Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What specific Common Core State Standard do you wish to see changed?

Don't talk about testing, or implementation of curriculum, or crappy workbook pages.

What Standard do you wish to change?

It's not about the standards. It is about the total issue.

The Common Core State Standards are a list of standards, with a few appendices which list things like titles to give a sense of reading levels. That's it. That's all they are. If you object to one or more of the standards, then name the standard you object to. If you object to the idea of children in California learning the same thing as children in DC, then explain why.

Otherwise, if you're objecting to the choices that states or local education authorities have made in how they choose to design their curriculum or assess student progress, then name the states and the choices and say you object to those. But understand that those things aren't Common Core State Standards.

If you object to aspects of NCLB or of RTTT then say that. But understand that neither of those things are Common Core State Standards.

1) What is Achieve Inc?
2) Was special funding for CC included in Obama's nearly 800 billion stimulus plan via the "Race to the Top" program?
3) Was the testing component of CC delayed for several years? Why?
4) Did the federal government also incentivize other parts of common core, besides mere acceptance?
5) Did the Obama administration offer waivers to the No Child Left Behind law if they adopted the new CC standards?
6) Were states asked to sign a letter agreeing to CC before the standards were written? Why?
7) Which two companies are creating the new tests and, more importantly, who chose these companies and who funds them (hint: the feds - and they are also taking an active role in vetting the test questions for 'quality purposes'.


Bill Gates: "Identifying common standards is not enough. We'll know we've succeeded when the curriculum and tests are aligned to those standards".
Former Texas Education

Commissioner Robert Scott testified he was told that a state that adopts CC can only add 15% of their own input into curriculum. He states: "It was then that I realized that this initiative, which had been constantly portrayed as state-led and voluntary, was really about control. Then it got co-opted by the Department of Education later. And it was about control totality from some education reform groups who candidly admit their real goal here is to create a national marketplace for education products and services."

Scott also states that he did not adopt the standards for TX because he was troubled by the lack of transparency, that the standards were written behind closed doors...."We didn't know who the writers were until the project was complete".

You might want to believe the standards only provide teachers with concepts and timelines, and that states and locals will remain in control of curriculum. That is just not true. The test questions will direct what gets taught in public schools. Think of it this way: If the English portion of a CC related test consistently asks one question about Shakespeare, but four questions about an EPA document, it won't take long before schools tailor their curriculum to include the EPA document. Neal McClusky of the Cato Institute states "Year after year, questions become curricula".

In summary: Progressives wrote CC standards, used money from the 2009 stimulus bill to bribe states into adoption them, and are now "vetting" the tests that will eventually shape the curriculum used by school districts all across the US.

Control and conform, baby!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Whether the teacher individually changed the curriculum (methods, materials) due to her own creativity, or whether the school selected a new curriculum, isn't the point here; the point is, the curriculum is what changed. No one lowered the standards, saying " K students can't learn letter-sound connections - that standard is too hard."

Okay. I see your point. I still cannot understand being so tied to a curriculum that the teacher could not use her own judgment and creativity to do what works. I guess things have changed.

Some school districts are like that. Local control.

Also, follow the money.

Anonymous wrote:

Whether the teacher individually changed the curriculum (methods, materials) due to her own creativity, or whether the school selected a new curriculum, isn't the point here; the point is, the curriculum is what changed. No one lowered the standards, saying " K students can't learn letter-sound connections - that standard is too hard."

Okay. I see your point. I still cannot understand being so tied to a curriculum that the teacher could not use her own judgment and creativity to do what works. I guess things have changed.

Some school districts are like that. Local control.

Anonymous wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsbS9JD7Pvw

I kind of think they had moved on. Looks to me like he was arrested after he quit talking. Bad behavior on the part of the parent and the police.

He had spoken earlier, before the man on the right. He already used up his two minutes, and was continuing to be argumentative. Listen to the board member who repeatedly told him to please be respectful. He kept talking back. He wasn't going to stop. You don't behave like that at a board meeting, or if you do, you take the consquences, and expect to be escorted out of the meeting.

Whether the teacher individually changed the curriculum (methods, materials) due to her own creativity, or whether the school selected a new curriculum, isn't the point here; the point is, the curriculum is what changed. No one lowered the standards, saying " K students can't learn letter-sound connections - that standard is too hard."

Okay. I see your point. I still cannot understand being so tied to a curriculum that the teacher could not use her own judgment and creativity to do what works. I guess things have changed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SO sick and tired of assholes at these meetings thinking what they have to say is so much more important than what everyone else has to say. You don't like the 2 minute rule? Lobby to change it. Don't be an asshole and challenge the School Board to have you arrested for not following the rules of civil society.

How many meetings have you been to like this? I haven't seen many. So, the guy went overtime. He shouldn't have done that. But, Arresting him? Give me a break.

You are seeing the arrogance of educators. This is what happens when they forget who pays them

No, not educators. This happens at town board meetings.

They forget who pays them too. Their memories used to be better, before the Common Core. Also, only imagine what happens if you won't stop talking at a meeting convened by the federal government! Then they send you to Guantanamo! That's why we need local control.

This school board meeting HAD local control. Guess what, the locals decided this is how they wanted to handle a man who wouldn't follow the same rules as everyone else, in a public forum.

Who are you, an outsider, to question local decisions and local rules? Know your place!

Anonymous wrote:

It's just an example of the difference between standards, and curriculum.

Not sure I understand your point. Sounds to me like you weren't allowed to use your own common sense and creativity to do what works without "investigating".

I'm the PP you are quoting, I'm not the PP who had this experience.

The PP who had this experience was showing that the standard was that K students would learn letter-sound correspondence. The teachers were given a certain curriculum to use (books, suggested activities, etc.) However, as a result, many K students failed to meet the standard.

Therefore a new curriculum (method materials) was tried. Then the students were able to meet the standard.

So there was a curriculum problem, not a standards problem. The standard was not inappropriate for children. The curriculum wasn't working.

Whether the teacher individually changed the curriculum (methods, materials) due to her own creativity, or whether the school selected a new curriculum, isn't the point here; the point is, the curriculum is what changed. No one lowered the standards, saying " K students can't learn letter-sound connections - that standard is too hard."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsbS9JD7Pvw

I kind of think they had moved on. Looks to me like he was arrested after he quit talking. Bad behavior on the part of the parent and the police.

Anonymous wrote:

So here you are at a meeting. Lots and lots and lots of people want to speak, so there's a two-minute time limit so that everybody gets a chance. Some guy gets up and starts talking. He gets his two minutes. The person running the meeting says that the two minutes are up. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him to stop talking. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him he needs to stop talking now. The guy says that he refuses to stop talking, and the only way they can make him stop talking is to arrest him. So they...what? Let him keep talking? Because he pays taxes? So does everybody else in the room who wants to talk, and can't because the guy won't stop talking.

How about calling a recess to the meeting? Don't you think that would have worked? Oh, wait, that would have taken a little common sense.

How many meetings like this have you been to? I don't think you've been to many (or possibly any).

Lots of other people also wanted to have their say. This guy was preventing them from doing so.

Anonymous wrote:

So here you are at a meeting. Lots and lots and lots of people want to speak, so there's a two-minute time limit so that everybody gets a chance. Some guy gets up and starts talking. He gets his two minutes. The person running the meeting says that the two minutes are up. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him to stop talking. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him he needs to stop talking now. The guy says that he refuses to stop talking, and the only way they can make him stop talking is to arrest him. So they...what? Let him keep talking? Because he pays taxes? So does everybody else in the room who wants to talk, and can't because the guy won't stop talking.

How about calling a recess to the meeting? Don't you think that would have worked? Oh, wait, that would have taken a little common sense.

If the goal was to let the next person talk, how would calling a recess have achieved that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SO sick and tired of assholes at these meetings thinking what they have to say is so much more important than what everyone else has to say. You don't like the 2 minute rule? Lobby to change it. Don't be an asshole and challenge the School Board to have you arrested for not following the rules of civil society.

How many meetings have you been to like this? I haven't seen many. So, the guy went overtime. He shouldn't have done that. But, Arresting him? Give me a break.

You are seeing the arrogance of educators. This is what happens when they forget who pays them

No, not educators. This happens at town board meetings.

They forget who pays them too. Their memories used to be better, before the Common Core. Also, only imagine what happens if you won't stop talking at a meeting convened by the federal government! Then they send you to Guantanamo! That's why we need local control.

So here you are at a meeting. Lots and lots and lots of people want to speak, so there's a two-minute time limit so that everybody gets a chance. Some guy gets up and starts talking. He gets his two minutes. The person running the meeting says that the two minutes are up. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him to stop talking. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him he needs to stop talking now. The guy says that he refuses to stop talking, and the only way they can make him stop talking is to arrest him. So they...what? Let him keep talking? Because he pays taxes? So does everybody else in the room who wants to talk, and can't because the guy won't stop talking.

How about calling a recess to the meeting? Don't you think that would have worked? Oh, wait, that would have taken a little common sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SO sick and tired of assholes at these meetings thinking what they have to say is so much more important than what everyone else has to say. You don't like the 2 minute rule? Lobby to change it. Don't be an asshole and challenge the School Board to have you arrested for not following the rules of civil society.

How many meetings have you been to like this? I haven't seen many. So, the guy went overtime. He shouldn't have done that. But, Arresting him? Give me a break.

You are seeing the arrogance of educators. This is what happens when they forget who pays them

No, not educators. This happens at town board meetings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SO sick and tired of assholes at these meetings thinking what they have to say is so much more important than what everyone else has to say. You don't like the 2 minute rule? Lobby to change it. Don't be an asshole and challenge the School Board to have you arrested for not following the rules of civil society.

How many meetings have you been to like this? I haven't seen many. So, the guy went overtime. He shouldn't have done that. But, Arresting him? Give me a break.

You are seeing the arrogance of educators. This is what happens when they forget who pays them

So here you are at a meeting. Lots and lots and lots of people want to speak, so there's a two-minute time limit so that everybody gets a chance. Some guy gets up and starts talking. He gets his two minutes. The person running the meeting says that the two minutes are up. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him to stop talking. The guy won't stop talking. The person running the meeting tells him he needs to stop talking now. The guy says that he refuses to stop talking, and the only way they can make him stop talking is to arrest him. So they...what? Let him keep talking? Because he pays taxes? So does everybody else in the room who wants to talk, and can't because the guy won't stop talking.

And what this has to do with Common Core standards, I can't fathom.

Anonymous wrote:

SO sick and tired of assholes at these meetings thinking what they have to say is so much more important than what everyone else has to say. You don't like the 2 minute rule? Lobby to change it. Don't be an asshole and challenge the School Board to have you arrested for not following the rules of civil society.

How many meetings have you been to like this? I haven't seen many. So, the guy went overtime. He shouldn't have done that. But, Arresting him? Give me a break.

You are seeing the arrogance of educators. This is what happens when they forget who pays them