A mother in North Carolina wrote for advice. Her daughter in first grade is studying algebra. Her teacher said it was the Common Core. The mother is baffled. She asked for help. Here is an informed response:
“I am responding to the blog entry from the mother in N.C. who is concerned about the Common Core Standards and their effects on her first grade child. I am an early childhood teacher educator–I’ve taught teachers of young children at Lesley University for over 30 years. I can tell you that the Common Core Standards for young children are developmentally inappropriate, not based on how young children learn, and in my opinion, causing a great deal of harm to young children all over the country (the standards have been adopted by almost all states). The standards require young kids to master skills and sub skills that are isolated from meaningful contexts and not at the level of young children’s thinking. Teachers are responsible for teaching these inappropriate skills and facts to young children and do so through a lot of direct teaching. Instead of building their own ideas in ways that make sense to them, young kids have to memorize answers without real understanding. The Common Core Standards were not developed from the professional understandings and input of early childhood educators. As far as I can tell, few if any early childhood educators had input in writing these standards and thus they are not a good reflection of what children should know and do in the early years. We have to find ways to reject these standards by joining with other educators and parents, as they really will undermine the confidence and learning of our nation’s children and have serious implications for our future.”
Nancy Carlsson-Paige
Diane Ravitch's blog 
You want to talk about serious implications for our future, how about the fact that even under the ‘old core’ students where performing poorly in math. You mention that as far as you can tell, early childhood educators where not consulted in developing the CC. As far as I can tell that is incorrect.
Look at the source:
http://www.corestandards.org/frequently-asked-questions
In fact the CC was developed by a coalition of educators, teacher orginizations, colleges, and businesses. These last two we’re involved to ensure that the end result was a set of standards that left students prepared for of college and careers in a world that has higher and higher demands for mathematical comprehension. The days of old are waning we’re people could admit “I’m horrible at math!” (as if they were proud of the fact) and not suffer the reprocutions. Colleges are sick and tired of getting students who can barely add and multiply (unless its fractions or negative numbers, then forget about it). Businesses are sick and tired of getting graduates who barely remember rote processes and never learned how to properly apply them.
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The biggest problem with the Common Core is that too many people are jumping to conclussions without doing their homework on the matter. Those who developed the core did their homework. Some of us trying to implement it have done the same. Unfortunately there are some who have not, either because they don’t have the time (I did not get paid ‘extra’ for the many hours and months spent researching the core and how to implement it) or because they had faith in the fact that sufficient training would be given-in hind sight, a somewhat foolish assumption considering that Public Ed funding barley keeps the lights on. Most of those who criticize the CC have not done their homework through reliable sources (thought that’s not entirely true) but most arguments against it are false rumors started by people with an agenda or frustrated people left in the dark due to poor implementation.
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Between the cup and the lip, there is many a slip.
National standards cannot be developed rapidly, secretly and without elaborate trial.
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Were these standards implemented by law or by rule? Was there notice and comment? Now I am curious about the DOE’s compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act. Ms. Ravich, are there attorneys who have looked at challenging the Common Core?
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CC didn’t need to come along to tell teachers what was wrong with the math curriculum. We needed to get rid of programs like Everyday Math and Trailblazers that never focused on basic skills. And we needed to do away with a curriculum that gives students 3 days to learn a concept then moves to a new and unrelated concept. All we had to do was follow the Asian model of math education which puts more focus on a particular concept.
That said, much of CC does put added stress on our youngest students. Why should a K student need to write a persuasive essay?? It’s ridiculous. We’ve taken away center time for these students. We’ve taken away their ability to learn socialization skills. As for teachers being involved, just because 2 unions sign on doesn’t mean it’s “teacher approved”.
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You got that right schoolgal…there are many things our unions endorse that the front line workers do not agree with….supporting Obama and the CCSS are two prime examples. Watch the video series linked below…frightening!
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No it didn’t. Teachers already knew what was wrong with it. It is just as you said: the implementation of bad programs that don’t work (most of them developed by textbook companies). Here in Utah the CC saved most of us from these bad programs. Unfortunately, some just got replaced with new bad programs (like Digits). That’s not the standards themselves, that is how districts (and sometimes state boards) chose to implement them. Trying to do business as usual.
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There was no input from the NEA, just approval after the fact by the organization NOT by the paying members. Don’t be fooled.
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Many mistruths have been spread and by the backers of this movement…states did not willingly adopt the CCSS…it was federal blackmail….want your waiver? Want to be off the hook for NCLB? Then you must agree to the following. Part III is the most disturbing. And a very, very expensive unfunded mandate and a national databank on every child in the country…is that really necessary? i would say you have not done your homework believing all you were told. Gates and Coleman should not have this much power.
Stop Common Core, American Principles Project and the Concerned Women of America in Georgia made the following video series on the Common Core State Standards possible. Jane Robbins of American Principles Project gives a broad explanation of the problems of the Common Core.
http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/stop-common-core-video-series/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TruthInAmericanEducation+%28Truth+in+American+Education%29
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@schoolgal, maybe the CC doesn’t have to but in, but someone does because what has been going on in math education has not been working. I literally get kids in my college classes who cannot multiply, let alone perform the math they were supposed to learn in high school. (of course, that’s their problem, it just means job security for me).
As for the videos, look who they were created by. Read the myths vs. facts page and ask yourself, “do they have an agenda?”
I especially liked video 5. The purpose of the common core: utopian grandiose planning for a global world economy. What was public education before the CC then?
I would love to write a persuasive essay refuting each and every point made in those videos, but it would be a waste of time here–pointless.
I will end with this: the way things where going in math education your children would be replaced by computers in a few decades–there is nothing they can do that a computer can’t do faster and without making mistakes. What students do need to learn is how to think.
The CC standards put emphasis on thinking. Not the thinking a computer does, but the think the human mind does that computers cannot duplicate (yet). If you think they are anything more or less than that, you have some conspiracy issues to deal with. It is definitly a fact that the implimentation has been poor. But there is nothing wrong with the content the standards are asking students to learn.
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T.S.H.: if you were telling the truth, you would use your real name. What is your experience? How many years have you been teaching and where? Are you benefitting monetarily from the common core?
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I will support TSH in that many of my students in 13 grade have terrible math skills. About a third of the first year class must take remedial mathematics at the state flagship university where I teach.
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Just because the Common Core site says they were developed by teachers doesn’t mean they were. Several years ago, teachers in Ohio asked who came up with the questions on the Proficiency Tests. We were told teachers. We knew better than that. A group of Ohio NBCTs met with legislators and ODE staff. We asked the ODE to identify the teachers. Guess what? There were few. Soon after, I volunteered to be on one of the test content committees for 4th grade. There were exactly two teachers out of about ten members on the committee. I was the only 4th grade teacher. There was also a kindergarten teacher. The rest were retired superintendents, librarians, administrators and other support staff. Teachers writing the Common Core? Really? Was Michelle Rhee one of them?
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Teachers were not involved..lies and spin…as Coleman has said….in business people don’t give a shit what you think….maybe we should tell Coleman…we don’t give a shit what you think. .
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The standards were developed by Achieve and the National Governors Association, under the general direction of David Coleman of Student Achievement Partners.
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Actually, it was developed by the National Governers Association in conjunction with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) with input from the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and other organizations–one of which was the Student Acheivment Partners–along with public comment periods.
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And the reason why the federal government needs to keep track of every student records is…..?
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Wrong!
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You think the ‘government’ doesn’t already get all that information now!? How else did you think they where getting all their data about the acheivment gap?
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It is much more now…they have gutted FERPA…it is well beyond test scores and it wasn’t controlled by the Feds before. Now they want to give it to profit making companies controlled by Gates, Murdoch, etc. you need to become informed. Do you have a stake in the profits?
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Parents dont care about colleges being sick of kids who can’t add or do math. Then don’t accspt them, if the grades aren’t good. Merit. Destroying them young with inappropriate curriculum won’t help much
Everyone doesn’t have to be top at everything. Common core is a trojan horse of misery and a proven mess, defending it makes it seem you work for acheive or
gates foundation. Parents and teachers see through it.
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My research university accepts 93% of those that apply. There are opportunities out there, there are second chances.
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So maybe they should take art classes or lit. Math is for people who love it and usually those with an affinity excel. Not for everybody. We are all individuals with varying talents. This math thing is such a red herring.
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Thank you Nancy. I fwd your comment to my niece who has a pre-schooler in a private school and lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee. (At least Nashville took a stand against Rhee’s ex!!). She decided against sending her daughter to kinder at the age of 4. Then the legislature changed the age requirement. She will also miss the cutoff when she turns 5, but my niece is happy about that too. She talks to teachers who tell her to wait as long as possible before enrolling her. It’s too much pressure for a young learner.
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Diane,
I don’t recall if you did a story on teachers at a Hawaiian school who took it upon themselves to become their own advocates.. They started a movement (with parents support) which now has 4 other schools following their lead. Many FB pages are publishing their story today and it resulted in 100+ more Likes to their FB page in a matter of hours.
Here is the story and video.http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/-Work-to-the-Rules-protest-highlights-teacher-s-off-hour-work/-/8905354/17413948/-/xf1175z/-/index.html
I hope teachers across America can be inspired by their actions as well. https://www.facebook.com/CampbellWorkTheRulesProtest
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CC will not rectify your argument. In fact, why don’t you look at the standards it’s creating for kindergarten students. It’s outrageous. I was teaching before districts were mandated teachers to use these touchy/feely math programs on the elementary level, and my students knew their math when they left my room. These new standards will do more to stifle creative thinking. It’s already putting a choke hold on the use of literature. I think the problem with TSH is he/she has no idea what actually happens at the elementary level–especially if his/her background is math. All this will do is put a greater emphasis on teaching to the test rather than actually giving students the ability to comprehend and retain the material. It’s not just CC, but the increasing number of tests that goes with CC’s implementation. And that’s wrong!! This is why teachers should never be mandated to teach a certain way. It also stifles our creativity.
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I have a lot of respect for both of you but this information on first grade CCSS is just not accurate. I taught first grade for many years and I find the CCSS much less daunting and more practical than our previous state standards. I also find them age appropriate. Please take a look for yourself:
CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.A.1 Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.
There is reason to criticize CCSS but the developmental appropriateness of the first grade algebra standard is not one of them.
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And this is why the CCSS will never work..they are being shoved down our throats and we can’t even agree on their merits, their original, etc. Some will have training, some will not. Some will have resources, some will not. Some will circumvent, some will follow a script. The gap will widen, which is one purpose of the CCSS, so then they can close and take over more schools and make them into charter test prep factories with high teacher and student attrition rates. This is not reform…this is the destruction of public education.
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Unanimity is a high bar for any policy change.
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It seems to me that the author of this explanation does not understand the essence of the common core standards as they relate to cognitive (thinking) strategy development on the part of students in our early kindergarten classrooms. Since when are even our youngest students unable to THINK at higher levels. Unfortunately, in many cases, kindergarten students demonstrate higher levels of thinking ( analyzing, evaluating, and creating) than our high school graduates. The traditional education system with its assembly line model of uniformity and mass production has squelched student incentive to think differently – a skill required outside of our classrooms but not in our classrooms. Higher order thinking is the essence of the CCSS. If the teacher who authored this piece truly believes what he/she said, the standards WILL NOT be implemented effectively, instructional practice will not change, and students will be deprived of the foundational conceptual elements essential to meeting the goal of college and career readiness for ALL students.
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I welcome any debate focused on student interest not teacher agendas
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What makes you think that the interests of students and teachers differ?
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I am a teacher..their best interests are my agenda. Do not insult us.
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Here is a simple example I have cited before: high schools start too early in the day for best adolescent learning. The students interests are compromised by the interests of all the adults involved in the decisions.
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Not accurate…many student athletes and students with part time jobs want the early hours. Maybe it doesn’t benefit your kid, which seems to be the only perspective you bring to these posts.
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My focus was on student learning, not the other aspects of adolescent’s lives. It is not obvious to me that because they “want” these hours it is good for them.
My children have typically been at the high school from 8 until 5 every day if your interested.
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Many students juggle sports, academics, part time jobs and succeed and thrive. They don’t adjust college hours for you either if you are a serious student. They want them because they can handle them. Many children are at school from 7am until 5pm with a variety of commitments and back at night for clubs, ceremonies, play rehearsals, band events, fundraisers, team events, open house, etc. This happens throughout our country and all are examples of student learning…OUR children, not just yours.
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The policy recommendation that high school start at a later time in the day is not based on research about my children. They don’t suggest students do less, but move it all back a couple of hours.
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Suzy Cutbirth said “teacher agendas”.
Are you implying that teachers are the reason our schools start as early as they do? Have you even thought this through at all? Why would any teacher want to get to work EARLIER in the morning? Especially if they knew this was going to make their work more frustrating and difficult than sleeping in?
Teaching economist, I gotta hand it to you, your “I’m so smart I’m the only one who sees the other side of the argument” comments on this blog never fail to give me a laugh–but this one is a side-splitter.
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I am far from the only one who sees the other side of the argument. Perhaps I am the only one who posts here, but I am trying to figure out the post by Bonnie Lesley under ‘Why the Grassroots….” that begins “I think the frog….” is a great piece of satire, but it is so good that I am not really sure. Perhaps that post has been made by someone else who sees the other side of the argument.
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Various think tanks have estimated the cost of implementing the Common Core as $16 billion or so.
Do you think that will happen?
Have you read the ELA standards?
I have.
They are not appropriate for the early elementary grades.
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Would you please elaborate?
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Oh please Suzy!!! Teachers were forced to use Everyday Math and Trailblazers because it was supposed to increase higher-order thinking skills. It did not. Instead it would introduce 3 completely different concepts in the same unit and many times in the same lesson. To understand multiplication, one has to understand number theory, place value, expanded notation, etc. And while these are taught, it’s taught in bits and increments year after year instead of doing it right the first time. Before NCLB and quarterly assessments, I taught my 3rd graders the basics before I was able to get them to problem solving. You do not give a carpenter a piece of wood without him having the acquired skills!! Many times I would have to start the year off with remediation. (Something I could never do now.) As a result, not only did my class improve, meet or exceed the standards, but their next year’s teachers were impressed with their math abilities. I had one sibling (who attended middle school) tell me she used her brother’s notes to help her with her studies. I was not using Common Core. I was using common sense. The math notes included each and every step necessary to do the operation (like rewinding a VCR tape). If indeed CC was developed by teachers, more students would be doing better in math because we as teachers would know not to cram so many concepts into one school year.
As for the students not doing well in college, the explanation is simple. Ask any HS math teacher and they will tell you the ridiculous mandates placed on them and their students starting with student placement. Many students are not getting the proper math placements. Then there are things like “seat credit” and “credit recovery” all designed to add enough points to give a failing student a passing grade. Teachers are furious, but there’s nothing they can do.
To say CC is the answer is beyond ridiculous as long as mandates and testing requirements are in place. This is also true when using standards-based lessons and incorporating differentiated instruction. They are 2 completely different styles and should not be put together, but they are. And people wonder why it’s not working. Then there are the students themselves. We cannot teach the same way with each and every class. Yet we are not allowed to adapt lessons to the needs of our students. In college you can offer remediation. Those days are over for the elementary school teacher because we are put on a timeline of topics to cover before Pearson comes in with their assessments. Give me any elementary class that’s behind in math, take away the mandates and restrictions, and I promise you they will improve. And I would bring in games and fun projects to enhance my lessons.
But wait, there’s another factor—reading comprehension!!! If that is low, it will effect the problem solving elements of the test. I would need to start rebuilding. But again, not allowed to do so. Imagine having to sneak decoding into my comprehension lessons!!
CC doesn’t take into account a class can have children with learning disabilities, language problems, health problems, social problems, discipline problems. People are clueless!!! Are we even allowed to have a teachable moment when we see our first snowflake?? Not if an administrator happens to walk in I certainly hope your kinder lessons are also fun. Kinder should be fun. Learning should be fun!!
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You are so right!
I spoke to my sons teacher the other day and she is disheartened and frustrated. One of my daughters had a STEM project last year about sustainable palm oil and orangutans in borneo. How is that science technology engineering and math?
Right, it wasn’t it was cause marketing and enviro indoc. I was furious as this is my field. Completely over their heads and complex geopolitics/history. And this in private catholic school. The 5th grade pearson social studies is an obvious bravo for communism which is horrifying and historically inaccurate. So parents ( me) and teachers ( you ) are rejecting this, how do we stop it???!!
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You are well versed in the propaganda.
My critical thinkong and higher order thinking and my authentic education and my systems thinking and my outcome based idea tell me that those on this thread defending common core are profiting from it or employed by its educrat monarchs. Or just payed trolls. It is hard to imagine any teacher or parent who knows it, supporting it And like it or not, they are who count in this fight. This info however has not reached the educrat monarchs yet.
But it will.
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And I have no idea where most of you who are commenting on HS hours live, but here in NYC is starts way too early and lunch is served at 9am. Not because it’s best for learning, but due to overcrowding. Studies show in fact that many students are losing sleep and cannot function that early. Instead of building new schools, we are taking it out on our kids. Again, many of these comments are not based on reality of what goes on in inner-city schools. Shame on you!!
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I gave the staring time of high schools as what I thought was an uncontroversial example where school policy and practice, like in any organization, is a compromise between the interests of all of the stakeholders.
I suppose that when it comes to education these days, there is nothing that remains uncontroversial.
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Starting time, not staring time.
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When it comes to students, those in charge do not care about a student’s welfare. Just because something is a “policy” doesn’t make it right. The joke used to be “If it doesn’t make sense, the Bd of Ed will do it.” The joke isn’t funny, just sadly true.
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People in my district are concerned about all-day kindergarten. I say, put a warning label on the registration forms:
“Kindergarten may be detrimental to your child’s development. Enroll at your own risk. Please send your questions to the DOE after you have read the CCSS bible.”
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As a parent, educator and scholar of educational policies and theories, I alarm at many if the comments that suggest CCSS are detrimental to our children. Those who are skeptical I invite you to study the worlds top performing educational systems. I also invite you to keep in mind that our children do not know what they can’t do until we (adults) tell them.
As a school administrator I have heard many say what is developmentally to “difficult” for children. As a rebuttal, I show them clips of my now two year old child who can read at a first grade level, write her first name, and apply knowledge acquired in her classroom setting to everyday experiences. She is not of exceptional intelligence, she is a product of “ceiling proof instruction” and a joint effort between parents and teacher.
I am hard pressed to believe thinking critically and mastery of skills beyond rote memorization are detrimental to our children.
Uninformed educators who are limited to their own pedagogy and fail to exam education on a universal level are far more detrimental to our children.
Let’s stop putting our children in a box of limits.
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John Stuart Mill could read Latin and Greek by the age of five, but he was exceptional.
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