In a discussion of the expectations of the Common Core, a reader offered this observation:
“Here in Clark County Nevada we have been treated to a special pep talk by our new superintendent, a 25 year veteran of the district and a former kindergarten teacher. He stated on Jon Ralston’s show that we will have to step up to meet the Common Core standards. He bluntly stated that from his experience kindergarten would be teaching what he said were 2nd and 3rd grade concepts in his time. I am glad for his honesty, but I am sure reality will intrude on his wish that children attain and perform at levels that are developmentally inappropriate. I am not sure he is enough of a bureaucrat to know he made an admission that others should amplify. Our kids aren’t stupid, our schools aren’t failing, the tests are not appropriate.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I am a retired teacher and former adjunct subbing in schools. I had a 2nd grade class that was doing quiet reading. In time I moved to a popular spelling game and gave the kids the option to continue reading. I was dumbfounded that at least a third of the class continued reading and not the least distracted by the excitement of the students around them. I mentioned to an administrator what I saw and concluded that this would cease when they begin to feel that reading is nonsense and they move into the testing beginning in 3rd grade.
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“Should Children in Kindergarten Do Third Grade Work?” begs the question, “What actually *is* third-grade work, and who decides that?”
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There is much documentation on what is developmentally appropriate for early childhood education. It is tied to what research has shown to be a normal progression of physical, emotional, and mental development in young children. It is well documented. Although not all children achieve the same developmental milestones at the same age, they do progress through the stages at a fairly predictable rate. So yes, there may be some brighter students who can do higher level skills, and some who lag behind, but it is not difficult to figure out what is developmentally appropriate at each stage. That is of course if you are an educator. It may be a little more difficult for a hedge fund manager or a billioaire computer company owner! Or even harder for a Broad Superintendent or Common Core developer.
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You assume they care? Finland succeeds with starting at 7 years of age and with a system that creates IEPs for every student from that point on. If we want to “catch” them, why are we doing the opposite ? Can you say…PROFIT?
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I’m an educator, but I’ve been 7-12… pre-K through 3 is not my forte. But I have two kids, one just finishing K and one just finishing 2nd, and it makes me go hmmm……
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Oh My..
You are stating that each student should be treated as an individual……No No No..not with this Common Core Testing Mania..
No..they all have to know the same thing at the same time…
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Neanderthal100,
I agree that students should have the opportunity to attend the school that suites their needs best, no matter what the family income might be.
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Kinder is and should be a time for socialization skills and learning through play. However, learning centers are now a thing of the past and 5 year olds are coming home with worksheets. Yes, there are students with different abilities in each grade, and we need to address that. But K-3 should have the lowest registers, yet many districts are putting over 25 kids in a class…some as much as 30.
CC is now limiting the amount of fiction we can do with our classes, which is a shame since that’s the genre that motivates most readers. Of course if a child is into science or have other interests, we aim to find those books for their independent reading.
But CC also assumes many of these students come to school with basic background knowledge. I taught early childhood science K-2, and I had students who never went to a zoo. I had students who thought meat came from a supermarket. When I asked if anyone ever ate a cow or a pig, they said NO. Many couldn’t tell me textures when I gave them cotton or a piece of sandpaper. So of course I had to teach these concepts. But I did it all through hands-on play and experimentation. CC is going to throw so much at these children, and it will turn into class warfare if we aren’t allowed to make the decisions on what should be taught. There is a big difference between the children who start school already knowing how to write their names and count and those who can barely hold a pencil. There are children who come to school with a pretty good basic vocabulary and those that never had a conversation with others, let alone their parents. It’s our job to open their eyes to things that are new and wondrous. So, I think the teachers and not corporations or politicians should decide. And when you start asking a kinder to write a persuasive letter, when they hardly know how to write a letter, that’s ridiculous.
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I think this question becomes more problematic at the high school level.
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The last statement says it perfectly. Its not the kids, nor the teachers, and our schools are NOT failing…. Its the Tests Stupid! We continue to be judged by inappropriate tests and wonder why the results are dismal. As a former early childhood educator, and now school administrator, I see this as child endangerment. I will continue to speak out loudly against this “machine” of inappropriate testing.
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Me too…everyday..all over this USA..and the world is is by now laughing at us and the Testing Maniacs that occupy the State Hills!!
Go here
http://stopcommoncorenc.org/category/blog/
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Bridget,
Have you read Wilson’s work that I so often reference here?
If not, it will give a complete picture as to why the standards, standardized testing and grading of students is completely invalid. See: “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at: http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577/700
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Have they all lost their minds? Have they never heard of cognitive development? Do they ever think of how boys will fall further behind?
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Who cares about the boys when there’s good money to be made supplying the schools with the tools of the trade. (apologies to Country Joe and the Fish)
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There wasn’t much concern before all this happened, now the waters get murkier for a K-3 boy, especially poor.
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There are endless experiences in our world that our PreK – 2 children can and should be exposed to and learn about. Are we so ignorant or brainwashed that little ones need to learn school curriculum in the abstract, off worksheets and on workbook pages or with an iPad? I’ve never felt a babbling brook or smelled a cow on any of these. Not even scratch and sniff!
Child development experts, parents, Head Start, psychologists, teachers….know what needs to be taught to this age group. The publishers, corporate folks, legislators and super rich moguls determine our lives and hurt our children. And, we allow them to do it!
In my career, I would receive referrals from teachers and administrators of Kindergarten children who could not: tell time, make change to $1.00, combine coins to an equivalent amount, reversed letters and numbers, confused letter names and letter sounds, etc! The urgency was expressed, needing to refer the kids to SpEd. Really? Disabled? The teachers knew the children were not ready for the mandated curriculum, but felt pressured to follow procedures in lock step. Common scenario!
If it were not so sad, I would laugh about the collective stupidity and crime committed in the name of challenging kids. Generations of children.
My question continues to be: IS THERE TRULY NOTHING AGE APPROPRIATE FOR PreK – 2 CHILDREN TO LEARN? The world is wide open and a wonder for them to experience and learn from.
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The ONLY reason to put developmentally inappropriate curriculum for young students is to track them so they have NO access at all to higher education. By “higher education” I mean high school. Neoliberals think that for the vast majority of people, any education beyond the seventh or eighth grade is a waste of money because they wrongly believe the purpose of education is job training. Of course it is NOT.
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In other words, the vast majority of K-6 students will fail and eventually drop out. This is by design so that all chances for upward mobility are denied them.
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HUH? DUH! OY! This is the school to jail pipeline at work.
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The only way to improve education is to go back to developmentally appropriate education. Kindergarten students need to spend time learning how to ‘play school’. That would mean: putting things away when finished, beginning organization skills, listening skills, hand-eye co-ordination, introduction to a keyboard, for those who need it, reading for those who are ready for it. We need to go back to admitting that not all children are ready to read at age five. Some aren’t ready until age 8. Let them wait until they are ready, and don’t make them feel like they are below their classmates. There are many late bloomers who went on to do great things.
Also, return decision-making for what happens in a classroom to the teachers. They are trained. Let them use their training. It is sinful that so many teachers aren’t allowed to utilize their talents. It is sinful that superintendents are making decisions based on teachers’ diplomas, rather than on what works. Remember the ’80s? Site-based management and building-level decision making? That came from the private sector. It worked there, as well as in the schools. Factory workers were allowed to make suggestions, and were paid for ones that worked. Teachers were allowed to say “This is what works for MY students,” and surprise! the teachers were right.
When will we stop doing stupid things?
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Agreed. And what about the students with developmental disabilities? For the past 2 years in NYC teachers of students with developmental disabilities – those who are already assigned to an “alternate assessment” classroom and are excluded from having to take standardized tests – have been mandated to units and tasks (inexplicably referred to as “bundles”) aligned to common core standards. A 10 year old student who is just mastering writing their name has to write an opinion piece….its heartbreaking.
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Diane, I’m not sure if you ever read some of my articles but , in response to this kindergarten situation of betrayal, , I wrote passionate piece called “Handcuff Me Too!” (after that K child was handcuffed-in all the paper) and then I wrote a follow up [piece requested by one of the journals called “Handcuffed In A Garden Of Thorns!” (remember= kindergarten means garden of children) My finger in the hole in the dike! Courage! Peace! Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld
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