Common Core is a good idea that exists only in a fairy tale world.

#6. Teachers will "adapt" to the tests in order to ensure passing results and to keep their jobs.

#5. Tests are causing panic because they are tied to performance evaluation. The standards assume that all teachers are given the same raw materials to work with.

#4. Materials and tests are developed by publishing companies that have one goal: money. I suspect that many of these companies have consultants who helped write the standards. Win/win for consultants and publishers.

#3. They are not working. Kids, teachers, and parents are upset with them.

#2 Since teachers weren't involved, the standards are not appropriate and they are confusing to teachers.

The substantive argument against Common Core is that it is failing our children. The teachers don't truly understand the standards, so the children aren't really learning them. It was rushed out and the curriculum materials don't support the learning very well. The tests are designed to fail most children, and because teacher's salaries and jobs are tied to testing results, they will be desperate for success and do anything to achieve it. NCLB has already proven this -- putting more and more children into special education, finding ways to cheat and skew the test results. Subject experts say the Common Core standards are not property benchmarked.

Great summary!

#1 Written by so-called experts from Ivory Towers.

The substantive argument against Common Core is that it is failing our children. The teachers don't truly understand the standards, so the children aren't really learning them. It was rushed out and the curriculum materials don't support the learning very well. The tests are designed to fail most children, and because teacher's salaries and jobs are tied to testing results, they will be desperate for success and do anything to achieve it. NCLB has already proven this -- putting more and more children into special education, finding ways to cheat and skew the test results. Subject experts say the Common Core standards are not property benchmarked.

Teachers are fleeing the schools, more and more parents are homeschooling.

Failure is already all over Common Core.

Anonymous wrote:

It was just another example, not that it was an example in Europe

That's how you referenced it.

I don't think it's a substantive argument against the Common Core standards that an anonymous poster on an internet message board unintentionally or intentionally included Canada as a country in Europe.

It was just another example, not that it was an example in Europe

That's how you referenced it.

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, and there are plenty of European countries that have national standards where they don't track or determine your profession at an early age. Canada, for example, has national standards.

Canada is a European country? And, you support CC. 'NUff said.

It was just another example, not that it was an example in Europe.

Yes, and there are plenty of European countries that have national standards where they don't track or determine your profession at an early age. Canada, for example, has national standards.

Canada is a European country? And, you support CC. 'NUff said.

Anonymous wrote:

What always gets me is flipping from the MD Public Schools forum, where the Common Core math standards are way too easy, to the Schools and General Education forum, where those exact same standards are way too hard.

Then, just maybe there is a problem with the standards......

Some opponents say that the standards are too easy, and other opponents say that the standards are too hard, and the problem is with the standards? How do you figure? Are you one of the people who think that the problem with the standards is that they are standards?

Anonymous wrote:

Plenty of other big countries are able to have common standards

Sure they do. They also have tracking--where kids take tests at a very young age which determines whether they will be in a trade or a profession. Whether they go to trade school or university.

Some do. And some don't.

In any case, I don't understand the argument -- if a country does this one thing you disagree with, then everything else they do is also bad?

Just for reference, big countries of a similar size to the US include Indonesia, Brazil, and Pakistan. Canada has 1/10 the population of the US.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population