It’s Friday! Fridays mean fun and for our purposes it is the time to weigh all those fibs, facts and downright mysterious things we’ve heard about Common Core Standards but aren’t sure just what to do with them.
So, I’ve come up with a plan! Don’t you just love it when someone has a plan?! Here’s how this will work:
a) I’ll list some of the fibs/facts and other statements and you get to decide where they fit on the ‘Fib-o-Meter’. “Total Truth” is on one side, ‘Not Sure’ is in the middle, and lastly, ‘Totally Fallacy’. An example of truth: CCSS violates the 10th Amendment; an example for ‘not sure’ is that taxpayers may have to foot the unpaid costs associated with CCSS. Total fallacy’s example? Easy, CCSS isn’t just ‘standards’. This would be much more fun to enjoy this together & if I had a real scale, but, being the internet & I’m not that technically blessed, we’ll just make the best of it!
b) Here are the fibs/facts people have submitted. (For this to work next week, I’ll need more fibs/facts, so PLEASE send them to me so we can rate them & put this one-of-a-kind “Fib-o-Meter” to work) You can print the “Fib-o-Meter” out & use it with friends, family or associates as a sort of fun way to illustrate how slick CCSS is at selling its agenda. (we always learn more when we have fun) If you don’t want to print it out, you can simply follow along & place each fib/fact in the category you think it fits! Relax, I’ll provide the answers at the bottom (so NO peeking until then).
“Evidence Based Learning” Fib, Fact or Not sure?
“Internationally Benchmarked” Fib, Fact or Not sure?
“CCSS expects all students to develop knowledge/skills the previous standards couldn’t do.”
“CCSS saves $$ because technology can be used to do so much more.”
“Opponents of CCSS have made it a political issue.”
“The continued cost to align to CCSS isn’t very much & will be covered by the government.”
“Most teachers love the Standards.”
“CCSS is a culmination of 20+ years worth of effort that began in 1989 via the NCTM.”
“CCSS is American made for American students who are globally minded.”
“CCSS isn’t curriculum, it’s just standards.”
Okay, that’s how Fridays will work. We’ll feature a set of facts/fibs and see where they ‘land’! If your family, friends, and associates have any facts, see how those measure up on the ‘Fib-o-Meter’. They may be very surprised. Now, the answers:
Evidence Based Learning, just what is that, anyway? “Evidence Based” is a borrowed phrase from the medical field and usually is followed by the word ‘practices’. So, it’s “TOTAL FALLACY”! I found an excellent article that extrapolates upon this: (http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2013/mar/26/teachers-research-evidence-based-education)
Next up, ‘international benchmarked’, if you said “TOTAL FALLACY”, great! Dr. Stotsky wrote an article for the Pioneer Institute discussing this very subject. Link: (http://pioneerinstitute.org/news/wanted-internationally-benchmarked-standards-in-english-mathematics-and-science/)
CCSS expects all students..blah, blah..Yes, they do. “Total Truth” there. However, what we expect in life and what we get are usually not the same, so while CCSS expects all students to be developing knowledge/skills, it cannot guarantee this. (excerpt: ” The new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are strongly aligned with those sentiments. Based on evidence of the skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness, the CCSS expect students to engage deeply in a wide variety of informational and literary texts in ELA/Literacy and to be able to both know and do mathematics by solving a range of problems and engaging in key practices.”) Source: http://www.achieve.org/files/RevisedElementaryActionBrief_Final_Feb.pdf
CCSS can save $$, frankly, it’s a bit too early to tell since not all of the implementation is complete. So, that said, place this one on the ‘Not Sure‘. However, Do a bit of your own looking into how much your state has spent so far and where the balance due will be coming from. Personally, for NC, where I live, this would be a ‘Total Fallacy‘. See: (http://ladyliberty1885.com/2014/07/02/pat-mccrory-shifting-on-common-core/)
Opponents have made CCSS a political issue.“Total Fallacy” Refer back to my first post (Welcome and Introduction). Since the Standards violate the U.S.Constitution and break at least 3 federal laws, I’d say with passion that the minute those behind CCSS did these things, THEY made it political. When there was no single legislative vote, but public, private partnerships deals, THEY made it political. We, the opposed are merely finishing up the job and will march to the polls in November with that thought on our minds!
Continued cost is not much for CCSS, yes, that’s right..my beachfront Kansas home awaits your arrival! See the above article by my anti CCSS warrior, Lady Liberty. Then finish it with the Pioneer Institute’s “Cost’ (follow this link & click on ‘cost’: http://pioneerinstitute.org/common-core/) BTW, “Total Fallacy”
Most teachers love the Standards. Depending on which study or poll you use as reference, that would make it a “Not Sure”. However, Diane Ravitch’s article state otherwise. See: (http://dianeravitch.net/2014/08/19/common-core-support-eroding-especially-among-teachers/). So, once again, “Total Fallacy”
CCSS is a culmination of a 20+ year effort, so on. I’m placing this one under “Not Sure”. Yes, if you refer back to my PCAST, STEM and Common Core post, you’ll see the NCTM(National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) back in 1989 did establish standards.However, to say the entire CCSS is a result of their work is “Total Fallacy” when you factor in Gates, UNESCO, etc.
Which leads us to CCSS is American Made for American students globally minded. “Total Fallacy” on this one. Go back to my original Welcome & Introduction post. If you cannot access that, read this by Berit Kjos,(http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=13825) Her timeline spells out how international CCSS truly is.
Our last statement, ‘just standards’. Oh, I despise this one! “Total Fallacy”! CCSS is an entire business industry. Because it’s Friday and it’s supposed to be more fun than the others. I’ll just supply one source to debunk this one, http://commoncore.org/.
Well, there you have it! Want this fun game to be a bit more challenging?! Send in those facts/fibs & let’s do it again next week! Before I sign off, here’s a visual for you:
If you’d like to have a bit more fun, check out the educational phrases every parent needs: http://www.nychold.com/hirsch-termin.html.
For a bit of help with your family, friends, neighbors who need help with the true facts about CCSS (suitable for using them in your own version at home of “Fib-o-Meter”) Fact Sheet on CC written by Dr. Stotsky.
