This site is written by Christel Lane Swasey. In the main photo on this blog, I’m the one on the left.
I met Renee Braddy (middle) and Alisa Ellis (right) after I saw their school board presentation on educational freedom, which is the fight against Common core. It is on YouTube: Two Moms Against Common Core. http://youtu.be/Mk0D16mNbp4
Then we became Three Moms Against Common Core. (Actually, there are thousands now, even just in our state.)
We have been together at Utah State School Board meetings, local Wasatch County school board meetings, have spoken often on the local radio station and some other Utah stations, have had meetings with legislators and with our Governor, and have even made a little YouTube, video http://youtu.be/5XBsbxYJHms. We work hard because we are convinced we must.
We love high quality, real education and local control and local freedom –as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
So, about me: I’ve been teaching and writing all my life.
I have a B.A. degree in English and a M.A. degree in Communications, both from Brigham Young University. I earned my teaching credential at California State University San Bernardino. I have a Utah Cactus I.D. and my level II, 1st grade-through-postsecondary Utah teaching credential is valid and up-to-date.
I am home schooling a fourth grader and a two year old right now. I absolutely love home school and see that it’s made a huge positive difference in my fourth grader’s happiness and in his dramatically rapid academic growth. My teenager is in the public high school, and is unfortunately experiencing Common Core up close. It’s not fun. But her other school experiences (sports and other extracurricular activities) are fun, so she’s decided to stay in school for now. I also have a wonderful husband and two stepchildren who visit as often as they can.
I taught Basic Composition and Freshman English at Utah Valley University as an adjunct professor (two years), worked as a full time grant writer for a consortium of Utah Valley charter schools (one year); taught third grade at Renaissance Academy in Lehi, Utah, and at Odyssey Charter School in American Fork, Utah (two years) and taught high school English and drama at Colton High School in Colton, California (five years).
The topic of my Master’s thesis, Ethnographic Literary Journalism, which I presented at the International Association of Literary Journalism Studies Conference in 2009 at Northwestern University, Illinois, is relevant to this site and to the Common Core Initiative. (Full text of thesis is available here: http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ETD/id/1888 )
Common Core mandates that English classes teach no more than 50% classic literature, making room for informational texts in elementary grades; and by twelfth grade, the percentage of allowable classic literature is further reduced to only 30%.
Informational text does not belong in English; it belongs in journalism classes, history, science, or other classes.
Since my bachelor’s degree is in English literature and my master’s degree in Communications focused on informational texts (ethnographic literary journalism) I am uniquely qualified to understand the usefulness of both. I value both. I see the need for both. Still, I emphatically state that the Common Core Initiative’s cutting out of classic literature is a huge mistake.Classic literature is sacred. Its removal from American schools is an affront to our humanity.
We need classic literature. We become human by passing on our stories. Souls are enlarged by their exposure to the characters, the imagery, the rich vocabulary, and the endless forms of the battle between good and evil, that happen in all classic literature.
While there are equally serious affonts by the Common Core to students in the diminishment of high quality math, my special passion is English and that’s why I mention it particularly here.
Classic stories create a love for books and reading that cannot be acquired in any other way. Dickens, Shakespeare, Hugo, Orwell, Dickinson, Whitman, Dostoevsky, Rand, O’Connor, Dahl, Carroll, Marquez, Cisneros, Faulkner, Fitzgerald– where would we be without the gifts of these great writers and their writings?
The sly and subtle change to education made by the Common Core Initiative, that cuts out so much classic literature to make room for informational texts, will have the same effect on our educational system and on our children as if Common Core had mandated the destruction of a certain percentage of all classic literature. How much does this differ from book burning in its ultimate effects?
And that’s why I’ve made this website.
Thanks for your detailed analysis of the situation created here in Utah by the adoption of the Common Core Initiative. I attended that school board meeting too. It is scarey how naive the school board members are to the dangers of this initiative. I am eager to hear what the attorney general’s response is. I am assuming you will post it.
Thanks for your efforts. You are not alone in this fight.
Kristen Price, state delegate from West Jordan.
Kristen,
Thanks for your comment.
It’s been a month and I’ve heard nothing from the attorney general’s office. I’ve also heard no response to the referenced rebuttal I wrote to the U.S.O.E.’s unreferenced flier (fact v. fiction) about Common Core. It’s strange; the state school board refuses to give evidence for their claims about Common Core, yet they paint those of us who oppose Common Core with actual evidence and facts as the “misinformed” ones.
Well, keep up the good fight. True and free education, state sovereignty, the liberty to amend standards, parental authority and the maintenance of privacy laws –basically, goodness and truth– are on our side. How can we fail?
Christel
Thank you for your diligent work on this issue, Cristel. You are a thorough researcher and an articulate explainer. You draw out the true points of contention on this issue. It’s not about standards, it’s about sovereignty, and everything that sovereignty entails. Thanks to your work, I know where to go to research it myself. After reading the SBAC RTT application and grant, and many other documents, I’m with you 100%.
Thanks Christel for all you do to bring the truth to light. We will plug along and keep spreading the word. I enlightened a few people tonight outside of the precinct meetings in Midvale. You are amazing and I really appreciate all of your information. Kristen Price
I found your blog from your post to Ben Swann. I think you need to watch this Youtube video. It is just an hour long.
Charlotte Iserbyt served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first Reagan Administration, where she first blew the whistle on a major technology initiative which would control curriculum in America’s classrooms.
Her website is: http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/index.html
Thank you, Hall. I’m watching/listening to it right now. It is so important to listen to people like Charlotte. I appreciate your comment.
You might want to take a lot at an article I wrote on my blog “The School Speech Therapist”
http://www.theschoolspeechtherapist.com/core-curriculum-and-the-slp/
The article common core and the SLP generated several comments that you might be interested in. I’ve been in education for over 25 years. The recent changes have not been good so I have little faith this can work. I am also extremely disappointed with my professional group. Common core will basically tell us how to be speech language pathologists, not acceptable and my professional group should be pushing back or at least questioning. Keep this going I am passing your site on to my friends and will highlight it on my blog.
Teresa Sadowski MA/SLP-ccc
You bring up some interesting things in your blog on school speech therapy that I hadn’t known before. The sad thing is that Common Core was adopted with virtually no input from teachers, parents, and local legislators. Now we are all stuck with it, without an amendment process for it, and with so many political mandates that it will drive many good teachers away. I feel the answer is to talk, talk, talk. Call governors. Call state school boards. Tell neighbors and friends and reporters what is really going on. Silence is the killer here.
Teresa,
Thanks for sharing your professional opinion. Too many people just are not aware of the Common Core situation. Parents, grandparents, etc. need to open their eyes and become informed before it’s too late to stop this educational disaster!
You might enjoy this article, highlighted on my blog http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201208#pg36 It’s called Teach Your Children Well actually short and quite interesting….and quite sensible. Also commented on in my blog http://www.theschoolspeechtherapist.com/sir-ken-robinson-calls-for-a-revolution-in-education/
Thanks for all the info you give. Hope you/we can make people listen.
Teresa Sadowski
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I, too am an English teacher, and the high school where I work in CT is all about the Common Core. While I don’t know enough about it to support or criticize it, your blog certainly makes we want to know more!
Thanks, Mirror, for writing. Teachers deserve to know so much more than what they are being told by our state boards of education. But we really have to do our own research because the politics behind education have become so one-tracked in the opposite direction of freedom, and in the opposite direction of asking for teacher and parent input, before huge changes are made that affect us all.
I agree… our governor is trying to get rid of tenure & binding arbitration. I’m not a very political person, but we have to stand up for our profession!! I attended a rally for the first time in my life last year & the governor’s bill was modified, for now. Evidently, NJ’s governor said teacher’s salaries should be cut & we should basically be content w/ the pride we get from teaching. I’d like to see our politician’s salaries being cut to match ours & see what they have to say. Continue fighting the good fight & so will I
Please join the nationwide educational discussion group USPEIN@yahoogroups.com We discuss everything about schools including UNESCO’s take over of our schools, and IB as well.
I just linked your website over at Conservative Teachers of America. http://conservativeteachersofamerica.com/ I would love to have any content you want to submit as a guest post on our site.
I live in Provo, how can I get a sign for Kent Parkinson? Actually I’d like 3.
here is a PA common core implementation power point handout you may find interesting.
http://www.pbida.org/xConference12Handouts/Hall_PBIDA2012_AM3.pdf
Interesting to me is that the slide show was put together by 95 Percent Group. Who are they? Why, education marketers, of course! So they’ll tell you how wonderful CCSS is, then they’ll sell you the workbooks, lesson plans, professional development workshops, etc. to help you meet those testing goals!
Yaaaaayyyy!
The North Carolina school system implemented CC here this school year (2012-2013). We are barely into the 3rd Quarter here and already we are seeing trouble. This new curriculum is a disaster for both teachers and students. Not to put to fine a point on it, but I see a lot of sunshine being blown up parents rears coupled with a lot of ‘intervention’ and ‘special resource’ assignment being done…. more so than in the past. I do see a lot of rationalizing and justifying of various jobs that are NOT main classroom teachers. From a parent stand point, I feel like my child is not getting the basics and this new curriculum has more holes than Swiss cheese.
Stay tuned, I am certain I will be blogging about this in the coming weeks.
Please keep me posted on North Carolina’s efforts to get free from Common Core.
Will Do.. I’m going to start poking around a bit.
I’ve begun my series on the common core – first post is here: http://ladyliberty1885.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/the-common-core-train-wreck-part-one/
Lady Liberty 1885, thank you for sharing your link!
You’re welcome! I’m hoping to have a part II up next week. It will be NC specific.
Part II just went up:
http://ladyliberty1885.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/common-core-train-wreck-part-ii-north-carolina-beyond/
Thank you for mentioning our blog (http://ccssimath.blogspot.com). On Jan. 16, 2013, we posted a follow up comment (to a comment by CCSSI co-author William McCallum) on Stephanie Sawyer’s post on Diane Ravitch’s blog (http://dianeravitch.net/2013/01/13/a-math-teacher-on-common-core-standards/) as well.
Is there anything, any place to educate and motivate parents enmasse? Every parent I know is fully aware of the detriment to educational opportunities thanks to standardized testing, AIMS, etc. Common core is the full grown older (and meaner) brother of “No Child Left Behind.” The government got away with pushing their toes into the door crack, and now they plan to boldly take over. It sucks the wind out of me to watch it happen unopposed. Every parent who spends any amount of time with their child knows that this is bad for them! We must organize the parents to be emboldened, to take a stand and say “NO!” We must find a place where parents can talk, organize. Parents have the authority. May I suggest a social media campaign? Lets start with Facebook. We all are on it to watch what our children are doing. Lets start talking. Lets start the fire!
Angie
I’ve only been in the Stop Common Core battle since April 2012. Many people and organizations have been fighting it for years. Pioneer Institute. Heritage Institute. Truth in American Education. Professor Christopher Tienken of Seton Hall University. Professor Mary Grabar of “The Dissident Professor”. BYU Emeritus professor Neil Flinders. Professor Sandra Stotsky (Arkansas). Professor James Milgram (Stanford, Emeritus). And so many more. There are now groups all over, including the more left-leaning “Dump Duncan” organization and Rosa Koire, as well as many right-leaning groups, such as Alabama Republican Women, Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for Georgia, Utahns Against Common Core, Idahoans Against Common Core, R.O.P.E. of Oklahoma, Missouri Education Watchdog, Hoosiers Against Common Core, Gotham Schools of New York, and many, many more.
While I think we all help and support one another, it is the individual speaking with his or her local school board, state school board, local newspapers, local neighbors, that really changes things. It is person to person, face to face, one piece of truth at a time. Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
For those of you looking for the scoop on Common Core or as I refer to it the Great Deception, I am an attorney and a parent who went after this story several years ago when I realized the statutes and regulations never matched the press release.
I started blogging about it last May. Today I took on the links to IB as in all our students globally will fit within the IB Learner Profile. http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/isnt-it-political-sabotage-to-use-education-to-eliminate-the-assumption-that-students-are-individuals/
You will see that I am full of quotes. I have also tracked the connections to what is going on in higher ed and globally and Agenda 21.
I’m an Ohio resident with 2 children – one in K and one in 1st grade. Our school district is in the process of implementing the Common Core curriculum. So I am trying to educate myself on CCSS, which brought me here. What a great resource! So far, the negatives greatly outweigh the positives (and have much more substance) in the information I’ve read. I wish Ohio had efforts to block implementation like other states. Maybe there’s something in the form a resistance movement that I don’t know about. Just getting started….so much to read.
One thought (because this is the way my mind works): It’s well known that the policy makers/politicians/decision makers in DC all send their children to private schools. I wonder how many of those elite, private schools in VA and MD have voluntarily adopted the Common Core curriculum. If it’s as great as we’re being told, you would think those institutions would be all over it. I have my doubts. I’m not sure if one could even obtain that kind of info, but it would be good to have in “fighting the good fight”. Just a thought.
Buckeye Dad, thank you for your comment. Coincidentally, just today I received an email from another Ohio resident who wants to turn this thing around. There are anti-common core groups with websites now in Idaho, California, Utah, Missouri and Indiana, and I have spoken with people in Arizona and Alabama who are building sites right now for the same purpose. If you want such a site for Ohio, see http://utahnsagainstcommoncore.com and feel free to contact the site for help.
Wake up, Utah! The Common Core is a Progressive agenda that is ready and willing to start brain-washing our students. I am trying to teach through this nonsense! Our district only cares about passing a standardized test. Students and teachers are not individuals or even real people. We are “data, fact-gathering, and statistical numbers” to them. In fact, we were told in our last professional development that these characteristics no longer belong in public education: “individuality, self-sufficiency, creativity, and risk-taking”. Our district, full of good-intentioned progressives, are absolutely giddy about finally destroying these American values. If our Utah politicians actually believe in state-rights, then they certainly need to start acting like it. They are so good at talking the talk and then taking all the Federal money they can get their hands on!
Yep its all about the money, they would sell the whole country down the river to get what they want and not know how it will effect anyone, just like our soon to be ‘government healthcare’ system.
Unfortunately, progressive indoctrination is already in over 2,000 schools nationwide. Common Core will likely more than double that number. If you would like to view my list of schools, districts and organizations indoctrinating in each state, please let me know. I’m not here to plug my site so you can email me or respond if it’s ok for me to give you the link. I’ve research progressive/communist indoctrination (involving Obama) for 4 years and I’m praying we can all join and help each other – create powerful local movements without our states to take our schools back. God bless you for what you are doing and good luck! There is nothing more important, IMO.
They’re really pushing this scheme here in Montana. Rural citizens here are, for the most part, unaware of any of this. Many of them don’t use the internet or watch tv (not that the media would enlighten them to this nightmare). They’re too busy running ranches, raising families and working jobs to be involved. They know something is very wrong and that Americans are on edge, but they have no idea what we’re facing. One most important rule of war is to know thy enemy. They have no clue. Thank you for your efforts. I’m trying on this end, but it’s a real challenge here.
I forgot to mention that I have been fighting the common core scheme for a while now. Up until today when I found your site, I have been using the STOPCOMMONCORE.COM site. I’m thankful you’re both out here as great resources for us all! Thank You!
Thanks for all of your hard work. I have grandchildren in several states so I would really like the link to the schools and districts you mention. My sister is a teacher in Idaho and she is very alarmed by the tracking system. Thanks again for all you are doing.
Kristen, not sure if you were responding to my comment or not but I do have a list of schools and districts indoctrinating in the U.S. I am still adding to the list (scary since it is soooo long already), but it includes all forms of progressive indoctrination. A couple of paragraphs at the top of the list explain what types of indoctrination, etc. Here is the link – http://danetteclark.wordpress.com/take-it-back/take-it-back-list-of-schools-districts-organizations/
Christel’s site is so crucial too. Common Core will greatly expand indoctrination and give progressive educators even more power and less transparency (because of the move to online curriculums, etc.). The schools I’ve listed have not even touched on Common Core schools/districts yet. So I will need to pull info from this site to add to mine later (I will link to or mention whatiscommoncore though, of course). The more we share info, the better informed and equipped we will all be to fight.
Hello, I am a social studies teacher who is also against the CCSS. My question is about your comments about percentages of you mention of informational text vs. classics. Where do you find these percentages? I have been told that there are recommendations but no actual percentages in the CCSS.
Hi. We in Tennessee have created a website to stop COMMON CORE. We would like you to add our group to your spreadsheet. http://www.tnacc.weebly.com Our group is called Tennessee Against Common Core. Thanks so much for all you do and have done to help us fight Common Core with you. Karen Bracken @karen.bracken@reagan.com
Thank you, Tennessee!
Thank you so much for the information. That is scarey as our school district is on the list.
Kristen, do you want everything I have on your district? I would be happy to do further research also.
Wow! So impressed! I was aware of the issues but had not heard of this terminology “Common Core”. Really looking forward to learning more from you!
Christel,
I am a reporter at KSL Newsradio in Salt Lake City. I am working on a story about the growing standardized testing opt-out movement. I was told you would be good to interview about this. I am at mrichards@ksl.com, or newsroom 801-575-6397.
-Mary Richards
Will someone please, please, please draw attention to the fact that over 100 Dioceses in the Roman Catholic Education System have adopted Common Core Standards.-leaving fewer and fewer school choice options away from Common Core
Here is the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) Web site (check out the “What’s New” on front web page):
http://www.ncea.org/
along with the Catholic Common Core Standards Initiative (CCSSI):
http://catholicschoolstandards.org/common-core
We took our children out of the public education system 4 years ago and enrolled them into Catholic Schools to “deprogram” them from the increasingly secular indoctroctrination of public school only to have the Diocese of Pittsburgh adopt the Common Core Standards this year.
1.) Not only did they knowingly embrace the Common Core Secular Curriculum:
http://www.ncea.org/news/pressrelease/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=423&
2.) but they were quite proud of lowering academic standards by 2 notches:
This is an e-mail from the Superintendent of Catholic Schools at the Diocese of Pittsburgh – Dr. Michael Latusek – trying to ease my “concerns”.
Dear Mrs.Shuster,
I am sorry I did not get back to you. The common core pulls together and simplifies the state standards all the states have identified which is one reason you will see why over 100 Diocese have adopted, bringing commonality to all the diocese. The Common Core does not dictate content but stresses skills students should master at each level as they learn the content that is presented to them. If you look at Pennsylvania’s state standards they are a minimal guide at to the skills students should master at each level. If you look at the Pittsburgh Diocese students’ achievement across the diocese you will see that as a Diocese we exceed all those state standard expected levels so they are a non-issue for us. The Common Core is even more generic than the state standards. We use them as minimal bench mark guide for our teachers to reflect upon in their teaching and planning of lessons. We have provided professional development for our teachers on the Common Core and we also provide professional development for our teachers on how infuse the teachings of the Catholic Church in content areas of the curriculum.
I hope this answers some of you questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Michael Latusek
He can be reached at :
Michael Latusek – Superintendent
mlausek@diopitt.org
(please note that according to Dr. Latusek “Common Core does not dictate content” but yet they “provide professional development on how to infuse the teachings of the Catholic Church into the content”)
MY EDUCATION OPTIONS ARE NOW OBSOLETE AS I CANNOT HOMESCHOOL- I AM BEGGING THAT THE MEDIA DRAW ATTENTION TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS EMBRACING AND ADOPTING COMMON CORE STANDARDS ALONG WITH ALL THE SECULAR ENTRAPMENTS. YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT IS IN MY SON’S NEW 8TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES BOOK!!!!
God Bless
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Lynnette Shuster
Beaver, PA
Lynette, I am so happy to see your post. I send my kids to Catholic schools for the same reason. Three weeks ago our principal uttered those words to a mom, who then brought it up to me. She was not concerned with it, but I went home and started researching it right away. I am leaving the school I am in now for another school, which is still catholic, however, they are not pressing this as much as my current school. They are adopting though, as most are. I called the diocese of Lansing MI, where I was told that they are coming up there own cirriculum, and not using the federal governments. I sort of felt defeated when talking to many moms aside from a few, NO ONE cared. Oh it is just standards they say. One said…. I talked to a teacher friend of mine and she said its going to be harder, and better for the kids. Someone also mentioned….well who cares if the goverment makes the cirriculum, who makes it now anyways? I guess I decided I was screwed, and would just be there for my kids and be the counter to what they were learning. Im so happy to have found this page. I agree, it does need to be said that Catholic shcools are not a safe haven from this. I have been looking into Lorraine Ozar from Loyola College, it is in Chicago. Read there mission statement. Social Justice is all over the place. Lorraine,as I am understading is now is leading the way for this to be in Catholic schools. She has started CCCII Common Core Catholic Identity.. http://catholicschoolstandards.org/common-core
Anyway, I am in Michigan, and I do know there is a push to get this out. However, anyone got some good advice on how to get this across to the people who have no time or care what is happening. Do you know any contacts in MI that I can connect with to help fight this.
Thanks,
Rachel
Michigan
Lynette,
Thank you so much for posting this. A bomb was dropped on me last week telling me that my daughter’s private, catholic school will adopt CCSS. Now I know where to begin. Thank you so much.
I just found out that our Catholic school in suburbs of Pittsburgh is adopting a new math program that was written for Common Core alignment. I am trying to get answers. No one is responding to me! I emailed the Diocese Asst. Superintendent (who the office directed me too), I have been emailing our principal, and teachers. No real answers. The math program is new and unproven. I have 4 small children – all yet to go through elementary school there. I am so upset.
The PROBLEM is that every parent I tell blows it off! They all say – well, we can only pray. Praying and trusting in God does not mean INACTION!
I am torn though – given that we are paying tuition for this school, do we have a right to question and ask for change? Can’t they just say – “take your money elsewhere”. I don’t know how to handle this and get no response from friends and parents. I am also concered that I may look like a troublemaker if I keep pushing.
Public school is not an option for us – it is liberal and they use EnvisionMath and love Common Core.
Any wisdom, guidance you can give would be helpful. I would love to talk with you to get some ideas.
I agree with you. Praying and trusting in God does not mean inaction. You absolutely have the right to ask for change. Even if you were not in a private school, your tax money and your children entitle you to question everything. You are the responsible party for your children’s education, not the school.
I see lots of options: go to a different private school, change the one you are in by educating the leadership on common core, start your own private school, homeschool, do a co-op with other homeschooling parents, or supplement the learning after school with your own tutor or home school. You can’t worry about the labels they slap on your forehead. They are wearing labels of their own. Just do what is right as soon as you figure out what right is, for you and your children. I have emailed my contact in PA for you.
Christel, your power point presentation is awesome! Is there a way we can adopt part or all of it for use in our state of Florida? I do not have the teaching background that you have so I will have to study up to use it, but we are gaining momentum to Stop Common Core in Florida and your presentation is beautifully and professionally done. With visuals like you have used, the information is much more likely to stay in people’s minds. I am technologically challenged but networking with others who are not, and would appreciate any suggestions you can offer us to help Stop this Orwellian nightmare before the looming deadline for full implementation by 2014! Thanks so much to you and the other moms for your hard work on this project. Time is running out on our Constitutional Republic and we must all be activists now! God bless and keep you.
Thank you for your encouraging words Christel! And I did hear from your PA contact!
Ann
Concerned parents of Butler, Beaver and Northern Allegheny Counties are having a Common Core Informational meeting on
Monday May 20th – 7 pm at the Knights of Columbus in Wexford. The address is 250 Swinderman Road .
Please come and feel free to bring/invite/forward this information to other concerned parents as well.
I also experienced a lack of response from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, unfortunately they are following directions from the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) who adopted/embraced the Common Core Standards.
to do nothing is not an option – God will not hold us guiltless
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Lynnette Shuster
Beaver PA
Lynette – I received a flyer from a friend who received it at Quigley. I forwarded it on to a group of parents. Hoping to get lots of people there! Thank you!
Ann
Please know that you are not alone here is the website for Pennsylvania against Common Core
http://nopacommoncore.com/
It has a lot of information and action plans
Please sign the petition and forward to your contact list
this website also has a facebook page
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lynnette
Seems like I read about this somewhere else – Catholic Schools and Common Core. Unless Christel wants to post something on this first, I will mention it on my site in the next few days or so.
Rachel, I contacted our Bishop within the Diocese of Pittsburgh and received no response. However a wonderful priest within the Diocese of Pittsburgh sent me the following article “Putting Catholic back in Education” by Dan Burke of The National Catholic Register:
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/dan-burke/putting-the-catholic-back-into-education?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register#When:2013-03-8%2014:36:01
I have since contacted the author, Dan Burke at register@ewtn.com, and both Bishop Robert Vasa (phawkins@srdiocese.org) and ArchBishop Naumann (contact@archkck.org) whom are mentioned in the article. I did this with the intention of drawing atttention and hopefully public awareness of Catholic Education adopting the very dangerous Common Core Standards/Curriculum. Perhaps others will do the same.
As mentioned before – prayerfully -Catholic Education will reconsider and become a refuge/safe haven for our children away from the Common Core.
In/thru/for Christ
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lynnette
Lynnette, Thank you! I am not going to sit silently either. This week, I am going to reach out to some of the teachers. I am going to push this with the moms I know, to get them to at least research it. I just want people to go deeper than it just being about new standards. The thing that I dont understand, is almost seems like suicide for private schools. I know they teach religion, and the public schools dont. But if we are on the same level, why would I spend all this money for religion classes. Which depends on who is teaching it. It could very well be someone with an agneda who wants your children to think differntly about religion. I am open to my kids learing everything. I feel very strongly that you really dont know where you stand on issues, or what you believe, until you learn it all. From all sides. My son brought home a new dictionary from the a group of ladies that came into the school. It is A Students Dictionary & Animal Gazetteer. They were free from the Kiwanis Club. I started flipping through the book, which is full of GREEN info. Now, I believe in taking care of the planet. However, I have been doing my own research into the Green Movement, and Green Energy. When you dig into that, and see who is behind it, and you see both sides. Well, lets just say lots of Politics is involved. And the people behind it, some of the same people behind COMMON CORE. The definiton of a conservative is AGANIST CHANGE OR INNOVATON…. What? The progressive def is FORWARD THINKER, FAVORING REFORM. WOW! If you or any one reading this does not know what a progressive is, well I really encourage you to dig deep into that one. Lots of prayers that we can open people eyes. Thanks to all of you who are paying attention, and care about our kids future.
Rachel
Rachel,I completely understand the anger about the bias of what is being taught and sometimes the appropriateness of content – my husband and I erroneously thought we escaped this when we enrolled our children into Catholic Schools… We have been in battle with the Diocese about the innappropriate links in our son’s new Social Studies book, ‘America History of Our Nation’ by Prentice Hall/Pearson (purchased this year so as to align to Common Core Standards at the direction of the Diocese of Pittsburgh).
Here are some of the age ,subject and faith innappropriate links from my son’s 8th grade Social Studies book:
•
Milestones in the Gay Rights Movement
•
The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline
•
What Is a Civil Union?
•
Being Transgender Today New!
•
U.S. Policies on Same-Sex Marriage
•
International Policies on Same-Sex Marriage
•
A Primer on Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, and Defense of Marriage Acts
•
Same-Sex Partner Households With Children in the U.S.
•
These Kids Are All Right, Too New!
•
Same-Sex Partner Households by U.S. State
•
Same-Sex Partner Households in U.S. Cities
•
Characteristics of Opposite-sex and Same-sex Couple Households
•
Global Abortion Rates -”Data suggests that the best way to reduce abortion rates is to make contraception more available rather than banning the practice of abortions.”
•
Sexually Transmitted Diseases “Delay having sexual relations as long as possible, as young people tend to be more susceptible to infections.” No mention of abstinence
Instead of removing this book from the classroom (keep in mind this is a Catholic School) – they sent a letter home suggesting that the parents block this link from thier computer.
How do we ,as parents,teach unwavering faith to our children when the very people we place before them to help us with this task compromise these values in the false pretense of tolerence?
God help us!!!
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Lynnette Shuster
Lynette. this is appalling! we are in phila area and are at a catholic private school and having same problems. inappropriate and secretive stuff. do you have ” religious maintenance”? my 8th grader asked for help with it and the first question was asking about astrology and the second was: “what is it called when you worship satan?”
I asked the teacher what it was, were they studying astrology and satan worship, or just what is the context? he said he did not know, and referred me to the religious education head and she could not answer. she only said they came from immaculata college. they are not part of the curriculum of the religious education. it sounds to me like data mining. I still do not know what their purpose is and who they go to. peculiar. I will be looking into it.
anyway, you are not alone.
I asked my son about this and he said no – and told him to tell me if this ever brought up.
Please contact the Diocese and the Bishop and have others do the same.I am pretty sure that the Diocese of Philadelphia has also embraced Common Core and all its secular entrapments (over 100 Dioceses in the US have adopted Common Core).
Keep at them until they respond to why they think it is a wise decision to adopt a secular set of standards/curriculum. Make sure it is in writing so as to show their responses to other parents who unaware that they are paying for the same education that they can get tuition-free in the public school system.
Prayerfully the Diocese of Philadelphia and its Bishop will be much more responsive than the one here in Pittsburgh.
We need to protect our children from the one who is seeking to devour them- sadly our schools are no longer that refuge.
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lynnette
Lynette, can we get in contact with one another? I’d like to chat with you. My daughter attends a private, catholic school in CT. And i have been trying to figure out where this came from and would love to know what you have found out.
Lynette,
Can you give me the name of your son’s SS book, who wrote, etc. I want to see if I can get a copy of it online.. I would truly appreciate it. We are having a meeting with the principal next week and I need all the information that I can get.
Lynette,
Can you be so kind as to give me the ISBN #? I would like to order the book but there are several different books underneath that title and I want to make sure I get the book you mentioned so I can show our principal some of the inappropriate content that is being taught.
Thank you so much..
Yvonne,
ISBN-9780133699463
These links are attached to all the “Biography Quests” within the book.
For example from page 120, If a student wanted to know more about Phillis Wheatley the book directs the student to
PHSchool.com
Web Code: mvd-1044
After the student is on this webpage there are sub-titles on the left hand side that take them into the content mentioned above (via infoplease.com owned by Pearson). That is the danger to all of this – most of the time the teacher/principals/parents have no clue to what our children are viewing at the direction of the textbook chosen by administrators of the school.
We need to be more diligent at all levels when choosing the publisher of textbooks that our children will be using. We need to be able to trust the source and for this reason any textbook published by Pearson and its secular associates(Prentice Hall/Penguin etc) should never be allowed in a faith-based classroom. Unfortunately parents and sometimes even the teachers are left out of the textbook selection process.
I can be reached at shusterjkl@aol.com –
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lynnette
Thank you Lynnette. I appreciate it so very much. I will send you an email to discuss further. Have a great weekend.
I’m looking for someone to speak at a meeting (912 group) on Common Core. Do you have some contacts in Pennsylvania? Thanks in advance.
Lee Ann
Here is contact info from Commonwealth Education Organization (ceopa.org):
Have people contact our office if they want someone to speak. The number of requests are increasing every day.
412 967-9691.
Cheryl Boise
E-mail:
ceb@ceopa.org
Great information!
Hello, I’m about as liberal as the State of Oklahoma will allow, and I don’t agree with Republican’s on, well, just about anything, but I do agree with you on Common core. In fact, I think it’s a coinky-dink that I’ve been researching this very subject all week. You should check out Pearson’s website. It blatantly states that “Governments and universities urged to prepare for an avalanche of change in higher education” whether we like it or not.
http://www.pearson.com/news/2013/march/governments-and-universities-urged-to-prepare-for-an-avalanche-o.html?article=true
And here’s an interesting article…
“It’s extremely unfair for the taxpayer to be paying for additional expenses, such as advertising,” Mr. Wagner said. Much of the public money also goes toward lobbying state officials, an activity that Ronald J. Packard, chief executive of K12, has called a “core competency” of the company.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/education/online-schools-score-better-on-wall-street-than-in-classrooms.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
As a working single parent, I certainly don’t want my taxes paying for a system that has, so far, shown poor results. I’m afraid that Republican’s and Democrats have been bought off. Just look at AZ, GA, OH, and NJ, who have already sunk a lot of money in the K-12 system….again, than has shown poor results. I’m so sick of profit over people, and now children, I could just spit.
Catherine, thank you for reaffirming the fact that this is not a left/right issue, but an issue of what America is about: due process and voter representation. Common Core is being shoved down our throats and we all need to stand up and say no.
Welcome to communism, everything is being taken over. Our very way of life is being taken over in every sector of our lives, what’s anyone going to be able to do about it, its been such an easy feet to take over everyones lives. We are no longer known as exceptional. We are all walking sheep. They know there is no way out. Democrats and most Republicans are going to have to start seeing the light before this country will change. By then it will be too late. Welcome to socialism!
I have just found out that the school I pay to send my daughter to go to (private, parochial school) will be moving towards these standards. I am so upset by this I don’t know where to begin. I need to fully educate myself about CC is there a website that can be recommended to me? I’m looking for a clear and concise explanation with examples so I can digest all of this fully so when I have a meeting with the school administrators I know what I a talking about. Any help would be truly appreciated. I work day-in and day-out to make sure my children are NOT indoctrinated and right now at this point just feel that the outside forces are too much to endure and fight alone.
Just because a school is using those standards, doesn’t mean they are in any way “indoctrinating” our children. I taught in a Christian private school for years, and I could easily use that syllabus to teach these standards. It’s just subject-verb agreement, grammar, writing standards, much like we’ve always had. There is zero instruction in the CC – that is still incumbent on the teacher to provide the lesson, the content, and the texts. It would be impossible for a school NOT to align in some way with these standards, as they are “common” standards per grade. Ex: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.8.2]
Hello, just started following you blog. I fought against this machine in the early to mid 90′s. At that time, it was called: OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION and SCHOOL TO WORK. I spent two years in two different state capitals, in meetings, in media, in parent groups, in two different schools, etc… trying to defend my children’s right to be individuals. After a long haul and many battles (and the Lord God working on my heart), I pulled my two boys out of first grade. I homeschooled all three of my children, they are all grown now, but I do have grandbabies. The fact that this machine has not lost steam, just changed tracks is heartbreaking to me. I will share your site on my blog, in the hopes that other parents out there might awaken to the dangers that are in store for their children. May God bless the work you are doing!
I shared your blog here: http://teachx3sblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/warning/
Hi Christel,, Great info on your blog. You’ve obviously been working at educating the public for quite some time. I just started doing the same thing and have no idea where this will lead, but I feel we have to work hard to expose the Progressive Agenda that is in full implementation right now. So I started a FB page called Parents and Educators Against the Common Core Curriculum in Colorado. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parents-and-Educators-Against-Common-Core-Curriculum-in-Colorado/369263259855000 I have posted a link to your blog. I hope you don’t mind but if you objection please let me know. I hope you visit the site and contribute any information you think people should know. Kim
Why is BYU independent using common core? I don’t understand.
Ask BYU. I have asked and they have not given me an answer that makes sense. My guess is that they don’t understand yet what Common Core is all about.
Cristel,
You’re obviously a very articulate, intelligent person, and I wholly respect your passion. I have taught in a Christian private school and public schools. I also homeschooled my girls when they were younger, during the summers as an enrichment. I am an English teacher, and I also work at a nearby university. Just a follow-up on your comment about classic literature, I had read several years ago that the CC minimized the classics, that there was a 70% informational text, 30% lit requirement. However, I can tell you that is in no way the case, at least in Alabama. If anything, the classics are emphasized more. I was at a high school last week and walked in 4 upper grade ELA classrooms. In just 20 minutes, I walked in classrooms reading Of Men and Mice, Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Chaucer, respectively. Nothing has changed…other than the expectation for higher-order thinking skills.
For the first time, we are asking science and history teachers to embed writing and reading into their curricula, something all good teachers have always done. Doing so addresses many of the informational text standards in the CC.
If the SDE ever told our teachers to replace Shakespeare with almanacs or menus (as I’ve seen some folks claim), I would be leading to pack to revolt.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/theeducationalfreedomcoalition/
they find a way to teach social justice along with every classic book or story, that is what the common core difference is. ” critical thinking”, guided reading, cross curricular projects…. all excuses to direct the study or reading of a text to the ” issues”, race, gender, fairness, evil capitalists, etc. just google the particular book along with common core lesson plan and you will see a scripted day by day direction using all thepedigogical bells and whistles. my kids are reading to kill a mockingbird, racism, rape…. and tom sawyer, racism, the necklace, class envy… its all online. higher order thinking skills are a joke. what exacty are they if the reading is ” guided” and the ” big Idea” is directed? the obvious manipulation of our children by this politcal methodology has been reprted with evidence just google social justice math gatekeepers. also google slave math questions.
That’s just not the case…anywhere that I know of. Nothing is “scripted” at all. I would never teach in a scripted environment, and I know few teachers who would. I’ve read a lot about what you mentioned (before we included the CC standards in our courses of study), and that’s just simply not the case. I’ve taught each of the texts you mentioned, long before the CC, and yes, those themes are present, but so are so many other themes like forgiveness, faith in God, family bonds, overcoming adversity, etc. Those are literary classics and well as must-reads for college. We are moving away from rote memory (content Mon-Thurs, and test of Friday) to higher-order and project-based learning, the kind of learning necessary in college and careers. Personally, I see it as a great move, but I respect your opinion.
there are alot of teachers out there. i have heard the memorized script you seem to be using, but it does not match the reality out here. it sounds like you are a troll, and if you are not why put your dog in this fight?
@Melissa THESE ARE MY CHILDREN and I DIRECT THEIR FUTURE NOT THE GOVERNMENT! They WILL NOT BE TRACKED like their dones in the sky. I have read your disparaging and berating comments you have made to other posters here and quite frankly don’t want your advice. Do not take this personally as I don’t know you personally but I also don’t have the time to devote to those who want to be manipulated by the government from cradle to grave. I am not raising MY children to have that mind-thought either. I am quite IRATE about what is happening and will direct my energies where I can make progress. We are not from the same mold. Furthermore this is a website for parents AGAINST CCSS. This is not to site to promote the indoctrination of people’s children and CCSS. Perhaps you would do better on a CCSS message board that is controlled by the government or Achieve, Inc.!!!!! . I don’t drink Kool-aid but prefer tea………….
“There is zero instruction in the CC – that is still incumbent on the teacher to provide the lesson, the content, and the texts.” With regards to this comment… Teachers only have 15% freedom with CCSS and cannot DEVIATE from curriculum, so I don’t know where you are getting that there is zero instruction…. 15% is not a lot when you pay $24K (in school taxes because you’re forced to and a private school tuition at the same time).
God Bless…
@Yvonne I don’t want anyone to negatively affect my children’s future either…or track them using their personal info. Although I disagree with many anti-CC remarks, I have never disparaged or berated anyone. That is not who I am or raise my children to be. You must have me confused with someone else. I’m merely stating a different viewpoint. Shouldn’t folks hear what a real teacher in a real CCRS school/district has to say?
The CC is NOT A CURRICULUM; it only provides the backbone in which to create a curriculum. That’s a big misconception. Our teachers have total authority in creating the lessons, selecting the texts, and implementing the instruction. We’ve adopted math and ELA texts recently, where teachers, parents, and stakeholders served on the committees. We WANT everyone involved in our students’ education. Yes, you have drunk the tea….I can easily see that. I am not influenced at all by the government (although I’m likely as conservative as you are). I will only speak to what I know and see every day. It’s possible that some states or school districts dictate what content and how their teachers should teach, but that is not the case everywhere. I would be the first to complain if that happened here.
I’ll take your words to heart and not post again, although I find it really sad that you’ve asked me to do so. It appears that no one wants to hear from teachers who see great things happening through the CCRS (not Race to the Top initiatives). I have felt betrayed by the party to which I’ve long been loyal, and I am not alone in that respect. My voice is not valued. If I had to title myself, “mother” and “teacher” are two words that come to mind. Teaching is my passion; it’s what God called me to do. I would never support something that hurt our children. Just know that.
Blessings to you as well. I will continue to pray that we can come to some sort of agreement.
When people who are literally hell bent on indoctinating our children are behind Common Core and CSCOPE and are hired by CCSSO and NGA to train educators in several states to implement Common Core, AND these indoctrinators’ designs and techniques (that are used nationwide to indoctrinate) are also used in the creation of CSCOPE, don’t expect us to believe there is no ill-will or underlying agenda. And please, Melissa, don’t expect us to believe that some currently unknown ‘requirement’ or catch is not waiting to rear it’s ugly head. These people – THE SAME PEOPLE BEHIND COMMON CORE- have been indoctrinating children for decades and doing their best to fly under the radar. So fogive us if we don’t trust them. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that we can see the writing on the wall and will NOT be fooled.
@Melissa your comments previous comments were an eye opener for me especially the data mining comment along with other statements. Does not matter. You want your children to be a product of the government that is your prerogative. I do not.
As for CCSS not being a curriculum when they tell you what to teach, how to teach it, when to teach and how to apply it without only a 15% of freedom for the teacher.. That is a curriculum that is set… Your comments are literally straight off the talking points of the CCSS website. You do NOT have to be a teacher to comprehend this. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s a duck..
This is a NATIONAL TAKEOVER of the Education. It’s not called Obamacore for nothing..
He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future. — (and we all know who said that!) And this is EXACTLY what they are doing…..
It’s a takeover, but it’s a fusion between government and corporations/billionaires. Wall St. and Silicon Valley are calling education the new gold rush, and they are the ones who fund elections. Common Core is about data mining–collecting data on students and making it available to government agencies as well as selling it to corporations. It’s also about dumbing down the population, and in my opinion cutting us off from our culture. I think that’s why they have practically eliminated literature from the curriculum. Art and music are already gone for the most part.
Another goal they have is to dismantle the public schools and turn them into for-profit charter schools that use low paid, uncredentialed teachers and computer technology in place of teacher student interaction.One of their tools is the Parent Trigger law, which allows 51% of the parents to hand their public school over to a private contractor. Right now they are focusing on poor neighborhoods that don’t have the information or resources to resist. In Adelanto, CA, Michelle Rhee’s group sent a former military man to collect the signatures, and many parents say that they were misled. Right now they are trying to pass parent trigger in Florida.
This school is owned in part by the COO of Facebook, yet it is funded by taxpayers:
http://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2012/10/12/a-new-kind-of-elementary-school-rocketship-si-se-puede-academy/1630549/
The problem won’t go away when a different party is in power. Jeb Bush (R), the Walton family who owns Walmart (R), Murdoch (R), Eli Broad (D), Bill Gates(D), Koch Brothers (R), Zuckerberg (D) and the guy who owns Netflix, are all in the school privatization and data mining business. Both parties are involved.
melissa s it is obvious with your “conservative” and “christian” pandering, combined with your scripty talking points and weird vibe that you are a troll. if you love common core, great teach it all you want. why would you be here!
that is what trolls do, alinsky 101. try to act like you are one of us while causing conflict. so moms, trolls are people who persist with conflict and argue on blogs they oppose using tactics such as mirroring or often namecalling. can be employed by opposition to disrupt.
might you know how I could contact the Californians Against Common Core folks? I want to offer any assistance I can….seems my state is not very aware of CCS and all the evil of them…but that org. is and I want to help get the word out.
Here are some websites:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Common-Core-in-California/436128033134967
http://cuacc.org/
Write to Senators Boxer and Feinstein and tell them to support Senator Grassley’s effort to defund Common Core.
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
http://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm
Write to Governor Jerry Brown and tell him to opt out of Common Core even if that means returning federal funds:
http://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php
Christel, you may have already seen this. If not, I thought you might be interested – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/13/lawsuit-charges-ed-department-with-violating-student-privacy-rights/
about data collection
We are looking to put our kids in a local Charter school and take them out of the district public education. However, I’m wondering if there is a way to know if the charter school we are looking into is using Common core or not? Do you have any suggestions?
I cannot find a complete list of the 400 data points of the Data mining. I need to get all my facts together for Jefferson County as we are one of 9 states piloting and I happen to be in the county where it will be implemented
I have been following your blog for a few weeks now. I am amazed at all the information you have found.
I am meeting with Cache counties superintendent next week. Because I am fairly new to Common Core, I would love any advise you can send my way.
My district is convinced they still have control over curriculum, where can I find info showing otherwise?
Any advice you can give me or info backed with facts would be appreciated.
Thank you
@Rachel We have it up on our website: http://www.stopccssinnys.com or http://www.stopcommoncoreinnewyork.com http://stopccssinnys.com/ Go to the tab named “CCSS Links”, its under the heading “Pro Common Core Websites” named “The National Data Model” there you will see the 400 datapoints to be collected on your child and your child and my child, etc. Hope that helps.
I cannot find the right place to make a comment so I’ll put it here. I was attending a College graduation this weekend and was talking to an elementary education major student. I ask her if she was familiar with the term Common Core. She got very excited and told me “oh yes, we do hours and hours of lesson plans etc. and they are all to Commmon Core standards” She was totally pro common core from that conversation with her so…. is there any thing being done at the college level of these young teacher graduating , totally indoctrinated with Common Core?
Sharon, the promoters and marketers of Common Core are funding and visiting teachers’ colleges for that very purpose. If you can think of a way to market the truth to these young teachers, let me know and I’ll help you.
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I am a mom in South Carolina and I need your help I understand you are BIG TIME now, appearing on The Blaze t.v. and such but please I’ve already gotten the school board to do a public open forum on common core, and now I need to fill it and have someone articulate the cons! I just need to be able to have contact with helpful people. Thanks Kayla
South Carolina’s Senator Mike Fair and Governor Nikki Haley are both opposed to Common Core. You are lucky to have such a governor! I will send you an email with some ideas.
Kayla, Sen. Mike Fair wrote back to say he is happy to hear from you. Mike Fair <MikeFair@scsenate.gov
Hi,
I live in Davis School District. Recently we had Judy Park come give her presentation on SAGE testing. When we finally got to answer questions, I asked something that has been bothering me. In light of allegations that it’s possible to glean behavioral tendencies from the testing without the test taker even realizing it, I asked her if the AIR program used to take the test keeps track of every keystroke. So if the student backspaces, changes an answer, etc, is all of that data kept track of. In my mind that can say a lot about the student’s behavior/personality. Indecisiveness, guessing, how fast or slow the student goes, and much more. Anyway, she could not answer my question at the time, but many others there seemed to want an answer. I followed up with her to ask WHO could answer this for me. She told me to email her. I did so and this is the answer I received: “The system is capable of capturing key stroke information, Utah will need to determine if we want to have that information.” In other words, yes. But will Utah use the information is the question they face. To me, the fact that it is capable of keeping track of this data is troubling. It sounds like AIR will have that info no matter if Utah decides to use it or not. It’s out there. And the bigger question is, why would they even need that, if not to glean behaviors?
My question for you is, is anyone aware this is possible? If not, what can be done to shed light on this? How should I respond to her answer to my question?
The authors of this blog have misstated the Common Core’s required split between literary and informational texts.
First, the authors state that language arts classes will be required to read 50/50 split between informational and literary texts in younger grades and gradually change that split to 70/30 by 12th grade.
But on page 5 of the common core standards for language arts where the distribution graphs are displayed, there is also a footnote which states: “The percentages on the table reflect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA [English Language Arts] settings. Teachers of senior English classes, for example, are not required to devote 70 percent of reading to informational texts. Rather, 70 percent of student reading across the grade should be informational.” A second footnote states about the writing percentages: “As with reading, the percentages in the table reflect the sum of student writing, not just writing in ELA settings.”
So these are the percentages if you add up ALL the reading a student does for math, biology, geography, history, art, computer skills, etc. and language arts. NOT for English language arts only.
Do the authors of this blog suggest that the current Utah high school curriculum has a higher split for literary texts across ALL subjects? If so, do they have data to back up their claim?
Second, I can find nowhere in the core that states ELA teachers should not use “classics.”
The core provide titles of texts that are examples of the kinds of texts that they feel are appropriate by grade (many of which are “classics”) but expressly state that “The choices [examplar texts listed] should serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range for their own classrooms. They expressly do not represent a partial or complete reading list” (appendix B, p2).
This leaves the choice of text to the teachers and local curriculum designers.
There certainly may be many things wrong with the Common Core. But its does nobody any good to misstate what the core actually is.
Thank you for this comment! I am pro common core and get so frustrated when it is misrepresented like it is here on this blog.
Leslie, I am very concerned about truth. Please give me specific evidences with links to where we can study together to learn where “misrepresentation” is happening so that I can correct anything that is not true. Thank you.
All I hear is crickets chirping. Wouldn’t be surprised if some of these are paid trolls.
As for the classics, there’s nothing inherently virtuous in books that make someone’s list of “classics.”
Sorry. Ernest Hemmingway is not better for you than Jonathan Stroud. Jane Austen is not better for you than Shannon Hale. Shakespeare is not somehow better for you than Orson Scott Card.
The great themes of life can be found in all sorts of literature. And you don’t need a classic to practice critical thinking.
This isn’t to say we should avoid the classics, but there’s no data to suggest they enrich our lives more than other quality texts.
“Classics” are simply specific books liked by a certain group of people. Nothing more.
Furthermore, forcing kids to read certain titles before they are ready or have interest is a sure-fire way to turn a majority of kids off to reading entirely. Let kids read. Let them sample widely. Suggest texts, but let them choose. Let them develop the joy of reading.
I would much rather my daughters read thousands of pages of literature they’re interested in each year than force them to read two or three “classics” that someone thinks will be good for them but will deaden their love of books.
Hello awesome people. You will definitely want to see our latest article…you see we somehow got a note from Tami Pyfer, even though we are all the way over in NC fighting Common Core.
http://bluehatmovement.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/a-note-from-tami-pyfer/
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Someone needs top go on fox news and set them straight. They posted a one sided view in favor of Common core. Was NOT fair and balanced. I love fox..but this was sooooooooooo wrong. Please get on there and wake them up. They presented a one sided view of how GOOD common core is. So messed up…