About Common Core and data gathering

I will have to admit that of all of the problems that surround the implementation of Common Core Standards, one that had bothered me the least was the idea that it would enable the government to have access to all kinds of data about students.

My main concerns about Common Core has been its overreliance on testing, the lack of contributions from teachers in the formation of the standards, and the fact that so many of those involved are connected with various technology and testing companies.

Further research indicates that those who are worried about the gathering of data on students have every reason to be concerned. In her latest blog post, author/professor Andrea Gabor addresses the increased information that will be available to government and businesses:

Then, too, there’s the question of what kind of data inBloom encourages schools to collect. It’s not just grades and attendance, but disciplinary records and family arrangements. Says the NYT:

“InBloom seems designed to nudge schools toward maximal data collection. School administrators can choose to fill in more than 400 data fields. Many are facts that schools already collect and share with various software or service companies: grades, attendance records, academic subjects, course levels, disabilities. Administrators can also upload certain details that students or parents may be comfortable sharing with teachers, but not with unknown technology vendors. InBloom’s data elements, for instance, include family relationships (“foster parent” or “father’s significant other”) and reasons for enrollment changes (“withdrawn due to illness” or “leaving school as a victim of a serious violent incident”)

“Ms. Barnes, the privacy lawyer, said she was particularly troubled by the disciplinary details that could be uploaded to inBloom because its system included subjective designations like “perpetrator,” “victim” and “principal watch list.” Students, she said, may grow out of some behaviors or not want them shared with third parties. She also warned educators to be wary of using subjective data points to stratify or channel children.”

InBloom, it should be noted, is not officially connected with Common Core Standards (the same kind of non-connection that the federal government claims), but the database it is creating is designed to specifically go along with Common Core and allow those who are in favor of Common Core to continue to say that parents have nothing to worry about when it comes to Common Core and privacy.