decimal point one month in advance, and then cannot deviate no matter what happens, fire drill, lockdown, hurricane, etc. If the kids miss it, they just miss it, and she is expected to keep on going with those month-old lesson plans. Yet they all have to take the test on that material the same day, with no help for those who missed that period because of a fire drill. It's insane!!!!!
The most frustrating thing in the world for a teacher is knowing what your children need, and not being allowed to give it to them. "

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a quote from a retired teacher whose daughter teaches in a CC state:

"Xxxxx has to turn in her lesson plans right down to the decimal point one month in advance, and then cannot deviate no matter what happens, fire drill, lockdown, hurricane, etc. If the kids miss it, they just miss it, and she is expected to keep on going with those month-old lesson plans. Yet they all have to take the test on that material the same day, with no help for those who missed that period because of a fire drill. It's insane!!!!!
The most frustrating thing in the world for a teacher is knowing what your children need, and not being allowed to give it to them. "

Nowhere do the Common Core standards require this. This sounds like a problem with the school administration.

[Anonymous]

Yes, home environment is huge. But it is not everything. Right? So therefore, it does matter what the teachers teach in school. And that's why standards are important, even though they will not single-handedly solve all problems in US education.

You really think teachers were not teaching proper material? Whose the one with the poor opinion of teachers?

[Anonymous]

Nowhere do the Common Core standards require this. This sounds like a problem with the school administration.

The schools are scared of not passing the test. The teachers are afraid of losing their jobs. CC is tied to testing. I understand it is required by NCLB--but CC is tied to testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, home environment is huge. But it is not everything. Right? So therefore, it does matter what the teachers teach in school. And that's why standards are important, even though they will not single-handedly solve all problems in US education.

You really think teachers were not teaching proper material? Whose the one with the poor opinion of teachers?

Yes, I really think that some teachers -- or even many teachers -- are not teaching the proper material. And no, I'm not blaming the teachers, individually, for that.

See here, for example:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

Have you read this article? If not, please do read it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a quote from a retired teacher whose daughter teaches in a CC state:

"Xxxxx has to turn in her lesson plans right down to the decimal point one month in advance, and then cannot deviate no matter what happens, fire drill, lockdown, hurricane, etc. If the kids miss it, they just miss it, and she is expected to keep on going with those month-old lesson plans. Yet they all have to take the test on that material the same day, with no help for those who missed that period because of a fire drill. It's insane!!!!!
The most frustrating thing in the world for a teacher is knowing what your children need, and not being allowed to give it to them. "

Nowhere do the Common Core standards require this. This sounds like a problem with the school administration.

Yes, the CC standards do not dictate whether a school can deviate from a lesson plan. That decision is made by the Principle of the school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nowhere do the Common Core standards require this. This sounds like a problem with the school administration.

The schools are scared of not passing the test. The teachers are afraid of losing their jobs. CC is tied to testing. I understand it is required by NCLB--but CC is tied to testing.

The schools were scared of not passing the test before the Common Core standards, and if the Common Core standards went away tomorrow but NCLB remained, they would still be scared of not passing the test. See this book, for example, which was published in 2007:

http://www.amazon.com/Tested-American-School-Struggles-Grade-ebook/dp/B000UB9NES

(By the way, even if I hated the Common Core standards for every other aspect (which I don't), I would be grateful to the Common Core standards for getting Maryland to get rid of those awful, horrible "brief constructed responses" on the MSAs. Thank you, Common Core standards.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nowhere do the Common Core standards require this. This sounds like a problem with the school administration.

The schools are scared of not passing the test. The teachers are afraid of losing their jobs. CC is tied to testing. I understand it is required by NCLB--but CC is tied to testing.

Any teachers that would stoop to just teaching to the test or trying to game the system, rather than delivering content probably SHOULD lose their jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, home environment is huge. But it is not everything. Right? So therefore, it does matter what the teachers teach in school. And that's why standards are important, even though they will not single-handedly solve all problems in US education.

You really think teachers were not teaching proper material? Whose the one with the poor opinion of teachers?

Yes, I really think that some teachers -- or even many teachers -- are not teaching the proper material. And no, I'm not blaming the teachers, individually, for that.

See here, for example:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

Have you read this article? If not, please do read it.

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