No experience with whatever was before CC but I definitely did not think K was too hard. Level 4 in reading is pretty basic. Adding and subtracting to 5 - again this does not seem like a huge task.

Only part of the current curriculum I dislike really is the lack of much differentiation in math. But that is related to how MoCo has put CC into place of course not anything directly related to CC itself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The ultimate problem is that teachers in this country are generally mediocre or worse.

No. The ultimate problem is that people do not understand that all kids are not the same.

If you want to oppose the whole idea of standards in education, you are free to do so, of course. Just as long as we're all clear that there were standards in education before the Common Core standards, and there will presumably still be standards even if the Common Core standards go "poof" tomorrow.

Here we go again. Aren't you tired?

There is a lot of misinformation here. Maryland has a kindergarten readiness assessment administered in all kindergarten classrooms. It includes comprehensive measures of learning and development, including: math, language/literacy, social foundations, and physical and motor development. It is only used to guide instruction and to measure aggregate student trends. This year, the state rolled out a new version of the assessment with a higher bar for readiness and scores dropped. It is aligned to the Common Core in math and reading, but includes domains not included in the Common Core.

I don't have direct experience with the assessment, so I can't comment on whether it was developmentally appropriate. Usually when new assessments are introduced, though, scores drop in the first year and then improve over time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The ultimate problem is that teachers in this country are generally mediocre or worse.

No. The ultimate problem is that people do not understand that all kids are not the same.

If you want to oppose the whole idea of standards in education, you are free to do so, of course. Just as long as we're all clear that there were standards in education before the Common Core standards, and there will presumably still be standards even if the Common Core standards go "poof" tomorrow.

I'm pretty neutral and not very knowledgeable about Common Core, but there will always be standards..this is true.

Also, I learned to add and subtract in Kindergarten way back in the 1970s. Simple math, of course, but I absolutely remember adding and subtracting.

Anonymous wrote:

All the kids at my son's public preschool were tested BY THE TEACHERS for kindergarten readiness USING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL MATRIX at the end of the preschool year, and this was 7 years ago.

Don't play dumb.

Who qualifies for public preschool in Maryland, and what percentage of kids in Maryland go to public preschool?

Anonymous wrote:

The ultimate problem is that teachers in this country are generally mediocre or worse.

No. The ultimate problem is that people do not understand that all kids are not the same.

If you want to oppose the whole idea of standards in education, you are free to do so, of course. Just as long as we're all clear that there were standards in education before the Common Core standards, and there will presumably still be standards even if the Common Core standards go "poof" tomorrow.

Anonymous wrote:

adding and subtracting IS NOT A KINDERGARTEN SKILL!

Says who?

The ultimate problem is that teachers in this country are generally mediocre or worse.

No. The ultimate problem is that people do not understand that all kids are not the same.

Anonymous wrote:
First of all, the are testing PRESCHOOLERS for K readiness. This has always happened. Where have you people been? The problem now is the standards are ramped up because of Crappy Core.

And for the person who says they aren't testing K -- I call bullshit. They are prepping them in K-2 so they'll be all "rigor" ready for the soul crushing third grade tests.

What do you call prepping? Learning how to take a test?

When my DC was in K last year, DC was coloring shapes and learning to count, reading books at DC's level, learning to write letters, etc. I saw no test prepping going on in K. Yes,they are trying to teach kids to read with purpose, ie, understand what is going on. Don't you do that at home when you read to your DC... "Why did so and so do that?", "Do you think so and so feels sad that this happened?", etc.. If the Ker doesn't know, then you teach them, you discuss it with them. Why is that a bad thing?

In 1st grade, DC did take the MAP-P test, but they've been doing that for years, pre CC.

So, what and how exactly are they prepping Kers for CC tests?

Oh no, not this again. There are already at least three separate recent 100+ page threads on this forum where the "there were no early childhood teachers on the committees" contention is discussed ad nauseam, over and over and over again. Isn't that enough?

And, so, our apologist is here!

Funny, yes there were pages--and, the fact remains that the statement is true.

As far as the article, and "common core testing", I assume they mean that the kids will not be able to reach the K standards by the end of the year because there skills are so deficient when they start. The sad part is that it is true. The kids will struggle -partly because of their language issues and other learning problems--and partly because the standards are inappropriate for K.

Common Core started with good intentions, but has become just another too big to fail bureaucratic like enterprise. The ultimate problem is that teachers in this country are generally mediocre or worse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the WBAL story, and I still can't figure out what on earth they're talking about:

http://www.wbal.com/article/115161/21/study-less-than-half-of-maryland-kindergartners-are-ready-for-the-common-core-curriculum

What "Common Core statistics"? And Maryland could not have introduced the Common Core standards for pre-K three years ago, because there are no Common Core standards for pre-K. Bad journalism.

Easy enough to figure out. They test the Pre-K students to see if they are ready for K. They have done this forever. Now, though, Pre-K students must be ready to learn in the mind-numbing Common Core way.l

And the reformers absolutely want your 3 year old to develop "grit" and "rigor" so they'll be ready to be on their knees groveling for the third-grade tests.

"They" who? Which students do they test, and what is on the test? Also, which students don't they test? A minimally-acceptable news story would answer these questions. This one doesn't.

Also, what is the "mind-numbing Common Core way"? I look at the Common Core kindergarten standards, here:

http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

and for kindergarten, by the end of the year, kindergarteners are supposed to be able to do such things as "Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood." and "Fluently add and subtract within 5". Do you consider that mind-numbing?

All the kids at my son's public preschool were tested BY THE TEACHERS for kindergarten readiness USING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL MATRIX at the end of the preschool year, and this was 7 years ago.

Don't play dumb.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the WBAL story, and I still can't figure out what on earth they're talking about:

http://www.wbal.com/article/115161/21/study-less-than-half-of-maryland-kindergartners-are-ready-for-the-common-core-curriculum

What "Common Core statistics"? And Maryland could not have introduced the Common Core standards for pre-K three years ago, because there are no Common Core standards for pre-K. Bad journalism.

Easy enough to figure out. They test the Pre-K students to see if they are ready for K. They have done this forever. Now, though, Pre-K students must be ready to learn in the mind-numbing Common Core way.l

And the reformers absolutely want your 3 year old to develop "grit" and "rigor" so they'll be ready to be on their knees groveling for the third-grade tests.

"They" who? Which students do they test, and what is on the test? Also, which students don't they test? A minimally-acceptable news story would answer these questions. This one doesn't.

Also, what is the "mind-numbing Common Core way"? I look at the Common Core kindergarten standards, here:

http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

and for kindergarten, by the end of the year, kindergarteners are supposed to be able to do such things as "Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood." and "Fluently add and subtract within 5". Do you consider that mind-numbing?

adding and subtracting IS NOT A KINDERGARTEN SKILL!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the WBAL story, and I still can't figure out what on earth they're talking about:

http://www.wbal.com/article/115161/21/study-less-than-half-of-maryland-kindergartners-are-ready-for-the-common-core-curriculum

What "Common Core statistics"? And Maryland could not have introduced the Common Core standards for pre-K three years ago, because there are no Common Core standards for pre-K. Bad journalism.

Easy enough to figure out. They test the Pre-K students to see if they are ready for K. They have done this forever. Now, though, Pre-K students must be ready to learn in the mind-numbing Common Core way.l

And the reformers absolutely want your 3 year old to develop "grit" and "rigor" so they'll be ready to be on their knees groveling for the third-grade tests.

"They" who? Which students do they test, and what is on the test? Also, which students don't they test? A minimally-acceptable news story would answer these questions. This one doesn't.

Also, what is the "mind-numbing Common Core way"? I look at the Common Core kindergarten standards, here:

http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

and for kindergarten, by the end of the year, kindergarteners are supposed to be able to do such things as "Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood." and "Fluently add and subtract within 5". Do you consider that mind-numbing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the WBAL story, and I still can't figure out what on earth they're talking about:

http://www.wbal.com/article/115161/21/study-less-than-half-of-maryland-kindergartners-are-ready-for-the-common-core-curriculum

What "Common Core statistics"? And Maryland could not have introduced the Common Core standards for pre-K three years ago, because there are no Common Core standards for pre-K. Bad journalism.

Easy enough to figure out. They test the Pre-K students to see if they are ready for K. They have done this forever. Now, though, Pre-K students must be ready to learn in the mind-numbing Common Core way.l

And the reformers absolutely want your 3 year old to develop "grit" and "rigor" so they'll be ready to be on their knees groveling for the third-grade tests.

There is no universal Pre-K in Maryland, you dimwit! My DC did not get tested in his preschool since it was private and the only test he had to 'endure' before entering K was that twenty-minute assessment during his orientation, but even that was not "mandated".