Anonymous wrote:

The Gates Foundation? I thought it was Pearson! Is Gates behind Pearson? Is Pearson behind Gates? Are they both merely puppets of the Federal Reserve? This is so confusing!

What do you think the schools use to administer the Pearson tests?

for goodness sakes.. who cares if it was Pearson that developed the tests or teaching materials. Do you work for a competitor or something? McGraw Hill is a publishing company that also publishes a lot of teaching material and text books. Did you hate them, too. What matters is that the materials are good. Yes, most of us agree that a lot of the material is lacking. But would it have been any better if McGraw Hill wrote them? I doubt it. So, really, let's drop the Pearson argument. It's getting old. And it wasn't the Gates Foundation that came up with the standards. They helped start the movement and provided the money. That was it. Bill Gates did not personally hand pick each person who came up with the standards.

And as for standardized testing, yes, there is too much of them, but we do need some standardized testing. I recall some people posting on this forum how they remember taking such standardized tests when they were in school. So, clearly, we've had them even before NCLB. But different schools were doing different things; some states had them, some didn't. Some states had very low standards; others had very high standards. And as we all have seen, some states have crazy school boards where they want to change history books, teach creationism in classrooms (I believe in God, btw), etc.. So, I really don't think leaving educational standards and teaching materials up to the states is such a good idea.

Regarding the argument against the "one size fits all" model - I agree, that what may work in an affluent suburban school won't necessarily work in high poverty schools. I think they should be allowed to tweak the curriculum to fit their needs better. However, I don't think they should not be held to the same standards. They will probably never perform as well as the more affluent schools, but that shouldn't stop them from trying. Some of those kids can probably do just as well.

Go read Actions 4 and 5. Testing is a strong part of this program--and has been from its inception. It is not just "standards" in a vacuum.

Anonymous wrote:

What evidence do you have for the Common Core standards supporting continued testing as required by NCLB? (I'm not sure how standards can be in favor or against anything, but ok.)

Go read the Development link. Pay careful attention to Action IV.

Is this the report from 2008 that you're referring to? http://www.corestandards.org/assets/0812BENCHMARKING.pdf

Here are the Actions:

Action 1: Upgrade state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked
standards in math and language arts for grades K-12 to ensure that students are equipped with the
necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive.
Action 2: Leverage states’ collective influence to ensure that textbooks, digital media, curricula, and
assessments are aligned to internationally benchmarked standards and draw on lessons from highperforming
nations and states.
Action 3: Revise state policies for recruiting, preparing, developing, and supporting teachers and
school leaders to reflect the human capital practices of top-performing nations and states around the
world.
Action 4: Hold schools and systems accountable through monitoring, interventions, and support to
ensure consistently high performance, drawing upon international best practices.
Action 5: Measure state-level education performance globally by examining student achievement
and attainment in an international context to ensure that, over time, students are receiving the education
they need to compete in the 21st century economy.
Now, what was your point again?

^^^^^^

Well, you obviously haven't read the fine print.

http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/

Go down timeline to 2008 and click on the development link.

There is a brochure.

Anonymous wrote:

The Gates Foundation? I thought it was Pearson! Is Gates behind Pearson? Is Pearson behind Gates? Are they both merely puppets of the Federal Reserve? This is so confusing!

What do you think the schools use to administer the Pearson tests?

1. Windows desktops or laptops
2. Mac desktops or laptops
3. Chromebooks
4. iPads
5. Windows tablets

Not to mention that only 12 states plus DC plan to use the PARCC tests, while 18 states will use the Smarter Balanced test, and 20 states will use their own tests.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/what-happens-when-the-common-core-becomes-less--common/2015/01/25/33b8eb58-a2bf-11e4-b146-577832eafcb4_story.html

What evidence do you have for the Common Core standards supporting continued testing as required by NCLB? (I'm not sure how standards can be in favor or against anything, but ok.)

Go read the Development link. Pay careful attention to Action IV.

Anonymous wrote:

NGA, CCSSO, and Achieve release Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education. The report, guided by an advisory group that included governors, state education chiefs, and leading education researchers, recommended states “upgrade state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts for grades K-12 to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive.”

Did you not click on the link and go to the part about testing and assessments?

Since you evidently have something specific in mind, I think it would be most efficient for you to directly provide it, instead of telling people to go look for stuff.

The Gates Foundation? I thought it was Pearson! Is Gates behind Pearson? Is Pearson behind Gates? Are they both merely puppets of the Federal Reserve? This is so confusing!

What do you think the schools use to administer the Pearson tests?

Anonymous wrote:

Totally agree. It is not the standards that are the problem - it is the mania for "assessment" and "accountability" which when combined with an entirely new set of standards airlifted in by the Gates Foundation that is setting everyone up for failure.

And, the Common Core program strongly supports the continuation of the type of testing started in NCLB.

What evidence do you have for the Common Core standards supporting continued testing as required by NCLB? (I'm not sure how standards can be in favor or against anything, but ok.)

NGA, CCSSO, and Achieve release Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education. The report, guided by an advisory group that included governors, state education chiefs, and leading education researchers, recommended states “upgrade state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts for grades K-12 to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive.”

Did you not click on the link and go to the part about testing and assessments?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The CC is probably fine, but can we get rid of all the testing? Can we have standards and curriculum, without so many tests? The standards should drive the curriculum, not the tests! If it's about evaluating teachers, there are other more valid ways to do that. If it's about making sure the kids are learning, this much testing is unnecessary. If it's about comparing ourselves to other nations, there are already other measures out there. If it's about trying to make all the states the same, well, hello, that ain't gonna happen by federal decree. We are wasting lots of money.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/01/26/school-superintendent-writes-warning-letter-on-parcc-common-core-test/

Totally agree. It is not the standards that are the problem - it is the mania for "assessment" and "accountability" which when combined with an entirely new set of standards airlifted in by the Gates Foundation that is setting everyone up for failure.

The Gates Foundation? I thought it was Pearson! Is Gates behind Pearson? Is Pearson behind Gates? Are they both merely puppets of the Federal Reserve? This is so confusing!

Totally agree. It is not the standards that are the problem - it is the mania for "assessment" and "accountability" which when combined with an entirely new set of standards airlifted in by the Gates Foundation that is setting everyone up for failure.

And, the Common Core program strongly supports the continuation of the type of testing started in NCLB.

Anonymous wrote:^^^Well, you obviously haven't read the fine print.

http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/

Go down timeline to 2008 and click on the development link.

December 2008:

NGA, CCSSO, and Achieve release Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education. The report, guided by an advisory group that included governors, state education chiefs, and leading education researchers, recommended states “upgrade state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts for grades K-12 to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive.”

Anonymous wrote:
The CC is probably fine, but can we get rid of all the testing? Can we have standards and curriculum, without so many tests? The standards should drive the curriculum, not the tests! If it's about evaluating teachers, there are other more valid ways to do that. If it's about making sure the kids are learning, this much testing is unnecessary. If it's about comparing ourselves to other nations, there are already other measures out there. If it's about trying to make all the states the same, well, hello, that ain't gonna happen by federal decree. We are wasting lots of money.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/01/26/school-superintendent-writes-warning-letter-on-parcc-common-core-test/

Totally agree. It is not the standards that are the problem - it is the mania for "assessment" and "accountability" which when combined with an entirely new set of standards airlifted in by the Gates Foundation that is setting everyone up for failure.

^^^Well, you obviously haven't read the fine print.

http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/

Go down timeline to 2008 and click on the development link.