Pundits Pund and Yap but Common Core Successful

This years stats on Common Core off the Scholastic Web site show good, even great reviews.

A majority of teachers (68%) who say implementation has started in their school agree it is going well, up six points from 2013. As one teacher noted, “I feel that within my district, efforts are being made to help teachers understand and implement the Common Core State Standards, and I feel comfortable and enjoy learning about new ways to do things.”

When focusing on student outcomes, teachers remain optimistic that the Common Core State Standards will improve:

• students’ ability to think critically and use reasoning skills (74% in 2013, 72% in 2014).
• students’ ability to effectively present their ideas based on evidence (71% in 2013, 70% in 2014).
• students’ ability to read and comprehend informational texts(68% in 2013, 66% in 2014).

To that end, many teachers are already seeing a positive impact on their students’ abilities to:

• think critically and use reasoning skills (53%),
• effectively present their ideas based on evidence (53%),
• read and comprehend informational texts (50%),
• use real-world tools and resources (46%), and
• work collaboratively with peers (46%).

A study done on Common Core A Progress Report on the Common Core by the Brown Center gives good reviews as well. It also shows that the states that didn't move over to Common Core did less well. Not much less, only a "1.27 gap between strong implementers and non-adopters" So, not huge growth in the testing area yet. Which is to be expected, since we are likely using the same curriculum as we were last year and the year before. -- because Common Core doesn't have its own Curriculum. Right? We know that, yes?

Pundits have thrown up all kinds of garbage about Common Core and it is a little depressing how much of it is believed before checking and find out that 80% of the meme's are flat out fiction.

My favorite is the math one:

To which anyone n my age group says ARG! Make it STOP! Cause we have no idea about what is going on there. Well First off, that gibberish on the bottom (the new way) really is a way of doing subtraction,  I know,Right? I didn't believe it either, but it is and I'll let this guy explain it on his blog page.

What is a fib.. well.. a flat out lie actually, is that Common Core has anything to do with this change. Common Core has nothing to do with this. This would only come into the classroom because the Teacher or the State curriculum brought it there.

Myth: The standards tell teachers what to teach.
Fact: Teachers know best about what works in the classroom. That is why these standards establish what students need to learn but do not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students reach the standards.

-- Common Core Myths and Facts  

What that means is, the student needs to know how to subtract, and add and read, but you can teach him how to do that anyway you want to.

A pundit (sometimes called a talking head) is a person who offers to mass media their opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the social sciences, technology or sport) on which they are knowledgeable (or can at least appear to be knowledgeable), or considered a scholar in said area. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities. In certain cases, it may be used in a derogatory manner as well, as the political equivalent of ideologue. -- Wikipedia 

Bill Nye the Science Guy on Common Core

Bill Nye the Science Guy, one of my favorite Teaching Personalities and very popular with kids, looks into Common Core and gives his opinion. 

If I were king of the forest we would have math in the core curriculum. Science would be in the core curriculum. English in the core curriculum. Elementary science is where you get scientists. Everybody in the space program, everybody who's a doctor got interested in science when he or she was seven or eight years old, before they were ten, not when they were 16 or 18. That's where you spend your money is science education in elementary levels. Now, people are opposed to core curriculum I believe for two reasons. One of them good and the other just not. The first reason, my perception is they are afraid having these core curriculum, these standards, prohibits teachers from having time to do other stuff that they're good at. It takes away from other things that a teacher brings to the party. And by that I mean what is your favorite thing about your favorite teacher? And it's his or her passion. It's his or her like I'm so excited about this I want you to get excited about this when you're a little kid or when you're any student at any level, even if you're a 58-year-old guy going to the Smithsonian to take a course in oceanography for fun. It's the passion of the person presenting it that gets you going. So, by having too many standards that have to be met too rigorously, the concern is, and I understand this, that you'll keep students from having any fun and getting excited about anything.

But the other reason people seem to be, my perception of what people don't like about core curricula is that it forces them to learn standard stuff when they could be teaching their kids things that are inconsistent with what we know about science. I'm talking about people that want to teach creationism instead of biology. And that's just bad. And the excuse or the justification is you don't want the government telling you what to do. We all have to learn the alphabet everybody. I'm sorry, if we're we're going to have a successful society, it's not an arbitrary arrangement of letters, you got to learn it. Sorry. And the same way if you're asking me everybody's got to learn a little bit of physics, chemistry, mathematics and you got to learn some evolution. You got to learn some biology.

I mean the idea is obvious right? You have a certain minimum that everybody's got to meet. What? Everybody's got to learn the alphabet. Everybody's got to learn to read. The U.S. Constitution is written in english so everybody's got to learn to read english. It would be great if you learned some tonal languages, some romance language that would be good, but our laws are written in english. Everybody's got to learn to read english. Everybody's got to learn math. Everybody's got to learn some algebra. Everybody's got to learn some biology including evolution. So what's not to love? But I know there are people opposed to that.

There may be small errors in this transcript.

Perfect, right?  

Teachers’ Views on the Common Core State Standards One Year Later

• In 2014, teachers are more likely to report feeling prepared to teach to the Common Core (79% in 2014 vs. 71% in 2013); they are also now more likely to say implementation is going well in their schools (68% in 2014 vs. 62% in 2013).
• Fifty-three percent (53%) of teachers overall have seen a positive impact on their students’ ability to think critically and use reasoning skills due to Common Core implementation. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of teachers who report they are in schools where implementation was fully complete in the 2012–13 school year (or earlier) say the same.
• Eighty-four percent (84%) of teachers who have experienced more than one year of full implementation say they are enthusiastic about the implementation of the new standards.
• Fewer teachers overall this year than last say that they are enthusiastic about Common Core implementation (68% in 2014 vs. 73% in 2013); teachers are now also more likely to say implementation is challenging (81% in 2014 vs. 73% in 2013).
• Teachers identify Common Core–aligned instructional materials (86%), quality professional development (84%), additional planning time (78%) and opportunities to collaborate (78%) as critical to ensure successful implementation.

Recall of Williams Appears the only measure to stop Obstruction of Education

Just read this article on Chalk Beat Colorado 

I didn't realize that the Jeffco Board Majority was being so obstructive to their student's education. While most of my interest in this area diminished with the AP Censorship, if I was a parent in this district I would be seriously concerned with what I'm hearing. 

This Julie Williams, who apparently has experience as an office manager in a medical office, and no experience or training at all in the field of education -- and after starting all of this because she didn't bother to read the instructions on the AP US History documents, but instead took the word of reactionists and extremist who also didn't read the instructions -- is doing more to disrupt education than anyone I've ever seen (Except perhaps the Governor of Texas). It really feels like she would prefer the schools to be closed. Several times she has been quoted as admiring the latest actions of the department of education in Texas -- which most people look at as a monumental travesty. Here are the instructions these people can't seem to find or read.

http://www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/courses/us_history.html

I think Re-Call is in order. If only for this Williams woman who it appears is bent on destruction.

Oh.. and a look at Texas, who Julie Williams seems to be so enamored with..from News Week

...students reading Perfection Learning’s new textbook on American history will think Moses was right up there with John Locke and Charles de Montesquieu in influencing Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and their brethren. What role did Moses supposedly play? The textbook claims he contributed the concept that “a nation needs a written code of behavior.” Forget the biblical ignorance shown in suggesting Moses provided the code for a “nation” rather than for the Jewish people, who had no nation (failing to reach the Promised Land was kind of key to the Book of Deuteronomy). Forget the legal ignorance in suggesting the Constitution had anything to do with a “code of behavior” rather than establishing democratic government and the rights guaranteed to citizens. Forget the historical ignorance in suggesting that the first laws came from Moses when the sixth Amorite king of Babylon established one of the first written set of laws, known as Hammurabi's Code, hundreds of years earlier.

 I shudder every time I think of this... It is sedition and corruption of the highest -- and yet it is happening right now. 

"The "establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion to another ... in the words of Jefferson, the [First Amendment] clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between church and State' ... That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach. -- The United States Supreme Court

The article suggests that the publishers created these text books for Texas (under the board's direction) because Texas was such a huge purchaser of school text books (number one in the nation it seems). I think that the rest of the nation should insure that Texas is now their ONLY customer, for being so greedy that the students learning from these text books didn't matter to them at all. 

Seriously publishers.. shame on you. 

Trevor Packer -- Very Effective, Completely Ignored by Krieger

Tevor Paker VP College Board

The following is a document sent to an official at the Georgia Department of Education forwarded, as written by Trevor Packer, a vice president at College Board. 
Trevor Packer – April 9, 2014
This document is in answer to a piece written by Larry Krieger and Jane Robbins and published on the propaganda machine Heartland.org. New Advanced Placement Framework Distorts America’s History but this document pops up all over the web at different Ultra-Right propaganda/hate-pages across the internet. These websites should not be confused with actual Republican party websites, or even Republican News websites. They are all twisted distant sisters which propagate false controversies and erroneous information. Most of these can be traced in funding to the Koch network.

So.. lets begin the rebuttal from Trevor Packer.

Nebraska -- Close but Safe

Yesterday the President and Vice President of the Nebraska Department of Education announced that the Policy Committee had suggested Boycotting the AP program from the College Board, based on doubts about the AP US History curriculum. 

Last night I read this, did some research, and composed a letter to them regarding the mistake this would be. You can read that letter here: Letter to Nebraska Department of Education

Today, a meeting was called of the NDE and after some discussion a vote of 7-0 sent the matter back to the Policy Committee for further research.

You can read the story here:Nebraska Board of Ed to further study AP U.S. history framework  It doesn't mention me or the email, which is fine, in fact great. It doesn't matter why they chose not to go that route, only that they did. The AP program is much too important to students to be lost like this.

I will say that Rachel Wise, President - District 3,  is a really cool customer. Nebraska is lucky to have her in that position. In one of the articles I read, which gave quite a bit of Hype and Rage toward dropping the AP program, Wise wasn't losing her cool...

The Republican wants a complete rewrite of the course, which is taken by nearly 450,000 U.S. students each year. 

Board President Rachel Wise of Oakland declined to say whether she would support the resolution. 

Wise said weighing in would be “a little premature” because the resolution could be amended before reaching the full board.

Like I said, cool customer. I believe that if Larry Krieger's smoke and mirrors got past her, it wouldn't have taken long for her to catch back up.

Anyway, that made my day and I'm seriously happy that Nebraska has backed down and no one is going to pay for this fraud that Larry Krieger has been perpetuating... now... about Larry & friends...

What We Learned in Colorado - Verify before Opening Mouth

So, we got through the Board Meeting and no one died, people were heard, the Jeffco School Board may or may not have learned that they are working for the people of their district, not the other way around and there were some serious displays of not only community pride, but civic understanding. 

So, now, we need to understand and come to grips with a rather .. well uncomfortable realization...

The whole bases of this argument was erroneous and misleading. At the core of this problem is the "facts being taught"  Every one was concerned with What was going to be taught, or what wasn't going to be taught, Censorship, Patriotism, all based on the Data of the AP History program -- well those facts don't exist yet. 

Yeah, I know.. embarrassing huh? That moment when you realize that your school board members can't read? yeah... 

The School Board member Julie Williams is mis-informed (Most likely this was an intentional lie to her as well). Since she didn't bother to research the information and verify it, I give her no absolution. She caused this whole mess through arrogant beliefs and should be removed from her position. She has no business being anywhere near a school -- except maybe to attend. 

The College Board AP system changed this year, so that it could encompass the vast amount of history the different states wished to focus on and teach. The ONLY goal that AP classes have (History or otherwise) is to prepare the student for College Level Learning.. that is very important to keep in mind. The difference between High School History and College History is really only one thing. 

In High School you learn and test for your ability to recall facts. i.e. What date was the Declaration Signed? 

In College you learn to analyze the information. Simply knowing the trivia is not enough, so a College Level question would be -- What Did the Declaration Declare? Analyzing the Declaration you might pick up on the realization that the words "United States" had never been used publicly before to describe the collection of colonies. Also you might consider, the opening paragraph stated, the representatives of the states were laying before "the opinions of mankind" the reasons "one people" had chosen "to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them." Those "powers of the earth" -- meaning other sovereign states -- were the immediate international audience for the Declaration. The United States intended to join them on an equal footing "as Free and Independent States" that "have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which independent States may of right do" 

So, really there is a vast difference between Trivia and Understanding The College Board considered this, and it appears that they came to the conclusion that It Doesn't Matter, however What information is being analyzed, only that the skill of analyzing is learned. So, the goal of the AP US History Framework was to create a tool, a program, in which the teacher could convey these skills. BUT the teacher could chose what ever History and Context, indeed even the Text Book she wished to use as her base data.

As Presented, so that the College Board could explain to the teacher how to use the Framework, it was necessary, of course, to provide SAMPLE data -- otherwise there would be a lot of blank spaces in the instruction manual. IT WAS NOT REAL DATA, just sample data. All of it NEEDED to be replaced by the teacher with REAL data, that she would provide. 

The SAMPLE data was misunderstood (I believe misrepresented on purpose by Larry Krieger a former AP High School History teacher), to be what the AP US History program was teaching... and nothing.. could be further from the truth. The School, or the State, or whoever is tasked with the project, is the sole and only provider of the Data the AP Framework will utilize during the course. 

Which is exactly what the AP US History Instruction page says on the College Board Web site.. have a look 

http://www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/courses/us_history.html

If you are interested you can check out my blog for further information

By the way.. Jeffco Students Rock!
#JeffcoStandup #Standup4kids

For those looking for Recall, this link is a good place to begin
http://ballotpedia.org/Laws_governing_recall_in_Colorado#Signature_requirement