Contact your reps on Common Core

[turkeyrun]

Turkey, if you strongly believe in the repeal of common core, contact your legislators. Bitching here won't do nearly as much good as bitching to your representation. Let them know that you and many like you are watching the issue closely and will take note of how they vote.

Have done so, many times since the start of the school year; as have my wife, dau, 2 sons, 2 D-I-L, and S-I-L and who knows how many of others we have talked to. The biggest problem is the Gov. and MANY teachers like CC. It will take a LOT of phone calls from disgruntled voters to make the change. Letters to T.W. Shannon, I hope, has what has got the wheels started to turn. That and his ambitions to get to Washington.

One thing for sure, the Silent Majority have been SILENT for wayyyyyyyyyyyy too long and the Progressives and PC need to be shut down and old fashioned values and education reinstated. Speak up sheeple, you may never get another chance.

 

[farmerbyron]

Have done so, many times since the start of the school year; as have my wife, dau, 2 sons, 2 D-I-L, and S-I-L and who knows how many of others we have talked to. The biggest problem is the Gov. and MANY teachers like CC. It will take a LOT of phone calls from disgruntled voters to make the change. Letters to T.W. Shannon, I hope, has what has got the wheels started to turn. That and his ambitions to get to Washington.

One thing for sure, the Silent Majority have been SILENT for wayyyyyyyyyyyy too long and the Progressives and PC need to be shut down and old fashioned values and education reinstated. Speak up sheeple, you may never get another chance.

Honestly, I don't know of any teachers that are pro CC. Their job security is threatened by test scores which may be beyond their control. Also, these teachers are having to shift their curriculum to align with theses tests instead of what their students need that they are good at and enjoy teaching. There are many parents that are up in arms about this and I am trying to urge each one of them to contact their representation. It is the only shot we have at correcting this mess.

 

[crrcboatz]

I spent 36 yrs in eduation, 27 of that as an administrator. I retired from education in Oklahoma in 98 after being in central office admin. for the last 6 yrs. I went to Tx to accept a Jr. High Principal's position at a school of about 700 7th and 8th graders. What a baptism. The Tx system then used what was called TAAS as its state testing program. Our curriculum was completely controlled and dictated by a Texas Regional Educational Agency office in Garland. Our teachers taught to this test from day one. They were required to give practice tests every 4 wks. They were required to teach test taking strategies every week. Non core subject teachers such as music, art, tech classes, even Physical Education were expected to include in their weekly lesson plans methods for applying math, science, English, or writing to testing strategies at least one class period/wk. Because of monitoring visits from the regional agency local districts had NO control of the curriculum. After TAAS tests were administered in late April you never saw the Texas agency goons again. We were budgeted $6500 to use as a reward system for students that scored 80% or above on the Taas tests. We gave away bikes, walkman, video games, tickets to pro sporting events in the metro Dallas area, etc to the students that successfully scored 80% or above. The students that did not get to that level got nothing. On top of that any district or building that had a grade level that averaged less than 70% in a subject level had a complete plan laid out for them to follow when that class moved up the following year to "re mediate" them. Now here is the kicker. There was a buttload of state funds that came with the plan to pay for it, BUT that plan was only for those students that scored between 50-69% the previous year. WE DID NOTHING FOR STUDENTS THAT SCORED BELOW the 50% LEVEL. I was floored by this. We were completely writing off the lowest level students. I questioned the state monitors that visited our school for monitoring about this. Their reaction was "those students scores are too low to get to the 80% level in one year". So not only did we teach to a test we only put emphasis on those the state deemed capable of helping enough to reach 80% proficiency. Teachers who had the lower level students could use what ever curriculum the district wanted to provide to teach them. Not only that but if a teacher had 2 or more classes that did not avg 80% the local district fired them. I lost 27 teachers in 2 yrs because of this. I had one year left on my 3 yr contract when I resigned. I could not in good faith be a part of something soooooooooooooooooooooooooo despicable. I returned to Oklahoma with one thing cemented in my mind. If I ever had a grandchild attend public schools in Texas I would do what ever was necessary to pay for a private school education for them.
Now one more thing, in 1998 Oklahoma.s ACT avg test score was 2.5 pts higher than Texas'. I shared that with my Asst Supt and he hit the ceiling!!!
The public in this state better wake up. You are headed for state controlled education. Local control will be gone forever if you continue down the CC road. A school should be a reflection of its community. Local control is the key to that. Locally adopted curriculum that fit minimum state guidelines has for 40yrs been the backbone of local control. DON'T GIVE THAT UP. If you do it will never again exist as an option.

 

[Pokinfun]

I teach school, I do not approve of Common Core(C3). The tests will remain even if Common Core is rejected by the state. I do not feel like looking for a job next year, so I will stop before I am too honest.

 

[fubarjohnnyr]

26 year educator here. Common Core is just a catalyst for what has been happening locally for years, just on a national level. From my first day of teaching, education in Oklahoma has been under some sort of reform none of which means a damn thing. Educating a human being is a simple thing, learning is inherent in everyone but the mastery is having a teacher/administrator who can infect their passion and subsequent knowledge into a young brain. Nothing more is needed, it's pure and natural. Districts that foster those effective personnel and weed the ones who are not will never have to worry about responsibility to their community. State mandates, rules, procedures, guidelines, quotas, standardized test scores, learning outcomes, A to F school district grading, blah, blah, and more blah just turns the whole thing into a **** pile of bureaucracy with 90% rate of wasted motion, time, and effort. Throw in CC from a federal level and it's exponentially grown to something unrecognizable by common sense laden eyes.

Whether or not we can resist the mind numbing implementation of CC and further relinquish our freedoms, there is one effect for certain that I've seen the past 10 years. There are more quality people leaving the educational field than those fresh, naive faces coming into the profession. A simple cause-effect process that politicians and policy makers simply never see until it's too late. Then again, maybe a minimum wage test proctor or a computer terminal is a preferable methodology for creating that free-thinking, autonomous citizen of tomorrow.

 

[farmerbyron]

I teach school, I do not approve of Common Core(C3). The tests will remain even if Common Core is rejected by the state. I do not feel like looking for a job next year, so I will stop before I am too honest.

This is a very sad state of affairs. The people that have the most constructive criticism on the issue are unable to speak out publicly about their concerns. As parents we can try and explain what we see but educators have a whole different level of understanding and can verbalize the nuts and bolts of the issue. Just a completely bass ackwards system we have going on here.

 

[farmerbyron]

26 year educator here. Common Core is just a catalyst for what has been happening locally for years, just on a national level. From my first day of teaching, education in Oklahoma has been under some sort of reform none of which means a damn thing. Educating a human being is a simple thing, learning is inherent in everyone but the mastery is having a teacher/administrator who can infect their passion and subsequent knowledge into a young brain. Nothing more is needed, it's pure and natural. Districts that foster those effective personnel and weed the ones who are not will never have to worry about responsibility to their community. State mandates, rules, procedures, guidelines, quotas, standardized test scores, learning outcomes, A to F school district grading, blah, blah, and more blah just turns the whole thing into a **** pile of bureaucracy with 90% rate of wasted motion, time, and effort. Throw in CC from a federal level and it's exponentially grown to something unrecognizable by common sense laden eyes.

Whether or not we can resist the mind numbing implementation of CC and further relinquish our freedoms, there is one effect for certain that I've seen the past 10 years. There are more quality people leaving the educational field than those fresh, naive faces coming into the profession. A simple cause-effect process that politicians and policy makers simply never see until it's too late. Then again, maybe a minimum wage test proctor or a computer terminal is a preferable methodology for creating that free-thinking, autonomous citizen of tomorrow.

That is what the stated goal of CC is but from what I have seen, they want to create good little subjects that fit into the system. The govt has a habit of naming laws in a certain way but the implementation of the law is completely counter to the name of the law. Affordable Care Act that makes healthcare impossibly expensive, patriot act that shreds the constitution, etc.

 

[rawhide]

This is a very sad state of affairs. The people that have the most constructive criticism on the issue are unable to speak out publicly about their concerns. As parents we can try and explain what we see but educators have a whole different level of understanding and can verbalize the nuts and bolts of the issue. Just a completely bass ackwards system we have going on here.

You are correct BUT the best or the worst argument against CC will be heard and have much more effect coming from parents. Many legislators and our current department of education have little interest in hearing what educators have to say. Parents will have to carry this torch.

 

[ignerntbend]

School has never been much, in my own experience. Encourage your kids to read the stuff that's out there in the wide open.

 

[rawhide]

26 year educator here. Common Core is just a catalyst for what has been happening locally for years, just on a national level. From my first day of teaching, education in Oklahoma has been under some sort of reform none of which means a damn thing. Educating a human being is a simple thing, learning is inherent in everyone but the mastery is having a teacher/administrator who can infect their passion and subsequent knowledge into a young brain. Nothing more is needed, it's pure and natural. Districts that foster those effective personnel and weed the ones who are not will never have to worry about responsibility to their community. State mandates, rules, procedures, guidelines, quotas, standardized test scores, learning outcomes, A to F school district grading, blah, blah, and more blah just turns the whole thing into a **** pile of bureaucracy with 90% rate of wasted motion, time, and effort. Throw in CC from a federal level and it's exponentially grown to something unrecognizable by common sense laden eyes.

Whether or not we can resist the mind numbing implementation of CC and further relinquish our freedoms, there is one effect for certain that I've seen the past 10 years. There are more quality people leaving the educational field than those fresh, naive faces coming into the profession. A simple cause-effect process that politicians and policy makers simply never see until it's too late. Then again, maybe a minimum wage test proctor or a computer terminal is a preferable methodology for creating that free-thinking, autonomous citizen of tomorrow.

crrcboatz and ^^this have saved me a lot of typing. I'm in my 27th year as an educator. As stated by other educators, the testing has been here for a very long time. Common Core and the testing to determine what students are learning, while linked, are two different battles.

The primary issue with CC is the loss of local control. The standards themselves are not bad. The methods, assessments and resources coming with them are to say the least questionable. As stated previously by crrcboatz a key issue will be the money. Following the money that is flowing into the pockets of people who have the ear of politicians can be very revealing. And, Many districts just are not in a position to forego the money they will lose by bucking the system. Are you willing to make up the difference on the state level?

As stated before, the testing has been around for a while. The changes that have occurred in recent years is that so much testing is required that schools need and/or have a position that just oversees testing. And I rarely hear discussion about the number of instruction days lost to testing. Most testing is in April, most schools are out until end of May.

tntrex
The standardized tests are the best thing to happen in our system. We have been waaaay behind most other states tests in the US. I tell my kids all the time tests are upmost importance-anyone that has college education knows the value.
Also
These test expose the weak districts and as well as all the way down to the weak subjects and weak instructors in particular schools. It is what we need.

I couldn't disagree more. While testing is a way to evaluate student performance, it is not the only way. Basing student, teacher, and school performance on one day in the life of a child is not a fair assessment. If your job performance were based on how well a student performs on a test would you teach the test?

the biggest factor being the family unit. All the tests and reforms in the world will not make a damn bit of difference if the kid and family don't care about their education.

This too hits the nail on the head.

Not to mention the curriculum. I can't wait to see how they try to teach about the constitution and second amendment.

The Oklahoma Social Studies standards are not CC. They are called C3 and were adopted before the 2012 school term. You can download a copy from the SDE website. Curriculum resources like textbooks have been dictated by Texas and California for years. The largest states are the largest purchasers of resources. Companies that produce those resources focus on the standards from those states. CC seems to be changing that. Not necessarily for the better.