I’ve decided to make a part 6.
Here is a post from a Texas anti-Common Core group:
The truth is- the new commodity is DATA.
Whether it is TASA, TASB and the Straus crowd using Texas students and teachers to get it or Abbott, Patrick and Morath using Texas students and teachers. It is all about access to the data. Not actually educating the next generation of Texans to give them an equal opportunity at success in life.
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And here is a reply to said post:
Data IS psychological profiling for future workforce placements from a very early age. But is there more to data collection than workforce placement? If so, what?
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Here is a post from a Washington anti-Common Core group:
I am being told by a local teacher.
“…CCSS seems to be a passionate subject for you…which is great. I would assume you have looked at the standards, including the Claims and Targets and the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) of each question…..I have spent hours in training around CCSS. I do not like the high stage nature of SBA, but find the standards themselves to be pretty reasonable. Perhaps some adjustments are needed as is the case with anything. Just would like to get away from the constant posting of what “expects” say. Teachers and principals know the standards very well and they know how to instruct, so that all students can get the support they need….”
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And here are some replies to said post:
I actually have no words for that. Wow!
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That is exactly what the teachers around here say as well. I think they are actually talking points they are given in the CCSS training sessions.
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There are people who are not categorically against CC. The reality of today. It’s accepted and even embraced. Then along comes [name withheld, though they were referring to themselves] and gets told , well it’s not all evil. So then I’m forced to parse which standards don’t I like and to stop relying on expert opinion. [name withheld, though they were referring to themselves] has been talking about CC for years and not much to show for in results except some supporters. Easy to ignore [name withheld] – until one day he decides to run for school board. Then all of the sudden the CC embracers in the schools get nervous!
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They shouldn’t be nervous because you can’t get rid of it yourself. All you can do is tell the truth which, in my experience, is not always welcome in school districts.
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My eyes were opened wide when I started attending school board meetings and meeting with district administrators (oh, and looking at documents from public record requests).
Teacher says: “Here’s a 4th grade ELA standard. I’ve been in education for 28 years and standards have always been a part of our work. In looking at the standards, I cannot see where they are a departure from what we have always wanted our kids to be able to do…think critically, analyze, compare/contrast, problem solve, etc. In a healthy society, I hope our children can master these skills.” Person wants to know which standard do I object to and why.
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here’s the WA Educators Review of CC ELA Standards when they were adopted:
http://www.k12.wa.us/CoreStandards/pubdocs/WAAlignmentDocumentmathematics.pdf
http://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/CCSS/default.aspx
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I’m in my 11th year of teaching (mostly middle school LA/SS) and I find the ELA CCSS a mixed bag. There are some things that a reasonable and would be found in any standards (using supporting evidence, themes in literature, etc.). Others are not so great. I particularly don’t like the emphasis on informational texts and away from literature. In practice that is largely ignored.
And one little pet peeve. The word “thesis” has been used for centuries having roots in ancient Greek. Replacing it with the word “claim” is a little annoying.
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This is why it remains. This is why those of us exposing it are reduced to sideline fringe. Sad.
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A tweak here and there ignores the underlying roots.
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Different students learn differently. The standards expect people to reach particular levels at particular age targets. Not all students are there. Many of the conceptual tasks they expect students to accomplish are beyond the ability of many students in that age group.
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Even Alternet, hardly a Right-wing site, agrees that the push for “College and Career Readiness” in preschool is wrong: http://www.alternet.org/education/cruel-and-pointless-push-get-preschoolers-college-and-career-ready#15015473408052&action=expand_widget&id=0&data=
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A caller who is a teacher on the Levin Show from Nevada said that they force them to teach identity politics and that even the kids hate it and that they are forced to teach Common Core and almost got fired for speaking out against it.
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Here is a post from a Utah anti-Common Core group:
Parents: In the Standards and Assessments committee on Thursday, we will be discussing different adverse scenarios of parents opting out, on students, parents
If you have had such experiences, would you please share them with me?
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And here are some replies to said post:
I have one from UCAS.
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I have one from UCAS too. It will take me some time to write it all down though.
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Mine too! It involved a pizza party for those who took it and sending out my son who didn’t!
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More than once, as I’ve turned in my son’s opt-out form, the receiving secretary(ies) have said, trying to persuade me to change my mind, “You know, he’s the only one in the school who won’t be taking the test.”. 1. That wasn’t true. 2. I don’t care if he’s the only child on the planet not taking the test, I’m not putting him in harm’s way just because everyone else is doing it!
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Here is a post from a Florida anti-Common Core group:
“Republicans are pitching to conservatives the idea of school choice vouchers and charters as a solution when that is not the case. In every piece of legislation and every state, including Texas which voted it down just recently because of this, every voucher program, every choice program requires that the user of that voucher or that choice education institution must be aligned with the federal standards. Those standards are Common Core,” Joy said.”
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And here is a reply to said post:
I used to be in favor of charters. I understand them better now. Trojan horse, despite the best intents.
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Southwest Methodist University takes down a 9/11 Memorial with US flags for fear of offending Muslims: http://pamelageller.com/2017/08/911-memorial-removed-submitting-islam.html/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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Here is a post from a North Dakota anti-Common Core group:
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?????
“Only one state, North Dakota, misses the mark entirely, earning three weak ratings.”
According to Fordham Institute:
“Analyzing the First 17 ESSA Accountability Plans………
For each of the three objectives, states can earn grades of strong, medium, or weak. Three states—Arizona, Colorado, and Illinois—earn strong ratings across the board. Four others—Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, and Vermont—receive two strong marks and one medium. Only one state, North Dakota, misses the mark entirely, earning three weak ratings.”
My Thoughts (Ida Frueh):
How did this happen especially after all the:
1. UN leaning speakers and desire to turn students into global citizens references (Profile of a Graduate) heard at the June 8th ND Governor’s Innovative Education summit (See Part 1,2,3,-9 on NDPIE on this);
2. new form of behavior modification training that will be provided to our ND teachers through School Retool to “hack” problems and “shadow” students so that in 5 to 10 years all ND schools will be “reimagined”;
3. now requiring ND students to be “Choice Ready (by 2020)” (must pick a career, academic, military, or life ready path);
4. still clinging onto the Common Core State Standards (just changed some verbs);
5. pushing ND schools to use PBL (Project Based Learning) that has “no empirical proof it works and may take 10 to 15 years to see if it even works”;
6. pushing for personalized learning (all computerized),
7. ND using the Next Generation Science Standards (evolution and environmentalism will dominate science instruction);
8. ND definitely following the blueprint from the Obama White House Next Generation High Schools (transformation of education): https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/…/progress_report_on_n…
9. and more…………………….
How come ND is the only state rated as “failing” by Fordham???? Is the ND ESSA Consolidated State Plan still not liberal enough???
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A Michigan school was banning American flag T-shirts: http://pamelageller.com/2017/08/michigan-flag-ban.html/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
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Here is a post from a Utah anti-Common Core group:
Anyone have any information on Provo school district sending out a note to parents indicating teachers will now be visiting students at home?
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And here are some replies to said post:
Wow, that really happened? I’d never be ok with that.
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😡There are pros and cons. Not all teachers think this. Do I think there are things to improve, yes. I also believe it’s taking time to build relationships with educators at the local school.
I thank your parents for being educators. My great great grandfather was an educator and superintendent. I read articles written about him in his local newspaper – back in the early 1900s – and he was greatly respected.
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Well, I don’t agree with a lot that was written. Money and curriculum are two things that tie directly to the legislature. If we paid more attention to who is running instead of voting for the incumbent with a certain letter after their name we would all be better off! This, of course, goes with the state school board as well.
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This all affects education.
The turn over is a reality and the shortage is a reality. Instead of promoting the profession positively, then bashing it, maybe we would get people to enter it. This is all self-inflicted.
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Sorting and Ranking under Common Core/College and Career Readiness Standards is the precursor to Digital Badging.
Teachers in Texas are first for the digital badging program. Students are soon to follow.
What could possibly go wrong?
(And this post below was shared as part of the post:
An honest and difficult post to read. To me, this author exposes the problem with ranking and sorting children. I read this and thought of #Databadges, determining children’s potential based on SEL scores, setting workforce goals at a young age… it is all so subjective. And biased. And wrong. And most parents don’t know or are too busy just trying to manage a busy life to see it happening.
https://medium.com/march-for-public-education/is-a-pleasure-to-have-in-class-c3c14d0812dc
And here is another post from said group:
For those who still aren’t sure if we use common core as an interventionist I have access into the database for Texas State assessments that clearly show that we do.
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Here is a post from a Colorado anti-Common Core group:
Colorado just hosted a Pro-Common Core conference, called #CoreAdvocates and some of their tweets?… wow. Parents and teachers don’t like CC bc they are afraid and illogical. CC math fails bc teachers don’t understand math. https://mobile.twitter.com/manateespir…/…/860998934906494977
Click to see tweet thread, parents, Stotsky reply, or add your own comments.
https://mobile.twitter.com/cherki…/status/861073880596623362
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Here is a post from a Florida anti-Common Core group:
The overwhelming goal in many Florida Districts such at St. Johns County is to maintain high test scores. Many families move to this District based on test scores. Unfortunately, too much is sacrificed in order to maintain the facade of superior educational opportunities.
If a student fails the standardized testing in 3rd grade, even if that same student excels in all class work and class tests, failure on standardized testing dictates that student is a “mandatory hold back.” I.e., the student will not be allowed to advance to 4th grade & will repeat the 3rd grade.
Teachers’ salaries are tied to students’ performance on standardized testing. Too many resources are diverted into maintaining high standardized test scores but to what end? On 5/18/12 The Washington Post wrote “Florida’s standardized testing program is being misused & has severely impacted student learning.”
So many resources are diverted into maintaining high standardized test scores, that there are woefully insufficient resources allocated to ensure School Administrators & Directors are trained in student safety programs such as SESIR & the District’s own Code of Conduct.
Clay & Duval Counties report SESIR incidents at a much higher rate than St. Johns County schools. I do not believe this is because there are fewer incidents in St. Johns County. I believe this is because such incidents are under reported based on my own recent experience with a JCE Administrator and Director, one of whom admitted she had no training in & therefore no awareness of the existence of SESIR; the other was aware she was a Mandatory Reporter but had no idea of the existence of SESIR.
The safety of children should be of paramount concern and priority. Even if the test scores were not an invalid indicator of later success, what would it matter if schools are unaware & untrained in executing their duty to keep children safe?
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Here is a post from a California anti-Common Core group:
If you are a parent or grandparent, and don’t believe that the state is collecting data on your students hand over fist take a quick look at the creation of “CALPADS” within the “Ed Code”.
This was created as a by product of “Race To The Top” grant funding in 2009.
The fundamental problem besides the fact that they are collecting and storing student data is that “FERPA” the federal provisions to protect student data does not take into account technology.
The other huge issue here is that this “Ed Code” was written long before California created the “Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) of 2015.
The state department of education is collecting data without a single reference to the rules and guidelines of SOPIPA and the SBAC testing consortium is doing the same and forwarding all data back to the Feds based on the acceptance of grant money which gets them around FERPA.
Opt out of annual statewide standardized testing to protect student data and understand there is nothing of value in the test results that can or are being used to place students.
Thank you [name withheld]! [name withheld] is a school board member in Modesto, CA.
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Here is a post from a Massachusetts anti-Common Core group:
Another ridiculous piece of CC.
http://nyceducator.com/2017/08/close-reading-is-child-abuse.html?m=1
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And here are some replies to said post:
What is close reading?
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Close reading, in a nutshell, is reading and rereading passages to infer specific meaning. On its own, you might think, well, what’s wrong with that? After all, it’s important to understand what you are reading. The main issue is that, when this becomes the focus, it essentially kills a student’s love of reading. The goal is to focus on less books but read the ones you do more closely and to pick apart the text. Research overwhelmingly shows that the more students read, the greater their comprehension. As a parent, I want my kids to love reading and to read whatever interests them, not to pick apart books line by line.
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Let’s be honest here. “Close” reading, like the idiotic Common Core math that dispenses with classic algorithms in favor of 20 superfluous steps, is intended to hold the best and brightest back while the “disadvantaged” catch up. The child who comprehends the meaning the first time must now go through exercises in futility for the benefit of those who need three passes to get it. Like Common Core math, they can pretend that it is for deeper understanding, but it is intended to produce equal outcomes despite unequal inputs, just like everything else liberals push.
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Agreed! Equality is the catch phrase of liberalism. Equal misery, that’s what the socialism/communism gets you.
Exactly disgusting !
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Completely agreed…it’s to artificially close the education gap between students with “privilege” and those deemed without. Engineered “equality”.
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Here is a post from a Washington anti-Common Core group:
I have a prediction to make and it’s one that I hope to be proven wrong about. I believe the day will come when state assessment scores will be tied to some % of the teacher’s evaluation. There are lots of classroom teachers that love the Smarter Balanced Assessment and dismiss school board candidates like myself that have issues with the SBA. They say that it’s not perfect but not all evil either- which is a rather “safe” answer of them to weasel out in this debate. OSPI will be releasing scores in a week or two and we need to follow the trends. BTW- here is the basis of my prediction.
Reykdal is referenced about his thoughts on testing, per the article:
“There’s been a lot of rhetoric around Smarter Balanced in Washington, but they’re ultimately good because they’re aligned with the Common Core. There are, though, too many tests. The state should stick with Smarter Balanced and “get rid of pretty much everything else.”
All states are going to have to challenge the “last great hypocrisy” in the Every Student Succeeds Act that grants an affirmative right to opt out of tests but requires states and districts to maintain a 95 percent participation rate. Thinks states could perhaps count Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, SAT or ACT exams to hit the 95 percent target.
Thinks the examples from other states makes clear that test scores shouldn’t be tied to teacher evaluations. “I think the research is clear we’re not there yet. Maybe someday we’ll find the algorithm that works better,” he says.”
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Looks like a school in Virginia is using skin color as a determination for honors classes. Someone ought to tell them about Brown vs. Board of Education: http://www.toddstarnes.com/column/school-honors-classes-will-be-decided-by-skin-color-not-intelligence
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Here is a post from a Texas anti-Common Core group:
We warned people this was coming it’s part of a master United Nations Unesco plan.
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Here is a post from a Utah anti-Common Core group:
The ACT invests $10.8 million with Ed Tech venture capital group, New Markets Venture Partners. The article states that the ACT is venturing into open online curriculum (an Obama administration global initiative tying online curriculum to Common Education Data Standards), professional credentialing (aligning teacher credentialing to Common Core objectives) and non-cognitive assessment (behavioral profiling).
https://marketbrief.edweek.org/…/act-invests-venture-capit…/
Essentially, what this means is that the SAT, ACT and others are profiting off of our children’s non-cognitive information and then using that information to control what is taught and assessed. We are no longer using education tests. We are using education ASSESSMENTS. There’s a big difference between the two.
NWEA researchers (Utah is part of NWEA) recently won an award for developing new kinds of assessments to assess social-emotional skills:
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A Minnesota school won’t let parents opt out of the transgender indoctrination for their kids: http://www.dailywire.com/news/19490/k-12-schools-new-gender-inclusion-policy-includes-paul-bois?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=062316-news&utm_campaign=benshapiro
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Here is a post from a Utah anti-Common Core group:
I have a new kindergartner this year. I just received an email stating that all new kindergartners are required to take a State mandated test upon entering and leaving kindergarten. The assessment is called KEEP. I have never heard of this. Anyone have information? Should this scare me? Am I required to have my child take this assessment? Is there a way to opt out?
From the email…
“Kindergarten is a very important year for your student. This year there is a new state mandated assessment for kindergarteners called “KEEP”. It lets us track academic progress with developmentally appropriate games. It is required that every student begin this entrance profile assessment at the beginning of the school year and repeat an exit profile exam at the end of the year. This assessment is expected to take 20-30 minutes per child and is done one on one.”
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And here are some replies to said post:
Mandated for the schools, not the students. All state funded tests qualify for opt out.
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Is there a form somewhere for me to take to the school to opt out of this?
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The State Board is supposed to put one out every year. Ill have to look up this years. It doesn’t seem to be listed on the form, however the law says all state mandated tests so you might want to add it to the form. Sorry that was last years form. But I did find this:https://le.utah.gov/…/Title53A/Chapter15/53A-15-S2003.html (5) A parent or legal guardian may decline participation of the parent or legal guardian’s kindergarten student in an eligible school’s kindergarten supplemental enrichment program.
Since this program administers the test –see (3). (3)(a), and (3)(a)(v) — then it makes sense that opting out of the program also includes opting out of the test.
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It’s up to you but this test goes over their knowledge of ABC, colors, reading, math, etc. Some teachers have the parents stay and watch it. It gives them a base line to see what they have learned throughout the year. I can’t find my copy of the test but I was given one so I knew what to help my kindergartener with.
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personally i would not have my child participate in this assessment because it assesses social/emotional skills (pg.53) & that data is entered into the Data Gateway (pg.56), so it is leaving the classroom & going to the state. the assessment itself doesn’t seem so bad, but i want that information to stay between the teacher & me, as the parent.
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https://www.schools.utah.gov/…/86da295d-5b5b-43bc-83bf… (i saved this document to my computer for future reference)
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like [Name withheld] said, you can decline to participate. if it’s not added to the Opt Out Form, i think just writing a letter stating that you want to decline would be enough.
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more info on the Data Gateway: https://www.schools.utah.gov/data/data
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Apparently the name “Lynch” is so politically incorrect that two schools in Oregon have removed it from their name: http://www.kgw.com/news/education/lynch-removed-from-name-of-two-centennial-schools/463293264
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Stanford University has a course on “eliminating whiteness”: http://bit.ly/2hW5v4U
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More info on psychological profiling being done on students at schools: https://emilytalmage.com/2017/07/14/the-real-reason-your-child-is-being-psychologically-profiled-at-school/
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Here is a post from a New York anti-Common Core group:
I pulled my child out of public school 3 years ago and sent him to a non common core Christian school. He takes the Terra Nova tests at the end of the year. I have always received the results in early July. The school has informed us that NYS has taken the test results and the school doesn’t have the results.
The school takes no federal or state money. They no longer give regents exams. The students will graduate with a local not NYS diploma.
What right does the State have to my childs test results and withholding them from the school? Is there anything I can do?
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And here are some replies to said post:
Wow. Talk about overreach
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I am going to ask my principal. Maybe because last year the test changed? I thought they made it common core based? You are lucky to take them at end of the year! My kids do in October and I think it is so unfair because there is material they haven’t learned yet.
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Actually when you take terranovas in October it is usually the prior years level.
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I’m not sure. This year my daughter was in 3 grade and there was division on it. She didn’t learn that until mid year.
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I guess it depends on yourschool and state. Here in NYC catholic schools they give the cc version of terranova in oct but it is the prior years work to see how well you retained what you learned. At one time they offered a non cc version of terranova. I just went to terranova website, funny, they took the words CC off of everything
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local diploma doesn’t exist anymore
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Yes there is
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You can only get a local diploma if you are a student with IEP
and even then it’s not an actual diploma – thus the fight for that as well
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A local diploma absolutely exists in NYS & it is 100% an actual diploma. It is open to both spec ed students as well as gen ed students. You should be careful not to disseminate information that is not accurate
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My school has local diploma we are private-independent non common-core. Regents are optional.
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It’s still an option all over the state! I posted it above and I also posted the 33 page document on how to get a diploma
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Isn’t that crazy…a 33 page document! Let that sink in.
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12 years, pass each grade assessed along the way…can’t trust that learning actually occurred must muddy the rules with 33 PAGES of hoops.
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There is a Pathways group to navigate how convoluted the process has become…
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Terra Nova 3 is the ‘transition’ test to full CC-aligned tests, and TN does have those now as well. My daughter took TN3 in her Catholic school in CT….we did get the results, and it clearly has ‘Common Core’ listed on the top of the page (even though the principal repeatedly told me, ‘We don’t do CC!!” You should get test results back. Go on the TN website and call your region’s rep and ask them about this…..
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Here is a post from a Colorado anti-Common Core group:
USDOE doesn’t like Colorado’s law that protects opt outs. USDOE objected to several elements in Colorado’s ESSA state plan, including opt out. Tell us again how ESSA supports local control. /Sarc
ESSA is supposed to leave accountability up to the states, right?
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And another post from said group:
I have a weird question and I’m wondering if anyone can help me out or point me in the right direction.
New school year=New bullshit to deal with.
My family refuses all standardized testing, but last year my kids got tested or “assessed” on Galileo. I was told it was to see if the kids were actually retaining anything they learned. To me it just seems like more bullshit unnecessary testing.
I just need a list of ALL Colorado testing. From the most stupid of test to the big bad daddies. So when I rewrite my refusal this year, they can’t try and weasel around it.
And if none of you know about this, can you direct me to someone who does?
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And here are some replies to this post:
The bottom line is that your school will add as many of their own assessments as they choose beyond the state required ones. You should contact your school and ask for a detailed list of any and all assessments they will give per grade (as they may differ). And I’m your refusal specify that your child is not allowed to take ANY online assessment, test, or benchmark without prior parental consent. Additionally i would speak personally with the teacher and explain your expectation as per this, as well as I would explain to your child that he/she can and must tell the school to call you if they feel they are being tested. Sadly you Have to come at it in many directions. The Teacher can be your best assets if handheld kindly, and clear expectations.
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Thank you so much! I didn’t think to add a contact addendum to my refusal letter about all testing questions!
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The teacher is the first person to ask what assessments (including online hidden/embedded “personalized” assessments) are used. The teacher can be the first line of defense, if the teacher is aware of your concerns and respects your wishes. Interesting partners with Galileo. http://ati-online.com/
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can you ask for a copy of the school’s contract with Galileo? (if they have a contract with the school, by law they have to provide you a copy and also tell you data points collected and how shared.) I don’t see a privacy policy posted for Galileo–which is odd. Unless I am missing it, this is all I see. http://ati-online.com/ati/privacypolicy.php
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You have found more than I have! It’s very complicated to navigate around all that. All these websites seem to be hiding information, being very secretive! The thing is, all it does for our school is to dumb down/slow down all the proper teachings that should be happening because not all kids are up at the same place/pace as the rest of the class. Honestly they (schools) cater and coddle these kids too much. Back in the day if you didn’t know what you should have, you went to summer school. And if you still couldn’t figure it out you repeated that grade.
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I am against state testing, but I like MAPS testing. It shows the growth of the student. Important!
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If technology is accurate and transparent, it can be helpful and can be one option in the tool box. However, many have said these online apps are still not great at measuring or predicting. Do you know, if a parent asks, does MAPS show data elements collected and who shared with? I would love for a parent to ask to see their child’s data collected and analyzed via MAPS.
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sorry. I don’t mean final score. I mean the key-stroke data collected, pages visited, the actual data points (algorithms used to analyze and predict) and which sub contractors have access to this data. The first place to start is the contract with the school/district.
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Kudos to these families in West Virginia for standing up to the gender benders: http://familypolicyalliance.com/issues/2017/08/15/families-stop-gender-identity-ordinance-west-virginia/
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Great Lakes Public Schools in Michigan is allowing people to use bathrooms of the opposite sex: http://www.faithfamilyamerica.com/school_district_wants_adult_males_and_first_grade_girls_to_share_the_same_bathroom
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Clemson University RA training now includes info about “microagressions”: http://dailycaller.com/2017/08/21/want-to-be-an-ra-this-school-year-first-learn-how-to-combat-microaggressions-and-trigger-warnings/?utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social
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Here is a test from Flour Bluff ISD, Corpus Christi, Texas that shows more anti-American indoctrination:
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Kindergartener traumatized by “transgender transition ceremony”: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/kindergarten-celebrates-5-year-old-transgender-transition-kids-traumatized
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At the same school as the incident above, a first grader was sent to the principal’s office for “using the wrong gender pronoun”: https://www.toddstarnes.com/column/first-grader-sent-to-office-investigated-for-pronoun-mishap
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Some North Carolina school districts are banning the Confederate flag: http://myfox28columbus.com/news/nation-world/north-carolina-school-district-bans-confederate-flag-other-symbols
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A teacher in Indiana sent a note home to parents telling them to tell kids not to talk about God in the classroom. I hope the parents tell their kids to talk about God even more! http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/08/25/indiana-teacher-demands-parents-tell-kids-stop-talking-god-class/
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Here is a post from a Nevada anti-Common Core group:
Does anyone know what MAP testing is??? Our school is doing it over the next 2 weeks for middle school/High school.
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And here are some replies to said post:
Before Common Core I let my kids take the MAP, for several years my kids have been opting out of MAP testing. The first paragraph of their website says: “LEARNING MADE VISUAL MAP® Growth™ measures what students know and informs what they’re ready to learn next. By dynamically adjusting to each student’s performance, MAP Growth creates a personalized assessment experience that accurately measures performance—whether a student performs on, above, or below grade level. Timely, easy-to-use reports help teachers teach, students learn, and administrators lead.” There are a couple buzz words in this statement that concern me, i.e. “By dynamically adjusting to each student’s performance…personalized assessment…” It could be harmless but when SBAC does this it is to collect student and influence kids, so to be safe I keep my younger kids out of MAP testing. See next post as Dr. Luksik discuss this. https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/
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The only standardized tests you must take that I wish we could opt-out of are the high school End of Course exams. Personally I never opted my older kids out of any test, until Common Core came in. Now I opt my younger kids out of ALL standardized tests, but none of the local teacher created tests.
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The biggest issue is probably the 1:1 Devices which allow third parties direct access to your children’s school work plus lots more. Experts on the left and right have written about how the profiles third parties are creating on your children may affect their future:https://nebula.wsimg.com/010dee154b8f4f4193c11fef31ed26ea…
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My kids just started 3rd grade this year and I will defiantly be opting them out of all standardized testing this year. I know several parents at my kids school that wanted to opt out and they were told by administration that they would lose state funding, they are at a charter school. So they went ahead and let them take the tests. I’m not going to allow my kids to suffer through those tests. 
😊
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In NV some charter schools have been hard core on allow opt-outs, some haven’t. As far as we know no school in the country has lost a penny becuase of opt-outs, but schools have been threatened. In NV it is the NV DoE that has threatened schools. Incline Middle School (IMS) has been over the 5% opt-out of SBAC testing, thanks to our efforts, for three years in a row. The threat from the NV DoE was initally – a school would automatically be a One-Star school if over 5% opted out of SBAC testing. Last year they changed their threat becuase of IMS. The NV DoE may have to change their threat again because of IMS was over 5% opt-out again…
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what charter school do you go to? We go to Somerset Skypointe and I opted my girls out of ALL State testing last year (3rd and 5th Grade) and did not have any issues. It was a very easy process and I did not get any negative backlash. 😊
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I seem to have hit the jackpot on “education reformers” and other Big Money guys funding corporate reform (or so they call it): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tepso6absy1QQXD0_EkuBcgP35dirvvjJq2J_0-0gAI/htmlview#
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Butler University is offering a course on anti-Trump resistance: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/04/anti-trump-course-at-butler-university-offers-strategies-for-resistance.html
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Here is a post from an Alaska anti-Common Core group:
I just want to reassure everyone that this is the 6th year my daughter (a junior) will be opting out of ALL standardized test including the Map. The principle would try and talk us into it but we refused. She has also never taken an AMP test or any surveys of any kind. She will still
Graduate she will pass to the next grade and be able to pick her classes. She will not be held back or failed like
Some of her teachers would tell her. We’ve been “bullied” and made to feel weird and odd because we refuse the standardize testing. Stand your ground. You have the final say in your child’s PUBLIC education. After all we pay big dollars for that education. Hang in there parents.
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And here are some replies to said post:
By 11th grade there is no need for standardized tests outside of college or career tests such as SAT, ACT, ASVAB, and WorkKeys.
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Like the above comment, you can opt out but she will be required to do ACT, SAT etc to get into college.
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Ug, more political correctness! A school in San Antonio is changing its name from Robert E Lee High School to something else. Shouldn’t they be worried about more important things, like Hurricane Harvey? http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/08/30/robert-e-lee-high-school-change-name
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Students in West Virginia got suspended for two days for protesting the school removing “one nation under God” from the pledge: https://www.christiannewsalerts.com/wv-students-suspended-for-jesus/?utm_content=buffer3cba8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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A high school teacher makes a kid take off a pro-Trump T-shirt: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/09/insane-high-school-teacher-forces-students-remove-pro-trump-shirts-like-swastika-video/
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Here is a post from an anti-Common Core group:
Substitute teaching in a high school Science classroom in Chandler. Flag shoved in a corner, mandated US Constitution poster hidden behind a stack of drawers and anti-president Trump propaganda, prominently displayed. Not cool!
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A New Jersey school has removed an Abraham Lincoln art piece in order to avoid offending anyone (or so they claim. We know it’s really just more destruction of American history): http://www.theamericanmirror.com/nj-school-removes-lincoln-art-piece-avoid-potentially-offending-anyone/
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Now we have a school lesson calling God a mythical creature like a unicorn: https://www.toddstarnes.com/column/school-lesson-describes-god-as-mythical-creature-like-a-unicorn?utm_source=Todd+Starnes+American+Dispatch&utm_campaign=3154e4c999-Charlie+Daniels&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_92d26c77ee-3154e4c999-102669493
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Kudos to these kids in Minnesota who stood up to their school’s tyrannical flag ban: http://www.inforum.com/news/4324063-backlash-against-school-officials-minn-high-school-students-protest-american-flag
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Here is a post from an anti-Common Core group:
Update on Hamilton High School teacher who is spreading anti-American hate in his classroom. Here is the email I sent to the principal and Vice Principal and here is his response, late this evening. He also CC’d Camille Casteel who is the Chandler District Superintendent.
Meanwhile, this teacher has had anti-American posters on his walls for at least 10 years. I’m not satisfied.
“Hello,
I was out of the office all day today. This situation has been resolved and Mr. Miner was very apologetic. If you sub at Hamilton again please stop to introduce yourself to me.
Thank you”
From: [Info withheld to protect from Communist retaliation]
Sent: Wednesday, September 6, 2017 10:34 AM
To: James, Ken <james.ken@cusd80.com>
Subject: Corky Miner- Science teacher
Mr. James,
I am a substitute for the Chandler School District and have a problem I observed in your teacher’s classroom, yesterday.
I was a teacher in the Paradise Valley and Higley School Districts for many years and know what boundaries a teacher must walk within and what is outside those bounds. Mr. Miner has political, anti-US president posters on his walls. As well, he has shoved the American flag in a corner and covered the US Constitution poster, which must be prominently displayed.
I would like to speak to you personally, today and am available to talk or meet in person.
I thank you for your attention.
[Name Withheld]
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Here is a post from a friend of mine from New York:
They want your kids! Age 3! All day, year round! 36 months old!
“NY. Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced 3-K for All, the most ambitious effort in U.S. history to provide universal, free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education for every three-year-old child regardless of family income.”
Oh and 12 credits in college, paid for by them and YOU are a certified teacher! TADA!
Keep reading, it starts at SIX WEEKS old! To align with second grade standards. Churn out human capital don’t ya know? You will conform.
[Excerpt]
“With support from ACS, Human Resources Administration (HRA), and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and a planning process involving providers and early childhood care and education experts, these programs will shift to management by DOE as part of 3-K for All, enabling consistent high-quality standards under a single agency by the fall of 2018.
This will also provide greater curricular alignment through second grade, a single contracting relationship for early childhood education providers, integrated data collection, and seamless connections between early childhood development and 3K-12 education.
EarlyLearn programs serving children from six-weeks-old through three-years-old will also shift to management by DOE.”
http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/258-17/mayor-de-blasio-3-k-all#/0
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Here is a post from a Nevada anti-Common Core group:
BRIGANCE, I’m researching…. haven’t had a kindergartener in quite some time, is this something anyone else knows anything about?
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Here is a post from a Massachusetts anti-Common Core group:
Is Massachusetts providing every student with chromebooks now? I am not sure how I feel about this. My son came home with a brand new lap top. I have concerns about it and I am not even sure where to begin. I feel as though it is just another tracking device 
😞 I intend to cover up the camera!
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And here are some replies to said post:
Maybe take the tinfoil hat off?
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What is that supposed to mean? I am sure I am not the only parent who is concerned with data collection in this forum
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I don’t think it is necessary to provide every child with a laptop. They should provide computers at school. I would rather see the tax dollars spent on other educational necessities
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The state absolutely IS collecting data on our kids via MCAS and other surveys/assessments. Chromebooks make it easy for Google and other corporate entities to collect data on our kids. Google has actually admitted to mining students’ school email accounts. Anyone who thinks these ultra cheap laptops are available to our students out of the goodness of these corporate reformers hearts is naive. http://www.edweek.org/…/2014/03/13/26google.h33.html
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You are correct,I wasn’t referring to that.. the post talks about “covering the Camera” so basically they are filming and collecting data by observing your child?? No,that’s not what’s happening.. hence the tinfoil hat comment
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I have read articles about schools being caught recording children in their homes from the cameras on school issued laptops. I have also read instances of testing sessions recording children’s facial expressions etc. it makes me uncomfortable. Do you have children Cameron? Also, if you are a member of this group I would assume you do know a little about the data mining. I was not expecting a comment like yours in this group because most of us know about the spying. I asked if Massachusetts is providing every school with this technology? I am going to search for the answer to the tax dollars too. I don’t believe tax payers are footing the bill for the chromebooks. I’m pretty sure it’s coming from government grants. Which makes sense. They want every child to have one because they want data on every child.
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dead on accurate! It’s not a tin foil hat thing. It’s an admitted fact. Covering the camera is only a minor element. Every log on is recorded. Internet usage is logged. Another concern is the amount of screen time these kids are exposed to. There are studies linking some behavioral issues as well as medical issues. We’re in uncharted territory. Tired of the kids being used as guinea pigs so Bill Gates came become even more wealthy.
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I don’t know about your schools but most of my children’s assignments are on google docs. They are using school issued accounts for everything. What’s the difference if the chrome book is school issued or I have to buy it? They’re tracking the same info either way.
http://pgbovine.net/OET-Draft-Grit-Report-2-17-13.pdf?fref=gc&dti=1415021325383836
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when our local schools were sending home iPads, the IT guy literally told parents that he can access the camera and mic from their office at any point in time. they 100% are tracking your kids and what they do. No tin-foil hats needed.
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Even the most recent FBI director called covering the laptop camera with duct tape a “common sense” security move.
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search “Lower Merion School District” in Philadelphia. They were ordered to pay $610K after they were sued for spying on students at home via the webcams on their school issued laptops.
I don’t deal in tin foil, just facts.
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It is hard to decipher whether someone is sarcastic or insulting someone when it is typed out. Most of us are concerned parents/grandparents/caregivers who feel pretty isolated with our worries when it comes to Common Core and our children’s education.We have forums like this to be able to talk to others who have this in common. I am one of the very few parents in my district that has these concerns. I often feel like an outsider. With that being said, speaking about those concerns here is usually met with reassuring comments. When someone instantly comments back in a negative way, it’s unexpected, at least for me. So that’s why I was annoyed. I know that doesn’t normally happen here. If I brought this up at a school function I would be ready for a tin foil hat comment! Lol
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same for me. People in Massachusetts are generally trusting of government, and that’s especially true of parents in high performing school districts. They seem to think their kids are some how buffered from these external factors. I have kids ranging from 11 to 16 yrs old, and have seen the steady erosion of classroom instruction over the last several years. My two older kids learned cursive, had pretty traditional education. The principal at our elementary school has shifted to “exhibitionary learning”, eliminated homework, and brought in chromebooks to every student in grades 3-6. Kids don’t learn cursive. My youngest didn’t get exposed to Shakespeare last year, like his older sibs did at that age. It’s really gone down the shitter but no one cares. Never mind the data mining and threat to our children’s privacy….
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that’s exactly how I see it too! My kids range from ages 20-8. I have 4. The differences I have experienced from my oldest to the youngest are unbelievable! This could be why not all parents can relate. They may only have 1 or 2 children and they are younger, so they have nothing to compare it to. It’s real, it’s happening and it is continuously sliding towards abusive. That may sound extreme to some parents, but to me it is true.
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Google funds a lot of these things, and their compensation is the tracking info on the kids. They will collect and transmit to Google every website that is accessed by that laptop..which is spying. They have every right to, because they own it. They can also remotely activate the microphone to listen to what people are talking about in the home to target ads. None of this is tinfoil hat stuff, and that is a rude, insulting and asinine comment.
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If I were you, I would isolate that laptop at all times. Make sure your child uses it only for homework, then put it somewhere away from all of you til morning, like in a closed closet.
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Isn’t it funny how “free Chromebooks for all” just happens to coincide with students needing a device for PARCC/MCAS 2.0. And if you don’t think data mining is taking place, you’re not paying attention.
So true
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Exactly. It’s going on so much that I’m feeling very overwhelmed as a parent. There are so many responsibilities that go along with raising children. Now we have to monitor what our schools are doing. We used to be able to send them off to school basically worry free. Not anymore
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It’s scary. You have to be so diligent. I swear my photo was on the wall of the school office. I question everything and voice concerns when I think the schools are overstepping their bounds.
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Not to mention my teacher friends in Western MA said they are sending them home with kids that have very difficult lives expecting the kids to keep track of them when many of the households can manage to keep track of a pencil. Causing many problems and stress according to them (and they are in the classroom to see it).
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Be thankful your district went the smart route of not over paying for Apple crap.
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Like in Beverly High school! There is no way I could ever afford that, even if I could start saving now. My daughter is going into 7th grade.
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Beverly has payment plans as well as help for low income (I do not have a child there my niece went there like 6 years ago)
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That’s awful!
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the payments are ridiculous. If they need them as part of their education, they should be supplied.
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Yes I agree.. plus even though I paid for the insurance they wanted $200.00 to fix a screen on it
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No way. Absolutely not. I would not foot the bill for that. My kids can use my laptop for assignments
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I hate it. These kids don’t even know cursive. Their faces are always buried in a chrome book. 😡
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Teach them cursive then.. I’ve taught my kids. We don’t have to leave everything up to the teachers. If you feel they aren’t being taught something then do it.
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I have been.
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Parents need to take matters into their own hands and stop relying on the school system.. you see something wrong,fix it.. You want them to learn something,teach it. At the end of the day it’s up to us.
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That is why I homeschool my 2 kids, 6th & 8th grade.
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My wife and I did for the past 2yrs.. we are considering it this year with my 9yr old. It’s difficult with work schedules though,not everyone has the luxury of a one income family or a two income family with the right hours to pull it off.
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we are sending them for an education and a means to a successful future.. Sometimes you can’t always get what you want (love The Rolling Stones) so it our job to make sue all the puzzle pieces fit. Amright?!
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Huge reason why we chose to do homeschooling in CT P20-WIN data collection begins in preschool. http://www.ct.edu/initiatives/p20win
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Same!!
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😢 Kids are up later and their eyes are bloodshot. They are addicted to their phones and devices. Our kids are growing up in the most physically and socially damaging generation ever. We need to turn the tides, quickly. In the schools where parents were the ones who pushed for 1:1 devices, we should be able to fight to rid of it.
🙂😡 I don’t think the voc schools should be issuing them. Students choose vocational schools for the alternative learning environment. At least they used to. I see this only making it harder for the students who struggle academically. You and I already know that they are falling through the cracks in public schools. Vocational schools provide an alternative for those students. It’s so frustrating.😊Electronic mail transmission and other use of electronic resources by users shall not be
considered confidential. Without limitation, all email files and other Internet files and records
may be monitored, accessed and examined at any time by designated staff to ensure appropriate
use for instructional, educational and administrative purposes, including the need to ensure that
these Internet Guidelines are being adhered to. Administrators will also cooperate in providing
access to student email and Internet files and records to law enforcement authorities. Users
should not assume that uses of the School District Internet access or email will be private.” https://www.mursd.org/…/2016-17Family-SchoolHandbook.pdf
😞All those who have kids in Weber school district. I just want ticket you know the SUPER INTENDENT is for common core. Yep FOR. I sent a very nasty email last week. ( I can attach it if you want). But it sounds like he is for it. I’m very pissed.
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State Board Rule R277-404.7 says “(7) Any assessment that is not a state required assessment, the administration of the assessments, and the consequence of taking or failing to take the assessments is governed by policy adopted by each LEA.”
but it also says (& this part is the most important part because it’s true & valid even if it wasn’t written in an official “rule”): “(1)(a) Parents are primarily responsible for their children’s education and have the constitutional right to determine which aspects of public education, including assessment systems, in which their children participate.”
https://rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r277/r277-404.htm
this is backed up in state law (but again, even if it wasn’t in state law, it would still be true): “(1)(a) A student’s parent or guardian is the primary person responsible for the education of the student, and the state is in a secondary and supportive role to the parent or guardian. As such, a student’s parent or guardian has the right to reasonable academic accommodations” https://le.utah.gov/…/Chapter15/53A-15-S1403.html…
& if you need more back up as to why parents have the right to opt out of any assessment or any portion of their child’s education that they feel does not benefit their child, just use Dr. Gary Thompson’s words: “Parents are, and must always be, the resident experts of their own children.”
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patriotmongoose 