By adopting these Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Maine risks reducing our local school boards to clerical duties only. Parents will no longer be able to go to their local school board with curriculum concerns. National Standards will lead to National Testing which leads to a National Curriculum. This will remove the “Public” from “Public education.”The CCSS are vague enough to allow the testing companies to control the curriculum.
Our state standards do need improvement. They received a “C” grade by the Thomas B Fordham Foundation. A close study our National Assessment of Educational (NAEP) testing data is concerning. Our largest demographic, ranks us as follows in mathematics:
4th Grade – 37th
8th Grade – 38th
Massachusetts is #1, regardless of Demographic.
Do we really need the CCSS for education reform in Maine? Local school boards and the state are free to improve upon our current state standards, without signing onto National Standards. Why not adopt another state’s “A” rated Thomas B Fordham standards and use an inexpensive national norm referenced test like the IOWA test?
The bottom line is that the CCSS math standards are better than our current standards, but they are not world class. (Example: You would think kids need to know the standard algorithm for addition and subtraction by 3rd grade, but the Common Core says 4th. Multiplication and division are at 6th grade.) Has everyone voting on these standards actually read them?
Dr. Sandra Stotsky and Prof. James Milgram were both on the validation committee for the Common Core State Standards. Both refused to sign off on them, but their comments go unremarked in the committee’s official report. Why not invite them to testify before voting on the CCSS for Maine?
It will soon be too late to put on the brakes in Maine. Few discussions have focused on the Common Core State Standards in Maine. Even worse, no discussions have focused on the National Testing. What about the costly and extensive databases mandated under this federal plan? All teachers and students from pre-K forward must be assessed, tracked, and reported on, but does anyone know if there are sufficient safeguards for their privacy rights?
Maine finished 33rd in our Race to the Top (RttT) application (283.4 out of 500). Washington State finished just above Maine (290.6 points). There were only 36 applicants. Washington is a lead state in the consortium awarded a $160 million grant to develop a student assessment system aligned with the common core academic standards. Dan Hupp of Maine DoE is part of this consortium. Why we should trust these assessments will be good when those overseeing them finished at the bottom in the RttT?
Is Washington picking those at the bottom of the RttT to do the assessments so that they can also get federal $$?
Maine didn’t win any “Race to the Top” federal funds. Why risk committing to a national test? Why not simply adopt our own version of the Common Core State Standards and cut the Federal Government?
President Obama has recently proposed tying in the common core standards adoption to Title 1 funding, which is subject to Congress approval or disapproval. This would make the adoption of the Common Core State Standards “mandated as a condition for receiving federal education program funds.” This is very concerning.
Will student testing data be attached to student’s Social Security numbers? What guarantees are there that this data won’t be share with colleges and future employers?
Will the CCSS “suggested readings” be tested on the “National Test”? If so, are they actually “mandatory reading?”
Have you researched those writing the “National Tests?”
What exactly does it mean to be “college-ready” in mathematics and English Language Arts?
What will the long-term cost of the transition to national standards be to the State of Maine?
Where will parents go if they have concerns with the curriculum?
By signing onto the Math and ELA Common Core Standards and testing, are we committing to the Science and History Common Core State Standards?
Can students “opt-out” of nationalized testing
No comments:
Post a Comment