Common Core?

[slackwater]

My kiddos (2nd, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades) are in the throes of their school's transition to a Common Core curriculum. It's not going overly well - I'm finding that the rational thought process and deductive thought process standards are too high for the kids' developmental ages, and they're not doing well on the pre-tests. Thankfully, they were not chosen for the pilot tests this year.

They are in a GREAT public charter school, and even if I COULD homeschool, I doubt I'd pull them out. DH and I are able to balance out some of the wacky CC teaching methods with the "normal/sane" method and our kids are able to keep up for the most part. I'm concerned about next year, when the testing is mandatory, though. This is supposed to be something that follows them for life - what happens when my rising 4th grader can't describe to a grader's satisfaction what makes a story "real?" DH even called BS on that one.

I'd like to opt out, but MD doesn't give that option - I have considered just bringing them to school on those days and refusing the testing. Anyone else in the same boat?

Please, no arguments for homeschooling - I get the draw, but can't work it right now. Trying to figure out what the next best option is!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I don't have kids but I've been following this core curriculum stuff and I find it to be incredibly difficult to follow, and I'm (usually) a pretty intelligent person!

I would say keep fighting it. I've heard quite a few friends complain about the testing, but they've done little more than post things on FB. We need more people to actually stand up against the core curriculum for it to change.

At those ages, standardized tests really aren't all that important. They re more an assessment of how the overall school is doing (At least that is how it was for my grade school yearssss ago) I guess the big worry is what happens when the tests DO mean something, but by that time (highschool years) I'm sure stuff will have changed even more!

 

[kb9fya]

Common Core from what I've seen of it and from what many of the teachers have said is NO GOOD. Illinois has adopted it and all the kids and most of the teachers in our area hate what little they have gotten so far. My daughters teachers are keeping their books and teaching as little of common core as they can get away from it. The whole thing is based on teaching all children exactly the same and only what the big government wants them to know. Many of our schools are already failing and with common core most of our children will fail. The math problems make no sense, even for the teachers, and much of the reading is awful or boring. A new book on common core just came out and it is good reading for anyone who wants to know the truth. It is called CONFORM. That is the main goal of common core, to make our children conform to what the politically correct, not to think for themselves. They teach the collective is all important. Many of us are fighting against it and so are many of the teachers. Even students are fighting back and refuse to do the common core work. They are saying this makes no sense. A 13 year old girl was just expiled from school because she tried doing a common core test given to her and refused to complete it because it made no sense.
Conform is available at amazon and many book stores. It is written simple enough that anyone can understand. Weather you have children in school or not you need to know about it and what it is. Together we can and must stop it. If we don't most of our children will be lost.

 

[EweSheep]

Even at my daughter's private school, CC isn't going too well. We are from old school methods and having a very tough time understanding it. Our daughter constantly telling us that what we are teaching her isn't the same as the teacher taught them to do.

I hope Illinois will opt out.....too many teachers are getting frustrated with it and parents are trying so hard to the point they are giving up. I am one of those parents who are just giving up, having only nine more school days left before summer vacation starts. She already got two F's, two D's, a C and one B and two A's and a few S (satisifactory grade). She used to be an A, B average student but last year and this year has been very horrible since CC started. She is a smart girl not bad for someone with ADHD/AS issues.

 

[kb9fya]

Our wonderful governor signed cc into law in our state but I heard today the Chicago Teacher's Union is against it. Most unions are for it so if this is true hopefully we can get it out. Most the teachers I know are against it and can't make sense of it. My girls are both in special ed. I am teaching them at home the way we learned and most of their teachers support me. Illinois rules have changed. We can home school and not have to be certified teachers. We don't have to do the state test either. All we have to do is prove our children have so much school time and that they are at or above grade level. We can even make our own curriculum. There is a new book that just came out that explains the public school system and cc. It is a good book everyone should read. It is CONFORM by Glenn Beck.

 

[CreativeChaos]

I know I'm late in response, but I don't think the problem is so much common core - I think that is a good thing to know that a child who finishes 3rd grade in one state will be able to follow on to master the curriculum in 4th grade, even if they move to a different state. The problem I have is the way the textbooks and tests are written. It follows along with the Chicago Math idea - it teaches math theory over computation - and I agree that it adds complication to what we all consider a fairly simple process. My mom is a 1st grade teacher, and she thinks that the strategies are good for those who need a different way to look at computation but make things difficult for everyone else.

The problem we are facing (as a member of the local school board) is being heard by our elected officials. They hear so many PAID lobbyist tout the benefits of common core and don't listen to the problems with the curriculum. I've written and called my legislators and received a canned response that did little to answer my questions and concerns.

Good Luck, and be aware that there ARE resources available to help you understand the curriculum so you can help your child understand. Check the internet, and I would strongly encourage you to contact your student's principal and see if you could have him/her arrange a 'parents night' where they teach YOU how they will be teaching their lessons. 3rd grade division was a NIGHTMARE in our household because our kids didn't remember how to set up a division problem and they were not taught long division the way we were. It is all partial sums. One problem can take an entire page of paper.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I will try and help you sort things out. Even if it is just finding the right lessons so you can help your kids at home. I am afraid common core is here to stay. That is, until the next new thing comes out...........

Nikki

 

[earlybird10842]

I feel that after the transition, things will get better. Some students I know are reporting that it has its good sides, and in English, one person said that there was a better,richer curriculum with more consistency.

 

[kb9fya]

We need to keep fighting against common core and not give up. Our children's future is at stake. Common Core is a program to get our children to conform to what the government wants and takes away our children's creativity and natural curiosity. You know a program is not good if the teachers hate it but it is really awful when the teachers' unions begin to fight against it. Chicago Teachers Union and many others have joined the fight. We can't give up the fight. We are our children's first and most important teachers. We must teach our children and not allow the schools, government, or anyone take away their creativity, and curiosity. We need to keep encouraging our children to explore, discover for themselves, and ask questions. Only in this way can our children truely grow and learn and become the persons they are ment to be.

 

[earlybird10842]

We need to keep fighting against common core and not give up. Our children's future is at stake. Common Core is a program to get our children to conform to what the government wants and takes away our children's creativity and natural curiosity. You know a program is not good if the teachers hate it but it is really awful when the teachers' unions begin to fight against it. Chicago Teachers Union and many others have joined the fight. We can't give up the fight. We are our children's first and most important teachers. We must teach our children and not allow the schools, government, or anyone take away their creativity, and curiosity. We need to keep encouraging our children to explore, discover for themselves, and ask questions. Only in this way can our children truely grow and learn and become the persons they are ment to be.

I feel from my experiences that this is not so. Common core has its good and bad sides, but students I know report that English classes have a richer and more consistent setup and curriculum. "Takes away curiosity and creativity" is not true, in English classes (Not always math, however), curiosity and creativity is strongly encouraged. Common core is far from encouraging conformity, it is simply a way to make curriculum from state to state standard. Which is a good thing. Because I know somebody personally who has moved from one state to another and had to take additional high school classes in order to graduate, because state standards were inconsistent. Consistancy between states is really not a bad thing, and does not encourage conformity.

 

[kb9fya]

Common Core is unconstitutional. The rights of schools, religion, etc. belongs to the states to decide not federal government. The federal government has the right to maintain the post roads, protect our borders, and commerce between states only. Schools, religion, health care, and everything else within a state belongs to the state. The War Between the States was fought for states rights, slavery was just a small part. It's time we get rid of big government and take back our states.
Read and study the US Constitution and our early history and that of our founding fathers. According to the Constitution our government is for the people by the people and of the people. But the way things work today the people have little or no voice against big government. It's time we stand up, teach our children and take back our government. This is our country, not the politicians.