This is part 15.
Here is a post from the parent anti-Common Core resistance group ParentStrike:
States & school districts are embracing student digital badges, programs like i-Ready, adaptive computer-based education & data mining Ed-Tech products in exchange for money and/or devices. In Consider Yourself Warned, Deb Herbage explores K-12 data mining and the grave threat it poses to student privacy.
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Here is a post from an anti-Common Core page:
Karen Effrem: The latest report of the National Commission on Social Emotional and Academic Learning continues to promote questionable brain science in the service of having government schools, corporations, or their foundations set norms for and assess the values, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions of students from cradle to career.
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And here is a post from the same page as the one above. It is in reply to where people were talking about the Florida teacher that had her textbooks taken away:
A special ed teacher got a phonics program taken away when my oldest was having trouble learning to read with the whole language program they were using. Superintendent said it wasn’t approved curriculum. Public education sucks everywhere.
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And here is a post in reply to an article about the fired whistle blower in the Oregon Department of Education:
Strangfield isn’t the first person pushed out by the ODE for questioning overzealous data collection. Now the ODE wants to emulate Colorado in joining student behavior data to the Department of Corrections! What happened to expunging juvenile records? What happened to keeping all parents informed?
Meanwhile, states and feds already want to apply predictive algorithms to much government data, even though they’re wrong 35% of the time. What a way to fill the school-to-prison pipeline!
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Here is a post shared by Alice Linahan:
This brave, frustrated veteran teacher is from Milsap, Texas. Milsap is in Parker Co. just west of Ft. Worth. She articulates very clearly and passionately, the main issue, in my opinion, for teachers. I’ll let her testimony speak for itself.
If your political candidate is not talking about this issue in education, they are either not aware of the true nature of the problem with the Accountability System, or they are choosing to keep the status quo. This election is so important for educators. Hold your candidate accountable to this issue, even if you are not in public education.
[name withheld]
17 hrs
Posted by [name withheld]. I don’t know her, but she so eloquently expresses what we all have felt:
“Today I got my summative evaluation…from last year. “Last year” ended five months ago, but we had to wait for all the test scores to come in and tell us what kind of teachers we are. Highly Effective. I was genuinely congratulated by my principal for the great growth of my students and having a perfect score for the second year in a row. After this brief meeting, I went back to my classroom…and I cried. I cried because this job I LOVE, this job I am so passionate about, this job I am so good at, this job I was born to do…is no longer the same job. I cried because of the increasingly overwhelming amount of paper work and meeting and trainings (oh my). I cried because we are SO micromanaged! Everyone wants to tell us what is best for OUR classroom. I cried because of the entire evaluation process. What other professional is evaluated this way? With an entire booklet of what they will be looking for when they come in our rooms for a short period of time. I cried because of the testing. My God, the testing. (3rd-5th graders will take a TWO HOUR research based writing test tomorrow. Their first of FOUR this year.) I cried because every single teacher I know goes above and beyond. Every single teacher I see is highly effective. I cried because many of them will be made to feel less than that. I cried because I’ve never stayed as late as I’m staying this year. I cried because I’m supposed to take a 300 hour course for free…on my own time. A course for a subject I’ve been teaching for over a decade! I cried because I’m being forced to choose between what’s best for my kids, and time with my daughter. I cried because I shouldn’t have to make that choice. I cried because of so many other issues that are plaguing teachers. I cried because this isn’t the first time I’ve cried this school year. I cried because this job I used to love, has become a job that overwhelms me beyond belief most days.
There are countless teachers in my school, district, state, and country that feel the exact same way. Yet they stay. They stay because they love to teach. They stay because they were born to teach. They stay because their kids are more than a test score. They stay because their kids are THEIR kids. Teaching has always been a hard job, but those in charge these days seem to be asking a dangerous question. How much more can the teachers handle? Starting the year with at least 93 open positions in our county, 4000 in Florida, and a national shortage across the country, the answer seems to be clear. Not much more.”
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And here are some replies to said post:
Oh my and it’s so true. They make it harder and harder for the kids who want to become teachers to be a teacher the testing is absolutely ridiculous stuff they give you to study for ask you to study for is not on the test how can you become and start your future as a teacher when you can’t even study for the test that makes you a teacher
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the strangle-hold on the profession is reaching critical mass. The TEA is making it more and more difficult to get certification in all fields in education at every level. Why?? The principal exam is tripling in price and going to two parts in January. Why?? Why make it more difficult when more teachers and administrators are needed to fill the positions? They are purposely killing the profession.
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When will teachers rise up and say “this is not education?” If they did it in mass numbers, it would make a statement. Parents and school boards aren’t making enough noise.
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as you know, this is what you and I and so many others have been trying to communicate for years, now. It’s going to have to come from the profession itself. We must save our profession!
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Some of us rise up as citizens advocating for children…and then we get emails from high up administrators who CC your principal. Can you say target? I don’t care, but it makes folks jumpy.
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This is the way teachers stay locked in doing the same thing marching to the agenda. It is a system run on fear. Fear has no place in public education. I know this is hard to do, but teachers are going to have to get past the fear. It’s what holds them in place keeping the status quo.
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yep…I’m trying…
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Same. So same. Every single day is a struggle…and the kids are NEVER the struggle.
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Gosh, isn’t education run by and for the most part staffed by progressive leftists? I worked in this field for 20 years (support staff) and realized long ago many things were wrong. One notable random fact in my area was how many teachers and admins were childless. Little tiny things like this have all added up to the mess we have today. But what does someone like me know, an uneducated peon.
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George Bush, when he was governor pushed the No Child Left Behind legislation that started this horrible cycle of state-mandated tests. I’m a veteran Texas teacher, retired with 31 years. It started back with him. I was there. It is not a progressive leftist mandate.
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yes, it’s a left/right agenda. Actually it’s a globalist agenda that the leadership of both parties have adopted.
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Education, I would say, is not so much run by leftist, as by globalist. There is a slight difference. But it does not need to remain that way. It takes numbers, like this brave teacher, coming forward willing to be counted and heard.
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I call education the Preschool to University to Fascist Leftist Pipeline.
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There are many in education who are strong constitutionalists. They need to begin overcoming their fear and speaking up. [name redcated] you might enjoy my book. It addresses the problem from inside the profession. www.aphuff.com
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I was going to mention your point exactly—- Texas is as conservative a state, over all, as they come . How quickly we forget where high stakes testing originated, right here in the 90s under George Bush. It then spread nation wide when he became president. We had business millionaires like Bill Gates and the Koch brothers advising national policy to put us in the position we find ourselves today. Data has become the new educational buzz word, not rigor, differentiation, PBL, etc. We left the focus of better instruction for ways to track our students and their ability to take multiple choice tests. Until teachers band together with parent support to take back’ our public schools—- we’ll continue to see teachers leave the profession and parents take their children out and put them in private or charter schools where they don’t focus on testing!
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I don’t see how anyone (on either side) at the teacher or administrator level could be leading anything at all. Maybe there’s something different in CA? In Texas, ed is so highly regulated at the state and fed level, there’s simply nothing anyone (not even at school board level) can do to impact it. It’s all prescribed at higher levels. Again, Texas is red beyond red and we have the same problem. I think it’s profiteering by state and fed reps and tons people in between with money interests (on both sides). I was in ed 16 years, and I never saw anyone at the local level have any real impact. Too tightly controlled higher up. People tried but it just too big and too much money. Profiteering seems to be the common thread between CA and TX, I think. And evidently the blue vs red makes no difference. Greed and ignorance of what would help ed abounds on both sides.
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Follow the money—- testing companies and test prep companies are making a fortune off of public school testing. Who owns and has interest in those companies? Texas spends tens of millions of dollars every year devising new and more convoluted STAAR tests that prove little in assessing children’s achievement.
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The system is killing and bogging down creativity. Teachers are told what to do minute by minute. How do you have discussions on books? How do you use creativity to extend learning when you don’t have time?
Teachers are struggling to keep up with everything.
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I have 1 kid off to college in 2019 and another in 2020. I am telling my kids when they mention maybe majoring in education that they must have a 2nd major to fall back on. I know too many teachers who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown or have quit either because when they started they realized how much they hated all the non-teaching stuff or after a very few years they’re sick and tired of everything. Also because the pay is lousy and here in Texas they’re slowly loosing their benefits which used to be so good that it made up some for everything else they had to deal with in education nowadays.
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We are fools
We vote for people who hate us and try to destroy us. I have at least 5 hours of work to do today and my son whom I haven t seen in two months is here. I would never encourage anyone I love to teach
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I know what you mean
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This is hard to read and pray for common sense to return.
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Our profession, [name redacted], has the power to right the ship, but it will take everyone speaking in a unified voice.
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All school board members and superintendents need to take heed these comments from teachers and parents. It is not business as usual.
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The paperwork and micromanagement is what I remember as a classroom teacher. I remember my colleagues in tears because planning time was used for anthing but planning because we were in this or that meeting. I struggledto make 5, 10, or 15 minutes work to be totally prepared for the next lesson. I started arriving to work early enough to wait for custodial staff to open the building. I stayed late to the point my principal thought I was trying to get a promotion. Something need’s to change. There is an urgency here, and we must look into ways to foster more of a focus on effective teaching and student learning. Cheers.
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Here is a post from a Washington anti-Common Core group:
Can anyone please affirm any examples (without naming a student, unless you want to indicate it was your kid) of someone who passed Algebra 2 last year with at least a B, but did not pass the Math SBA. Then was summarily placed in an easy non-Precalculus math class designed for kids that ‘failed’. Asking for a friend.
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And another post from this group:
For those who are relatively new (and a refresher for those well acquainted) this article reflects a blueprint of Corporate Ed Reform just as Common Core was being formulated. I characterize this as Elitist Corp Ed Reform. The people pushing this are Elitists who view your children and mine as “human capital”.
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December 1, 2008 12:01 AM
Lessons From 40 Years of Education ‘Reform’
Let’s abolish local school districts and finally adopt national standards.
By LOUIS V. GERSTNER JR.
While the economic news has most Americans in a state of near depression, hope abounds today that the country may use the current economic crisis as leverage to address some longstanding problems. Nowhere is that prospect for progress more worthy than the crisis in our public education system.
So, from someone who realized rather glumly last week that he has been working at school reform for 40 years, here is a prescription for leadership from the Obama administration.
We must start with the recognition that, despite decade after decade of reform efforts, our public K-12 schools have not improved. We can point to individual schools and some entire districts that have advanced, but the system as a whole is still failing. High school and college graduation rates, test scores, the number of graduates majoring in science and engineering all are flat or down over the past two decades. Disappointingly, the relative performance of our students has suffered compared to those of other nations. As a former CEO, I am worried about what this will mean for our future workforce.
It is most crucial for our political leaders to ask why we are at this point — why after millions of pages, in thousands of reports, from hundreds of commissions and task forces, financed by billions of dollars, have we failed to achieve any significant progress?
Answering this question correctly is the key to finally remaking our public schools.
This is a complex problem, but countless experiments and analyses have clearly indicated we need to do four straightforward things to bring fundamental changes to K-12 education:
1) Set high academic standards for all of our kids, supported by a rigorous curriculum.
2) Greatly improve the quality of teaching in our classrooms, supported by substantially higher compensation for our best teachers.
3) Measure student and teacher performance on a systematic basis, supported by tests and assessments.
4) Increase “time on task” for all students; this means more time in school each day, and a longer school year.
Everything else either does not matter (e.g., smaller class sizes) or is supportive of these four steps (e.g., vastly improve schools of education).
Lack of effort is not the cause of our 30-year inability to solve our education problem. Not only have we had all those thousands of studies and task forces, but we have seen many courageous and talented individuals pushing hard to move the system. Leaders such as Joel Klein (New York City), Michelle Rhee (Washington, D.C.) and Paul Vallas (New Orleans) have challenged the system, and elected officials from both sides of the political spectrum have also fought valiantly for change.
So where does that leave us? If the problem isn’t “what to do,” nor is it a failure of commitment, what is stopping us?
I believe the problem lies with the structure and corporate governance of our public schools. We have over 15,000 school districts in America; each of them, in its own way, is involved in standards, curriculum, teacher selection, classroom rules and so on. This unbelievably unwieldy structure is incapable of executing a program of fundamental change. While we have islands of excellence as a result of great reform programs, we continually fail to scale up systemic change.
Therefore, I recommend that President-elect Barack Obama convene a meeting of our nation’s governors and seek agreement to the following:
– Abolish all local school districts, save 70 (50 states; 20 largest cities). Some states may choose to leave some of the rest as community service organizations, but they would have no direct involvement in the critical task of establishing standards, selecting teachers, and developing curricula.
– Establish a set of national standards for a core curriculum. I would suggest we start with four subjects: reading, math, science and social studies.
– Establish a National Skills Day on which every third, sixth, ninth and 12th-grader would be tested against the national standards. Results would be published nationwide for every school in America.
– Establish national standards for teacher certification and require regular re-evaluations of teacher skills. Increase teacher compensation to permit the best teachers (as measured by advances in student learning) to earn well in excess of $100,000 per year, and allow school leaders to remove underperforming teachers.
– Extend the school day and the school year to effectively add 20 more days of schooling for all K-12 students.
I can predict that three questions will be raised about these measures:
First, how can we set national standards when we have a strong tradition of local school autonomy? The answer is that the American people are way ahead of our politicians here: Poll after poll shows they support national standards.
Second, won’t this take many years to implement? No, if we follow a focused, pragmatic approach. While ideally we want all 50 states to participate, we can get started with 30. The rest will be driven to abandon their “see no evil” blinders by their citizens as the original group achieves momentum and success. Moreover, we do not have to start from scratch on the national standards. Experts can quickly develop an initial set just by drawing on existing domestic and foreign programs.
Third, how do we pay for all of this? In three ways: We will save billions by consolidating the operations of 15,000 school districts. The U.S. Department of Education can direct all of its discretionary funds to this effort. And we need to drive into the consciousness of every American politician that education is not an expense. It is, rather, the most important investment we can make as a country.
H.G. Wells remarked that “history is a race between education and catastrophe.” For the first time in America’s history, we may be losing that race. We can win, but we have to act quickly and decisively.
Mr. Gerstner, a former CEO of IBM, was chairman of the Teaching Commission (2003-2006), which reported on ways to improve the quality of public school teaching.
Gerstner believes: “the problem lies with the structure and corporate governance of our public schools. We have over 15,000 school districts in America; each of them, in its own way, is involved in standards, curriculum, teacher selection, classroom rules and so on. This unbelievably unwieldy structure is incapable of executing a program of fundamental change.”
**”Gerstner’s legacy among corporate education reformers was cemented in 1996 when he brought together the corporate world with state governors at the IBM headquarters in Palisades to establish the education reform agenda for the nation. This meeting brought us Achieve — the organization that is credited with the development of the Common Core standards. In 2008, Gerstner summarized what he had learned over the years as a leading voice in education reform for the The Wall Street Journal. “–
This illustrates one blueprint towards the end game to privatization. Louis Gerstner also founded Achieve, Inc. that helped bring us the Common Core State Standards Initiative. I take articles like this very seriously.
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Here is a post from an Oregon anti-Common Core group:
I just got this letter from the school on one of my children stating SPECIFICALLY, “Federal law states that all students 7 yrs old or younger, or any who are entering a U.S. school for the first time, must have the following health screens ON FILE with their school before the 120th day of school.”
And then it lists vision, hearing and dental.
It states that my son does not have this and they included a permission slip to fill out for dental… my blood is boiling so hot right now. I cannot find ANYTHING in federal law saying anything like this. All I can find is a state law stating that schools must PROVIDE these services but nowhere have I found they must have this information on file or that I must submit it. He has had all these things through his normal dentist and pediatrician.
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And here are the replies to this post:
ask them to provide you with a copy of the statute (state and/or federal) that requires you to do this.
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I did. I called and said I was confused because nowhere can I find a FEDERAL law requiring this. The first words I received in response was, “Jyn do you think I would send out hundreds and hundreds and letters without checking the facts first?”
Wow! Welp! My bad! I guess that should have been telltale sign it’s all a 100% legit and bonafide law then, right?
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From what I’ve found there are two laws in OREGON (2017 ORS 336.211 and 2017 ORS 336.213. ) that state they need cert of vision and dental on file.
This is an Oregon statute not federally mandated and the dental is required to offer an opt out for the school screening. Mind you, we have already done all our medical stuff through our dentist and pediatrician. All they had to do was request this information in the new school year packet- without sending a: “THIS IS FEDERALLY MANDATED AND HERE IS THE PERMISSION FORM FOR OUR SCHOOL TO DO IT even though we share information”.
I have not been able to find anything mandating hearing screenings.
I found OAR 581-022-0705 (1996) requires school districts to provide vision and hearing screening but I cannot find pages on it any longer as it seems they have all been deleted. Did they overrule that law?
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I was always under the impression that they were required to offer it/make it available to students (as many cannot afford it), but not that it meant that it was required to do.
Again, it’s a good idea to do, but the federal government shouldn’t have a say in mandating anyone doing it.
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Could you just have your dentist and pediatrician write letters saying they have recently examined your child? That way the school has record that the child has been screened, but they don’t need the details. By the way, I think it’s completely ridiculous for schools to require any such info, but could you comply without really complying???
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Yep! We totally could had I had this requested of me I probably could have easily provided it. Instead I got a threatening letter with my child’s name highlighted with a marker and a form attached for their Dental3 people stating it was federally mandated.
“DENTAL3 “D3” was formed in 2014 as a unique partnership of Medicaid Dental Plans, Coordinated Care Organizations and Community Partners to advance the goals of transformation by furthering oral health in the Portland Oregon metropolitan community.
D3 and its partners provide community based services to reach those individuals who might not otherwise seek care, connecting them to the system through outreach.”
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I wouldn’t do it. That’s why they get away with this kind of stuff, because parents aren’t willing to fight back so the buck keeps getting passed down the line.
I worked at a pediatric medical clinic for 14yrs. Although I’ve been out for the last 5 yrs, I am not aware of any such federal law and those aren’t easy to come by. I would call up and ask for the reference to look up. I only know of federal programs, such as head start, having requirements like this.
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Oregon has tried to make Americans believe this for years
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Here is a post from a New Hampshire anti-Common Core page:
A NEW comment added to my article on Sanborn and the Competency Based Ed
New comment on your post “Is Sanborn Regional School District Lying To Parents?”
Email: XXXXXXXX
Comment:
As a parent having one graduated from Sanborn and one still in the system I can speak to its strengths and weaknesses. My children have been successful but not because of the school and it’s curricullym but because of the extra effort put in at home to bridge the gap of what isn’t taught in school. They are high achievers and Sanborn is not excelling at helping high achievers. The elementary schools are excellent but the middle and high school are sorely lacking in accountability and standards of excellence. Unfortunately I see the curriculum and administration catering to the lowest common denominator. No deadlines. No consequences. No finals. No reports or real projects and papers due. They can however keep retaking tests or redoing work until they get the grade they want When I spoke to Stack about this I was told the point was to ensure the student learned to concepts not penalize them for the time it took to grasp the subject matter. In effect the good grades are self inflated and our students are not learning what it takes to survive in the real world or thrive in post secondary education.
You can see all comments on this post here:
SENT to the MAYOR of Manchester and the School Board Members
Dear Board of School Committee Members:
I was made aware of Manchester Proud a short time ago by parents who told me about this new organization. As a former Bedford resident, I have seen how an organization outside the school district could be beneficial to everyone involved in the Manchester public schools. The Bedford Education Foundation has been one of those organizations that has raised funds for expenditures that are not included in the school district budget. The BEF is well-respected and appreciated in the community for that reason. They look at what needs to be supported and funded, then hold fundraisers and events to make it happen. For instance, on their Facebook page, they proudly reminded community members that they worked hard with fundraisers to support French students in a 10-day exchange. The BEF provided the funding to get all foreign language program exchanges funded. Adding foreign language to the elementary school curriculum is what one Manchester parent said she would like to have added to the elementary grades.
It was the Bedford School Board that set up a survey asking parents and community members what problems they see within the school district. That information was categorized and, made public so everyone could see what needed to be addressed. Since it was an online survey, there was no cost to the taxpayers that I’m aware of. Trinity High School has also elicited this critical information from parents in the past. It’s a great way to identify the problems, prioritize them and work on getting the problems fixed.
At first glance, Manchester Proud appeared to me as if they would be that support system for Manchester, too. An organization like that can be a real gift to a school district. However, upon further research, what I’ve discovered about Manchester Proud is causing me great concern. I’d hate to see an organization become a lightning rod in the community versus one that is respected and appreciated like the BEF.
Manchester Proud has the capacity to make a significant and positive impact on the school district. That’s something we should all support. I’m not surprised that people in the community want to add their time and talent to an organization that wants to help the school district meet some of its needs. My concern is with what appears to be a political influence within the organization. That influence now seems to be directing expenditures that could be used for genuine needs that parents have identified.
Reaching Higher NH is an organization that has been politically active for a few years. While I respect them as a political organization, they have a set agenda that has been diametrically opposed to what parents in Manchester, and across the state, have supported. Two board members at Reaching Higher NH now sit on the board of Manchester Proud: Talmira Hill and Pawn Nitichan. The Executive Director at Reaching Higher NH, Evelyn Aissa, is the daughter of Barry Brensinger, Coordinator for Manchester Proud. In watching video of school board meetings, I have seen Mr. Brensinger and others stress that they have no bias or predetermined outcome. With what I’ve learned about the direct and influential connections between Manchester Proud and Reaching Higher NH, and seeing the direction in which this effort is going, it’s hard to take that at face value, even though their intent may be pure.
Having that kind of one-sided political view on education reforms does not allow for a healthy debate when Manchester Proud seeks to influence the district on education policies. If they were there simply to provide support in the same manner as the BEF, then their participation would not matter. But since there are now examples of how Manchester Proud is also engaging in political education reforms, this concerns me, and will most likely concern the many parents who came before the BOSC several years ago in an effort to improve the local academic standards in the district. I have already heard from a Manchester grandmother of a Beech Street School student, indicating that she sees a conflict of interest.
It is critical for Manchester Proud to succeed and not become an organization that divides the community. Unfortunately, some of Manchester Proud’s political association with politically motivated education reform groups have drawn negative attention.This could bubble up to a point where Manchester Proud loses respect and appreciation in the community.
For example, on Manchester Proud’s facebook page, there is a link to a video from Reaching Higher NH highlighting Student Centered Learning. Below that post I asked this question: “In this video, Reaching Higher NH advocates for student centered learning. Could you provide peer reviewed research/studies that show student centered learning improves the quality of education (maybe in terms of test scores) versus teacher centered? Thank you”. (Please see attached screen shot)
This is an example of support for influencing how a teacher teaches in the classroom. Is this the vision for Manchester Proud? To take information provided by a political organization and advocate for the same political views?
When I returned to look at the facebook page to see what studies they would provide, I saw that the post had been removed. I did not receive an answer to my question, and you cannot see it currently on the facebook page.
I ask for independent research because other districts in New Hampshire are implementing this experimental education reform. The Atlantic reported on this experimental method back in 2014.”What Happens When Students Control Their Own Education? When a New Hampshire district found itself struggling with low test scores and high turnover, it made a radical decision: Flip the traditional model and let kids take over the classrooms.” Since then, I’ve received numerous complaints from Pittsfield parents explaining how the student-led discussions become sidetracked, and how some students use that time in an effort to talk about other things beside what should be discussed. Small group work becomes the responsibility of the student who excels, leaving that student to carry the weight for the group. Individual projects take a great deal of time, leaving less time for academic content to be covered.
Pittsfield test scores do not provide any indication that this experimental model has had any significant impact on students in the high school:
Grade 11
2012-13
Reading: 57%
Mathematics: 36%
2016-2017
Reading: 58%
Mathematics 19%
This is why I asked for peer-reviewed research. If Manchester Proud is going to advocate for changes in the Manchester classroom by supporting experimental pedagogy, shouldn’t they at least make sure it’s best practice and has a track record of success?
Manchester Proud has also come to the BOSC to advocate for joining the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS). During the discussion with some of the BOSC members about the $30,000.00 membership fee, Mr. Brensinger indicated that he would not consider the request by Manchester parents who want funding to go towards materials in the classroom. Instead he said this kind of significant expenditure should be used to pay a membership fee to CGCS. I understand this is an effort to design a strategic plan, but if that plan is going to revolve around unproven or disproven politically-contrived education reforms, rather than meeting the needs expressed by the parents, then this does not bode well.
CGCS is a political organization funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to “promote and coordinate successful implementation of the new common core standards in major urban public school systems nationwide ” The Gates Foundation lists CGCS as a partner on their web site.
Here is a list of grants awarded to CGCS by the Gates Foundation so that they could advance their political objective:
2008 $3,735,866
2010 $ 100,000
2011. $5,446,615
2013 $ 614,954
2013 $2,000,000
2015 $1,600,017
CGCS’s political objective has a clear bias which runs counter to what scores of parents said they wanted for their children in Manchester during the debate of the Manchester Academic Standards.
No one on the BOSC asked for any proof that CGCS has a track record of success. After reviewing the CGCS web site, I could not find any peer-reviewed independent studies that showed membership in this organization improved academic outcomes.
A case in point comes in a 2014 CGCS report regarding the public schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The reports states: ” The Albuquerque Public Schools District has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda which includes the transition to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and a renewed focus on improving student achievement by closing the achievement gap. The district’s strategic plan included improving Academic Achievement. However, if you look at their NAEP scores from 2017 they show Albuquerque students either making no progress or falling further behind their peers:
GRADE 4 MATHEMATICS 2017
The percentage of students in Albuquerque who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level was 29 percent in 2017. This percentage was not significantly different from large cities (31 percent).
GRADE 8 READING 2017
The percentage of students in Albuquerque who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level was 25 percent in 2017. This percentage was not significantly different from large cities (27 percent). It seems that they digressed in Math and reading.
Grade 8
Mathematics
Year/average score/difference from large cities
2017 270 -5
2015 271 -3
2013 274 -2
2011 275 -1
Reading
2017 255 -3
2015 251 -6
2013 256 -2
2011 254 -1
If the Manchester BOSC is to join a political education organization, it is critical that the BOSC look for peer-reviewed studies that show the organization has contributed to some measure of academic success in public education.
Manchester has many difficult challenges with which other districts in New Hampshire may not be dealing. Every dime spent needs to be carefully considered, whether the money comes directly from taxpayers or from other sources by way of the school district. I urge school board members to demand proof that expenditures do not come with a political agenda.
Cornerstone, the organization for which I am the Education Liaison, would like to get behind an organization working in the best interest of the students in Manchester. For all its challenges, Manchester provides many opportunities. Manchester could lead the way in education outcomes for the state. Toward that end, we encourage efforts to identify what parents see as needs for the district.
Reaching Higher NH and the Council of Great City Schools have a political agenda that leaves me concerned about Manchester Proud. Manchester Proud is an organization that has amazing people behind it who are willing to do whatever it takes to help Manchester schools succeed. It would be a mistake to let political aims take precedence over what parents believe are the real needs in the district.
After leaving the Manchester Proud meeting, I posted a question on a Manchester School Facebook Page. I asked parents what five things they’d like to see changed or improved in the school district. No one mentioned a desire to see the district become a member of a political organization whose main objective is to implement Common Core in schools. No one mentioned wanting a political organization to influence teaching methods.
Parents did say that they wanted:
1) Bullying addressed
2) Consistent curriculum across the district
3) Foreign Language added in the elementary school
4) Implement a complementary Spelling and Grammar curriculum
5) Get a systematic Math book that can be used starting on page 1
6) Stop social promotions
7) Advance children to the next subject when they’ve mastered the content
8) Get our teachers a signed contract
9) Add tech resources
10) Get rid of Common Core and go back to common sense
11) IEPs must be followed
12) Common Core has to go
13) Bring back unified arts in the Middle School
14) Updated textbooks
15) Leveling for all subjects
16) Get rid of standardized testing
17) Make sure students are competent in the subject matter before advancing
I’m sharing this because after attending Manchester Proud’s meeting yesterday, their associations with pro-Common Core political organizations indicates there may be a conflict ahead. These are concerns that the Bedford Education Foundation has avoided by making sure the individuals running the organization are focused on the needs of the teachers and students. Having a similar support group in Manchester can offer parents and teachers the much-needed support that they have been wanting. Please consider your support carefully as you go forward.
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Here is a post from Shannon Joy:
Online Morality Test given to high schoolers in Bradley, Ohio.
BOTTOM OF THIS POST IS A CANNED RESPONSE THE WCSD BOARD PRESIDENT SENDS TO PARENTS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT FREE EDTECH VENDORS. THEN DIRECTLY BELOW IS OUR RESPONSE.
Dear Katy Et Al,
It’s good to hear some WCSD students are coding in school. Our Incline schools don’t teach cursive, coding, and barely teach keyboarding. Since the District came up with the language: “Getting students ready for the 21st Century digital world,” several things have happened including:
1) One of the largest EdTech vendors, Edmodo, had a data breach causing sensitive student data (including Student ID’s) to be placed for sale on the dark web.
2) A year later Edmodo sold the entire company (including) all the student data to a Chinese company, experts agree the Chinese bought Edmodo for the data of U.S. students.
3) A Cal Berkeley study, released this summer, showed many of the EdTech vendors used in our schools are not in compliance with COPPA.
4) A Fordham University study, released this summer, shows data brokers are selling “student data;” it’s unclear where/how the data is being obtained.
5) At least two states (not Nevada) have sued Google for illegally tracking students.
6) The FBI came out with a Public Service Announcement on September 13 warning parents and school districts about third party EdTech vendors.
Instead of telling parents what has happened (above) and letting them decide if their children will continue sharing school work and personal data with free (paid with student data) EdTech vendors the District has decided to keep parents in the dark. About three or four years ago WCSD told Protect Nevada Children (PNC) they do not “enter into contract” with free EdTech vendors used in WCSD schools. Katy, has something changed in regards to the free EdTech vendors or are your comments below misleading?
Two years ago 441 families opted out of being issued a WCSD email address, two questions: 1) When were the email addresses re-created? 2) Why won’t the District allow us to opt-out of District email now? My oldest is getting A’s in computer science classes at Columbia (Ivy League) and he did not use any free EdTech vendor products before graduating from IHS in 2016.
Numerous technology executives including, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, severely limited their own children’s screen time, and use of EdTech products, at least until high school. We at Protect Nevada Children believe the “free” EdTech vendors are the most problematic because without parental consent or knowledge: they collect and store student data, create profiles on students, and share student data with unknown parties. Experts on the left and right have written about how the data obtained by free EdTech vendors may affect the future of our children.
It appears the District’s policy is that parents do not deserve to know all aspects of using “free” EdTech products or how the student data collected may affect the future of their children. On the other hand, we at PNC believe parents should be educated on all aspects of using these free products, and parents should decide if their children will use them or not.
Respectfully,
John Eppolito
President Protect Nevada Children
From: Holland, Katy [mailto:Kathryn.Holland@WashoeSchools.net]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2018 5:14 PM
To: Scott Wilderman
Cc: BoardMembers; John Eppolito
Subject: Re: EdTech Devices
Dear Mr. Wilderman,
WCSD’s mission is to create an education system where all students achieve academic success, develop personal and civic responsibility, and achieve college- and career readiness for the 21st Century. To advance this mission, WCSD provides all students with opportunities to use technology. We strive to provide students with an education that prepares them for the opportunities that exist in a 21st Century digital world, in which virtually every career demands technology proficiency. To create an educational environment where some students could use technology and some students could not use technology would create inequities and would not enable students to learn these important skills. We do not encourage students to develop an online presence. We encourage them to learn skills that will be necessary for their future competitiveness. Just today I was in a first grade class that was learning coding on computers that each student built. These are the skills we are focusing on. Further, the emails that students use in our District have no access in from the outside and cannot be sent externally unless parents specifically request that their student have that access for communication with colleges, etc.
I am sensitive to your concern about the importance of protecting student data. I can assure you that I and the District take this matter very seriously. Ed Tech companies are prohibited by law (COPPA) from selling students’ personal data or using it for advertising to students. WCSD is not entering into contracts with any vendors who do not comply with COPPA. We are also implementing a Digital Citizenship curriculum that helps students to learn ways they can best protect themselves when online.
Regarding WCSD’s efforts to educate parents about the use of technology devices and student email addresses, there is substantial information for parents about WCSD’s digital learning efforts at https://www.washoeschools.net/domain/1452. We have also prepared a list of frequently asked questions, available at https://www.washoeschools.net/Page/12087. In addition, we have regular information workshops like the one on Digital Citizenship last week to which parents are invited.
I’d be happy to discuss any of these concerns with you further.
All best wishes,
Katy Simon Holland
On behalf of the Board of Trustees
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Here is a post from an Arizona anti-Common Core group:
“None of the 17 states with voucher programs nor the six states with ESA programs explicitly allow parents to retain full protections under IDEA. Moreover, non of the 19 voucher, ESA, or tax incentive programs aimed specifically at students with disabilites allow them to retain full IDEA rights.” National Center for Learning Disabilities
Please vote No on Prop 305.
A male physical-education teacher in a Florida school district has been told he will be transferred to another school as discipline for not doing his job. The problem was that a girl identifying as a boy was using the lockerroom and he was told to go in there as part of his duties but declined to be with a nude girl, at which point he was punished:
I found the actual bill, if you want to read it to verify the truth of the article shared below.
Ctrl+F to search for “assessment”, and you’ll see how students using the ESA money (As Arizona calls it: Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, but Utah will be calling it: Flexible Education Spending Accounts) are now being required to be accountable to statewide tests.
Take note.
SB1431: https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/53leg/1R/laws/0139.htm
Found here: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/69282…
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And another post from this group:
When I first heard about Common Core (CC), I couldn’t imagine that the people of Utah would allow it to be instituted. But then the Governor and School Board officials approved it. The more I learned about Common Core, the less I liked it. When CC started operations at our schools, I thought soon leaders or parent groups would rise up and tear CC down. But they didn’t. Then when Obama had completed his second term, I thought Republicans would crush Common Core along with Obamacare. They didn’t take down anything. With Trump in office, maybe he’ll get rid of Common Core. But maybe we should stand together, protest, demonstrate, start impeachment proceedings against Herbert, impeach the school boards, generally light a fire under complacency and the status quo till we finally bring about the end of Common Core.
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Here is a post from Alice Linahan:
UNREAL!! or, I mean, I wish it was unreal…
The hypocrisy of Congress holding privacy hearings, while we are at the same time pushing all these BigData bills, promoting AI in Government, building a biometric database of citizens, and not really talking about CONSENT over data… especially children. WAKE- UP AMERICA!!
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Here is a post that was shared in the Parent Strike group:
Important information from IL Raise Your Hand about the new 3-8th grade state test for Illinois, and the new state rating policy for schools.
Bad news: the new school rating policy will heavily penalize schools for high opt out via lowering the ratings.
Good news: the consequences of a low rating mean more funding, not less.
You can ask ISBE why they’ve chosen to design the school ratings system this way at public meetings tomorrow night in Chicago and Thursday night in Melrose Park.
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Here is a post from the group More than a Score:
PARCC is now IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness)
3 year contract $133,134,755.00
https://www.isbe.net/…/Illinois-Assessment-Readiness-3-8-Ad…
IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness)
Notice of Award for Illinois Assessment of Readiness (3-8) Provider
ISBE has posted a letter announcing a notice of award that has been posted (reference #22041975) for the state’s procurement of an administration, scoring, reporting, and development vendor. The Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) proposed high quality, cost effective solutions to achieve our vision of a computer adaptive assessment that returns results of machine scored items within 1 week of the end of the testing window, and all results within 30 days of the end of the testing window, making results more timely and relevant. DRC, in collaboration with ISBE and Illinois educators, will build on the foundation of PARCC content and transition Illinois to a computer adaptive assessment by 2021.
Please contact ISBE’s Division of Assessment and Accountability at (866) 317-6034 with any questions.
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And another post from this page:
Teachers have successfully boycotted standardized tests in the past. Recent example, the 2014 ISAT which teachers at Saucedo and Drummond elementary schools in CPS boycotted. Story here: http://inthesetimes.com/…/a_chicago_teacher_explains…
Takes major organizing to carry out a collective action like that!
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Here is a post from a New York anti-Common Core group:
Today the PoJo article reporting my resignation from the Wappingers BOE came up in my memories.
I resigned my position two years ago because the Board, the District, NYS, National Legislators AND PARENTS AND TEACHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY (too busy working and saving to pay for their kids college tuition 
#superirony), steadfastly refused to respond to the glaring concerns and blatant corruption which were staring them in the face.
The kids got destroyed.
Just like those of us paying attention knew they would.
Corruption won.
I guess we’ll just trash this generation and see if the next crop of kids will fare better?
What a travesty.
What a waste.
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Here is an alarming post from a Mississippi anti-Common Core page:
Teachers are “classroom robots ” according to three lower grade teachers. A MS Dad shares his concern.
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Here is a post from Alice Linahan:
This is not a good sign…
PED Threatens Homeschool Freedom
“…the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) had drastically changed the home school form on their website that can be mailed in. The PED also sent us a letter stating that from now on only the “official” PED home school form would be accepted. The PED’s mailed in form states “NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED OR PROCESSED THAT ARE NOT COMPLETELY FILLED OUT AND UNCHANGED FROM THIS FORM.”
“Besides the PED stating that only their form can be used, the biggest change comes in the form of “Required Assurances” that home school parents must initial for their form to be “accepted or processed” by the PED. While most of these assurances are not extremely onerous, they are simply not required to be made by home school parents under New Mexico law. In our opinion, these assurances are simply the PED wanting to require home school parents to do more than they are legally required to do.
What the PED is attempting to do is to change New Mexico from a notice state to an approval state. Unless you submit the form and information the PED is requiring you will not be approved to teach your children at home.”
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Here is a post from a Kansas anti-Common Core page:
This is the school district where I graduated high school. This is a very professional and middle to high income city. There is absolutely NO WAY IN HELL I would allow my kids to go to these schools (any of them with policies like this). These districts seriously think they can do anything they want as long as it is in the name of “safety.” It seems that not one of these board members has EVER studied American history and it seems likely that they are no longer teaching it in this posh district. What’s that little something about giving up liberty for safety means you have neither???? ANY ONE of these people even know who Benjamin Franklin is anymore????
The author concludes, “When I described the new Plano ISD policy to our daughter, she reacted indignantly. My fear is that after six years of random searches she and her fellow students will see them as no big deal, having been conditioned to accept invasive, harebrained security theater as an unavoidable cost of going about their daily lives. That is not the sort of civics lesson I want my children to absorb.”
AMEN, brother. So, in the immortal words of the Sean Connery character, Malone, in _The Untouchables,_ “What are you prepared to do?”
https://reason.com/…/my-daughters-middle-school-plans-to-te…
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And another post from this page:
So, Mr. Neuenswander thinks that the teacher shortage is all about the economy, both past and present. The article explains how Western Kansas has really struggled to fill all its positions over the years. Well, I have some thoughts for Mr. Neuenswander on this. I’ll give you only three of the dozen or so reasons that immediately pop into my head.
1. Teachers, increasingly so, and in large part due to the implementation of Common Core, do not teach; they facilitate. With teaching schemes such as a “flipped classroom,” teachers are less engaged. Add on the consequences and stigma from poor test scores along with all the political correctness we are now forced to deal with, and well, this teacher, for one, walked away from K-12 education.
2. In Western Kansas, in particular, there is a huge and rapidly growing immigrant (both legal and illegal) population. Many of them come from third-world countries like Somalia. Many of these students, like their Spanish-speaking counterparts, do not have sufficient English skills in speaking, yes, but also in writing. That is an expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive situation. If we could do it the way that I think we should, it would help a bunch, but no. We have to keep doing it this way, with increasing numbers of kids and decreasing numbers of trained staff but yet expecting some better outcome. Uh huh. Smart. (sarc on!)
3. Many of them have cultural differences that are so far removed from American culture that it makes it very difficult. Teachers are busy dealing with many, many, many other things besides actual teaching. I had one district administrator in a large Western Kansas school district tell my husband, “Many of these kids don’t even know how to use the restroom. A week or two ago they were in the bush in Africa and now they are here. We have to teach them the very basics.”
Who in their right mind would sign up for this? Most teachers, including me, believe that we can help kids, that we can make a difference. When we are set up for failure from square one, with so many things stacked against us, many choose not to bang their heads against the wall for too many years, if any at all.
I would bet my right lung that many of you could easily add dozens of additional reasons to my list here. Please, feel free to do so.
https://www.sfgate.com/…/Vacant-teaching-positions-increase…
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Here is a post from an anti-Common Core Breitbart article:
I was an elementary school teacher in Rochester, NY for 11 years – When Communist Core was implemented, I raised numerous concerns to the principal. Principal told me to keep my feelings to myself, and then he said that there were many other school districts in NYS. I said f-it, and left the propaganda industry. They are implementing this in Head Start to 3 and 4 year olds – this needs to stop, and I dont feel the President and Secretary DeVos are doing enough about it!!!
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And another post from this article:
I remember being called to the Board of Education when I was a Principal, and asked why I was not “on board” with the new “Common Core” curriculum. I replied, historically, education has been a state concern; I am deeply suspicious of a Federal Curriculum that can be politically, culturally and socially attuned to push agenda’s! They accepted it but didn’t like it! I retired a few years later…I think for the most part they were glad to get rid of their Neanderthal Principal! Footnote: Two years later they had a Middle School out of control and brought me back out of retirement to fix it! I did and retired again two years later!
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And yet another post:
I moved to Wisconsin almost 9 years ago from NY. As a single father, my biggest concern was the school my son would be going to. The area we moved to was very expensive and I decided to move to an area that was more affordable. I intentionally kept my son out of the Milwaukee school system. I found a half way decent school and yet every day I would have to ask my son what he learned and then tell him the truth. It is sad that we have to reteach our kids after a day at school. Now, in his early 20’s, he gets it. And yes, it’s up to the parents to teach their children.
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And another one:
Saw the beginnings of this back in the late 70s when I began working for a large rural school district just outside of Seattle and yes Bill Gates was just beginning to implement his social engineering project.Just to clarify, I was not an educator, but a technician.
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Here is a post that was shared by Alice Linahan:
Follow the money.
“UnboundEd was born of EngageNY — an entity, supported by millions of dollars in Obama-era Race to the Top funds, created to provide Common Core curricula for New York’s classrooms.”
“UnboundEd is not the brainchild of some education school. Rather, it boasts an impressive list of reform-minded “partners,” including the likes of Achievement Network, The New Teacher Project, Leading Educators, New Leaders, and Student Achievement Partners — not counting the charter-school networks that ship teachers to its institutes. As of 2017, UnboundEd had pocketed more than $20 million in philanthropy — including millions from New Profit, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Hewlett Foundation, and more than $11 million from the Gates Foundation.“
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Here is a post from a Utah anti-Common Core group:
URGENT: OPT-OUT OF TESTING HEARING.
PARENTS NEED TO ATTEND. We need to show the State School Board that parents are WATCHING OUT FOR THEIR KIDS AND THEIR OPT-OUT RIGHTS!
Please reply in the comments if you plan to attend.
When: Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018 at 5:00pm
Where: Utah State School Board Offices
250 E 500 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Why?:
The Utah State School Board has revised Board rules for Opt-Out. Some of the wording breaks the spirit of Utah’s Opt-Out law that was written to protect parents’ rights.
Please plan to attend this hearing if you are a parent concerned about preserving your Opt-Out rights. The Board has given 3 groups a chance to speak in defense of Utah’s Opt-Out law and in opposition to the revised Board rule. The Board is also accepting written comments to be made part of the hearing record, and there is still time for parents to request speaking time.
– – – – – – – – – –
Here is the State Board’s memo with important details about the hearing:
This memorandum will serve to outline the procedures that will be followed in conjunction with the public hearing scheduled for November 1, 2018 regarding proposed amendments to Rule R277-404. Pursuant to R15-1-5(2), I have been appointed as hearing officer for this public hearing.
The public hearing will commence at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah and will continue for at least one hour. The hearing, however, will end no later than 6:30 p.m.
Interested parties are encouraged to submit written comments, statements, or other feedback, which will be made part of the hearing record and posted on the State Board of Education’s website. Written comment should be submitted by email to rule.comments@schools.utah.gov. Written comment to be posted prior to the hearing will be accepted until close of business, Wednesday, October 31, 2018.
This hearing follows a public hearing request by the United States Parents Involved in Education, the Salt Lake County Chapter of the United Women’s Forum, and Return to Parental Rights. Each of these groups will be permitted to present for ten minutes at the start of the meeting.
Other parties will be permitted to present as time allows, with priority given to those individuals who request to be heard in advance by emailing Lorraine Austin, Board Secretary, at lorraine.austin@schools.utah.gov, by close of business Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Individuals should provide their name and address, and indicate whether they wish to speak in favor of or in opposition to the proposed amendments to the rule. A signup sheet will also be available at the hearing.
Individuals may be allowed between 2-3 minutes as determined by the hearing officer. Individuals speaking on behalf of an organization, other than those who have filed a formal request for hearing, may be allowed five minutes to speak in lieu of individual group members presenting. An individual may not yield time to another speaker. Those making public comment are encourage to avoid restating points made in previous comments and to avoid reading written comments that may be submitted to the hearing officer.
Following the hearing, the Board will continue to accept written comment by email or mail through close of business November 9, 2018.
It is anticipated that the hearing record will be submitted to the full Board for consideration at the Board’s December 6, 2018 meeting. Further questions regarding the conduct of the hearing may be directed to the hearing officer at ben.rasmussen@schools.utah.gov.
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And some replies to said post:
Here is the Utah State School Board’s overview of Rules.
https://rules.utah.gov/publicat/bull_pdf/2018/b20181001.pdf
Rule R277-404’s entire section begins on Page 15 and ends on Page 18.
This new wording is under School Responsibilities in R277-404-6. Section 1(c). It’s problematic because it sets up a scenario where students are incentivized to take SAGE/RISE/Aspire in order to fulfill a class requirement. It reads:
(c) In accordance with Subsection 53[A-15-1403]G-6-
803(1), an LEA shall reasonably accommodate a parent’s or
guardian’s request to allow a student’s demonstration of proficiency
on a state required assessment to fulfill a requirement in a course.
Imagine a child coming home and telling a parent that they can get out of an assignment IF they take SAGE/RISE/Aspire. This could cause a potential rift between parent and child and between teacher and parent. It violates the spirit of Utah’s Opt-Out law.
In addition to the above, R277-404 references the Board’s “Testing Ethics Policy”. This is Board policy that resides outside of Board Rule. But, because it is referenced, we can talk about it in the Hearing. You can find it here:
https://www.schools.utah.gov/…/23262a5f-48b1-4658-b79e…
The wording in the Testing Ethics Policy that raised some concerns is on Page 3 under Unethical Testing Practices. It is the last bullet point, and it reads:
“Unethical practices include, but are not limited to: Explicitly or implicitly encourag[ing] parents to opt-out their students from participating in a state assessment Utah Code 53E-4-312.”
– – – – – – – –
We are concerned that this wording threatens teacher autonomy. Do schools support teachers teaching and children learning or do they support standardized TESTS?
This wording appears to be a violation of Utah law that wholeheartedly supports parental rights. It pits teachers against parents/children and parents/children against teachers.
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So a teacher could say you will get out of the 30 page research paper if you take the test instead?
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I’m confused — the only changes I see are conforming changes to the newly codified Utah code. The (1)(c) [name redacted] mentions doesn’t appear to have any substantive edits in the rule beyond changing the code references. What am I missing?
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I was confused at first too. I think current law allows for students to take the test in place of an entire class, but this rule change allows for the test to replace an assignment which would allow a teacher to use it as a punishment/reward system – which is expressly prohibited by the law.
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But (1)(c) is already in existing rule. It’s not being newly added here.
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don’t know if this answers your question, but the Board changed the rule in February without fanfare. Parents just learned about it recently and were able to request a hearing because some minor edits were made in August–which opened the rule back up to a hearing.
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If you feel the rule is out of sync w/ statute, it’s best to have the Administrative Rules Review Cmte call the SBOE folks in front of them to explain themselves and be held accountable a bit.
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Yes, the rule changed in February and then again in August with minor changes. Most groups/citizens don’t know about the ability to request a hearing on a rule and missed the February timeline.
Because the rule had minor changes in August, the rule was open to a hearing and several entities made a request for a hearing.
They can also appeal to the administrative rules committee.
It is always a good idea to get in front of as many elected officials as possible.
I encourage people to attend.
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Here is a post from an anti-Common Core group:
☝HOLD ON… LET ME PUT MY 👓👀 ON & READ THIS AGAIN
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I found this tweet, which nicely ties “personalized learning” to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals:
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I found this from the Common Core Diva’s, a friend of mine, blog:
“It was reported during the NASBE conference, that the State of KY is going to restrict graduation from high school for those who do not choose ‘college’ or ‘career’”
So it appears that the Career Pathways scheme of locking students into certain career paths is moving along in Kentucky.
Also, I found this too:
“Then there’s the State-wide urgency to put as much SEL (Social Emotional Learning) into schools, at least that’s what IL’s doing. If you’ve heard of “Classrooms in Action””
If you read the Common Core Diva blog entry further, you’l see how SEL is tied to “personalized learning”.
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Found this post on an Idaho anti-Common Core page:
Will it come to Idaho next?
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Also on this Idaho anti-Common Core page, there was an article shared. Inside said article, the following paragraph leads me to believe that Idaho, like Kentucky, is also in the process of falling to the Career Pathways scheme:
“The proposed rule also provides more guidance and clarification on how schools can structure the senior project requirement, including experience-based and inquiry-based learning gained through internships and similar opportunities. Senior projects may also be multi-year projects completed by a group or by individuals.”
Note, this is a graduation requirement for Idaho high schoolers.
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And, based on the article below, it seems that Pennsylvania has also fallen to the Career Pathways scheme:
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Here is a post from a Nevada anti-Common Core group:
10.24.18
Please notice that Facebook blocked this article (“Yes, Common Core Is Advancing a Left-Wing Agenda”) from my page. Facebook actually banned me from posting it elsewhere on FB and shut down my own page for a period of time. I see no reason for this article (including my comments) being against Facebook’s Community Standards, and FB was never able to tell me what the article contained that was offensive. If you still want to read the article and my comments at the beginning of it, you can go to bing.com (not google) and search for “[name redacted], Yes, Common Core Is Advancing a Left-Wing Agenda.” I believe Facebook banned it because the article/comments held too much truth.
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This post, shared in a Washington anti-Common Core group, shows that the state of Washington has also fallen to the Career Pathways scheme:
Washington State PTA is part of the Ready Washington coalition. Please check out the latest information: With more than 700,000 job openings coming to Washington state by 2021, our students can choose the career pathway of their choice after high school. Since 2013, the Ready Washington coalition has been providing students, families, and teachers with clear, easy-to-use information that helps students connect their learning to their career paths and aspirations. Check out our new animated video, #PlanYourPathWA, to learn more.
[The video link is dead and cannot be found on the Wayback Machine either.)
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Here is a post from a friend of mine:
Here’s the junior assemblywoman Pellegrino. Posted about her couple hours ago, she was on the news – she failed to attend Democrat assembly education and mental health committee meetings while campaigning instead on….education. We knew she was shady when she was running and now a judge agrees!
PS. She’s a leader of Opt Out in Long Island too. You’ve been played folks.
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Here is a post that I found in an anti-Common Core group:
If this is true, its terrible
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And here are some replies to this post:
A friend of my moms who is a teacher said that we may not be able to opt out here in nys either. She will get back to me as soon as she has info.
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Interesting.
I got an email from the IL BoE that stated this exact thing. Said the State has a new ranking system for schools. And that schools w/ <95% testing rate can not be rated ‘exemplary.’
It also stated that IL has droppedPARCC in favor of a diff standardized exam.
How involved is the Fed here???! I’m becoming curioussince this is occurring in multiple states
I smell fish……
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funny, we were told on the down low, in school council training (GA) that we are supposed to be moving away from GMAS (GA common core test) and moving to MAP over the next 3 years. Its piloted this year in a few select counties.
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Someone in DC is pulling the puppet’s strings. Devos?
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Always follow the money.
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I found this post in the anti-CBE group:
You saw the invoice they sent me when I asked for the names of the companies gathering my kids data, which data fields are they pulling, and with what frequency. This is what happens when you ask for information they don’t want you to get the answers to. Ask any IT person, it would not take 16 hours to get the answers!
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And here are the replies to this post:
kidding me it doesnt take but a few minutes to generate a query extract off a database that is way overpriced.
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yup. They only did it for one company, Bright Bytes. When I found they were pulling PII data EVERY DAY out my of kids accounts, i figured there had to be more companies data mining without my consent. That’s when i got the bill
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All I asked was, what companies have access to my kids data, what data fields are accessed and with what frequency. It’s not a hard question, they just don’t want parents to know how egregious it is.
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Maybe the frequency prompted them to go into web activity logs that would take a bit longer but 16 hours hm how far back are they going
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are you obligated to pay that??? Or you pay it if you want the info they gathered?
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no pay no info
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OUTRAGEOUS!
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Why are they charging you $680 to get what companies are getting your kids’s data?
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excellent question !
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Aha, found one already: Schoology:https://www.manateeschools.net/Page/6088
Schoology is one of the Project Unicorn vendors.
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It takes MINUTES to query a database…….if it is going to take them 14 hours (or even 1 hour) than that is a serious, disturbing problem. Let me help you out with this one my friend……ALL data is uploaded to the SLDS. THAT is where you need to focus the attention on. WHO has access to that data, for WHAT purpose, etc. The districts should be held accountable for the software/edtech vendors they procure with……but the real motherload of data is sitting in the SLDS. Remember – all states were mandated to setup the SLDS prior to the Common Core implementation in each state. Here in FL – that was in 2009……the FSA IS 100% aligned to the Common Core.
http://www.fldoe.org/…/statewide-longitudinal-data-sys/
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The districts are still responsible for protecting our kids data……I find they are not willing to answer my questions (Pasco) other than to tell me they are doing what the FDOE tells them to do.
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And another post from this group:
DonorsChoose is offering teachers $400 in gift cards to use towards projects when their students complete coding and digital skills activities. I wonder who thought of this particular way to bribe — I mean inspire — teachers to train their students to code.
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Here is a post that was shared in a Utah anti-Common Core group:
I hope people come tonight to the state school board hearing. It’s at five. Here is my letter, which I have already shared with the board but hope to summarize in person to the board.
October 30, 2018
Dear State School Board,
As a mother with children in elementary and high schools; as an experienced, licensed teacher currently serving as a special needs aide in a public school; and on behalf of members of United States Parents Involved in Education, I request that rule R277-404-6c be stricken from Utah’s rules. The rule states: “an LEA shall reasonably accommodate a parent’s or guardian’s request to allow a student’s demonstration of proficiency on a state required assessment to fulfill a requirement in a course.”
Thoughtful reading reveals that the rule assumes for the state an unprecedented authority to begin to use “a state required assessment to fulfill a requirement in a course”.
There can be no “reasonable accommodation” for violation of law, nor for manipulative education policy. The new rule attempts to legitimize an illegitimate thing: to let the state (or school) tempt students to barter away legitimate course work in exchange for participation in the state’s exercise titled the SAGE/RISE assessment.
That barter is an unheard-of deviation from good education. Never before have K-12 standardized test scores been used for exchange, in trade for legitimate education. The schools will “pay” students by releasing them from some course work and will determine– at least partially if not maximally– a student’s grade in a class if he or she engages in the SAGE/RISE exercise.
It’s bad education policy, but it also violates laws.
Under Utah law, a school “may not reward a student for taking an assessment” (https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53G/Chapter6/53G-6-S803.html). It simply may not. Is this rule’s offering not a reward to students? The rule tantalizes students with the lure of easy grades– especially if schools weigh the SAGE/RISE as a large portion of course fulfillment. Meanwhile, students who opt out of the tests may face increasingly difficult class work, if schools try to strong-arm them to take SAGE/RISE, which some schools will, faced with the threat of opt outs lowering the school’s’ test-based school-grade.
Under Utah law, a school “shall consider multiple academic data points when determining an accommodation”. (https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53G/Chapter6/53G-6-S803.html). Even though this rule exalts SAGE/RISE, setting a parturient exchange rate that equates strenuous coursework with government-test taking; still, the SAGE/RISE is what it was designed to be– an attempt to measure schools, not students. It never claimed to be a replacement for individuals’ learning experiences. The test’s maker, American Institutes for Research, declared that “When you are using a test for accountability, you’re not really using it to measure the kid. You are using it to measure the school, or the teacher, or the district” (VP Jon Cohen, min. 3:07). https://vimeo.com/80927107 A SAGE/RISE score is thus not a valid academic data point to consider when determining student accommodations.
Moreover, in a law called “Parental right to academic accommodations” (https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53G/Chapter6/53G-6-S803.html) we learn that “Each accommodation shall be considered on an individual basis and no student shall be considered to a greater or lesser degree than any other student”. In contrast to that law, the new rule elevates “reasonable accommodations” only for some: for those who opt in. Opting out is protected and cannot be punished. Vulnerable populations, including those with mental, academic or emotional disabilities, as well as minorities, statistically suffer most from high stakes testing, and they cannot legally or ethically be coerced to opt in; thus they will not have equal opportunity under the new rule. This is significant.
Utah law holds opting out as an important freedom: “upon written request of a student’s parent or guardian, an LEA shall excuse the student from taking a test that is administered statewide” –and the state is to remain in a “supportive role to the guardian” Utah law requires the state to be in a supportive role, secondary to the guardian. Neither the state nor the school can usurp the authority of parental, educational best judgment. Tempting students to manipulate their parents into opting them in to tests, either for easy educational rewards or other reasons, is usurping. (How is it supportive to guardians for the state to create this scenario: “Dad, Mom, I don’t have time to write my research paper; I don’t want to read this literature for the final; the state/school says I can skip requirements if I take the SAGE/RISE test –so sign this accommodation note”?)
In addition to breaking the letter and spirit of Utah’s laws, the new rule lacks wisdom, integrity and common sense. It belittles the teaching profession, it ignores the impossibility of verifying its “exchange rate”; it ignores the lack of SAGE/RISE test validity approval; it disregards the voice of the people and responds to moneyed lobbies; and it is not well-intentioned toward children..
Consider:
The rule denigrates the judgment and value of a teacher. A teacher’s work is teaching, including customizing projects and finals and reports for students. Why is that life-work to be dismissed with a cheap trade for a SAGE/RISE score?
Evaluation is impossible, of the alignment between a course requirement and the SAGE/RISE. Teachers are never permitted to preview SAGE/RISE tests– nor read them after they are given– and that “confidentiality” means that equating (or trading) that test –for anything– is meaningless.
Few, if any, tests would be worthy to replace high-quality course requirements, but in the case of SAGE/RISE, there is a foundational validity abyss. SAGE, used by both Florida and Utah, went under serious scrutiny –after Utah was already using it– when Florida commissioned two independent companies to verify its validity. (This may have happened, in part, because a famous Utahn offered $100,000 to the State Office of Education if it would produce evidence that the SAGE test had been tested for validity. The State Office could produce nothing.) Then Florida, using Utah students’ scores as its guinea-pig study of SAGE validity, found pages and pages of egregious problems (see page 172-177). The independent verifiers admitted that SAGE demonstrated “notable exceptions” to the use of “best practices”. See the full report of SAGE’s defects here:https://www.flgov.com/…/…/pdfs/FSA_Final_Report_08312015.pdf In light of that report, does it make sense to use this test (or RISE, which is not materially different) as real currency in a trade against educational experience and work?
The rule disregards the voice of the people, who have written laws to protect the right to opt out. The rule responds instead to unelected agents and moneyed lobby groups which aim to increase Utah’s opt-in rate. The USBA lobby’s stated priority for political lobbying this year is quashing the rights of students and parents to opt out of SAGE/RISE, saying: “students… should participate in state created end-of-year assessments, and educators should be allowed to encourage and motivate students to do their best on the state exams.” http://usba.cc/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/JLCPriorities.pdfInterestingly, this board gets pressure, but no financial reward, from the federal government for increased opt-in rates. It also gets pressure from USBA to promote increased opt-in rates. But this board (and USBA) might remember that state law prohibits schools or educators from bribing (“encouraging and motivating”) students to take the SAGE/RISE tests. It is nothing but selfish for adults to bribe students –for the benefit of adults’ interests (school grading, school funding, etc.)
Rather than complying with USBA pressures, this board should prioritize truly child-centric, parent-and teacher-supportive, honest education. Let’s not enshrine the manipulation of children through acceptance of this rule. Let’s not become the school bullies that our state laws so firmly stand against. Let’s strike R277-404-6c from the books.
Sincerely,
Christel Swasey
Utah Advisory Board Member
United States Parents Involved in Education
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Glad that this Florida student fought back against and exposed this biased Left-wing quiz. This needs to be done everywhere!
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Thanks to a tipoff from the November 1, 2018 Truth in American Education article, I found that they are amending FERPA:
The Department of Education (Department) plans to amend the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations to change the name of the office designated to administer FERPA from the Office of the Chief Privacy Officer to the Family Policy Compliance Office and to make changes related to the enforcement procedures of the Office concerning FERPA.
Upon looking up the Orwellian-sounding Family Policy Compliance Office on DuckDuckGo, I found this:
The mission of the Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) is to meet the needs of the Department’s primary customers–learners of all ages–by effectively implementing two laws that seek to ensure student and parental rights in education: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
Source: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html
So, in summation, it seems that, from what I can find so far, that they’re creating some new privacy laws, creating an office with a creepy-sounding name, and are talking about merging HIPPA and FERPA too. I’m sure we can have LOADS of confidence that these new offices and laws won’t help create a police state…..<sarc>
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Rocky Top Middle School in Thornton, Colorado decided to bring in a drag queen for career day: https://kdvr.com/2018/10/22/parents-outraged-after-drag-queen-speaks-to-students-during-career-day/
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Here is a post that was shared by Alice Linahan:
I told you Commit would hijack the whole school finance commission and the governor’s ear. The same guy who founded Commit is on the public school finance commission appointed by Abbott. He’s also a donor to the RISD TRE vote Yes PAC. #behindcloseddoors #TREason #txed #txlege
“I had always feared the school finance commission was window dressing,” Bernal said. “If the governor intends on creating and floating a school finance bill before we’ve finished our work and without consulting all of us, that very well could confirm my fears.”
The governor’s report appears to propose replicating a Dallas ISD program giving stipends to high-quality teachers who choose to work in struggling schools — cited as crucial in helping the district whittle down its list of low-performing schools.”
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Thinking that the group Commit sounded familiar, on a hunch I decided to see if it was part of one of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network groups that I’d come across. sure enough, I found this:
“We are seeing results in communities across the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network…….
In Dallas, Texas, school districts, colleges and AT&T launched a texting service with network partnership the Commit! Partnership to remind high school seniors about college enrollment and capture data for high school counselors and college staff. In the first year, the 1,000 students who participated were 13 percent more likely to enroll than peers not in the texting program. Additionally, Black and Hispanic males who participated were 14 percent more likely to enroll than were their peers.”
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Also, I found that StriveTogether was once part of a larger group called KnowledgeWorks but split off into its own group in 2017: https://knowledgeworks.org/press-releases/knowledgeworks-subsidiary-strivetogether-becomes-independent-organization/?fbclid=IwAR0ECetDTclm8HJBQGF9g27EqoG2iwL5_ExWYLsT2TAKDutGJNg6QssfH8s
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Here is a post from an Alaska anti-Common Core group:
Common Core has facilitated progressive indoctrination by smothering independent thought and stifling intellectual development. It effectively trains students not to think by emphasizing skills over content, process over product, and relative standards over absolute ones.
The humanities suffer the most from the focus on teaching supposedly practical skills rather than quality content. Instead of reading great poetry and literature, English teachers asked their students to read more journalistic nonfiction and develop research skills. Instead of reading for meaning and writing clearly, students read for bias and learn to write fluff.
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And here is a reply to this post:
Already happening in the Matsu Borough School District.
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Here is a post from the Federalist article that was shared above:
the reality is that school systems force—literally force good teachers to teach THEIR way. Young teachers, even strong, conservative teachers will either comply with the program or be pushed out—if not outright fired for insubordination. Even good teachers with tenure can be coerced into quitting as the administrative punishment tools, when enacted, are quite effective. Some dinosaurs survive, but barely. Students sit all day long in front of computer screens with headphones on so the computer voice can “read” to them. Then they answer questions in Google Docs and submit these to the teacher. No student ever gets the essential opportunity to learn from his mistakes this way or, the needed step of internalizing his understanding by virtue of writing answers on paper. Math tests disappear immediately after the answers are submitted and instantly graded. Even the teacher cannot review where a student made his mistake.
But conservatives must yet try for the sake of our children’s futures. Just understand the evil leviathan you face is determined to destroy our children’s souls. We must try because the alternative is too terrible to contemplate.
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And some more posts from this article:
It is the most honorable of professions, being an educator, a TRUE teacher, and education is most certainly worth fighting for.
Even if one is coerced at every turn to teach the System of Indoctrination, there is still the interface with students, there is still the opportunity to speak with them, to be SEEN BY THEM, even if not about an assignment or test or anything particularly about their education. Your very presence makes an impression, even if they “lesson plan” is rigged against one’s best intentions to help a student TRULY learn.
Young people are smart, even when they seem they’re not. They want to succeed. They are perceptive and want to emulate what they perceive to be best, to be that which is emblematic of success. They don’t want to be slavish, they don’t want to be followers. They want to be pioneers in their OWN thinking. If we lead by example, they will want to emulate that example.
Conservatives need to be that example, even if while being that example they are forced, as you say, to comply with a system determined NOT to educate young people, but rather to indoctrinate them with Leftist/Collectivist ideology.
I know that the educators I most remember, that I most admired, looked to emulate, the teachers who had the biggest impact on me (and these were teachers both inside and outside the classroom, both formal and informal educators) were individuals who were most discernibly free-thinking INDIVIDUALS. I remember not a single “lesson plan” or assignment or test or anything from a text book. But I remember the teacher. I remember the ones who, by their example, showed me how to best be who I was, and not who and what the world wanted me to be.
Just BE THAT in the presence of young people and they WILL be drawn to you. Be a Conservative and they will not be able to help but want to be one as well.
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How do you think teachers is 35 years survive? Thanks for the encouragement, but lived every bit and more of your suggestions. Not complaining of any personal plight, but presenting a dark reality for those young, hopeful teachers who think they will save the schools from being Marxist indoctrination centers. St. Francis tells us (and I paraphrase) to preach the Gospel at all times and only use words when absolutely necessary.
Schools need sacrificial, missionary-minded teachers to be sure who KNOW the cost ahead and are WILLING to pay the high price whilst their own families struggle to live on so little pay of one salary. At the end of the school year when this veteran teacher must retire for health reasons, who will be that replacement? The greatest love is laying down one’s life for others is it’s own reward.
This is my point.
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Here is a post that was shared in a Florida anti-Common Core group:
I-ready? I’d rather not. 60 out of 67 Florida school districts currently use this computer program, is your child’s school one of them?
Marketed as an adaptive tool for progress monitoring and specifically to assess student mastery of the Common Core State Standards, I-ready is supposed to show student’s strengths and weaknesses and then allow the teachers to tweak their instruction based on these results. Differentiated lessons and instruction sounds amazing.
That’s how parent company Curriculum Associates marketed and sold I-ready to Florida public and private schools in the last few years. Palm Beach County alone spent $5.6 million to implement it district-wide.
Was I-ready peer-reviewed? Nope.
Evidence-based? Not that either.
Developmentally-appropriate? Unlikely!
Did they conduct multiple studies to see how it would work with multiple-age and varying-ability students? I couldn’t locate one scientific study that isn’t associated with Curriculum Associates.
Is it good for gifted kids? No. It isn’t the “smart” program they touted it would be. When kids answer correctly, their level isn’t changed until all 20 lessons from that section (determined by the diagnostic) are completed and they take another diagnostic. Advanced kids hate it.
Is it effective for kids with learning disabilities? Only effective in making them feel frustrated. It isn’t multi-sensory—which all kids benefit from—but struggling kids must have. If a child is struggling with traditional instruction how could I-ready possibly work? It isn’t an experienced teacher. The lessons will also take them longer to complete if they have processing issues. In the words of a dyslexic student I taught she explains this about I-ready, “You do something that you hate, and you do it over and over again but you never get it right because it’s not teaching you!” Students with learning differences hate it.
While on the subject of dyslexia, if I-ready is a valid assessment then schools would refer to students’ scores especially in the areas of Phonological Awareness, and Phonics, (areas where dyslexics struggle), to illustrate a possible reading issue. Instead schools bring in other screens.
If your child is a struggling reader with an IEP in public school and is assigned further “remediation”—20 minutes of nightly I-ready homework lessons—this in violation of Florida Administrative Code 6A-6.0331. So kids who didn’t do well at school on I-ready have to do more lessons at home even though it isn’t helping them. Families hate it.
The “data” that I-ready generates is being used in some schools to promote or retain 3rd graders.
Concerned yet?
While many counties are newly adopting I-ready there are those who are protesting.
Manatee County parents are refusing I-ready for their students this school year. In Sarasota County school board candidate Pamela Gavette is a former teacher who has taught reading and is running on a platform of eliminating I-ready. Palm Beach County told teachers last year they cannot assign I-ready homework. Ever. (Remember these scores are being used to promote or detain). Among many issues, parents were logging in and doing the lessons for their kids.
While we have the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommending less screen time, more outside “green” time, we have to wonder who is making these decisions for our kids?
But don’t just take my word for it. Do the research for yourself.
http://edpolicy.education.jhu.edu/…/IreadyandMAPmastheadFIN…
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And some replies to this post:
When I read that schools aren’t giving kids recess to complete I-ready, I felt parents should know this info.
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I have researched a lot on dyslexia and what is best for them. I am a former HS English teacher and my kids did have to take I-ready at their old school which was private. I recently started connecting all these dots together because the way it’s being used, and that curriculum decisions are being made from this “data” makes me nuts. If you read about Palm Beach County and I-ready there are lots of news articles but if you look for scholarly articles I couldn’t find one that says I-ready is effective. That is scary to me.
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we started looking into it when our private school used parent-raised funds (from our version of a PTA) to acquire I-Ready. Pretty much from day 1 there was a group of us parents who were scrutinizing the program & refusing to have our kiddos do the program at home.
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Very interesting!
My fifth grader finished his i-ready minutes on Thursday night. He said Friday after school that the kids that didn’t finish didn’t get to go out for extra recess. So they could have had 2 recesses I guess as a reward for finishing everything.
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My daughter is in first grade, in an accelerated class, and dreads doing iready. It makes her not want to go to school. She does test very high but it gives her lots of anxiety.
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It is possible to refuse IReady. This is our third year of no IReady and I have no plans to change that.
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As a primary teacher, iReady is what my evaluation is based on. We need parents to fight for us because we don’t have a say. 😢👎
We don’t use minutes to punish our students, but the results are used to create iii groups and monitor progress.
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That’s part of the reason we refuse my 7 year old is not responsible for their teachers pay. Especially when it comes to a horrible program like IReady.
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what can you do in class for students who are above-level on iReady? If those students continue to use the program it gives them above-level instruction, right? How are you, the teacher evaluated/affected by that since you’re not teaching that material in class?
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We opt out of iReady, too!
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it is so wrong that teachers are evaluated by computer minutes and not by their teaching!
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we are evaluated by their growth from the first assessment to the last. All students must show one year of growth no matter their level. They are not assessed on our standards that we teach.
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which is why we can’t use a flawed program to determine their growth. It isn’t ok for the teachers to be punished if the assessment isn’t effective. I hate it for teachers too!
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I watched several first graders being given double digit subtraction on IReady. As far as I know that isn’t a first grade standard.
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here is the standard: Subtract multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 from multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (positive or zero differences), using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.
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I opted my daughter out of FSA last year. Her teacher had only been teaching 2 years I believe. Her end of year conference with me she let me know how opting her out was more work for my daughter (on assessments for promotion) and she wish she had tested because it would have helped her class’s overall score. Teachers are in the middle of this mess and I hate that for them, especially if it affects their pay.
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I had a teacher tell me, “I do what’s best for the kids. I don’t care about my evaluation because the scraps we are given just aren’t worth the stress.”
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I can only imagine. I mean even if a teacher does everything absolutely by the book and all their students perform satisfactorily, what incentives do they actually get? A pat on the back, BS accolades that mean nothing? Teachers deserve so much more.
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Some teachers have told me, “I wish more parents would opt out of this nonsense.” (Your wish is my command).
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I am so confused. The FLDOE has iReady as one of the approved good cause exemptions, which is why we are seeing a push for this adaptive software in FL, but then FL statute states,
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm…
Scroll down to acceptable reading intervention.
(8) Work with the Florida Center for Reading Research to identify scientifically researched and evidence-based reading instructional and intervention programs that incorporate explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text instructional strategies. Reading intervention includes evidence-based strategies frequently used to remediate reading deficiencies and includes, but is not limited to, individual instruction, multisensory approaches, tutoring, mentoring, or the use of technology that targets specific reading skills and abilities.”
It sounds like statute is implying that technology should be a last resort…too bad the FLDOE is the one pushing for monitoring students via an adaptive learning software, which is why iReady is a good cause exemption.🤔
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I-ready is super boring and NOT for gifted kids at all. I don’t know why they rely on it so much.
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Because it is a supposed to predict how well a child will perform on the FSA:(
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An adaptive software should be used as a very last resort. No reason why a trained reading specialist cannot repair a deficit in a few weeks.
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That line makes my skin crawl. They pulled that on me at the beginning of 2nd grade last year. I highly doubt that it predicts FSA results. Adaptive garbage.
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In Osceola county, the District uses i-Ready growth to evaluate TEACHERS in K-2!!! This summer it was established that iReady scores were not a predictor of student performance on FSA in 3-5, but they are STILL using it this year! And I agree, students hate it because it doesn’t teach. GIFTED students hate it with a passion too!
P.S. I am a teacher and I don’t know anyone who likes i-Ready!
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Same!! My feelings are based on watching my kids hate it and then reading more about it.
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I spoke to someone who works at a school recently about why IReady is used. She said for time-strapped teachers and administrators, IReady automatically provides them the data they are required to provide to districts.
It’s all about the data. It’s easiest to plop kids on a computer program and have it compile data automatically.
In my opinion, it’s not a great program for kids. It’s a good program for the adults.
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But, if the data is not accurate, how is it valuable? It was never an accurate or reliable measure for my kids. And, it was used against my children as a gatekeeper to their education. It was also used to punish my daughter in kindergarten when she didn’t do it at home by taking her center time away.
And…my children are not at school to help adults provide data to the state. Adults are at school to help my children learn.
My child does not earn a paycheck from OCPS.
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At our school, IReady was used for after school remediation. It was cheaper than tutors and all the data that the district required was automatically generated.
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You are 100 percent correct. It is more convenient to plop the entire class in front of computers and have the program do a reading diagnostic assessment since a teacher would have to pull each student one by one to do a running record. Why not hire a sub, so the teacher can call each student, one by one? O’s 1st grade teacher use to split up her class, so she could spend the day doing running records. The entire team took turns the second week of school. The kids never missed instruction, and equally important, they had valuable information: independent and instructional levels.
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How are they more time strapped now than 10 years ago? What exactly has changed in educational instruction? It sounds like an excuse and justification.
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They trust data generated by a software than notes taken during a running record conducted by a teacher. Running records cannot be used for good cause exemption, but iReady can be used to promote a child in the state of Florida. Go figure- grades and running records are not deemed accurate, and do not determine promotion in 3rd grade, here, in FL.
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Are you paying attention? This plan will come to fruition in 2019 for 5 year olds- let that sink in for a few minutes. This may sound good, but contrary to many people’s beliefs, kids that practice moderation and have more outdoor, art, music, kinesthetic, and meaningful human interaction opportunities, will not be left behind, like OCPS Chair, Bill Sublette suggested when we respectfully asked for a “Safe & Developmentally Appropriate Implementation of Adaptive Learning Software and Digital Devices.” On Aug. 21, 2018, the curent OCPS board turned down workshoping the policy before 2019. Even Steve Job knew not to let his own kids use an iPad. 🤔
Ask the newly elected School Board members, Teresa Jacobs, Karen Castor Dentel, and Angie Hutchinson Gallo , if they will call to workshop a Safe and Developmentally Appropriate Implementation of Adaptive Learning Software and Digital Devices before handing out the very last lap top to a 5 year old in 2019.
I remember hearing about this initiative a few years ago.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/86263260-132.html
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In addition to this, here in Palm Beach County they are watching a screen for recess to a show called “Go Noodle” and dancing in place in their classrooms! Our elementary school is horrible for recess time. I don’t understand how educators who know what proven long time research has shown would implement these things. Why?
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I love Go Noodle but I thought that was considered a 5 min brain break not as a sub for recess! I don’t think teachers are making these decisions. It’s all being mandated to them.
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I don’t know who is making the decisions about it but it’s implemented for recess very frequently (as in my first grader didn’t have recess for 2weeks in a row and they considered Go Noodle that recess time) I could totally get on board for a few minute brain break, get the wiggles out, and have fun/decompress. That would be great! I can’t understand why we are doing this to children and then having a hard time why so many are having problems with stress coping skills and simple socialization. It’s needed in the early years!
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Did you know they aren’t teaching spelling in the schools anymore? Or atleast at my daughters school they aren’t.
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But they sure love to take points off for spelling errors. I’m sorry but our children did not come out of the womb knowing how to spell. They actually, have to be taught. Root word study helps with this.
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I just found this out! Was it this way last year? It was our first year here (2nd grade now 3rd grade).
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I’ve been told by teachers that there is also very little focus on Grammar
I can tell. Because my son didn’t know basic grammar rules. We worked on this all summer.
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I guess I didn’t notice.
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you will notice when they start writing more and they are taught this mechanical writing that is garbage. No creative writing. No breaking things down and practicing writing at a molecular level (solid intros and conclusions), punctuation or grammar. Everything is skimmed and glossed over. There is no inspiration.
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yet, they are supposed to be great writers.
Many people can follow a formula for writing. It does not make them good writers.
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Mine isn’t a great writer. His formula is 5 paragraphs with 5 to 7 sentences each. State your thesis, 3 paragraphs explaining/defending, close by restating thesis. The delightful stories he would spend days writing and illustrating…all gone. 😞
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Before a district wide strike. Parents once informed would back a 100 teachers ready to leave anyway. Stop. Stop it. Get your performance reviews. Your writeups. It isn’t like there is a job on the planet that give a flyin f what the public school says. Make them go through all the union procedures to fire. This may be easier for male teachers. They are ten times more brutal to females.
We need a name for this kind of political action. The unions themselves would never ho for it because Florida practically makes them illegal as it is.
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I found another post in this group about iReady:
Here is a post that was shared by Alice Linahan. It’s not strictly education related, but she, like me, has noticed how data mining and surveillance can spill over from schools right into the workforce itself, often in ways that seem “fair” and logical and are done incrementally so that people don’t notice their loss of liberty to an elite ruling class:
“Most employees would know they’re being tracked for productivity,” says Michelle Miller, co-founder of US-based Coworker.org, an online platform that helps employees launch campaigns to improve their workplaces. “But there’s not an awareness of how that data is being used and what story it’s telling.”
She points to a range of software that can monitor and analyse everything from the tone of emails and the web searches employees make, as well as how they move around the office and the people they talk to.
“It rates your risk to the company — whether you might be looking for a job, whether you might be a whistleblower or if you’re engaged in workplace organising,” says Ms Miller. “It’s taking all this data from you and making predictions that you don’t know about.”
Similarly, companies can use the health data generated by wristbands and other workplace wearables to design fitness programmes. “But it delivers all this data about your health that you have no control of,” says Ms Miller.
While companies cannot require employees to wear fitness trackers, she adds, those who do not participate in such programmes are often locked out of company perks such as gym memberships or discounted health insurance.
With the ability to collect and analyse increasing amounts of data on employees, companies are starting to worry about a potential backlash. Six out of 10 respondents to Deloitte’s 2018 Global Human Capital Trends report said they were concerned about employee perceptions of how their data is being used.
“Companies need to make sure they have robust policies on transparency and security and open communications, so people understand what is being tracked,” says Anne-Marie Malley, UK human capital leader at the professional services firm.
Legal challenges also pose a risk to companies when it comes to their use of workforce data. In the Deloitte survey, 64 per cent of respondents said their organisation was “actively managing legal liability related to their organisations’ people data”.
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Here is a post from a friend of mine:
Betsy DeVos named Bev Perdue (former Democratic Gov of NC, very pro common core, current member of RidgeLane) as Chair of National Assessment Governing Board, (NAEP). H/T Andrea Dillon https://www.ed.gov/…/former-north-carolina-gov-beverly-perd…
Betsy also met with Educators for Excellence (E4E) https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/…/bulletins/2195775 …. an organization funded by all your favorite reformers…. Gates, Broad, Carnegie… https://e4e.org/about-us/our-donors
Reminds me of how we wrote about DeVos as Chair of The Philanthropy Round Table, a group that focuses on Venture Capital Philanthropy (and making “serious money“) and also promotes computer-based datamining and as an added bonus, this group Chaired by Devos was also excited about Common Core. You can read excerpts from their Blended Learning Guidebook https://missourieducationwatchdog.com/dreambox-datamining-…/
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A professor at Shawnee State University in Ohio was disciplined for refusing to call a male student a “she”: https://www.frcaction.org/updatearticle/20181106/pronoun-showdown
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Here is a post from a Washington anti-Common Core group:
Example of a school that won OSPI’s School of Distiction in 2018 but had SBA scores dropping compared to the previous year. Westview Elementary in Spokane was the only school to win the award.
2016-17 Results (Administration Info)
Grade Level SBA ELA SBA Math
3rd Grade 47.9% 66.2%
4th Grade 66.1% 69.4%
5th Grade 78.9% 73.6%
6th Grade 76.7% 64.2%
2017 passing rates in 6th grade were 76.7% for ELA and 64.2% for Math. 2018 passing rates were 56.0% for ELA and 50.6% for Math. What happened?
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And a reply to this post:
It’s important to understand — it’s all B.S. All of the tests and numbers and handwringing over graduation rates — all B.S.
The only thing that matters, that has ever mattered, is what the children actually know in these subjects and what they can do. How prepared for college or some other post-secondary life are the graduates?
On that score, the truth is grim. Abysmal.
America lets them get away with it. The school administrators blame everyone else, complain about money and threaten programs as teachers threaten to strike, they use taxpayer dollars to sue for more money, they all negotiate (collude) to give themselves raises, they set up new untested programs, adopt a new terrible curriculum (or worse, write their own), whine about how hard they’re working, with poor teachers, and poverty, and some social justice thing or other …
And shazzam. They’re good to go for another year — feeding off the system while allowing the vast majority of the children to be failed and then – someday – blamed.
Which is not to say some teachers don’t care. A minute few take it on the chin for trying to fight it or expose it. But 9 times out of 10, teachers look away from the traffic accident and accept their system-bankrupting raises, giving us some version of, “I just have a few more years to go. I can’t afford to get into trouble.”
America should grab its babies and run for the door. Find somewhere that will teach the children the ACADEMICS they need to know to be prepared for life after K-12. And let the whole government charade collapse.
Someday, I would like to see a massive #walkaway for public education and every other failed school.
I would gladly — happily — take a knee for that.
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Here is a post from a Utah anti-Common Core group:
Um what the heck does this have to do with print making (logos, stamps designs) are you KIDDING ME! Not print as in writing class, print as in design making, shirts, logos and so on!!! Or so we were told anyways! She was also taught about George Washington and how mean he was to slaves and how terrified they were of him through a picture shown! What ever you believe about this topic! This is a history class and im pretty sure there are soooo many other pictures about DESIGN that exist
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Here is a post from a South Carolina anti-Common Core group:
Quote of the day … ( why you should vote NO on amendment to do away with electing Superintendent” )
“The educrat “experts” have mostly created the SC Education system that exists now. If you really think it’s likely that someone other than an educrat who’s been steeped in this good ole boy system would EVER be appointed, you’re dreaming. At least with an election there’s a CHANCE of electing a real agent of quality change someday.”
And I’m really not interested in the opinion (on this) of anyone who hasn’t done everything in their power to get rid of Common Core
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Here is a post from a Louisiana anti-Common Core group:
If you are interested in how the Louisiana Department of Education fabricates public school performance scores (and you should be) here is an explanation of the travesty.
As promised, here is interpretation of Louisiana Growth scores by teacher Herb Bassett. Brace yourselves!
As I have been saying for a long time, this accountability method is bogus. New candidates for school board need to understand why their claims that our school system is failing based on our district performance score need to be able to explain the basis for those claims.
The use of Letter Grades was fabricated to fool the public in thinking that these grades correlated with the methodology set for assigning student classroom performance. IT DOESN’T!
http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/?m=1
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And some replies to this post:
I have been saying the same thing. It’s all a scam that John White benefits through its use and acceptance by ” the sheep.”
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Thanks, [name redacted], for posting Herb’s research, and trying to educate those running for school board who haven’t followed what has been happening in LA public education. They are so un-educated in so much of what they’re saying just to get elected. Too bad they haven’t attended meetings and made the trips to Baton Rouge that the rest of us have — you especially.
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you seem to be the one voice that has truly listened to the classroom teachers. The curriculum changes are very concerning. It’s not just the math chaos . The elementary and middle ELA , in my opinion, doesn’t even come close to the well planned and logical, skills filled curriculum previously being used! ( Treasures). Teachers are told they are to throw it out , but I know good teachers are desperate for something skills based and are finding ways to incorporate when they can. Why?
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As an 8th grade teacher – this is frustrating. On top of that, I have gifted students who are taking English 1. The state makes them take LEAP English 1 – for their final exam grade AND 8th grade ELA LEAP – which counts for my score and the schools score!
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I found this post online. It appears to be dealing with the state of Louisiana:
Parents and teachers: Election day is upon us. We need to demand change in Rapides parish where our kids are placed first in the list of priorities and teachers are treated as the hard working, professionals that they are!
The information below was sent to us anonymously in an email to our page. State law according to the DOE specifically states that the school boards of individual parishes have the right to choose curricula in the district. While the state makes “recommendations” regarding curricula they can use, the parish is not legally obligated to do so. So why the iron fisted response from the state? The only thing that makes any sense is that the district has agreed to use Eureka in return for Grant money or other compensation from the state. That is the only thing that would give them the leverage needed for the behavior and their demands outlined in the email below.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that the Superintendent and assistant Superintendent Bennett assured the board, parents, and teachers during a regular board meeting that although Eureka was the official math curricula being used in the classroom, teachers had been directed to bring in other supplemental curricula and materials to meet the differential learning styles and needs of their students. This is obviously not being done. The only way to resolve this issue and to provide multiple teaching strategies to our students is to remove the influence of the DOE from our classrooms – by removing Eureka as the primary math curricula. The school board and the superintendent need to be held accountable for their promise to parents and teachers!
We are calling for the board to readdress this issue and consider removing Eureka as the official math curricula in Rapides parish. Other curricula are available that incorporate the methods used in Eureka along with other, more traditional math strategies. Children DO NOT all learn best using only one strategy and it is detrimental to their learning and their well-being to force them to do so.
Here is the email we received:
“-Schools are getting wrote up for not using eureka math 100% and not on pace with the guide.
-There are state and local walk throughs taking place right now.
-They are looking through eureka math books and talking to ELA teachers to see if they are doing what they are supposed to be doing also.
-The state walk through group said at ALL the schools there were supplemental materials being used and the state only wants to see 100% Eureka. They want the students to use the Eureka tools to help with skills they are missing (even supplementing).
-The state walk throughs are seeing that all lessons are not completed thoroughly and they (the state) basically expects every single thing in those modules to be completed.
-The math teachers stated to the state walk through group that per the district (per Rapides parish school board) certain lessons could be skipped because they were either reinforcement or enhancement lessons. The state walk through group said if lessons are skipped, they (the students) aren’t building that learning.
-And what’s worse is that even in the MSP (Math Science Partnership) meetings Rapides parish school board offered math teachers (starting at least 4 years ago) they did practically all supplemental activities preparing to continue to teach eureka in the district. They (the math teachers at the MSP meetings) only spent a fraction of time reviewing Eureka lessons. The only thing they did with eureka math lessons in those meetings were going through the modules to determine which problems were must do problems, can do problems, and which ones could be skipped problems.
-The state however said all problems needed to be worked.
-They (the state walk through group) are also saying that special education teachers reinforcing, building skills, and filling in gaps should be using eureka math supplemental material. However none of the special education teachers have ever received any eureka math training since eureka has been in this district for 6 years.
-The rapides parish school district is saying one thing (and have been saying the same thing for at least 4 years) but now the state comes in with an iron fist and says another.
-Which is why every year the district loses teachers and students to other districts and private schools where they don’t even take tests.
-Once again the right hand and left hand are not working together and children are the ones ultimately hurt in the end.”
Remember this on election day…
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And another post from Louisiana:
Our students hate school. I’m the teacher, and I HATE it! In JP, they are FORCING us to do Learnzillion. At the end of last year, they took all our textbooks. They made us box them up, and TOOK them! Six graders first nine weeks ELA was Steve Jobs commencement speech and other non fiction crap. It’s horrible! It’s sad! I constantly think it can’t get worse, and then it does! 😭 I’ve never seen so much apathy. It’s hard to believe it’s real.
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Here are some more posts that I found in an anti-data mining group about the Manatee County invoice incident:
Do you have a friendly legislator that will ask for these documents?(for free?)
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Every legislator here is a republican who support data mining. They own the charters or work fir charter management companies that benefit from this data mining
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I’ve been waiting a year and a half.
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seriously?!
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seriously. FL is hiding some serious stuff from parents. I swear FL is like the wild Wild West when it comes to data mining. With a right to work union our teachers are gagged which is why we follow your work so closely.
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Parents? Asking to review student records and access to them?
https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html
FERPA: parental right? “to request all records for review”? https://itemactions.us/ferpa/
Probably need to verify the wording but you may both – Bridie & Cindy – have grounds for a Compliance complaint.
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Brightbytes is not an education record.
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So the district and /or state need to provide what companies have been given access – according to law, right?
Are they just asking in the wrong place? Public authorities are supposed to know who has been given access.
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yes but law says they are supposed to tell me but they have the right to charge me. Make it such an outrageous fee that the parent gives up and goes away.
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Okay. So, it sounds like some letters to the editors might be a good start….right after elections. In the few days following elections, people might still be paying attention still.
If you have some citizens or grandparents that don’t mind putting their name in the paper, they are a good group to reach out to……Boy, there really are a slew of ways to get the word out (RAISE HOLY HELL) and those of you experiencing this data rape and abuse of power firsthand are the best ones to do it.
Sounds like the time is right to start a campaign to end the bullying, the tyranny of power and control. Now’s the time to organize. I’m game if you all are.
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Bright Bytes tracks kids K-20. I’m thinking that I should hire an attorney before my twins graduate from HS next May and have their FOCUS accounts legally removed from Bright Bytes. I wonder if I could just have what is in my boys FOCUS accounts destroyed? Does anyone here know of anyone specializing in student data privacy laws?
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This is beyond outrageous. And why wouldn’t the district have this info w/o having to especially task someone to do it. really stinks
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Colorado State University deems the phrase “long time no see” as offensive toward Asians: https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/07/long-time-no-see-reportedly-deemed-offensive-at-college-why-its-derogatory-toward-asians?utm_content=buffer8fddc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=glennbeck
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Here is a post from a pro-homeschooling group:
A question for those that have had kids in PS. When do you realize that your child’s weaknesses and struggles are not just their own fault for lack of effort but also the schools for not instilling discipline and learning habits?
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And here are the replies to this post:
Didn’t take long.
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Every teacher conference from 2nd grade until 9th grade when I pulled him. I wish I would have brought him home sooner!
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My son is real lazy and he doesn’t put forth effort so I’m struggling on deciding how much of it is him or the school. That is where I’m at right now. I am not quick to blame either or but I feel like I’m done and it’d just be easier to HS.
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In my experience, it seems like there is quite a learning curve when you first bring a child home. Most families do best when they don’t try to duplicate public school at home, but that’s often what happens because that’s what most of us parents who were publicly schooled know how to do. Another thing, we often expect that a child can just be given their assignments and they will be able to sit down and do it independently, when in reality, in ps they truly always had someone hovering over them with the threat of getting in big trouble if they didn’t do it. They always were told when and what to do, had no autonomy, and didn’t truly learn to study independently, so that is a skill that needs to be nurtured and grown into.
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My son is 14. He is too old to have things being done for him. There is a level of responsibility now put on him but he’s not responding well to that. Teachers do not help unless the children ask. But let’s face it, children are not always comfortable asking. Sounds like it could be him but do I just let him continue to fail? Really, truly, I want him to learn to be independent and responsible. I want him to get the seriousness of his grades and how important school is. Maybe, eventually, his grades will matter to him? I don’t know.
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I think thats why freshman college students have such a difficulty transitioning to a higher level of work. Much of the time, the ones who struggle the most with their course load are former ps students!
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One of the reasons we homeschool is because in ps my daughter was only learning to think and act like others told her to. The first week home I asked her, “What do you think?” (just asking her opinion) and she went to pieces because nobody ever told her the answer to that question so she didn’t know what to say and she didn’t want to get the answer wrong. When I explained that I really just wanted to know her opinion, “what SHE thought,” she said, “Oh,” and her whole paradigm shifted.
As far as how to get a 14 yo to be independent and responsible, I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer to that, but I do think that you will need to help him with it because he has not learned it yet. I’m hoping some of the more experienced homeschoolers with teenagers on this group will chime in.
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Yes, that was me 20+ years ago because it was so ingrained in me that I needed to be told what to do and what to think, that I couldn’t handle all of a sudden having to do it for myself, it was too overwhelming.
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My son was one of the forgotten ones. He was extremely quiet and because he is gifted they basically ignored him.
When we brought him home he had several gaps in math.
We asked him why he didn’t ask for help, he told us the teacher never had time to help him.
Teachers face an impossible task in PS. I’m so thankful we brought him home. He is flourishing now.
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this was me. I tested with high aptitude in math and science in 8th grade. By graduation, I was remedial in those subjects. I was very quiet and navigating a broken system. I ended up with a degree in literature.
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I appreciate all of the advice. I haven’t brought him home yet because of his behavior. Tonight we are headed to an open house for the local Technical High School. I’m convinced that it is this for high school and if he doesn’t get in then it’ll be home school and I’m going to have to find some way to manage his behavior. So we will see. Thanks for all of your help and hopefully positive changes can be made!
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one thing you also need to recognize is from 12-15 boys go through a couple weird growth periods in their brain as well as body. This growth process also makes them very tired and they can make them appear lazy. I found that when I brought my oldest home from public school they expected that he wouldn’t do anything so he rose to that expectation. Now he raises to the minimum level of expectations that I give. The one on one helps and as he approaches 16 it seems to be getting better.
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Rather than not instilling discipline/learning habits I think it is more often a killing off a child’s innate curiosity, wonder, uniqueness, and ability to learn😭. It’s so easily to learn discipline and habits when you are intensely passionate about a goal or interest. But how often do students get to deeply dive into that in an 8 hour traditional school day? So sad….
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Here is a post that I found shared in an Ohio anti-Common Core group:
THE CURSE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
(or the State Indoctrination Network – SIN)
by Joel Skousen
The key to the drift of even white voters to the left is the almost total control the Left has over public education, from secondary through college.
While the Left does the actual controlling of administration, credential certification, teacher training, textbook selection and unions, at the very top you will find globalists making sure the Left stays in control of all the top positions so that conservatives don’t take back control.
It’s no surprise to me that millennials are increasingly Left/liberal. School teachers make snide remarks about conservatives and take every opportunity to denigrate the Right. But even in districts where there isn’t open hostility to conservatives, there is the purposeful omission of any positive argumentation for free markets, much less the complete rejection of history of conspiracy in government, war, and education.
This doesn’t happen because all teachers are part of a deeper conspiracy. Most just come up through the same social, political and economics filter that current public school students do and don’t know any better. There is also an unstated threat of ridicule in colleges if you espouse conservative or religious opinions.
In short, they think they are educated but, in fact, they are ignorant of key facts and arguments about why socialism doesn’t work, and why it is always attractive to the weaknesses of human nature.
The only students who survive this tax paid propaganda machine are those whose innate spirit somehow receives the warning signals of conscience prompting them that something is wrong with what is being taught.
Sadly, a sensitive conscience is not taught to children raised in conservative families. Quite the contrary. It’s a sad commentary that most conservative parents lose their children to the lure of social welfarism and political correctness–because they send them to public schools, and don’t otherwise correct what they are learning.
But it’s not just the bad education they receive. There is a social corruptive element in public education. Students swim in a sea of bad attitudes and habits as well, which, when it takes hold of them, can contribute significantly to a diminution of their sensitivity to hear the still small whisperings of God through conscience as well as the will to abide by what they hear.
This is something that cannot be changed even if conservatives had control of government or schools. In fact, you shouldn’t attempt to reform inherently evil institutions like public schools—it only keeps good people wedded to them longer. It has to begin at home as parents address their children’s bad attitudes and innate weaknesses. And it does help to get children out of public schools. You can often supplement bad education but it’s hard to undo the bad social influences once your child gets infected.
It’s because of these factors corrupting the minds and spirits of people that Republicans increasingly lost in the suburbs, which used to be solid Republican strongholds. Young people growing up and moving in are mostly left/liberal. So are all the transplants from California that infected Oregon, Washington, and now Idaho, Utah and Texas.
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Here is a post from a Nevada anti-Common Core group:
The UK is ahead of the U.S. in this issue. From the article:
“For instance 70 percent of schools in the UK now use the ClassDojo app to help monitor children’s behaviour and communicate with parents.” For the record, ClassDojo is widely used in Nevada schools.
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And here are some replies to this post:
I would not be suprised if a Chinese company (government) buys ClassDojo to add to all the data they already have on U.S. children after buying Edmodo.https://www.edsurge.com/…/2018-04-24-what-happens-to…
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China doesn’t follow American privacy laws. Do they have any of their own?
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Not sure, it seems like they want to know everything they can about every citizen.https://www.wired.com/story/age-of-social-credit/
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Rejected the ClassDojo offer. Will be following up with district if alternative (equal opportunity) is not timely provided by arrogant wanna be dictator, I mean, teacher. 😂 1 star school so I’m having the time of my life communicating their obvious epic fails, such as school website not updated since the last school year. Zero updated reports on school anywhere. Info packets identifying admins who are long gone. CCSD identifies preK teacher as the school librarian. Reports and required disclosures are not being made. Title I required reporting stated school as a 2 star 😂 it’s 1 star. So much stupid stuff… Very entertaining to point and mock in writing. Lol
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I’m sure these “social justice guides” given out at Portland public schools will be totally non-biased (rolls eyes): https://activistmommy.com/portland-public-school-teachers-given-social-justice-guide-praises-communist-leaders-discourages-gender-pronouns/
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I agree, this Florida anatomy assignment was way out of line: https://activistmommy.com/father-outraged-finding-sexually-explicit-question-daughters-anatomy-assingment/
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Stay away from the University of Tennessee: https://activistmommy.com/university-tennessee-hold-anal-sex-workshop-sex-week/
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Here is a post from a Rhode Island anti-Common Core group:
Does anyone know if the tests that replaced the PARCC for elementary school is mandatory or are the opt out procedures available?…
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And here are the replies to this post:
The new test is RICAS, and you are able to refuse this as well
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Are there forms available or do you just deal with the bs from school administrators
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Have you written a refusal before for other testing?
There is not a standard form I just write a letter letting them know which test I am refusing and I also write please do not contact me to try to change my decision because I know my rights
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Beware, if you refuse and your child is at Kickemuit MS, even if they got straight A’s their entire middle school career, they will be denied recognition bc of the refusal. EVEN though, the principal could choose to still nominate them for excellence. At the time, the principal DID NOT recognize any student at graduation for their achievements (Presidents Excellence) IF they didn’t take the PAARC test. Unfair. I don’t know if this has changed under new administration
Imagine, a kid so proud of what she achieved and how hard she worked….expecting to be called for the award bc she EARNED it, only to be crushed. Only upon investigation did I find out there were several other students in her predicament and all they had in common was refusal to take PAARC, which was subsequently replaced the next yr. Further research proved that participation in standardized testing, is an and/or criteria for the award. Any student maintaining a specific grade average is eligible and should receive the award. The principal is able to issue in absence of PAARC scores. It was a punishment.
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And another post from this group:
Upon reviewing a survey given to my child, I noticed the organization that produced the survey. They are “Second Step”. More than likely they, or other organizations, are providing similar surveys to your children from K-8. These surveys, under the guise of SEL (Social Emotional Learning), are established to garner grants for schools by utilizing your children as human capital. When going down the rabbit hole, I came across a few related links explaining the funding and their intent. This is one direct quote from “Edutopia” ~ “And chat participants asserted that trauma-informed and SEL practices benefit all children, building critical skills like self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and an openness to teamwork and cooperation. Adopt a “universal approach,” suggested the nonprofit Zero to Three, and “assume all children are trauma-affected and need social and emotional learning instruction and support.” This is a witch hunt to create victims out of our children for grants and at the same time eliminate parental control over their children. Links below.
http://www.secondstep.org/funding-grants
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And a reply to this post:
THIS whole thing, along with datamining, the subversion of our children’s individuality and the role of the parents, is the entire crux of why CCSS was established. It’s playing out right before our eyes. And Trump AIN’T helping with DeVos in position as Sec of “education”.
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patriotmongoose 