Common Core.... someone please explain

[aprilgail2]

I don't know what state you are from, but I can pretty much assure you that if you search Facebook, you will see a Facebook group "My State Against COmmon Core" or something similar.

My friends with school kids and those who are teachers hate Common Core.

Many of my friends are teachers here and not ONE has anything good to say about common core.

Because it's not a political issue here and homework is much less frequent, it doesn't seem to be causing anything like the issues with the parents here that I see in the US (we have our own education-based political issues here).

Hey if common core reduced homework I would be all for it LOL- unfortunately it just gets worse and worse and 6 hours a night or more is typical for homework here.

 

[nugov2]

Many of my friends are teachers here and not ONE has anything good to say about common core.



Hey if common core reduced homework I would be all for it LOL- unfortunately it just gets worse and worse and 6 hours a night or more is typical for homework here.

You have 6 hours a night or more of homework. I call BS on that....but seriously if you do I would move out of that district because you have incompetent teachers and administrators if they think that is acceptable. I have a 4th and 2nd grader and have yet to see homework of more than 15 minutes. Of course that doesn't include the 20 minutes a night they are required to read and the 10 minutes they are required to study their math facts(yes our district even with CC still memorizes addition/subtraction and multiplication/division facts for rocket math timed tests everyday). So the grand total is about 1 hour. Typical is a math worksheet or a LA worksheet along with spelling. They do get projects from time to time, but they give them enough days where if they work on it every night it only should take about 20 minutes each day.

 

[Laura66]

6 hours of homework???? Every night???? I can see maybe having a heavy load if there's a big project or something.

That's almost as many hours as there are in a child's school day. So they get home at 2-4 and six hours.

That could be due to a lot of things - but common core I'm sure is not one of them.

 

[Cindy B]

A simple example given was this:

8+4=?

Answer is 12 (we all get that)

But, you need to add to 10....so 8+2=10
then 10+2=12

But WHY would you need to subtract first, to add? Take the 4 and figure out how many of it you need to get to 10, then add the rest.

So a simple basic addition problem is now subtraction and TWO addition problems?

So you are supposed to be able to fluently add, subtract, multiply, divide (one of the 5th grade standards)

So -- using that principal, with your example- your student should know without a doubt that 8+2 =10, and then be able to use that strategy to figure out the rest of the problem.

Some kids can not memorize facts! I teach a special education math class of 5th and 6th graders and everyday I realize that they do not know the facts.

 

[MSLRAC]

Again, I think that is a failure on the districts part. Our district began rewriting and slowly rolling out the standards in 2011.(I sat on a district wide foundation and I believe they pretty much new by the end of the summer of 2010 that this was happening and began to prepare. They compared our current standards to what was being proposed and to see where they would need changes.) They got committees together and began to work on writing the curriculum one area at a time in 2012 they rolled out some standards(but in K and 1st had full roll out to catch the younger kids earlier), in 2013 the it was in full roll out with end of the year assessment and reevaluation to make any tweaks and this year is full implementation. My son was the first K class to have this roll out and there was a difference for sure, but he had no issues. I think the reason our parents and teachers are so happy is because of the amazing way our district handled it. I honestly can see why people are upset if it was implemented mid year or by some of the lessons being posted. If my kids were exposed to teachers reading prompts and some of the other crap out there I would be upset too. I think districts were dragging their feet with the hope that the state would not adopt the standards. I know in the meetings there was talk about that, but our district decided that either way this was a good thing to look at every standard and what we currently had and raise the bar if it needed to be. If the standards were not adopted by our state, well than at least they knew we had looked at each subject and put together the best curriculum for our students and if they were adopted they were ready to go. The thing is, when you look at the standards they are not bad. I think maybe they just need to help states failing and give them more time to really sit down and put together the best curriculum for their students. I don't understand why they can't allow another 2 year grace period for these states struggling and take the districts with success as models to how CC should really look. I don't think it is the fault of CC they are failing, but the fault of the administrators. Even so, not allowing them to have more time is a disservice to the students in those districts.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the part I bolded. Our district has done remarkably well implementing it and everyone seems happy with it. They did not buy boxed curriculum or force the teacher to do it one certain way. They started slowly and have asked for teacher, parent, and student feedback all along the way. But that is not how many districts when about it and unfortunately it has caused so many people to be so anti-CC that they can see no good at all in the system and think that those of us that see it working have to be lying.

 

[aprilgail2]

You have 6 hours a night or more of homework. I call BS on that....but seriously if you do I would move out of that district because you have incompetent teachers and administrators if they think that is acceptable. I have a 4th and 2nd grader and have yet to see homework of more than 15 minutes. Of course that doesn't include the 20 minutes a night they are required to read and the 10 minutes they are required to study their math facts(yes our district even with CC still memorizes addition/subtraction and multiplication/division facts for rocket math timed tests everyday). So the grand total is about 1 hour. Typical is a math worksheet or a LA worksheet along with spelling. They do get projects from time to time, but they give them enough days where if they work on it every night it only should take about 20 minutes each day.

The 1st grader next door gets more than 30 minutes a night. My daughter is taking 4 AP classes and the homework is insane. Last week 2 of the classes both gave an extra large amount and they were all up late trying to get it done, my daughters friend stayed up so late getting it done she couldn't get up in the morning to go to school the next day! Typical homework is outlining chapters in AP World which takes hours. Chemisty lab write ups which also take hours. Then add on the honors projects for foreign language, Ap art History projects, photography projects, AP Statistics work and English reading homework. I have complained since my daughter was in grade school about the amount of homework they get, other parents have went to the school board about it but its like beating a dead horse. They miss SO much class time with all state test prep and state tests that they have to make up the work somehow!

 

[nugov2]

The 1st grader next door gets more than 30 minutes a night. My daughter is taking 4 AP classes and the homework is insane. Last week 2 of the classes both gave an extra large amount and they were all up late trying to get it done, my daughters friend stayed up so late getting it done she couldn't get up in the morning to go to school the next day! Typical homework is outlining chapters in AP World which takes hours. Chemisty lab write ups which also take hours. Then add on the honors projects for foreign language, Ap art History projects, photography projects, AP Statistics work and English reading homework. I have complained since my daughter was in grade school about the amount of homework they get, other parents have went to the school board about it but its like beating a dead horse. They miss SO much class time with all state test prep and state tests that they have to make up the work somehow!

I see where AP can add a little more than typical, but that seems excessive and I'd pull her. Doesn't sound like she is learning anything special in them anyway besides how to do busy work. If the school spends SO much time testing and on test prep they cannot teach than that is sad. No school tests that much and honestly why are AP classes spending time teaching to a state test that advanced placement children will nail. I would think if they qualify for AP they'd have no problem with state testing. Again, this isn't a CC problem, this is a your district has problems teaching properly problem. Calling something AP and then not teaching the students properly and just loading on a bunch of paperwork is a disgrace I am glad I live in a district that has parents on the gifted/AP committee that helps write the curriculum appropriate for students. I would be upset if my dd had to deal with that and would be at every board meeting until it changed.

 

[leebee]

Now that I've finally finished reading the entire thread, I'll weigh in again!

I am not opposed to having a set of standards that students in different grade levels should meet. We are a society in motion, and it's so hard to get the "new kid" up to speed when he moves into the district. Many kids have huge holes in their education, and it's sad because it reflects on all their learning, right through college. I am not opposed to having common goals by grade level. HOWEVER...

I am opposed to the Common Core as it's being implemented in many places. First, it handcuffs teachers. It don't understand why we take intelligent people, put them through college to teach them how to teach, require them to take all those methods courses, require them to do practicum and student teaching, then when they are teachers they are required to have mentors, submit lesson plans, take extra classes, take continuing education classes, and THEN insist on telling them what to teach, how to teach it, when to teach it, what to test, how to test, how to score the tests. Why are we spending the time and energy to educate people to become teachers if we aren't willing to let them TEACH? They are highly trained educators, and it befuddles me why we don't let them take the time necessary to actually teach their students.

Secondly, I think we expect too much of the kids. I see kindergarten kids in tears because they cannot remember how to add. There's no time for play in a kindergarten day! Please, these kids are 5; they shouldn't be crying because they can't spout the next month of the year and so have to wait at the end of the line to enter the classroom (yes, this is a methods issue I'd have with this particular teacher, but why is a kid in tears because she can't remember "August" at the age of 5?). I see what is being taught in 1st & 2nd grade math, and some of the concepts are just beyond 5-8 year olds. I believe that we are asking kids to do things that they are cognitively unable to understand. They just aren't there yet- their brains aren't that developed. As we look more and more into required pre-K, I just shake my head and am thankful that my (very bright) daughter is a college senior instead of just starting out.

Thirdly… This is all a huge money-maker for the text-book companies. The math program publishers are putting forth programs that are semi-aligned with CC while developing the aligned programs. They are putting together the tests, and already have the remedial packages ready for implementation when the kids do abysmally- and they tell you to expect miserable performance for the first few years of the programs. Heck, I took the Smarter Balance 5th grade math test. I know my way around math; I have a master's in protein biochem, worked in scientific research for 25 years, have co-taught 3 years of pre-algebra and now teach math through special ed for grades K-5, so I've had a bit of experience "using" math. Well, it took me TWO HOURS to complete the test, and I was ready to give up after the 4th question. The math tests are heavily language-based, and require a fair level of english fluency/comprehension to give the correct answers. They also require a fair amount of computer literacy, and while most kids these days are pretty good at a computer, these programs are just awkward. To draw a square on a grid, you have to (1) click on the dot tool, (2) put the dot on the coordinate you want, (3) click on the dot tool to turn it off, (4) click on the line tool, (5) click on the dot, (6) draw the line horizontally (let's say) to the next coordinate, (7) click on the line tool to turn it off. Then you start all over again at (1) by turning on the dot tool. If you just click on the coordinate and then try to continue to draw the line, going vertically, you just are drawing a diagonal, not an "L" shape. OK, it's almost as awkward to use as to explain! This is NOT going to fly with kids, and it's not fair to hamper them with having to manipulate a computer while trying to pass a math test- and no scrap paper, everything has to be done on the computer, you can't skip a problem you don't know (you have to guess to move forward)… it's endless, and it's ugly. However, there's always that remedial teaching program that the test-making folks will sell you so your kids do less abysmally NEXT time…

The only light in the darkness is that this, too, like every "we have the answer" approach to education, shall pass within 5 years to be replaced by the next "educational miracle!"

ETA… The problem 85+30? I just think "8+3=11, so 115 is the answer."

 

[jodifla]

Testing has been running amok since NCLB, and Common Core just pours gasoline on the fire.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...nning-standardized-test-schedule-for-2014-15/


A school system’s stunning standardized test schedule for 2014-15


Thanks to then Gov. Jeb Bush well over a decade ago, the state of Florida has been a national leader in the use of high-stakes standardized tests in public schools. And this year, thanks to a requirement for end-of-course exams for every subject — including music and physical ed and dance — in every grade (including kindergarten) so that the results can be used to evaluate teachers, the school year calendar is jam-packed with tests.

Here is the published testing schedule by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. If your system has a testing calendar that boggles the mind, send it to me or publish it in the comments:



MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2014-2015 TESTING CALENDAR, GRADES PreK-12
Tentative: August 12, 2014
The calendar will be updated periodically as additional information is obtained about the District, state, national, and international tests administered to the students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
DATE

DESCRIPTION

ABBREVIATION

PARTICIPANTS

MANDATE
July 14 – 25 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1, Biology 1, Geometry, and US History CBT* NGSSS EOC Grades 9-12,
eligible students Federal and State
July 30 – 31 Alternative Assessment for Grade 3 Promotion AAGTP Grade 3,
retained only State
August 18 – September 5 Interim Assessment Tests: Baseline
Science IA Grades 5 and 8 State and District
August 18 -
September 30 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener
(Work Sampling System and
(Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading) FLKRS
(WSS and
FAIR) Kindergarten State
August 25 –
November 7 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment
Period 1 (AP1) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State and
District
September/October Preliminary ACT Test ACT PLAN Grade 10,
Optional Nationally Offered
September 2 – 30 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment
Period 1 (AP1) VPK Prekindergarten State
September 15 – 26 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1 , Biology 1, Civics, Geometry , and US History
CBT*
NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12, eligible students Federal and State
October 1 – 31 FITNESSGRAM Pretest FITNESSGRAM Grades 4-12, students enrolled in PE courses District
October 6 – 17 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Reading and Mathematics Retake CBT* FCAT/FCAT 2.0
RETAKE Grades 10+,11, 12,
eligible students State
October 6 – 24 District ELA Writing Pre-Test DWT Grades 3-11 District
October 15 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test PSAT/NMSQT Grade 09,
Optional Nationally Offered
Grade 10 State
Grade 11,
Optional Nationally Offered
October 27 –
November 14 Interim Assessment Tests: Fall
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Algebra 1, Algebra 2,
Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, and Civics IA Grades 3-12 State and
District
November 12 – 13 Grade 3 Mid-Year Promotion GTMYP Grade 3, eligible,
retained students State
December 1 – 5 Florida Competency Examination on Personal Fitness FCEPF Grades 10-12, Optional State
December 1 – 19

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1, Biology 1, Civics, Geometry, and US History CBT*
NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12,
eligible students Federal and State
Florida Stanards Assessments
English Language Arts – Writing Component Field Test CBT* FSA Grades 4-11, selected schools
January 5 –
March 19 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading
Assessment Period 2 (AP2) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State
January 6 -
February 4 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment
Period 2 (AP2) VPK Prekindergarten State
January 12 – 23 District ELA Writing Post-Test DWT Grades 3-11 District
January 20 – May 8 Grade 3 Reading Student Portfolio GTRSP Grade 3 State
January 26 -
February 13 Interim Assessment Tests: Winter
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Algebra 1, Algebra 2,
Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, and Civics
IA Grades 3-12 State and
District
January 26 –
March 6 National Assessment of Educational Progress
Reading, Mathematics, and Science NAEP Grades 4, 8, 12, Selected schools Federal
February Florida’s Postsecondary Education Readiness Test PERT Grade 11,
eligible students State
March 2 – 13 Florida Standards Assessments
English Language Arts – Writing Component FSA Grade 4; and Grades 5-11 CBT* Federal and State
March 2 –
April 3 Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment CELLA Grades K-12,
all current ELLs and eligible former ELLs Federal and State
March 2 -
April 7 Florida Alternate Assessment FAA Grades 3-11*** State
March 16 – April 2 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Reading and Mathematics Retakes CBT* FCAT/FCAT 2.0
RETAKE Grades 10+, 11, 12
eligible students State
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1 Retake CBT* NGSSS EOC RETAKE Grades 7-12, eligible students Federal and State
March 16 – April 10 Florida Standards Assessments
English Language Arts and Mathematics FSA Grades 3 and 4 Federal and State
March 30 – May 29 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study TIMMS Grades 4, 8, 12 Selected schools Federal
April 1 – 30 FITNESSGRAM Pretest FITNESSGRAM Grades 4-12, students enrolled in PE courses District
April 13 – 17 Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition
Reading and Mathematics SAT-10 Grades K-2 District
April 13 – May 8 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0
Science FCAT 2.0 Grades 5 and 8 Federal and State
Florida Standards Assessments
English Language Arts CBT* FSA Grades 5-11
Mathematics CBT* Grades 5-8
April 13 – May 29 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment Period 3 (AP3)
FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State
April 20 – May 15 Forida Standards Assessments: End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 CBT* FSA EOC Grades 6-12,
eligible students Federal and State
April 20 – May 22

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Biology 1, Civics, and US History
NGSSS EOC

Grades 6-12,
eligible students



Federal and State
April 21 – May 18 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment
Period 3 (AP3) VPK Prekindergarten State
April 27 – June 12 Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education Examinations AICE Grades 10-12, enrolled, registered students only Internationally Offered
May 1 – 5 Florida Competency Examination on Personal Fitness FCEPF Grades 10-12, Optional State
May 4 – 15 Advanced Placement Exams AP Grades 8-12,
enrolled, registered students only Nationally Offered
May 4 – 26 International Baccalaureate External Written Examinations IB Grades 11-12,
enrolled, registered students only Internationally Offered
May 5 AP SEMINAR AP Grades 10-11, Selected schools,
enrolled, registered students only Nationally Offered
May 11 – June 5 District-Designated End-of-Course Assessment DDEOC Grades K-12 State
May 26 – June 3 Alternative Standardized Reading Assessment ASRA Grade 3,
eligible students State
TESTS GIVEN ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS
DESCRIPTION

ABBREVIATION

PARTICIPANTS

MANDATE
Florida Post Secondary Education Readiness Test
Dual Enrollment Placement, College Placement Testing, Post Remediation,
Comparative Scores for Algebra 1 EOC PERT Grades 10-12 State
Aprenda La Prueba de los Logros en Español Segunda Edición
Placement decision for Gifted Program, Spanish-speaking ELLs APRENDA Grades K-12, eligible ELLs State
The Iowa Tests (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development)
Placement decision for Gifted Program ITBS/
ITED Grades K-12, eligible students Federal and State
Exit ESOL Program (six semesters or more) Grades 2-12, eligible students, Charter Schools only
ACCEL Option Selected students
Miami-Dade County Oral Language Proficiency Scale Revised
Placement decisions for ESOL
Exit ESOL Program-Second Instrument Needed M-DOLPS-R Grade K,
eligible students Federal and State
On-line Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment
Placement decisions for ESOL
Extension of services for ESOL Program On-line CELLA Grade 1-12,
eligible students Federal and State

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS
NATIONALLY OFFERED FOR INTERESTED, REGISTERED STUDENTS

Anticipated SAT and SAT Subject Test Dates*


ACT Test Dates
October 11, 2014 March 14, 2015 (SAT Only) September 13, 2014 April 18, 2015
November 8, 2014 May 2, 2015 October 25, 2014 June 13, 2015
December 6, 2014 June 6, 2015 December 13, 2014
January 24, 2015 February 7, 2015

*SAT Sunday administrations usually occur the day after each Saturday test date for students who cannot test on Saturday due to religious observance.

Notes:

*Designates computer-based testing.
**The following students in all schools must participate in FAIR as follows:
- Grades K-3, all students;
- Grades 4-10, Levels 1 and 2;
- Grades 11-12, Retake eligible**
***Only includes ESE students exempted from standardized testing at these grade levels.
M-DCPS : 1450 NE 2nd Ave. : Miami, FL 33132 : Phone: (305) 995-1000 (For Non Technical Questions Only) Copyright 2014

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response
to a public records request, do not send electronic m


Valerie Strauss covers education and runs The Answer Sheet blog.

 

[nugov2]

Testing has been running amok since NCLB, and Common Core just pours gasoline on the fire.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...nning-standardized-test-schedule-for-2014-15/


A school system’s stunning standardized test schedule for 2014-15


Thanks to then Gov. Jeb Bush well over a decade ago, the state of Florida has been a national leader in the use of high-stakes standardized tests in public schools. And this year, thanks to a requirement for end-of-course exams for every subject — including music and physical ed and dance — in every grade (including kindergarten) so that the results can be used to evaluate teachers, the school year calendar is jam-packed with tests.

Here is the published testing schedule by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. If your system has a testing calendar that boggles the mind, send it to me or publish it in the comments:



MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2014-2015 TESTING CALENDAR, GRADES PreK-12
Tentative: August 12, 2014
The calendar will be updated periodically as additional information is obtained about the District, state, national, and international tests administered to the students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
DATE

DESCRIPTION

ABBREVIATION

PARTICIPANTS

MANDATE
July 14 – 25 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1, Biology 1, Geometry, and US History CBT* NGSSS EOC Grades 9-12,
eligible students Federal and State
July 30 – 31 Alternative Assessment for Grade 3 Promotion AAGTP Grade 3,
retained only State
August 18 – September 5 Interim Assessment Tests: Baseline
Science IA Grades 5 and 8 State and District
August 18 -
September 30 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener
(Work Sampling System and
(Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading) FLKRS
(WSS and
FAIR) Kindergarten State
August 25 –
November 7 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment
Period 1 (AP1) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State and
District
September/October Preliminary ACT Test ACT PLAN Grade 10,
Optional Nationally Offered
September 2 – 30 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment
Period 1 (AP1) VPK Prekindergarten State
September 15 – 26 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1 , Biology 1, Civics, Geometry , and US History
CBT*
NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12, eligible students Federal and State
October 1 – 31 FITNESSGRAM Pretest FITNESSGRAM Grades 4-12, students enrolled in PE courses District
October 6 – 17 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Reading and Mathematics Retake CBT* FCAT/FCAT 2.0
RETAKE Grades 10+,11, 12,
eligible students State
October 6 – 24 District ELA Writing Pre-Test DWT Grades 3-11 District
October 15 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test PSAT/NMSQT Grade 09,
Optional Nationally Offered
Grade 10 State
Grade 11,
Optional Nationally Offered
October 27 –
November 14 Interim Assessment Tests: Fall
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Algebra 1, Algebra 2,
Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, and Civics IA Grades 3-12 State and
District
November 12 – 13 Grade 3 Mid-Year Promotion GTMYP Grade 3, eligible,
retained students State
December 1 – 5 Florida Competency Examination on Personal Fitness FCEPF Grades 10-12, Optional State
December 1 – 19

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1, Biology 1, Civics, Geometry, and US History CBT*
NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12,
eligible students Federal and State
Florida Stanards Assessments
English Language Arts – Writing Component Field Test CBT* FSA Grades 4-11, selected schools
January 5 –
March 19 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading
Assessment Period 2 (AP2) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State
January 6 -
February 4 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment
Period 2 (AP2) VPK Prekindergarten State
January 12 – 23 District ELA Writing Post-Test DWT Grades 3-11 District
January 20 – May 8 Grade 3 Reading Student Portfolio GTRSP Grade 3 State
January 26 -
February 13 Interim Assessment Tests: Winter
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Algebra 1, Algebra 2,
Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, and Civics
IA Grades 3-12 State and
District
January 26 –
March 6 National Assessment of Educational Progress
Reading, Mathematics, and Science NAEP Grades 4, 8, 12, Selected schools Federal
February Florida’s Postsecondary Education Readiness Test PERT Grade 11,
eligible students State
March 2 – 13 Florida Standards Assessments
English Language Arts – Writing Component FSA Grade 4; and Grades 5-11 CBT* Federal and State
March 2 –
April 3 Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment CELLA Grades K-12,
all current ELLs and eligible former ELLs Federal and State
March 2 -
April 7 Florida Alternate Assessment FAA Grades 3-11*** State
March 16 – April 2 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Reading and Mathematics Retakes CBT* FCAT/FCAT 2.0
RETAKE Grades 10+, 11, 12
eligible students State
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1 Retake CBT* NGSSS EOC RETAKE Grades 7-12, eligible students Federal and State
March 16 – April 10 Florida Standards Assessments
English Language Arts and Mathematics FSA Grades 3 and 4 Federal and State
March 30 – May 29 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study TIMMS Grades 4, 8, 12 Selected schools Federal
April 1 – 30 FITNESSGRAM Pretest FITNESSGRAM Grades 4-12, students enrolled in PE courses District
April 13 – 17 Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition
Reading and Mathematics SAT-10 Grades K-2 District
April 13 – May 8 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0
Science FCAT 2.0 Grades 5 and 8 Federal and State
Florida Standards Assessments
English Language Arts CBT* FSA Grades 5-11
Mathematics CBT* Grades 5-8
April 13 – May 29 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment Period 3 (AP3)
FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State
April 20 – May 15 Forida Standards Assessments: End-of-Course Assessments
Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 CBT* FSA EOC Grades 6-12,
eligible students Federal and State
April 20 – May 22

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments
Biology 1, Civics, and US History
NGSSS EOC

Grades 6-12,
eligible students



Federal and State
April 21 – May 18 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment
Period 3 (AP3) VPK Prekindergarten State
April 27 – June 12 Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education Examinations AICE Grades 10-12, enrolled, registered students only Internationally Offered
May 1 – 5 Florida Competency Examination on Personal Fitness FCEPF Grades 10-12, Optional State
May 4 – 15 Advanced Placement Exams AP Grades 8-12,
enrolled, registered students only Nationally Offered
May 4 – 26 International Baccalaureate External Written Examinations IB Grades 11-12,
enrolled, registered students only Internationally Offered
May 5 AP SEMINAR AP Grades 10-11, Selected schools,
enrolled, registered students only Nationally Offered
May 11 – June 5 District-Designated End-of-Course Assessment DDEOC Grades K-12 State
May 26 – June 3 Alternative Standardized Reading Assessment ASRA Grade 3,
eligible students State
TESTS GIVEN ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS
DESCRIPTION

ABBREVIATION

PARTICIPANTS

MANDATE
Florida Post Secondary Education Readiness Test
Dual Enrollment Placement, College Placement Testing, Post Remediation,
Comparative Scores for Algebra 1 EOC PERT Grades 10-12 State
Aprenda La Prueba de los Logros en Español Segunda Edición
Placement decision for Gifted Program, Spanish-speaking ELLs APRENDA Grades K-12, eligible ELLs State
The Iowa Tests (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development)
Placement decision for Gifted Program ITBS/
ITED Grades K-12, eligible students Federal and State
Exit ESOL Program (six semesters or more) Grades 2-12, eligible students, Charter Schools only
ACCEL Option Selected students
Miami-Dade County Oral Language Proficiency Scale Revised
Placement decisions for ESOL
Exit ESOL Program-Second Instrument Needed M-DOLPS-R Grade K,
eligible students Federal and State
On-line Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment
Placement decisions for ESOL
Extension of services for ESOL Program On-line CELLA Grade 1-12,
eligible students Federal and State

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Valerie Strauss covers education and runs The Answer Sheet blog.

Again, nothing to do with CC and everything to do with the State you live in. We have 3 tests a year. 2 district tests(one if fall and again in spring) and one state test. The district tests are 1 hour for each test so 4 hours total and the state test, I don't remember the exact hours but if runs over 2 weeks broken into several sections. I will pose the question to you again...do you not acknowledge that all of your complaints are not CC issues, but poor state/administration and teacher decisions and execution or does my district somehow sidestep CC regulations? How do you explain the success and happiness in so many districts? I don't understand why you avoid answering my questions and always result to posting stats and websites.

 

[jodifla]

I understand and fully believe that CC is a failure in your school and is also a failure in many, many other places because of poor implementation. I also think that PARCC and all other tests need to be taken with a grain of salt and only used as one part of assessing both a student and a teacher's success. I am just curious if you believe that there are actually schools where teachers have no problem with CC and view it like any other shift in education. That they are having success with their students and still teaching great lesson. That like all other shifts in education CC comes with pros and cons and because they have supportive administrators are continuing to implement great lesson for their students just as they did before CC. Do you see at all that all examples you show either relate to the testing(which I think nobody in education has ever loved) or to districts with administrators and teachers who are implementing it wrong and that no where does it say CC must be taught with these prompts and these specific lessons? If not, can you answer how all of the districts I have friends in do not have to follow these techniques and why none of them have used a single lesson similar to the awful lessons posted on why CC isn't working? Are we in some kind of bubble where we are exempt from the "rules" of how you implement the standards? I don't need you to link any other websites with statistics on testing failures, parents who hate CC or lessons that are awful, but just answer if you think there are in fact schools doing it right who are teaching their students successfully under these new standards or if that is not possible and somehow these schools that are successful are somehow sidestepping the actual rules to implementing CC.

I actually do think you are living in a bubble. It's great that your district has found a way to make wordy and confusing standards meaningful and that your kids are doing well with it. All the planning on your district's part is inspiring.

But I'm not sure how this can last. Once the testing comes along this spring, and the massive failure that's almost certainly to accompany it, a whole bunch of pretty terrible things start to fall into place, depending upon your state's laws. Kids won't graduate or move ahead to the next grade. Schools -- and their teachers -- will be labeled as failing, and they can be taken over in some states. Teachers can be fired if kids don't do well enough of the tests.

Our state actually started implementing the standards in 2010 or so as well -- and some of the standards were very similar and had been in place long before that. Some of it works well and is needed. But some of it had really bad overnight effects, like immediately jumping the reading standards.

And the standardized tests insure that creativity in Common Core isn't really welcomed. And school districts are buying the scripts because they know that the testing companies write them, and it will be the same type of questions -- sometimes the EXACT same questions -- that appear on the standardized tests.

So it's the kids with the horrifying curriculums that just may have a leg up.

 

[jodifla]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/feat...ting-florida-utah-worries-20141004-story.html

Utah students took their state's new Common Core tests this spring, and they struggled so badly that a majority of the schools could end up graded D or F.

Despite the more than 2,000 miles that separate the two states, some fear the same thing might happen here. This spring, Florida students will be taking Common Core standardized tests filled with questions from Utah's exams.

Plenty of Florida educators and parents are already concerned Florida hasn't given schools enough time to prepare students for tough new tests, which will replace most of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The Utah results only add to those worries.
l

"It seems like they're setting them up for failure," said Katie Vail, whose sons attend Geneva Elementary School in Seminole County.

...

In Utah, the percentage of students scoring well on the new tests plummeted compared with previous years, when the state gave a different exam. Only 41 percent of fourth-graders, for example, were proficient in language arts this year, compared with 78 percent in 2013.

Fearful about scores in Florida, the Seminole County School Board and the state's superintendents recently urged the state to give its new Florida Standards Assessment this spring but to hold off on using the marks for high-stakes decisions until several years later.

Florida plans to give the new language-arts and math exams in 2015 and use the data immediately to help make student-promotion decisions, evaluate teachers and grade public schools from A to F.

 

[jodifla]

Now that I've finally finished reading the entire thread, I'll weigh in again!

I am not opposed to having a set of standards that students in different grade levels should meet. We are a society in motion, and it's so hard to get the "new kid" up to speed when he moves into the district. Many kids have huge holes in their education, and it's sad because it reflects on all their learning, right through college. I am not opposed to having common goals by grade level. HOWEVER...

I am opposed to the Common Core as it's being implemented in many places. First, it handcuffs teachers. It don't understand why we take intelligent people, put them through college to teach them how to teach, require them to take all those methods courses, require them to do practicum and student teaching, then when they are teachers they are required to have mentors, submit lesson plans, take extra classes, take continuing education classes, and THEN insist on telling them what to teach, how to teach it, when to teach it, what to test, how to test, how to score the tests. Why are we spending the time and energy to educate people to become teachers if we aren't willing to let them TEACH? They are highly trained educators, and it befuddles me why we don't let them take the time necessary to actually teach their students.

Secondly, I think we expect too much of the kids. I see kindergarten kids in tears because they cannot remember how to add. There's no time for play in a kindergarten day! Please, these kids are 5; they shouldn't be crying because they can't spout the next month of the year and so have to wait at the end of the line to enter the classroom (yes, this is a methods issue I'd have with this particular teacher, but why is a kid in tears because she can't remember "August" at the age of 5?). I see what is being taught in 1st & 2nd grade math, and some of the concepts are just beyond 5-8 year olds. I believe that we are asking kids to do things that they are cognitively unable to understand. They just aren't there yet- their brains aren't that developed. As we look more and more into required pre-K, I just shake my head and am thankful that my (very bright) daughter is a college senior instead of just starting out.

Thirdly… This is all a huge money-maker for the text-book companies. The math program publishers are putting forth programs that are semi-aligned with CC while developing the aligned programs. They are putting together the tests, and already have the remedial packages ready for implementation when the kids do abysmally- and they tell you to expect miserable performance for the first few years of the programs. Heck, I took the Smarter Balance 5th grade math test. I know my way around math; I have a master's in protein biochem, worked in scientific research for 25 years, have co-taught 3 years of pre-algebra and now teach math through special ed for grades K-5, so I've had a bit of experience "using" math. Well, it took me TWO HOURS to complete the test, and I was ready to give up after the 4th question. The math tests are heavily language-based, and require a fair level of english fluency/comprehension to give the correct answers. They also require a fair amount of computer literacy, and while most kids these days are pretty good at a computer, these programs are just awkward. To draw a square on a grid, you have to (1) click on the dot tool, (2) put the dot on the coordinate you want, (3) click on the dot tool to turn it off, (4) click on the line tool, (5) click on the dot, (6) draw the line horizontally (let's say) to the next coordinate, (7) click on the line tool to turn it off. Then you start all over again at (1) by turning on the dot tool. If you just click on the coordinate and then try to continue to draw the line, going vertically, you just are drawing a diagonal, not an "L" shape. OK, it's almost as awkward to use as to explain! This is NOT going to fly with kids, and it's not fair to hamper them with having to manipulate a computer while trying to pass a math test- and no scrap paper, everything has to be done on the computer, you can't skip a problem you don't know (you have to guess to move forward)… it's endless, and it's ugly. However, there's always that remedial teaching program that the test-making folks will sell you so your kids do less abysmally NEXT time…

The only light in the darkness is that this, too, like every "we have the answer" approach to education, shall pass within 5 years to be replaced by the next "educational miracle!"

ETA… The problem 85+30? I just think "8+3=11, so 115 is the answer."

So many great points in your post.

For us, locking everything behind intense language requirements is an absolute tragedy, and I see similar laments on every Special Ed message board I'm on. Parents are pulling out their kids in droves to homeschool.

 

[nugov2]

I actually do think you are living in a bubble. It's great that your district has found a way to make wordy and confusing standards meaningful and that your kids are doing well with it. All the planning on your district's part is inspiring.

But I'm not sure how this can last. Once the testing comes along this spring, and the massive failure that's almost certainly to accompany it, a whole bunch of pretty terrible things start to fall into place, depending upon your state's laws. Kids won't graduate or move ahead to the next grade. Schools -- and their teachers -- will be labeled as failing, and they can be taken over in some states. Teachers can be fired if kids don't do well enough of the tests.

Our state actually started implementing the standards in 2010 or so as well -- and some of the standards were very similar and had been in place long before that. Some of it works well and is needed. But some of it had really bad overnight effects, like immediately jumping the reading standards.

And the standardized tests insure that creativity in Common Core isn't really welcomed. And school districts are buying the scripts because they know that the testing companies write them, and it will be the same type of questions -- sometimes the EXACT same questions -- that appear on the standardized tests.

So it's the kids with the horrifying curriculums that just may have a leg up.

Our district piloted the PARCC test in several schools. My dd class was not one specifically one that did, but they did take a rewritten state test that aligned with CC. My dd exceeded expectations in both math and reading(the two subjects they are tested on in 3rd grade). Our district results while saw a slight dip in previous years but still have a high percentage of students meeting and exceeding based on the new cut scores. I am glad our district doesn't buy into that crap that creativity and CC cannot go hand and hand and will never use scripts. Our students don't need to have the exact questions taught to them that will be on the tests to be successful on the test. It is your administrators lack of faith in their teachers and your teachers lack of faith in their students that is the root of the problem. I know you like articles and here are a couple of ones from Edutopia(which is a pretty unbiased website who has no agenda to push) that are pretty good reads. CC isn't perfect, but nothing will be. It is the good administrators and teachers that make students successful. It is there support and creative teaching methods that make students successful. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such good ones.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/recent-polls-common-core-teachers-in-favor-anne-obrien

We have to set the record straight: Most educators support the Common Core. While there is certainly a vocal minority who do not, poll after poll shows that approximately 75 percent of teachers support the Common Core standards. Consider:

A May 2013 American of Federation (AFT) poll of 800 teachers found that 75 percent support the Common Core
A September 2013 National Education Association (NEA) poll of its members found that more than 75 percent support the standards either wholeheartedly or with some reservations
The 2013 Education Next Survey found that 76 percent of teachers strongly or somewhat support adoption of the Common Core
The 2013 Primary Sources survey of 20,000 teachers conducted by Scholastic and the Gates Foundation found that 73 percent of teachers who teach math, English language arts (ELA), science and/or social studies in Common Core states agree they are enthusiastic about the implementation of the standards in their classrooms


http://www.edutopia.org/blog/common-core-two-paths-bob-lenz-ken-kay

these standards should be considered the floor and not the ceiling when it comes to achievement. Important student outcomes (financial literacy, global competence, and self-direction, to name a few) are not addressed. We believe it is critical to adopt a "Common Core and more" approach, as some schools are doing.

Visionary leaders see the Common Core as the leverage they need to dramatically change outcomes for students and the systems in which students learn. They call for students to not only master content and basic skills, but also critical dispositions like analysis, research, inquiry, and deeper learning outcomes, such as communication skills and critical thinking and problem-solving.


Luckily for my kids and the many other districts I am familiar with in my state we have visionary leaders. I hope that you can use the great examples out there to persuade your district to step outside of the script box and trust that their students are capable of being successful on the state exams with creativity and the teachers being allowed to be great. Maybe focusing on the positive ones instead of approaching your district in such a negative way with examples of failure you will get them to see there is another way and that CC does not equal scripts and the other nonsense you have been posting. You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. I hope your kids eventually get the education they deserve.

 

[tvguy]

Common core may not be the answer, but some day America has to get serious about educating our children.

Our school days are shorter than the rest of the the modern world.

Our school year is shorter than the rest of the modern world (60 days shorter than japan)

Our children do less homework that the rest of the modern world.

We are falling behind.

 

[jodifla]

Again, nothing to do with CC and everything to do with the State you live in. We have 3 tests a year. 2 district tests(one if fall and again in spring) and one state test. The district tests are 1 hour for each test so 4 hours total and the state test, I don't remember the exact hours but if runs over 2 weeks broken into several sections. I will pose the question to you again...do you not acknowledge that all of your complaints are not CC issues, but poor state/administration and teacher decisions and execution or does my district somehow sidestep CC regulations? How do you explain the success and happiness in so many districts? I don't understand why you avoid answering my questions and always result to posting stats and websites.

Besides everybody like it, what proof do you have that what you are teaching really matches up to the Common Core Standards?

Nothing your district is doing has a proven track record at this point. I think it will very well could come crashing down in your district once all the kids have to take these tests. It literally has in every state that has taken versions of the PARC or Smarter Balanced tests so far. In states like Kentucky, for 3 years they've been studying Common Core, and for 3 years the numbers have been pretty lousy. There's been some growth, particularly among elementary kids -- but even those aren't stellar. I'm trying to think of something else that you spend 3 YEARS teaching a kid and still have have to almost 70 percent failing that's actually developmentally appropriate -- and depending on race or ability, the numbers drop into single digits.

Look at Leebee's comments about how hard she found the 5th grade Smarter Balanced tests. Do you think that somehow your kids are going to waltz through them?

As far as posting websites and news articles, isn't that exactly what Common Core requires? Not just your opinion?

 

[jodifla]

Our district piloted the PARCC test in several schools. My dd class was not one specifically one that did, but they did take a rewritten state test that aligned with CC. My dd exceeded expectations in both math and reading(the two subjects they are tested on in 3rd grade). Our district results while saw a slight dip in previous years but still have a high percentage of students meeting and exceeding based on the new cut scores. I am glad our district doesn't buy into that crap that creativity and CC cannot go hand and hand and will never use scripts. Our students don't need to have the exact questions taught to them that will be on the tests to be successful on the test. It is your administrators lack of faith in their teachers and your teachers lack of faith in their students that is the root of the problem. I know you like articles and here are a couple of ones from Edutopia(which is a pretty unbiased website who has no agenda to push) that are pretty good reads. CC isn't perfect, but nothing will be. It is the good administrators and teachers that make students successful. It is there support and creative teaching methods that make students successful. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such good ones.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/recent-polls-common-core-teachers-in-favor-anne-obrien

We have to set the record straight: Most educators support the Common Core. While there is certainly a vocal minority who do not, poll after poll shows that approximately 75 percent of teachers support the Common Core standards. Consider:

A May 2013 American of Federation (AFT) poll of 800 teachers found that 75 percent support the Common Core
A September 2013 National Education Association (NEA) poll of its members found that more than 75 percent support the standards either wholeheartedly or with some reservations
The 2013 Education Next Survey found that 76 percent of teachers strongly or somewhat support adoption of the Common Core
The 2013 Primary Sources survey of 20,000 teachers conducted by Scholastic and the Gates Foundation found that 73 percent of teachers who teach math, English language arts (ELA), science and/or social studies in Common Core states agree they are enthusiastic about the implementation of the standards in their classrooms


http://www.edutopia.org/blog/common-core-two-paths-bob-lenz-ken-kay

these standards should be considered the floor and not the ceiling when it comes to achievement. Important student outcomes (financial literacy, global competence, and self-direction, to name a few) are not addressed. We believe it is critical to adopt a "Common Core and more" approach, as some schools are doing.

Visionary leaders see the Common Core as the leverage they need to dramatically change outcomes for students and the systems in which students learn. They call for students to not only master content and basic skills, but also critical dispositions like analysis, research, inquiry, and deeper learning outcomes, such as communication skills and critical thinking and problem-solving.


Luckily for my kids and the many other districts I am familiar with in my state we have visionary leaders. I hope that you can use the great examples out there to persuade your district to step outside of the script box and trust that their students are capable of being successful on the state exams with creativity and the teachers being allowed to be great. Maybe focusing on the positive ones instead of approaching your district in such a negative way with examples of failure you will get them to see there is another way and that CC does not equal scripts and the other nonsense you have been posting. You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. I hope your kids eventually get the education they deserve.

Seriously, you didn't just post a poll about whether teachers like Common Core from the Gates Foundation?

 

[Lolsmum]

Now that I've finally finished reading the entire thread, I'll weigh in again!

I am not opposed to having a set of standards that students in different grade levels should meet. We are a society in motion, and it's so hard to get the "new kid" up to speed when he moves into the district. Many kids have huge holes in their education, and it's sad because it reflects on all their learning, right through college. I am not opposed to having common goals by grade level. HOWEVER...

I am opposed to the Common Core as it's being implemented in many places. First, it handcuffs teachers. It don't understand why we take intelligent people, put them through college to teach them how to teach, require them to take all those methods courses, require them to do practicum and student teaching, then when they are teachers they are required to have mentors, submit lesson plans, take extra classes, take continuing education classes, and THEN insist on telling them what to teach, how to teach it, when to teach it, what to test, how to test, how to score the tests. Why are we spending the time and energy to educate people to become teachers if we aren't willing to let them TEACH? They are highly trained educators, and it befuddles me why we don't let them take the time necessary to actually teach their students.

Secondly, I think we expect too much of the kids. I see kindergarten kids in tears because they cannot remember how to add. There's no time for play in a kindergarten day! Please, these kids are 5; they shouldn't be crying because they can't spout the next month of the year and so have to wait at the end of the line to enter the classroom (yes, this is a methods issue I'd have with this particular teacher, but why is a kid in tears because she can't remember "August" at the age of 5?). I see what is being taught in 1st & 2nd grade math, and some of the concepts are just beyond 5-8 year olds. I believe that we are asking kids to do things that they are cognitively unable to understand. They just aren't there yet- their brains aren't that developed. As we look more and more into required pre-K, I just shake my head and am thankful that my (very bright) daughter is a college senior instead of just starting out.

Thirdly… This is all a huge money-maker for the text-book companies. The math program publishers are putting forth programs that are semi-aligned with CC while developing the aligned programs. They are putting together the tests, and already have the remedial packages ready for implementation when the kids do abysmally- and they tell you to expect miserable performance for the first few years of the programs. Heck, I took the Smarter Balance 5th grade math test. I know my way around math; I have a master's in protein biochem, worked in scientific research for 25 years, have co-taught 3 years of pre-algebra and now teach math through special ed for grades K-5, so I've had a bit of experience "using" math. Well, it took me TWO HOURS to complete the test, and I was ready to give up after the 4th question. The math tests are heavily language-based, and require a fair level of english fluency/comprehension to give the correct answers. They also require a fair amount of computer literacy, and while most kids these days are pretty good at a computer, these programs are just awkward. To draw a square on a grid, you have to (1) click on the dot tool, (2) put the dot on the coordinate you want, (3) click on the dot tool to turn it off, (4) click on the line tool, (5) click on the dot, (6) draw the line horizontally (let's say) to the next coordinate, (7) click on the line tool to turn it off. Then you start all over again at (1) by turning on the dot tool. If you just click on the coordinate and then try to continue to draw the line, going vertically, you just are drawing a diagonal, not an "L" shape. OK, it's almost as awkward to use as to explain! This is NOT going to fly with kids, and it's not fair to hamper them with having to manipulate a computer while trying to pass a math test- and no scrap paper, everything has to be done on the computer, you can't skip a problem you don't know (you have to guess to move forward)… it's endless, and it's ugly. However, there's always that remedial teaching program that the test-making folks will sell you so your kids do less abysmally NEXT time…

The only light in the darkness is that this, too, like every "we have the answer" approach to education, shall pass within 5 years to be replaced by the next "educational miracle!"

ETA… The problem 85+30? I just think "8+3=11, so 115 is the answer."

The majority of your complaints do not actually seem to speak to Common Core itself, but to poor implementation.

As I've mentioned before, I live in the UK (but grew up in the US and have friends and family with children being educated in the US, primarily with Common Core now). My kids go to a good school and are educated according to the National Curriculum, which like Common Core provides standards for each grade level which apply over the whole country (England anyway). My kids face standardised testing, though less frequently; are taught mathematics with similar strategies and actually started school a year (or more in the case of my August birthday daughter) earlier than their peers in the US. My children and their peers here learned the basics of reading, writing, addition and subtraction in reception, which begins the September after the child's 4th birthday. I currently volunteer in that class at our school despite my kids being older. It is amazing what 4 and 5 year olds can learn if it is taught well in short pieces interspersed with the learning that comes through play at that age.

Our school has much less homework than their peers in the US often have. I have never seen my child bring home a busy work worksheet and the closest to a worksheet they do at home is their spelling, where they are asked to use each word in a sentence. Other than that, they have one-two topics they work on each week (reception through year 2 get 1 topic, years 3 and 4 get 2 topics) which are expected to take no more than an hour over the week. They are also expected to read regularly at home, but missing a night here or there is no big deal.

If a school or district is stopping the teachers from teaching that doesn't seem to be a Common Core problem, but a local one. If Kindergarteners aren't given any time to play or are regularly in tears and sent to the back of the line for not knowing anything, whatever it is, that is a teacher issue, not a CC one. It does seem that every problem in school in the US is being blamed on CC lately.

 

[jodifla]

How about an actually unbiased survey? And from this year. This one focusing on Tennessee...



Support for Common Core among Tennessee teachers has waned so much since last year that a majority now opposes the academic standards, a new statewide survey shows.

With the future of Common Core under fire in Tennessee, a new report from the Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation and Development could provide more ammunition to those who want to roll back the standards.

The new 2014 survey, undertaken by a group led by Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development and released Wednesday, found that just 39 percent of respondents believe that teaching to the standards will improve student learning — compared with 60 percent who said the same last year.

It also found 56 percent of the 27,000 Tennessee teachers who responded to the survey want to abandon the standards, while 13 percent would prefer to delay their implementation. Only 31 percent want to proceed. The 2013 survey did not ask questions in this area.

“There’s been a pretty big drop of support for the Common Core,” said Dale Ballou, a Vanderbilt professor and director of the consortium.

 

[Colleen27]

Again, I think that is a failure on the districts part. Our district began rewriting and slowly rolling out the standards in 2011.(I sat on a district wide foundation and I believe they pretty much new by the end of the summer of 2010 that this was happening and began to prepare. They compared our current standards to what was being proposed and to see where they would need changes.) They got committees together and began to work on writing the curriculum one area at a time in 2012 they rolled out some standards(but in K and 1st had full roll out to catch the younger kids earlier), in 2013 the it was in full roll out with end of the year assessment and reevaluation to make any tweaks and this year is full implementation. My son was the first K class to have this roll out and there was a difference for sure, but he had no issues. I think the reason our parents and teachers are so happy is because of the amazing way our district handled it. I honestly can see why people are upset if it was implemented mid year or by some of the lessons being posted. If my kids were exposed to teachers reading prompts and some of the other crap out there I would be upset too. I think districts were dragging their feet with the hope that the state would not adopt the standards. I know in the meetings there was talk about that, but our district decided that either way this was a good thing to look at every standard and what we currently had and raise the bar if it needed to be. If the standards were not adopted by our state, well than at least they knew we had looked at each subject and put together the best curriculum for our students and if they were adopted they were ready to go. The thing is, when you look at the standards they are not bad. I think maybe they just need to help states failing and give them more time to really sit down and put together the best curriculum for their students. I don't understand why they can't allow another 2 year grace period for these states struggling and take the districts with success as models to how CC should really look. I don't think it is the fault of CC they are failing, but the fault of the administrators. Even so, not allowing them to have more time is a disservice to the students in those districts.

Yes, that particular facet of the problem is an implementation issue. Throwing new curriculum mandates at a school already in budget-crisis mode didn't make for the most considered and gradual roll-out. We're in the middle of building closures and transportation restructuring and downsizing the district as a whole, teachers are being moved around to accommodate the changes, class sizes are getting bigger every year, and in the middle of all that they're expected to make wholesale changes to the curriculum, train teachers to support the new methods, and not see student performance suffer.

However, that's just the complaint that even fans of the program cannot deny. Many of the teachers at our school have issues with the specific requirements of the common core standards themselves as well, particularly with the dramatically increased emphasis on writing in math classes. There is no more room for a student to be good at math but not at English.