Anonymous wrote:

The test changed because of Common Core. That's a stated fact. The numbers dropped. Another stated fact.

Sad. Why are we pushing our kids so much? Kindergarten should not be boot camp.

Who says we are? Who says it is?

The test changed because of Common Core. That's a stated fact. The numbers dropped. Another stated fact.

Sad. Why are we pushing our kids so much? Kindergarten should not be boot camp.

Anonymous wrote:A) op posted only opinion pieces. Nowhere in them was there a link to the actual report. The second document made it sound as if the numbers are apples to oranges (87% of preschoolers were ready last year; 40 something % of kindergarteners are ready to meet the benchmarks at this point now. So it is hard to know what the facts are.

B) the first opinion piece link takes pains to stress that kids develop at different rates and this is just biological. Sure I can grant that. What I cannot grant is that it is just a coincidence that the vast majority of the kids that "biologically" need lower standards and more time are almost all low income (special needs excepted obviously). If it is biological you would not expect to see such a high concentration of school struggles primarily with poor kids.

It is absolutely correct that kids able to go faster should not be held back and those with special needs require specific accommodations. But it is not unreasonable to set benchmarks that should be achievable for MOST (not all!!!) kids and work like heck to get the kids there to ensure that the poorer kids who can get there if supported aren't left behind.

The test changed because of Common Core. That's a stated fact. The numbers dropped. Another stated fact.

The great majority of kindergarteners in all demographic and income groups are reading at kindergarten grade level by the end of kindergarten in Montgomery County. I don't feel like digging up the documentation for this, but it's easy enough to find on the Internet.

Good for Montgomery County. Studies show that early reading is not that important.

Anonymous wrote:

To second op - sounding out really simple words and adding to 5 is too much for a 5 year old by the end of K???

It is too much for many of them. You need to leave your suburban bubble.

The great majority of kindergarteners in all demographic and income groups are reading at kindergarten grade level by the end of kindergarten in Montgomery County. I don't feel like digging up the documentation for this, but it's easy enough to find on the Internet.

Anonymous wrote:

The article in the first post said that the standards have changed and, I guess, that means that the readiness tests have become more difficult to "pass"......

Granted, many kids are unprepared, but you need to also consider that the standards are inappropriate for many children--not just those from disadvantaged homes. Kids develop at different speeds. For example, do all kids learn to walk at the same time? Talk at the same time? Well, they are not all prepared to read and do math at the same time. Historically, kids ages six and seven are ready to read and do math. However, the people writing the standards have determined that kids at five should ALL do those things. This is not a good idea. It will damage our education system.

Here are some of the reading and writing things the Common Core standards call for children to be able to do by the end of kindergarten (when most will be 6):

Count to answer "how many?" questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects.

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.

Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

Recognize and produce rhyming words

To second op - sounding out really simple words and adding to 5 is too much for a 5 year old by the end of K???

It is too much for many of them. You need to leave your suburban bubble.

So simply because kids are not doing well enough in school means the requirements are wrong? Lots of inner city kids end up not able to read on a 12th grade level by the time they finish HS. Does that mean the expectation is wrong?

Expecting high school students to read on a 12th grade level is not unreasonable. Expecting kindergarten kids to read and do what was formerly first grade math, is unreasonable. Be aware that those 12th graders started school before CC standards.

And, I think if you look at the stats, that more inner city kids are not reading at 12th grade level than are.

Detailed story about how they are assessing children in Maryland for Kindergarten readiness based on Common Core. Looks like they do it in pre-K when they can for those in public preschool, and the beginning of K for the rest. ''




http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/marylands-kindergartners-face-important-early-test-of-their-readiness-for-school/2014/10/31/62a11caa-60fd-11e4-8b9e-2ccdac31a031_story.html

Evaluating Md. kindergartners has become a one-on-one mission

Then Sarris slowly began reading from the script for the new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, a comprehensive test that has been expanded in Maryland to include one-on-one interaction and is designed to evaluate students in the areas of language, literacy, math, science, social studies and physical well-being.

The KRA is generally done on an iPad, computer or tablet at the majority of elementary schools in Maryland, a new element of the test. In Prince George’s County, where the WiFi connection in some schools is limited, kindergartners like Isaac are using paper tests.

"What is going on in their home life to make them so unprepared?


The article in the first post said that the standards have changed and, I guess, that means that the readiness tests have become more difficult to "pass"......

Granted, many kids are unprepared, but you need to also consider that the standards are inappropriate for many children--not just those from disadvantaged homes. Kids develop at different speeds. For example, do all kids learn to walk at the same time? Talk at the same time? Well, they are not all prepared to read and do math at the same time. Historically, kids ages six and seven are ready to read and do math. However, the people writing the standards have determined that kids at five should ALL do those things. This is not a good idea. It will damage our education system."

To first PP - Crappy stuff. If all kids came from homes able to step in where needed to support them we would not have much of an issue. But you need to take the lack of resources at home as a fact and figure out what is needed to work around that. Until magic wands are invented at least....

To second op - sounding out really simple words and adding to 5 is too much for a 5 year old by the end of K??? I just do not believe that. DD is in a focus school and the large majority of her classmates were able to do both by end of the year. That is just anecdote obviously but where are the studies saying the typical 5 (really 6 by end of k) year old cannot handle introduction of math and the early reading building blocks?

Anonymous wrote:

What is going on in their home life to make them so unprepared?

The article in the first post said that the standards have changed and, I guess, that means that the readiness tests have become more difficult to "pass"......

Granted, many kids are unprepared, but you need to also consider that the standards are inappropriate for many children--not just those from disadvantaged homes. Kids develop at different speeds. For example, do all kids learn to walk at the same time? Talk at the same time? Well, they are not all prepared to read and do math at the same time. Historically, kids ages six and seven are ready to read and do math. However, the people writing the standards have determined that kids at five should ALL do those things. This is not a good idea. It will damage our education system.

I was the person who mentioned doing math in the 70's (adding and subtracting I mean), and I think, if anything, there has been great improvement - at least in my kid's school - as far as treating kids as individuals. I was a good little student. The kind that sat with her hands folded and listened. But I look back at some of the kids back then who I'm fairly certain had ADHD and other needs and they were not given any type of individual schooling at all, and meanwhile, I see children nowadays (including one of my own) that are treated individually and get help in areas they need. Maybe my school is really good? I think it's a decent school, but it seems pretty average to me.

Anyway, that's a long way of saying that kids have always developed at different speeds, but the tide seems to be turning for the better and not the worse. There is still room for improvement, that is for sure.

"clearly the students discussed are not ready for CC standards in K. That is a downside. "

So simply because kids are not doing well enough in school means the requirements are wrong? Lots of inner city kids end up not able to read on a 12th grade level by the time they finish HS. Does that mean the expectation is wrong?

What is going on in their home life to make them so unprepared?

The article in the first post said that the standards have changed and, I guess, that means that the readiness tests have become more difficult to "pass"......

Granted, many kids are unprepared, but you need to also consider that the standards are inappropriate for many children--not just those from disadvantaged homes. Kids develop at different speeds. For example, do all kids learn to walk at the same time? Talk at the same time? Well, they are not all prepared to read and do math at the same time. Historically, kids ages six and seven are ready to read and do math. However, the people writing the standards have determined that kids at five should ALL do those things. This is not a good idea. It will damage our education system.

A) op posted only opinion pieces. Nowhere in them was there a link to the actual report. The second document made it sound as if the numbers are apples to oranges (87% of preschoolers were ready last year; 40 something % of kindergarteners are ready to meet the benchmarks at this point now. So it is hard to know what the facts are.

B) the first opinion piece link takes pains to stress that kids develop at different rates and this is just biological. Sure I can grant that. What I cannot grant is that it is just a coincidence that the vast majority of the kids that "biologically" need lower standards and more time are almost all low income (special needs excepted obviously). If it is biological you would not expect to see such a high concentration of school struggles primarily with poor kids.

It is absolutely correct that kids able to go faster should not be held back and those with special needs require specific accommodations. But it is not unreasonable to set benchmarks that should be achievable for MOST (not all!!!) kids and work like heck to get the kids there to ensure that the poorer kids who can get there if supported aren't left behind.

Anonymous wrote:

Can we talk about the downsides of Common Core without making shit up?

clearly the students discussed are not ready for CC standards in K. That is a downside.

What is going on in their home life to make them so unprepared?