What is so Common about the Common Core?
I have heard the old adage, “the plural of anecdote isn’t data.” Nevertheless, on two occasions recently I had the opportunity to speak with teachers in public schools about the Common Core. If you are unaware, the Common Core is a series of standards for K-12 education. The standards were not developed nationally, but states have been highly incentivized (read coerced) to adopt them.
When I asked these two teachers about the changes in their districts (one teacher was from the Kansas City area, the other from the Saint Louis area) I was surprised by the commonality in their responses. It seems it is not just the standards that are common, but also the criticisms.
Though they have never met and work in completely different districts, both lamented about the increased testing associated with the Common Core.
Add testing to the growing list of complaints associated with these new standards, including:
- Their overall lack of rigor.
- The math standards eliminate Algebra I in the eighth grade.
- The tremendous costs associated with implementing the standards. Professional development, textbooks, and technology alone may cost Missouri more than $325 million.
The most interesting thing about the Common Core, in my opinion, is that our state adopted the standards with little public knowledge. Gov. Jay Nixon signed Missouri onto the initiative in August of 2009, before the standards were even drafted. Then in June of 2010, shortly after their public release, the Missouri State Board of Education adopted the standards. Thus, millions of dollars were committed and the future of Missouri’s education system was determined by a fiat rather than by the will of the people.
Bill Evers, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, recently spoke with the Independence Institute’s Ben Degrow about the Common Core and provides a nice overview of the issues.
Have more Common Core stories? Feel free to share them with me at james.shuls@showmeinstitute.org or on Twitter @shulsie.
The Rockwood District,third largest in the state, has recently announced their estimate to retrain teachers for Common Core = $900k/2 years. On top of this is a massive technology cost to implement the assessments coming with CC. You also did not mention that the state school board has signed us up for an expanded early education program that, in DESE’s own estimate, will cost the state $1.5 billion to implement. No one has identified where the funds to cover this expense will come from. We have been following this issue for a number of years warning people that this is essentially an unfunded mandate. MissouriEducationWatchdog.com
Comment by Anne Gassel — December 12, 2012 @ 9:25 p.m.
Thank you for this information and talking to teachers who have to teach/assess by these standards. I have heard from a teacher who stated “these are destroying the students”.
When we started writing about CCSS three years ago, we were concerned about the effects and cost of CCSS. Not only are they unproven and untested, they are also NOT state led.
For more detailed information about the standards and the longitudinal data system (another expensive component of CCSS), visit http://www.truthinamericaneducation.com. It is a non-partisan site of writers, researchers and educators concerned about these nationalized standards.
Gretchen Logue
http://www.missourieducationwatchdog.com
Comment by Gretchen Logue — December 13, 2012 @ 8:07 a.m.
I am a concerned Grandparent. Anything that is brought so under the cover of the dark, so to speak, is not good. Beyond the high cost in dollars, is the high cost of our children’s education. This is not to better their education but to be under the watchful eye of those who think they are in control. Our families able to make decisions about their children’s future and do not need someone in a Federal Government office to decide what they are best at and so what they should study.
Comment by Mary LaPlant — March 29, 2013 @ 11:36 a.m.
I am thouroughly disgusted by this. I plan on informing other parents about Common Core because once again the Federal govt. is attempting to control “we the people”. First of all, the Missouri Constitution was ignored when Gov. Nixon chose to sign our state up to the standards, sight-unseen. Choose to ignore the laws you don’t agree with. Most of the states wanted to get out from under “No Child Left Behind” and were willing to sell out the children. Then, there’s the fact that Educators weren’t even involved in establishing the standards. The instrusive data collection is beyond the pale. Being unable to opt my children out of the tracking demonstrates the imagined superiority of the designers. Common Core demonstrates the mentality of they know best and eliminates the local school board and parents from having any say in the curriculum. It is my hope that parents will question their school board when they learn the truth and voice their displeasure in the strongest way possible.
Comment by Brenda Rupp — April 14, 2013 @ 12:21 a.m.