Anonymous wrote:

The remainder include some liberals, some of whom do know schools and teaching, but who are whiny about accountability just the same, or who have bleeding heart ideas about equity, meaning that we should just have all kids be equal by catering to the lowest common denominator rather than trying to push each kid to his potential.

No, I'm the liberal who posted. I do not think we should "have all kids be equal". That's impossible. It's not doable. We should help kids starting where they are and help them get to their potential. I said nothing about lowest common denominator. That's ridiculous.

I'm not whiny about accountability. I want that. I just want it to be based on something that makes sense and is valid.

Well, okay then - for the 489th time, how, SPECIFICALLY do you feel it doesn't make sense, and how, SPECIFICALLY do you believe it isn't valid? Which SPECIFIC standards? And what are your criteria for saying so? And where is your data for saying so (i.e., what percentage of kids cannot meet that specific standard, and why?)

Anonymous wrote:

mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local.

Wrong. You are the one who does not understand that Common Core is NOT a grassroots program. It may have begun that way, but that train left the station long ago.

It's still a state led program.

Anonymous wrote:

Not "all" but certainly *most* are. They are the ones putting out the majority of the disinformation, and are likely not even teachers or closely involved in school, because they seem to frequently confuse and conflate NCLB and Common Core, not to mention continually mistakenly suggesting they were Obama initiatives, or mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local. And let's not even get into the anti-CC idiocy floating around out there suggesting that CC "promotes Islam" and other nonsense. - having those folks out there is the biggest discredit to the anti-CC community.

You are creating a straw man that does not exist. You cannot defend Common Core so your are smearing the people against it.

Strawman that doesn't exist? BULL SHIT... http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/12/20/school-islamic-vocabulary-lesson-part-common-core-standards/

Anonymous wrote:

Not "all" but certainly *most* are. They are the ones putting out the majority of the disinformation, and are likely not even teachers or closely involved in school, because they seem to frequently confuse and conflate NCLB and Common Core, not to mention continually mistakenly suggesting they were Obama initiatives, or mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local. And let's not even get into the anti-CC idiocy floating around out there suggesting that CC "promotes Islam" and other nonsense. - having those folks out there is the biggest discredit to the anti-CC community.

The wackos are a very small extreme group. The pro people like to point them out. Most of the anti people have well thought out positions.

The "well thought out positions" seem to be lacking in even the most basic of things, like being able to answer, cogently, which specific standards are problematic, by what criteria, and by what specific observational evidence, along with delving into whether the standard is problematic because the standard is actually problematic, or whether it's because your screwed the pooch on meeting the foundational requirements that were a prerequisite to kids being able to build upon it in the subsequent year - for example, expecting kids to do long division in an appropriate grade but being unable to do so because the prior grades let addition and subtraction slide?

mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local.

Wrong. You are the one who does not understand that Common Core is NOT a grassroots program. It may have begun that way, but that train left the station long ago.

The remainder include some liberals, some of whom do know schools and teaching, but who are whiny about accountability just the same, or who have bleeding heart ideas about equity, meaning that we should just have all kids be equal by catering to the lowest common denominator rather than trying to push each kid to his potential.

No, I'm the liberal who posted. I do not think we should "have all kids be equal". That's impossible. It's not doable. We should help kids starting where they are and help them get to their potential. I said nothing about lowest common denominator. That's ridiculous.

I'm not whiny about accountability. I want that. I just want it to be based on something that makes sense and is valid.

confuse and conflate NCLB and Common Core

Some people do not know the difference, but I think most on here do. And, PARCC testing is Common Core.

likely not even teachers

There are at least two of us--and I suspect others posting against CC on here. There have also been MANY links posted that cite teachers' comments against Common Core.

Not "all" but certainly *most* are. They are the ones putting out the majority of the disinformation, and are likely not even teachers or closely involved in school, because they seem to frequently confuse and conflate NCLB and Common Core, not to mention continually mistakenly suggesting they were Obama initiatives, or mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local. And let's not even get into the anti-CC idiocy floating around out there suggesting that CC "promotes Islam" and other nonsense. - having those folks out there is the biggest discredit to the anti-CC community.

You are creating a straw man that does not exist. You cannot defend Common Core so your are smearing the people against it.

Not "all" but certainly *most* are. They are the ones putting out the majority of the disinformation, and are likely not even teachers or closely involved in school, because they seem to frequently confuse and conflate NCLB and Common Core, not to mention continually mistakenly suggesting they were Obama initiatives, or mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local. And let's not even get into the anti-CC idiocy floating around out there suggesting that CC "promotes Islam" and other nonsense. - having those folks out there is the biggest discredit to the anti-CC community.

The wackos are a very small extreme group. The pro people like to point them out. Most of the anti people have well thought out positions.

^ The remainder include some liberals, some of whom do know schools and teaching, but who are whiny about accountability just the same, or who have bleeding heart ideas about equity, meaning that we should just have all kids be equal by catering to the lowest common denominator rather than trying to push each kid to his potential.

Anonymous wrote:

^If you think the anti standardized testing people are all right wing nut jobs, you are making a mistake.

Not "all" but certainly *most* are. They are the ones putting out the majority of the disinformation, and are likely not even teachers or closely involved in school, because they seem to frequently confuse and conflate NCLB and Common Core, not to mention continually mistakenly suggesting they were Obama initiatives, or mistakenly confusing themselves on what's state vs. federal vs. local. And let's not even get into the anti-CC idiocy floating around out there suggesting that CC "promotes Islam" and other nonsense. - having those folks out there is the biggest discredit to the anti-CC community.

^If you think the anti standardized testing people are all right wing nut jobs, you are making a mistake.

Anonymous wrote:The tests require wireless computers.. which in turn is damaging our children's brains due to the digitial dementia from staring at screens! sleep deprivation from the blue light and brain cell death from the wifi radiation.
http://www.parentsforsafetechnology.org/five-reasons-to-turn-off-the-wireless-.html

Impacts of wifi are negligible - the sites that warn about wifi based on cellphones grossly overstate it: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2012/sep/27/wi-fi-health-risks and

Also, they aren't taking tests at night, negating the blue light effect. Anything they're getting there would have to be happening at home.

Anonymous wrote:

IMHO, continuing to fight for improvement and holding officials accountable and responsible sure beats giving in to flawed complacency, mediocrity, sweeping everything under the rug and pretending everything is fine as we waltz down the path of a dumbed down America.

Only if this is done in a way that makes sense.

And you are overstating that we are a "dumbed down America". The comparisons to other countries don't hold water. Many of their systems don't come close to doing what ours does.

Comparisons to Somalia, no. Comparisons to the rest of the modern industrialized nations, yes.