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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Just by way of a history lesson, so people can understand how we got here, NCLB gave states a huge incentive to dumb down their standards. States that didn't meet self-established performance goals got dinged. [b]So, many states just set low standards so they wouldn't face the consequences[/b]. In many cases, this resulted in a dumbing down of some education systems and curriculum. This has been going on for the better part of a decade. We're so used to it by now that we can't even seen how far behind we really are -- until you look at kids in other countries. Then you realize that we simply have to do better.[/quote]

AMEN!   This is very true.  I am a teacher and I can attest to the fact that the "pass" score on the state tests were in many cases set laughably low.

In addition, the accommodations allowed for students with diagnosed learning disabilities or who were English Language Learners have been too lenient.  For example, if a child had difficulty learning to read and had an IEP, he could get the state tests (even in Language Arts) read aloud to him.   Whole paragraphs of text read aloud, so the child could demonstrate that he was able to "get the main idea" and "make inferences."   Great!  ... meanwhile, the school basically just lost any incentive to actually teach the child how to read.   Same problem with allowing kids with IEPs to use a calculator in the early grades.   Certainly in SOME instances it is truly acceptable to allow these accommodations, but for the most part schools are desperate to have their LD kids pass these state tests, but not so desperate that they actually figure out ways to teach the kids the skills they need.   THey just kept accommodating and accommodating the kids until they ended up in Middle School where even with the accommodations, the kids weren't able to pass the tests.

[quote]What I don't like about Common Core is that it continues to place the emphasis on schools instead of parents. Parents who don't invest in their kids, who don't read to them, who don't contribute toward their education in and outside of class, who rely on the schools to do all of the educating, are the reason kids do poorly. I realize that it's hard for parents who are working two jobs, etc., and we as a society need to do more to support that group. But, there are plenty of parents who don't work two jobs who still think the school is responsible for educating and they just follow along. There are plenty of parents who work two jobs and still insist on driving their kids to excel in school too. In my opinion, it's our parenting that needs to change if we are to move the needle on achievement. Perhaps not this extreme, but a little more Tiger momming would not kill us. [/quote]

I disagree that Common Core state objectives should have anything to do with parents.  They are just a statement of what kids should know and be able to do by the end of each grade.   How schools and parents get the kids there is up to the schools and the parents.  In my opinion, the state standards are basic enough that if a child is in school most of the time, and the teachers are competent, the students should be able to master the standards without extensive parental help or outside tutoring.   If the child has learning disabilities they will need extra or more specific instruction to meet the standards.   If the child has cognitive delays or is intellectually disabled (what used to be called mental retardation) that child will have trouble meeting the standards in my opinion.[/quote]

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