I have met the writer of this letter. I know he is real. He requested anonymity. In New York, it is not safe to question authority:

“It is time for parents to speak out against the Common Core standards. They are destroying the love of learning in our children. My eight-year old son is in the third grade. He is a very strong student, particularly in Mathematics. Despite that strength, he recently had a homework assignment from his Common Core Math workbook, that frustrated him to tears. The word problem involved many steps including reading and understanding the problem, interpreting what needs to be done to solve it, subtracting three digit numbers, estimating each number’s tenth place value before subtracting and then coming up with an answer that matched an estimated answer. The problem was far too complex for a third grader. Instead of being excited about doing Math homework like he used to be, he now frequently says, “I don’t get this. It doesn’t make sense.” He’s right. It doesn’t.
“My son is losing his love of learning as the drill for the spring tests begin. He was so excited by a project that he did on planets and one that he did on Walt Disney. Both projects required him to research, read, write and most importantly, be creative. He didn’t cry then, he laughed and smiled. It was at an appropriate level and made sense. The Common Core and teaching to the test is now replacing these projects in our schools. As an educator, I am disappointed in our leaders and puzzled by their allegiance to the Common Core. As a parent, I am saddened and extremely upset that a curriculum matched to State testing is having such a negative effect on my child’s learning. The inappropriate level of difficulty in the Common Core is quickly turning my son’s joy of learning into sadness. I know that I am far from alone in my feelings and experience with this.
” A fellow parent told me about the effect of the Common Core testing on her daughter. Last year her little girl took the New York State Mathematics exam in the fourth grade. Her performance level on the Common Core test was scored as a 2 (below proficiency), however, the year before she was a 4 (advanced) and has been a very strong student in Math. Unfortunately, this parent was told by her school that her daughter must be placed in an additional Math support class for academic intervention services because of her score. Upon hearing this, the student said, “Now I’m stupid. Now I’m a dumb kid,”. The parent told me that her daughter’s teacher told her that she really does not need AIS, but the State of New York mandates it because of her score on the exam. The student’s confidence has been unnecessarily crushed and the parent is outraged.
“Parents in my suburban community are sharing similar anecdotes and seeing similar effects on their children. They are angry and expect better. They have watched their older children successfully navigate our schools and be very well prepared for college. They know that the scores are not an accurate measure. Their children deserve a well-researched curriculum that is appropriate at every level and does not confuse or frustrate their children to tears. Our children are now experiencing heightened levels of stress, anxiety, confusion, lowered self-esteem and a lack of interest in school. It is frequently being called, “Common Core Disorder.” Many parents have told me that they do not understand what the questions are asking for, why the questions are being asked and even how to solve them. Because I am a school leader in another district, they have complained to me repeatedly that they do not understand why such difficult concepts and high level problems are being taught to children who do not understand, or have just learned, basic concepts. The Common Core is lacking common sense.
“Reformers will suggest that “Common Core Disorder” is due to the lack of quality teaching in prior years and that suddenly things have to change so that students become college and career ready. The children in my community, including my son, and the children in the school that I work in, would be college and career ready without the inclusion of the Common Core curriculum. How do I know this? It’s simple. They have dedicated parents and teachers in their lives that care about them and devote all their efforts and time to teaching them about academics, learning and life at the appropriate levels and in a healthy manner. They instill upon them the importance of school, community and being a good person with a quality character. At times I wonder if reformers have studied the true sources of problems in our schools and education system or implement changes such as the Common Core for other reasons.
“If the reason that the Common Core is being implemented is to increase the numbers of students who are not college and career ready coming out of high school, then why are schools with extremely high percentages of students going to college being subjected to this? If strong students are finding this curriculum to be confusing, how are students with special needs and English language learners going to understand it? If there are students who lack the basic skills to prepare them for college, shouldn’t we have a curriculum that stresses those skills, not one that makes it impossible for them to succeed? Many parents are questioning the motives behind the Common Core. Some have suggested that it is a way to help destroy public school education and for big businesses to profit off of poor results of State exams. I’m not entirely sure, but one thing is certain. The crying and frustration must end. We are raising a generation of students for whom education has become punishment.”