It seems the traditional media is always the last to know.
A story or two has been printed or aired about concerns over Common Core Standards, but for the most part it has been done by making opponents look like wild-eyed radicals who see black helicopters everywhere they look.
Make no mistake about it- Common Core Standards will be the top educational issue next year when the Missouri Legislature convenes and those who are opposing it are not a group of dangerously out-of-touch lunatics.
The accompanying videos, which were taken during a House Committee hearing Monday in Jefferson City, are revealing in many ways. Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro confirms that those who attended public meetings held across the state on Common Core Standards were not allowed to ask questions, but only to submit questions.
The questions and the answers to them were later placed on DESE's website and Ms. Nicastro said the questions were unedited...then she admitted she did not know if they were edited.
She says that superintendents across the state were involved in establishing Common Core Standards, which is not exactly the truth. They were involved in getting their schools to start working toward Common Core Stardards (often without informing their boards of education about what was going on), but they had nothing whatsoever to do with writing Common Core Standards. Those were delivered to the state in finished form.
Finally, Ms. Nicastro says that no school can opt out of Common Core Standards. They can set up whatever curriculum they want, she says, but "they cannot change the standards."
2 comments:
I admit that I do not read this blog very often as I already know what its intent has become. Mr. Turner believes no one knows how to run an education system other than himself and some teachers that support him. Anyone else with thoughts on the matter are no appreciated.
I only make a simple point on this subject, CCS and anyone's ability to accept or reject, in whole or in part such standards. There are plenty of people that can do so, change the standards, but Mr. Turner is not one of them, thankfully.
I even wonder if Mr. Turner and his supporters have any read the standards. If yes, I then ask him to pick just one standard to show where it is a wrong standard, a goal to be achieved by students in Missouri. Show us how you would rewrite the standard or the reason to just toss it out with nothing in its place.
I have read the standards. They are readily available online. I see nothing wrong in that reading. They are each and everyone of them a good standard to seek to be achieved by all K12 students in MO.
Frankly I believe it is great fear on the part of people such as Mr. Turner and his supporters that they, as teachers, would be unable to teach kids as needed to achieve the stated standards.
Certainly writing pornography and calling it political satire has been deemed very ineffective ways to teach good standards of how to read and write, using critical thinking and analytical skills, skills need by every adult in America today in a fast paced and modern society.
Anson
Ouch! Randy, the truth hurts doesn't it? Evident by the ugly comments posted by Anson Burlingame. He proves exactly what the problem is with most uneducated "experts" in the nation. I wonder if he takes a check from Bill Gates or one of Gates Organizations. That is a really good guess because usually someone this willing to hammer people who dare step out of line to shine the light on the TRUTH have their own ugly agenda.
So, my questions to Mr. Burlingame:
1. You are okay with copyrighted standards that are OWNED by 2 PRIVATE trade organizations?
2. You are okay with the FACT that Governor Nixon signed onto the standards before they were even written and then hailed them as "state led" when our state had nothing to do with writing the standards.
3. You don't have a problem that the federal government is the biggest funding agent of the SBAC (the assessment consortium that will be testing the standards)?
4. You are fine with private companies such as Pearson (the largest text book publisher in the world), and Bill Gates (the software monopoly) funding the development of the online curriculum that will follow the standards that you so love?
5. Are you willing to admit that the standards beget tests? And we have not even seen the tests yet. That is yet to come. And once those tests are put in place then the curriculum (that Gates and Pearson have just admitted that they are partnering on) will be offered to align to the tests. Watch the video and them tell the rest of us we are crazy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtTK_6VKpf4
The truth hurts Mr. Burlingame. GET USED TO IT. Your talking points are empty. You NEED to get educated sir. You make a fool of yourself uttering your ridiculous talking points to those of us who really are educated about this topic.
Call names, wag the dog, and then sign yourself up for a public debate with many moms in your area who would love to school you. Because you see, we have kids in school RIGHT now. Do you? Our spouses are teachers. Is yours? WE KNOW THE TRUTH.
Oh, that is right, guys like you like to sit as bullies behind your computer screens. The truth is a hard pill that your kind does not willing swallow. Don't bother cutting truth tellers like Randy Turner down. We know your kind and have your number.
Signed:
A mom who is sick of your kind of lies.
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