According to CBS poll, Most Americans Oppose Common Core
State Board endorses anti-Common Core bill b Todd Engdahl on January 30, 2015 4:38 pm
The State Board of Education Friday voted 5-2 to a Republican-sponsored measure that would pull Colorado out of the Common Core State Standards and the PARCC testing group, reduce state assessments, and give districts more testing flexibility. The measure would also require periodic updates of state content standards. Member Jane Goff suggested that board only “monitor” the bill until members have a better understanding of its provisions and its sponsors’ intentions. Dham argued that the board might have more influence if it took a position. “There’s no reason to go over to the Capitol and tell people we are monitoring the bill.” He also acknowledged, “This bill will have a very difficult time passing” the Democratic-controlled House Education Committee.
Democrat Valentina Flores of Denver joined Durham and Republicans Marcia Neal, Pam Mazanec and Debra Scheffel in endorsing the bill. Democrat Angelika Schroeder voted no along with Goff. The board unanimously agreed to monitor several other bills, including testing measures that would reduce assessments to federal minimum requirements, a proposed scaling back of social studies testing, and a second omnibus Republican bill that also would change the educator evaluation system. Read more here
Chicago Public Schools defies mandate on new standardized exam, PARCC The district said it will administer the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test, or PARCC, to just 66 of its more than 600 schools as an extension of a pilot program that began last year. The rest of the schools will continue to administer NWEA-MAP and EPAS exams.he Chicago Teachers Union also opposes the test and has approved a resolution opposing implementation of the test, which replaces the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. CTU President Karen Lewis said she shared concerns similar to those of Byrd-Bennett. Read more here.
Mississippi withdrawing from Common Core PARCC consortium The state is pulling out of the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which has suffered numerous defections in the last few years. In 2010 there were 26 states aligned with PARCC; now the consortium has fewer than a dozen states — including Maryland — plus the District of Columbia. The defection of Mississippi underscores the continuing controversy over the Common Core standards and aligned tests. Read more here
Colorado Legislators turn up the heat on CDE for donated labor program
It's no secret that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI), aka Colorado Legacy Foundation. The Gates Foundation has given over $22 million to CEI to make sure its mission to implement Common Core standards, teacher accountability, and annual standardized testing is fulfilled. It's also no secret that CEI has a two-way entrée into the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). CDE passes projects to CEI to fund with "gifts, grants, and donations" and CEI passes "gifts, grants, and donations" to CDE.
What was a secret, until a Joint Budget Committee meeting on December 18, 2014, is that Colorado Education Initiative has [5 employees on loan to CDE] one of CEI's paid employees managing CDE's most important and controversial initiative, the implementation of Common Core standards and instruction. See more: http://noparccingzone.org/
Colorado: A Lowball Estimate of the Cost of New Tests : 1202 task force under scrutiny read here By dianeravitch
HB14-1202 task force releases survey results on time and cost. Two versions exist of the Augenblick Palaich and Associates (APA) report to the HB14-1202 Task Force. One is a final revision, the other is a draft. Usually the revision is a better version than a draft. Not so with APA’s work. The final version is cleaned up, dressed to make the state testing regimen look prettier than it is. Neither version includes computer and infrastructure cost to Districts or schools. Read about public report here from Chalkbeat . Read about the different versions here at noparccingzone.org
Federal Secretary of Education: “To Phase Out the Authority of States” “Phasing out the authority of the states” has been precisely the point for every last one of Duncan’s promoted education reforms, from Common Core to Common Data Standards to State Longitudinal Database Systems to P-20 programs to Common Core Assessments to teacher and school evaluations. It’s been the shared vision of non-governmental education reformers as well, from Marc Tucker to Michael Barber to Linda Darling Hammond to the Center for American Progress. Read article here
Thousands of Colorado Students Opt Out of Standardized Tests More than 5,000 Colorado 12th graders have refused to take the new state-mandated science and social studies tests as student anxiety about over-testing grows. read more here
District D11 in ColoSprings votes unanimously on resolution for PARCC moratorium. THEY WON'T BE TEACHING TO THE TEST! see here
Governor's office and State Board of Ed tied to Bill Gates money and Colorado Legacy Foundation Governor Hickenlooper has done nothing to stop or help in pausing Common Core in Colorado. In looking at Lt. Governor Garcia’s website we can see he is very heavily involved in education in Colorado and The Legacy Foundation.This article shows the love affair between Gates and Hickenlooper and Garcia. Throw in The Legacy Foundation being so appreciative of the Hickenlooper/Garcia plan to reform education in Colorado and you will find me wondering what makes the Governor and his Lieutenant so eager to be a part of this reform. Does Governor Hickenlooper take his cues on education from Garcia? Where does Garcia get his motivation for supporting The Legacy Foundation and Common Core so wholeheartedly? Does he also receive funding in some way from CLF or Gates? It begs the question, isn’t there a conflict of interest here? Or maybe a dozen or more conflicts of interest?! In investigating the Colorado Legal Ethics pertaining to this seeming conflict of interest, here are some key points that need to be made and that stand out. Read more here
School board members speak for Student Privacy - address Common Core SAGE test and AIR contracts. FERPA, as many know, has been modified by the US Dept of Education to allow for the sharing of data without parental knowledge or consent as long as it can be justified as an ‘educational program’. Additionally, FERPA only contains penalties for those entities receiving federal funds. Since Utah is paying directly for SAGE testing,
FERPA is a meaningless law in this regard. Read more of this fantastic letter here.
PARCC and SBAC States Agree to Deliver Student-level Data to USDOE PARCC and SBAC are the federally-funded, CCSS-assessment consortia. In order to receive those federal millions for CCSS assessment development, both consortia had to agree to deliver student-level data to USDOE. read more here
Colorado Springs superintendent asks for three-year moratorium on testing Challenging Colorado Springs's participation in PARCC The superintendent of one of the largest school districts in Colorado, Dr. Nicholas Gledich of Colorado Springs, has asked the school board of Colorado Springs to put a three-year moratorium on the PARCC tests and to develop a local system that restores the classroom, teachers, and children to the center of the district's work. "It is not the test score that should excite us each year. The excitement is the day-to-day interaction and engagement of students acquiring new knowledge and skills..." the superintendent told his school board in a lengthy memo on August 22, 2014. 'We need to test less but test right...' read more here
Louisiana Gov. Jindal to sue Federal Government over Common Core In the suit, Jindal argues that the Education Department's $4.3 billion grant program "effectively forces states down a path toward a national curriculum" in violation of the state sovereignty clause in the Constitution and federal laws that prohibit national control of education content. The suit will ask a judge to declare the department's actions unconstitutional and to keep it from disqualifying states from receiving Race to the Top funds based on a refusal to use Common Core or to participate in one of two state testing consortia tied to the department's grant program. read more here
Current NGA chair, John Hickenlooper wanted data base to track students as far back as 2009 when he was Mayor of Denver. In 2009 Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper wanted to compile an enormous database to give teachers, social workers and mentors a fuller picture of what the city's children are going through — be it a divorce, a falling algebra grade or an arrest. Experts warned that privacy would be an issue. read more here
State Board endorses anti-Common Core bill b Todd Engdahl on January 30, 2015 4:38 pm
The State Board of Education Friday voted 5-2 to a Republican-sponsored measure that would pull Colorado out of the Common Core State Standards and the PARCC testing group, reduce state assessments, and give districts more testing flexibility. The measure would also require periodic updates of state content standards. Member Jane Goff suggested that board only “monitor” the bill until members have a better understanding of its provisions and its sponsors’ intentions. Dham argued that the board might have more influence if it took a position. “There’s no reason to go over to the Capitol and tell people we are monitoring the bill.” He also acknowledged, “This bill will have a very difficult time passing” the Democratic-controlled House Education Committee.
Democrat Valentina Flores of Denver joined Durham and Republicans Marcia Neal, Pam Mazanec and Debra Scheffel in endorsing the bill. Democrat Angelika Schroeder voted no along with Goff. The board unanimously agreed to monitor several other bills, including testing measures that would reduce assessments to federal minimum requirements, a proposed scaling back of social studies testing, and a second omnibus Republican bill that also would change the educator evaluation system. Read more here
Chicago Public Schools defies mandate on new standardized exam, PARCC The district said it will administer the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test, or PARCC, to just 66 of its more than 600 schools as an extension of a pilot program that began last year. The rest of the schools will continue to administer NWEA-MAP and EPAS exams.he Chicago Teachers Union also opposes the test and has approved a resolution opposing implementation of the test, which replaces the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. CTU President Karen Lewis said she shared concerns similar to those of Byrd-Bennett. Read more here.
Mississippi withdrawing from Common Core PARCC consortium The state is pulling out of the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which has suffered numerous defections in the last few years. In 2010 there were 26 states aligned with PARCC; now the consortium has fewer than a dozen states — including Maryland — plus the District of Columbia. The defection of Mississippi underscores the continuing controversy over the Common Core standards and aligned tests. Read more here
Colorado Legislators turn up the heat on CDE for donated labor program
It's no secret that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI), aka Colorado Legacy Foundation. The Gates Foundation has given over $22 million to CEI to make sure its mission to implement Common Core standards, teacher accountability, and annual standardized testing is fulfilled. It's also no secret that CEI has a two-way entrée into the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). CDE passes projects to CEI to fund with "gifts, grants, and donations" and CEI passes "gifts, grants, and donations" to CDE.
What was a secret, until a Joint Budget Committee meeting on December 18, 2014, is that Colorado Education Initiative has [5 employees on loan to CDE] one of CEI's paid employees managing CDE's most important and controversial initiative, the implementation of Common Core standards and instruction. See more: http://noparccingzone.org/
Colorado: A Lowball Estimate of the Cost of New Tests : 1202 task force under scrutiny read here By dianeravitch
HB14-1202 task force releases survey results on time and cost. Two versions exist of the Augenblick Palaich and Associates (APA) report to the HB14-1202 Task Force. One is a final revision, the other is a draft. Usually the revision is a better version than a draft. Not so with APA’s work. The final version is cleaned up, dressed to make the state testing regimen look prettier than it is. Neither version includes computer and infrastructure cost to Districts or schools. Read about public report here from Chalkbeat . Read about the different versions here at noparccingzone.org
Federal Secretary of Education: “To Phase Out the Authority of States” “Phasing out the authority of the states” has been precisely the point for every last one of Duncan’s promoted education reforms, from Common Core to Common Data Standards to State Longitudinal Database Systems to P-20 programs to Common Core Assessments to teacher and school evaluations. It’s been the shared vision of non-governmental education reformers as well, from Marc Tucker to Michael Barber to Linda Darling Hammond to the Center for American Progress. Read article here
Thousands of Colorado Students Opt Out of Standardized Tests More than 5,000 Colorado 12th graders have refused to take the new state-mandated science and social studies tests as student anxiety about over-testing grows. read more here
District D11 in ColoSprings votes unanimously on resolution for PARCC moratorium. THEY WON'T BE TEACHING TO THE TEST! see here
Governor's office and State Board of Ed tied to Bill Gates money and Colorado Legacy Foundation Governor Hickenlooper has done nothing to stop or help in pausing Common Core in Colorado. In looking at Lt. Governor Garcia’s website we can see he is very heavily involved in education in Colorado and The Legacy Foundation.This article shows the love affair between Gates and Hickenlooper and Garcia. Throw in The Legacy Foundation being so appreciative of the Hickenlooper/Garcia plan to reform education in Colorado and you will find me wondering what makes the Governor and his Lieutenant so eager to be a part of this reform. Does Governor Hickenlooper take his cues on education from Garcia? Where does Garcia get his motivation for supporting The Legacy Foundation and Common Core so wholeheartedly? Does he also receive funding in some way from CLF or Gates? It begs the question, isn’t there a conflict of interest here? Or maybe a dozen or more conflicts of interest?! In investigating the Colorado Legal Ethics pertaining to this seeming conflict of interest, here are some key points that need to be made and that stand out. Read more here
School board members speak for Student Privacy - address Common Core SAGE test and AIR contracts. FERPA, as many know, has been modified by the US Dept of Education to allow for the sharing of data without parental knowledge or consent as long as it can be justified as an ‘educational program’. Additionally, FERPA only contains penalties for those entities receiving federal funds. Since Utah is paying directly for SAGE testing,
FERPA is a meaningless law in this regard. Read more of this fantastic letter here.
PARCC and SBAC States Agree to Deliver Student-level Data to USDOE PARCC and SBAC are the federally-funded, CCSS-assessment consortia. In order to receive those federal millions for CCSS assessment development, both consortia had to agree to deliver student-level data to USDOE. read more here
Colorado Springs superintendent asks for three-year moratorium on testing Challenging Colorado Springs's participation in PARCC The superintendent of one of the largest school districts in Colorado, Dr. Nicholas Gledich of Colorado Springs, has asked the school board of Colorado Springs to put a three-year moratorium on the PARCC tests and to develop a local system that restores the classroom, teachers, and children to the center of the district's work. "It is not the test score that should excite us each year. The excitement is the day-to-day interaction and engagement of students acquiring new knowledge and skills..." the superintendent told his school board in a lengthy memo on August 22, 2014. 'We need to test less but test right...' read more here
Louisiana Gov. Jindal to sue Federal Government over Common Core In the suit, Jindal argues that the Education Department's $4.3 billion grant program "effectively forces states down a path toward a national curriculum" in violation of the state sovereignty clause in the Constitution and federal laws that prohibit national control of education content. The suit will ask a judge to declare the department's actions unconstitutional and to keep it from disqualifying states from receiving Race to the Top funds based on a refusal to use Common Core or to participate in one of two state testing consortia tied to the department's grant program. read more here
Current NGA chair, John Hickenlooper wanted data base to track students as far back as 2009 when he was Mayor of Denver. In 2009 Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper wanted to compile an enormous database to give teachers, social workers and mentors a fuller picture of what the city's children are going through — be it a divorce, a falling algebra grade or an arrest. Experts warned that privacy would be an issue. read more here
Missouri the first state with a constitution protecting electronic privacy Aug 7, 2014 The constitutional amendment ascribes the same privacy protections to residents’ electronic communications and data as to their homes and physical belongings, including requiring law enforcement to have probable cause before even attempting to obtain a warrant to search through a person’s email, text messages and private Face Book messages. A federal-level effort is also underway to update the nation’s privacy law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, to account for the changes in digital communications technology since the law was first enacted. read more here
Candidate for Colorado Governor, Bob Beauprez says Common Core is Wrong for Colorado
see his #askbob video on common core
I’m not a fan of Washington, D.C. telling states what to do. We have plenty of examples of reform-minded Colorado schools innovating and seeking to raise standards on their own. And they did it without Washington, D.C. telling them to do so. For citizens to achieve the full freedom and blessings of the American Dream, educational excellence has never been more important. Schools should have strong curriculum and performance standards, but ones that are established by local communities, local educators, and most importantly, parents.
Education is the foundation upon which we work to fulfill our American Dreams. I believe Colorado families and communities should have choices to pursue the best education options for our future leaders. Colorado students should NOT be limited to a common, one-size-fits-all education system. see link here
Iowa Drops Common Core test, SBAC Aug 7, 2014
Gov. Terry Branstad and schools chief Brad Buck noted that the Iowa legislature created a task force in 2013 to explore the state's assessment options. They said that the task force would "give careful consideration to all options." But it appears that "all options" doesn't include Smarter Balanced, because Branstad and Buck asked the consortium to make Iowa's "withdrawal ... effective immediately" and to drop the state from its list of members. read more here
First of its kind Common Core lawsuit announced against Utah State School Board July 31, 2014
Governor Herbert announced he had asked the Attorney General to investigate legal issues surrounding Common Core,” said Libertas Institute president Connor Boyack. “We have been conducting our own investigation since January and have identified several violations of the law.”The lawsuit features six plaintiffs denied an opportunity to be consulted prior to establishing new education standards in Utah—an opportunity to which they are entitled by state law. read more here
Congressional Hearing on "How Data Mining Threatens Student Privacy" June 25, 2014
New legislation is needed to protect student data privacy, as per testimony from Joel Reidenberg, Director of Law and Information Policy Fordham University. See full testimony here
Parents, ask Colo Dept Ed and your school district for your child's data
Candidate for Colorado Governor, Bob Beauprez says Common Core is Wrong for Colorado
see his #askbob video on common core
I’m not a fan of Washington, D.C. telling states what to do. We have plenty of examples of reform-minded Colorado schools innovating and seeking to raise standards on their own. And they did it without Washington, D.C. telling them to do so. For citizens to achieve the full freedom and blessings of the American Dream, educational excellence has never been more important. Schools should have strong curriculum and performance standards, but ones that are established by local communities, local educators, and most importantly, parents.
Education is the foundation upon which we work to fulfill our American Dreams. I believe Colorado families and communities should have choices to pursue the best education options for our future leaders. Colorado students should NOT be limited to a common, one-size-fits-all education system. see link here
Iowa Drops Common Core test, SBAC Aug 7, 2014
Gov. Terry Branstad and schools chief Brad Buck noted that the Iowa legislature created a task force in 2013 to explore the state's assessment options. They said that the task force would "give careful consideration to all options." But it appears that "all options" doesn't include Smarter Balanced, because Branstad and Buck asked the consortium to make Iowa's "withdrawal ... effective immediately" and to drop the state from its list of members. read more here
First of its kind Common Core lawsuit announced against Utah State School Board July 31, 2014
Governor Herbert announced he had asked the Attorney General to investigate legal issues surrounding Common Core,” said Libertas Institute president Connor Boyack. “We have been conducting our own investigation since January and have identified several violations of the law.”The lawsuit features six plaintiffs denied an opportunity to be consulted prior to establishing new education standards in Utah—an opportunity to which they are entitled by state law. read more here
Congressional Hearing on "How Data Mining Threatens Student Privacy" June 25, 2014
New legislation is needed to protect student data privacy, as per testimony from Joel Reidenberg, Director of Law and Information Policy Fordham University. See full testimony here
Parents, ask Colo Dept Ed and your school district for your child's data
Tennessee drops PARCC -down to 15 in the consortia- ONE TO GO! June 24, 2014
State will use TCAP for 2014-15 school year and Tennessee will be accepting bid proposals for assessments in ELA and Math.
read full story here
State will use TCAP for 2014-15 school year and Tennessee will be accepting bid proposals for assessments in ELA and Math.
read full story here
Student Data – Not For Parents Any More? "Parents aren't authorized entities" June 23, 2014
Difficult for parents to access their children's data
Colorado school districts are collecting broad, detailed educational and psychological data on their students for use by private companies and the federal government, yet parental access to the same information remains limited and difficult to come by.Local districts are giving parents the run-around and stalling, while the state Department of Education claims that it simply doesn’t have the ability to connect parents with their children’s data. Recently, Watchdog Wire spoke to parents in Colorado who have been trying for months, to see their children’s data and the vendors who have access to this data. Dan Damagala, CDE’s CIO of Information Management Services, replied that, “The Colorado Department of Education does not have a mechanism for verifying parent/guardian relationships to students– and the release of student information to an unauthorized entity would be a violation of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).” In other words, CDE is citing the very law intended to assure parents access to justify denying them that same access. read more here
Difficult for parents to access their children's data
Colorado school districts are collecting broad, detailed educational and psychological data on their students for use by private companies and the federal government, yet parental access to the same information remains limited and difficult to come by.Local districts are giving parents the run-around and stalling, while the state Department of Education claims that it simply doesn’t have the ability to connect parents with their children’s data. Recently, Watchdog Wire spoke to parents in Colorado who have been trying for months, to see their children’s data and the vendors who have access to this data. Dan Damagala, CDE’s CIO of Information Management Services, replied that, “The Colorado Department of Education does not have a mechanism for verifying parent/guardian relationships to students– and the release of student information to an unauthorized entity would be a violation of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).” In other words, CDE is citing the very law intended to assure parents access to justify denying them that same access. read more here
Louisiana Gov. Jindal Drops PARCC and Common Core
June 18, 2014 by Shane Vander Hart
“If other states want to allow the federal government to dictate to them, they have every right to make that choice. But education is a primary responsibility of states, and we will not cede this responsibility to the federal government.”
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal just announced that the state is withdrawing from PARCC and charged the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary with writing new Louisiana standards. Governor Jindal said, “It’s time for PARCC to withdraw from Louisiana. We won’t let the federal government take over Louisiana’s education standards. We’re very alarmed about choice and local control over curriculum being taken away from parents and educators. Common Core has not been fully implemented yet in Louisiana, and we need to start the process over. It was rushed in the beginning and done without public input.“Additionally, proponents weren’t up front about federal involvement in PARCC and Common Core. Now that we understand the federal overreach involved, we need to slow down and make the right decision. Some Common Core proponents suggest that we cannot have high standards without Common Core. That is a false statement. Read more here
June 18, 2014 by Shane Vander Hart
“If other states want to allow the federal government to dictate to them, they have every right to make that choice. But education is a primary responsibility of states, and we will not cede this responsibility to the federal government.”
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal just announced that the state is withdrawing from PARCC and charged the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary with writing new Louisiana standards. Governor Jindal said, “It’s time for PARCC to withdraw from Louisiana. We won’t let the federal government take over Louisiana’s education standards. We’re very alarmed about choice and local control over curriculum being taken away from parents and educators. Common Core has not been fully implemented yet in Louisiana, and we need to start the process over. It was rushed in the beginning and done without public input.“Additionally, proponents weren’t up front about federal involvement in PARCC and Common Core. Now that we understand the federal overreach involved, we need to slow down and make the right decision. Some Common Core proponents suggest that we cannot have high standards without Common Core. That is a false statement. Read more here
How Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolution -A fascinating brief history
June 7, 2014 Washington Post interview, video
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation didn’t just bankroll the development of what became known as the Common Core State Standards. With more than $200 million, the foundation also built political support across the country, persuading state governments to make systemic and costly changes.
Bill Gates was de facto organizer, providing the money and structure for states to work together on common standards in a way that avoided the usual collision between states’ rights and national interests that had undercut every previous effort, dating from the Eisenhower administration. The Gates Foundation spread money across the political spectrum, to entities including the big teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, and business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — groups that have clashed in the past but became vocal backers of the standards. read more
June 7, 2014 Washington Post interview, video
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation didn’t just bankroll the development of what became known as the Common Core State Standards. With more than $200 million, the foundation also built political support across the country, persuading state governments to make systemic and costly changes.
Bill Gates was de facto organizer, providing the money and structure for states to work together on common standards in a way that avoided the usual collision between states’ rights and national interests that had undercut every previous effort, dating from the Eisenhower administration. The Gates Foundation spread money across the political spectrum, to entities including the big teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, and business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — groups that have clashed in the past but became vocal backers of the standards. read more
Two more states pull out of Common Core June 5, 2014
Oklahoma, South Carolina: Two Republican governors, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and Nikki Haley of South Carolina, have just signed laws pulling their states out of the Common Core State Standards initiative amid growing anti-Core sentiment around the country. Fallin signed the law on Thursday, while Haley did it last week, joining Indiana in officially rejecting the Core. A few other states, including Florida, Missouri and North Carolina are also considering whether to keep the standards... read more here
Oklahoma, South Carolina: Two Republican governors, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and Nikki Haley of South Carolina, have just signed laws pulling their states out of the Common Core State Standards initiative amid growing anti-Core sentiment around the country. Fallin signed the law on Thursday, while Haley did it last week, joining Indiana in officially rejecting the Core. A few other states, including Florida, Missouri and North Carolina are also considering whether to keep the standards... read more here
Colorado Teacher Union to Join Fight Against High-Stakes Testing! April 2014
“CEA shall join in coalition with other organizations demanding the withdrawal of Colorado from the PARCC assessment and will place a three year moratorium on high stakes standardized tests.” read more here
“CEA shall join in coalition with other organizations demanding the withdrawal of Colorado from the PARCC assessment and will place a three year moratorium on high stakes standardized tests.” read more here
By Benjamin Herold on May 14, 2014
Among other changes, the proposed "Protecting Student Privacy Act of 2014," issued by Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah would:
Mandate new data-security safeguards for private companies;
Colorado Coalition Says PARCC Testing is Not Teaching
Call on Governor Hickenlooper For Support
Guest post, published by Anthony Cody on April 17, 2014
Coloradoans are fed-up with standardized testing. The Colorado Education Association, has called for reductions of testing time and will support coalitions in withdrawing from PARCC. CEA supports a moratorium on high stakes testing.
PARCC is a new, unproven, unfunded, state and federally mandated test to be taken on computers, MULTIPLE TIMES per year. PARCC also collects data, of all sorts, not just academic, including psycho-social. This video from the White House Datapalooza shows how companies like Pearson (who made the PARCC test) collect "hidden" data on children, "by tagging every sentence, down to the atom". The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) captures this data and more from other tests and observations including home life, mental health, behavioral, pictures and videos. In a recent interview with Mike Rosen, the Governor, at 27 minutes, agreed that testing is excessive and said he would be willing to help delay PARCC, involving parents in the process. Hickenlooper went on to say, "We can opt out of all kinds of things in Common Core." read more here -signed by Colorado parents, business people, grassroots groups, school board members and legislators
Call on Governor Hickenlooper For Support
Guest post, published by Anthony Cody on April 17, 2014
Coloradoans are fed-up with standardized testing. The Colorado Education Association, has called for reductions of testing time and will support coalitions in withdrawing from PARCC. CEA supports a moratorium on high stakes testing.
PARCC is a new, unproven, unfunded, state and federally mandated test to be taken on computers, MULTIPLE TIMES per year. PARCC also collects data, of all sorts, not just academic, including psycho-social. This video from the White House Datapalooza shows how companies like Pearson (who made the PARCC test) collect "hidden" data on children, "by tagging every sentence, down to the atom". The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) captures this data and more from other tests and observations including home life, mental health, behavioral, pictures and videos. In a recent interview with Mike Rosen, the Governor, at 27 minutes, agreed that testing is excessive and said he would be willing to help delay PARCC, involving parents in the process. Hickenlooper went on to say, "We can opt out of all kinds of things in Common Core." read more here -signed by Colorado parents, business people, grassroots groups, school board members and legislators
Colorado Legislators Stun Parents with Common Core Comments
April 11, 2014 at 5:00 am by Kathryn Porter read from source at Politichicks
Democrat Sue Schaffer states, "What we do have are called Colorado Academic Standards. We do not have core curriculum which is how the standards are taught." (Come now, Representative Schaffer. Let’s call these standards for what they are. Common Core State Standards. These are copyrighted standards that Colorado signed up for sight unseen.) She continues, "There are some parents complaining that they can’t understand, they don’t know how to do the math or they don’t even know how to do the reading and the writing." (Shame on you for calling your constituents’ communicating concerns about curriculum as complaining! And world class standards? When you have a Common Core validation committee member whose background includes serving as a mathematician with NASA refuse to sign off on the standards, they are far from world class.) At around the 259:22 mark, Republican Carole Murray urges a no vote on the amendment for a third time. She infers the ignorance of parents by stating, "Well, I… I think that what parents are discovering is that there is such a thing as standards. And I think that most people don’t know the difference between standards and curriculum." read more
April 11, 2014 at 5:00 am by Kathryn Porter read from source at Politichicks
Democrat Sue Schaffer states, "What we do have are called Colorado Academic Standards. We do not have core curriculum which is how the standards are taught." (Come now, Representative Schaffer. Let’s call these standards for what they are. Common Core State Standards. These are copyrighted standards that Colorado signed up for sight unseen.) She continues, "There are some parents complaining that they can’t understand, they don’t know how to do the math or they don’t even know how to do the reading and the writing." (Shame on you for calling your constituents’ communicating concerns about curriculum as complaining! And world class standards? When you have a Common Core validation committee member whose background includes serving as a mathematician with NASA refuse to sign off on the standards, they are far from world class.) At around the 259:22 mark, Republican Carole Murray urges a no vote on the amendment for a third time. She infers the ignorance of parents by stating, "Well, I… I think that what parents are discovering is that there is such a thing as standards. And I think that most people don’t know the difference between standards and curriculum." read more
inBloom, one of many student data collecting vendors, closed its doors in April due to concerns over student data privacy. inBloom was a multi-million dollar joint venture of Bill Gates, Carnegie Foundation, Rupert Murdoch. Pearson, PowerSchool, Knewton, Strategic Data Partners, are among the 1000s of data vendors still in place Read more here
State board asks legislature to exit testing group PARCC
by Chalkbeat Nicholas Garcia on April 9, 2014
The State Board of Education voted along party lines Wednesday to ask the Colorado General Assembly to allow the state to design its own standardized assessments instead of participating in a multi-state exam. The vote came nearly three hours after a panel discussion on the pros and cons of the tests that have yet to be officially given. ... interim-Superintendent for the Lewis Palmer school district said excessive standardized testing, including the PARCC, has stifled creativity in the classroom. “Let me tell you what really bothers me about PARCC, the amount of time that is taking for student testing,” he said. “It has really interrupted the amount of instructional time. Teachers and parents feel like we’ve lost that creativity and innovation that used to be a landmark of Lewis Palmer 38.” read more here
by Chalkbeat Nicholas Garcia on April 9, 2014
The State Board of Education voted along party lines Wednesday to ask the Colorado General Assembly to allow the state to design its own standardized assessments instead of participating in a multi-state exam. The vote came nearly three hours after a panel discussion on the pros and cons of the tests that have yet to be officially given. ... interim-Superintendent for the Lewis Palmer school district said excessive standardized testing, including the PARCC, has stifled creativity in the classroom. “Let me tell you what really bothers me about PARCC, the amount of time that is taking for student testing,” he said. “It has really interrupted the amount of instructional time. Teachers and parents feel like we’ve lost that creativity and innovation that used to be a landmark of Lewis Palmer 38.” read more here
Coloradans Rally to Send Message: Stop Common Core
Hundreds gather at State Capitol April 7, 2014 by Aimie Randall
Many Coloradans have found something in common: a desire to stop Common Core. On Saturday, people from across the state rallied in Denver to raise awareness of some prominent education reforms that have seeped into the state since 2008. Hundreds gathered on the State Capitol’s west steps to hear a lineup of speakers that included parents, preschool teachers, legislators, and gubernatorial candidates. The campaigns of seven gubernatorial candidates–Republicans Bob Beauprez, Scott Gessler, Steve House, Mike Kopp, Roni Bell Sylvester, and Tom Tancredo, along with Libertarian Matthew Hess–accepted the challenge Saturday. Each had strong words regarding the future of education. A representative from Kopp’s campaign said his first order of business as governor would be to get Common Core out of Colorado.Each of them took a passionate stance against what they consider to be a federally-coerced set of mandates set forth by the Race to the Top competitive grant program.
read more here
Hundreds gather at State Capitol April 7, 2014 by Aimie Randall
Many Coloradans have found something in common: a desire to stop Common Core. On Saturday, people from across the state rallied in Denver to raise awareness of some prominent education reforms that have seeped into the state since 2008. Hundreds gathered on the State Capitol’s west steps to hear a lineup of speakers that included parents, preschool teachers, legislators, and gubernatorial candidates. The campaigns of seven gubernatorial candidates–Republicans Bob Beauprez, Scott Gessler, Steve House, Mike Kopp, Roni Bell Sylvester, and Tom Tancredo, along with Libertarian Matthew Hess–accepted the challenge Saturday. Each had strong words regarding the future of education. A representative from Kopp’s campaign said his first order of business as governor would be to get Common Core out of Colorado.Each of them took a passionate stance against what they consider to be a federally-coerced set of mandates set forth by the Race to the Top competitive grant program.
read more here
WHO wrote the Common Core Standards?-Not Teachers! Here is a press release that lists the names of the writing teams for each subject as well as “feedback” groups. You will notice a large representation of people from the testing industry (College Board and ACT), as well as people from Achieve, a D.C. think tank. These people are not teachers-they wrote the standards and then profit from the mandated tests that will follow.
National News:
Common Core emerges as potent [non-partisan] election issue for fed-up parents
By Ben Evansky Published March 29, 2014 FoxNews.com
Parents across the country may hold the key to this year's mid-term elections as they vent their anger over the implementation of a controversial education achievement measure called the Common Core State Standards Initiative. many parents see the initiative as a bid by the federal government to take over the education system. They are also angry over the "data mining" of students' personal information, and say the stepped-up standards are not age-appropriate and are leading to anxiety and depression in their children."You really have a populist reaction, and that's true on the left and the right," says Tom Loveless, Ed Policy at Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. read more here
Common Core emerges as potent [non-partisan] election issue for fed-up parents
By Ben Evansky Published March 29, 2014 FoxNews.com
Parents across the country may hold the key to this year's mid-term elections as they vent their anger over the implementation of a controversial education achievement measure called the Common Core State Standards Initiative. many parents see the initiative as a bid by the federal government to take over the education system. They are also angry over the "data mining" of students' personal information, and say the stepped-up standards are not age-appropriate and are leading to anxiety and depression in their children."You really have a populist reaction, and that's true on the left and the right," says Tom Loveless, Ed Policy at Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. read more here
Indiana Gov. Pence Signs Bill to End Common Core Standards
Shane Vander Hart on March 24, 2014 Truth in American Education
Governor Mike Pence today signed Senate Enrolled Act 91, which requires Indiana to adopt its own academic standards. The Governor issued the following statement: “I believe our students are best served when decisions about education are made at the state and local level. By signing this legislation, Indiana has taken an important step forward in developing academic standards that are written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers, and are uncommonly high" read more here
Shane Vander Hart on March 24, 2014 Truth in American Education
Governor Mike Pence today signed Senate Enrolled Act 91, which requires Indiana to adopt its own academic standards. The Governor issued the following statement: “I believe our students are best served when decisions about education are made at the state and local level. By signing this legislation, Indiana has taken an important step forward in developing academic standards that are written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers, and are uncommonly high" read more here
HB 1294 Falls Short of Full Student Data Protection
By Aimee Randall The Complete Colorado
HB 1294 however does startlingly little to truly address the threat. The bill still allows the state agency to share personally identifiable information with vendors. The bill only suggests security measures at the state level while offering nothing to protect
children’s data at the local district level. (A recent Fordham Institute study has highlighted districts’ serious deficiencies in privacy protection). Additionally, the bill does nothing to restore the loss of parental rights. At the House Education Committee’s hearing on HB 1294, several parents testified and asked for changes to ban the sale of children’s data and also for a parental opt-out amendment. Colorado student data is tracked from preschool through grade 12 and beyond, creating a single “Golden Record” on each child. Organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the ACLU have raised concerns, and even filed lawsuits, over the release of student records for non-academic purposes and the lack of parental consent requirements. Only new legislation could effectively address parental rights and strengthen data security at the district level. That’s the kind of local control Colorado education needs. read more here
By Aimee Randall The Complete Colorado
HB 1294 however does startlingly little to truly address the threat. The bill still allows the state agency to share personally identifiable information with vendors. The bill only suggests security measures at the state level while offering nothing to protect
children’s data at the local district level. (A recent Fordham Institute study has highlighted districts’ serious deficiencies in privacy protection). Additionally, the bill does nothing to restore the loss of parental rights. At the House Education Committee’s hearing on HB 1294, several parents testified and asked for changes to ban the sale of children’s data and also for a parental opt-out amendment. Colorado student data is tracked from preschool through grade 12 and beyond, creating a single “Golden Record” on each child. Organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the ACLU have raised concerns, and even filed lawsuits, over the release of student records for non-academic purposes and the lack of parental consent requirements. Only new legislation could effectively address parental rights and strengthen data security at the district level. That’s the kind of local control Colorado education needs. read more here
CO: Video Sparks Concern Over Data Harvesting
Colorado's Real Life Minority Report March 17, 2014 by Jen Raiffie
While data is collected for the SLDS at all grades, additional preschool data is only collected on families that participate in publicly-funded programs such as WIC, Head Start, or Colorado Connect for Health – Colorado’s Obamacare Exchange. TS Gold and similar programs will continue to expand, but for now the government can only use underprivileged children as preschool test subjects, exploiting income inequality. CDE Chief Information Officer Dan Domagala was recorded on video presenting the “golden record” of each child's data [data on every child enrolled in public school]. In his presentation, at minute 9:40, he points to a slide showing CDE “connecting information in a longitudinal format” with other state agencies, including Human Services and Corrections. It is documented that CDE shares student data with Colorado’s Department of Human Services, Department of Corrections, and Higher Education entities. Sources say that other videos with this presentation have been scrubbed of Domagala disclosing that student information will be shared with other state agencies. read more here
Colorado's Real Life Minority Report March 17, 2014 by Jen Raiffie
While data is collected for the SLDS at all grades, additional preschool data is only collected on families that participate in publicly-funded programs such as WIC, Head Start, or Colorado Connect for Health – Colorado’s Obamacare Exchange. TS Gold and similar programs will continue to expand, but for now the government can only use underprivileged children as preschool test subjects, exploiting income inequality. CDE Chief Information Officer Dan Domagala was recorded on video presenting the “golden record” of each child's data [data on every child enrolled in public school]. In his presentation, at minute 9:40, he points to a slide showing CDE “connecting information in a longitudinal format” with other state agencies, including Human Services and Corrections. It is documented that CDE shares student data with Colorado’s Department of Human Services, Department of Corrections, and Higher Education entities. Sources say that other videos with this presentation have been scrubbed of Domagala disclosing that student information will be shared with other state agencies. read more here
How States and School Districts Can Opt Out of Common Core
by Dr. Sandra Stotsky Breitbart 7 Mar 2014
States that want to opt out of the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and/or the tests aligned to or based on its standards are being threatened by a toothless tiger that doesn’t want the states to know the tiger has no claws. ...In other words, there seem to be no likely penalties if a state accepted a U S Dept of Ed (USED) award of RttT funds and now chooses to withdraw from the agreement. States can justify their withdrawal on the grounds that the Common Core standards do not meet the original requirements of “common standards” outlined in the RttT application. read more here
by Dr. Sandra Stotsky Breitbart 7 Mar 2014
States that want to opt out of the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) and/or the tests aligned to or based on its standards are being threatened by a toothless tiger that doesn’t want the states to know the tiger has no claws. ...In other words, there seem to be no likely penalties if a state accepted a U S Dept of Ed (USED) award of RttT funds and now chooses to withdraw from the agreement. States can justify their withdrawal on the grounds that the Common Core standards do not meet the original requirements of “common standards” outlined in the RttT application. read more here
College Board, ACT sued over sale of student information
A lawsuit was filed against the SAT and ACT for selling, identifying and confidential data of students to colleges. Some states mandate that all students must take one of these tests, whether they are college bound or not. Students assume that their names and scores will be shared with colleges to which they apply, but it turns out that far more is disclosed about students, and it is sold, not just shared. It appears that ACT and SAT are in the data-mining business for their own gain. A lawsuit filed this week contends that the College Board, which runs the SAT, and ACT, Inc., sell identifying information about the hundreds of thousands of teenagers who take the exams each year without the students' consent. read more here
A lawsuit was filed against the SAT and ACT for selling, identifying and confidential data of students to colleges. Some states mandate that all students must take one of these tests, whether they are college bound or not. Students assume that their names and scores will be shared with colleges to which they apply, but it turns out that far more is disclosed about students, and it is sold, not just shared. It appears that ACT and SAT are in the data-mining business for their own gain. A lawsuit filed this week contends that the College Board, which runs the SAT, and ACT, Inc., sell identifying information about the hundreds of thousands of teenagers who take the exams each year without the students' consent. read more here
Breaking News: AFT Will No Longer Accept Funding from Gates Foundation for Innovation Fund
By dianeravitch March 10, 2014
The American Federation of Teachers ended a five-year relationship with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation after rank-and-file union members expressed deep distrust of the foundation’s approach to education reform. AFT President Randi Weingarten told Morning Education the union will no longer accept Gates money for its Innovation Fund, which was founded in 2009 and has received up to
$1 million a year in Gates grants ever since. Read more here
By dianeravitch March 10, 2014
The American Federation of Teachers ended a five-year relationship with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation after rank-and-file union members expressed deep distrust of the foundation’s approach to education reform. AFT President Randi Weingarten told Morning Education the union will no longer accept Gates money for its Innovation Fund, which was founded in 2009 and has received up to
$1 million a year in Gates grants ever since. Read more here
CCC Call for congressional hearings on standardized testing
By Valerie Strauss Washington Post March 4
Education historian and activist Diane Ravitch just called for congressional hearings on the misuse and abuse of standardized tests used for high-stakes purposes — and she got some unexpected support. Joining Diane Ravitch, Anthony Cody, Arne Duncan’s former communications director, Peter Cunningham, and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, all CALLING FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS. read more here
By Valerie Strauss Washington Post March 4
Education historian and activist Diane Ravitch just called for congressional hearings on the misuse and abuse of standardized tests used for high-stakes purposes — and she got some unexpected support. Joining Diane Ravitch, Anthony Cody, Arne Duncan’s former communications director, Peter Cunningham, and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, all CALLING FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS. read more here
Colorado State board chair drops a little PARCC surprise
Tue, 03/11/2014 Chalkbeat
Paul Lundeen, chair of the State Board of Education, informed his colleagues Tuesday that he plans to ask them to vote next month on an action calling on the legislature to repeal a 2012 law that required Colorado to sign up with a multistate testing group. Lundeen’s surprise (at least to some board members) came at the end of a daylong meeting, “I respectfully call for action by the General Assembly and the governor during this legislative session,” he said. “It is time to demand action from the General Assembly to repeal the statute” that led to Colorado committing to use of language arts and math tests being prepared by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). He said he’d ask the board to consider such a vote during
its April 9-10 meeting. Lundeen made the announcement near the end of a 10-minute speech in which he criticized the Common Core Standards (“Colorado must remain true to its independent standards”) as “an increasing burden of standardized assessments.” Read more here
Tue, 03/11/2014 Chalkbeat
Paul Lundeen, chair of the State Board of Education, informed his colleagues Tuesday that he plans to ask them to vote next month on an action calling on the legislature to repeal a 2012 law that required Colorado to sign up with a multistate testing group. Lundeen’s surprise (at least to some board members) came at the end of a daylong meeting, “I respectfully call for action by the General Assembly and the governor during this legislative session,” he said. “It is time to demand action from the General Assembly to repeal the statute” that led to Colorado committing to use of language arts and math tests being prepared by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). He said he’d ask the board to consider such a vote during
its April 9-10 meeting. Lundeen made the announcement near the end of a 10-minute speech in which he criticized the Common Core Standards (“Colorado must remain true to its independent standards”) as “an increasing burden of standardized assessments.” Read more here
Student Data Not a 'Product' To Be 'Sold to the Highest Bidder'
By David Nagel 01/14/14
A United States senator is questioning FERPA guidelines that he said could put student privacy at risk. Today Sen. Edward Markey
(D-MA) said he'll introduce legislation in the coming weeks to protect students' sensitive information from commercial exploitation and from potential mishandling. At issue are changes to the U.S. Department of Education's guidelines to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) issued in 2008 and 2011. Late last year, Markey requested clarification from ED on these changes, which in
particular address the handling of student data by private contractors. ED responded in a letter (available as a PDF on senate.gov) this week justifying the changes and insisting that, while the protection of student data is paramount, there are legitimate cases in which schools must disclose student data without parental consent. (That letter is available as a PDF on senate.gov). At an event hosted by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Sen. Markey announced his plans to introduce the legislation, telling attendees that while there are upsides to student data collection, safeguards have to be in place to protect that information.
"The business of storing and sifting through the records of grade-school students is growing even faster than students themselves." Read more
By David Nagel 01/14/14
A United States senator is questioning FERPA guidelines that he said could put student privacy at risk. Today Sen. Edward Markey
(D-MA) said he'll introduce legislation in the coming weeks to protect students' sensitive information from commercial exploitation and from potential mishandling. At issue are changes to the U.S. Department of Education's guidelines to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) issued in 2008 and 2011. Late last year, Markey requested clarification from ED on these changes, which in
particular address the handling of student data by private contractors. ED responded in a letter (available as a PDF on senate.gov) this week justifying the changes and insisting that, while the protection of student data is paramount, there are legitimate cases in which schools must disclose student data without parental consent. (That letter is available as a PDF on senate.gov). At an event hosted by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Sen. Markey announced his plans to introduce the legislation, telling attendees that while there are upsides to student data collection, safeguards have to be in place to protect that information.
"The business of storing and sifting through the records of grade-school students is growing even faster than students themselves." Read more
List of Common Core adversaries continues to grow in Colorado
February 26, 2014, 10:01 am, by Carol McGraw
More and more school districts and states are expressing concern with Common Core standards. In the Pikes Peak region, school boards have been asking fore reviews and condemning Common Core and other new mandates from the federal and state
governments. The latest resolution being sent to the Colorado legislature to express that concern was Lewis-Palmer School District 38. Colorado Springs School District 11 board members are also discussing the issue. Other new resolutions were passed by Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy and the Vanguard School, and James Irwin Charter Academy. They say that all these measures are eroding the district’s local control of education in their communities, plus are expensive to implement on budgets that have been cut because of state budget woes the past few years. read more here
February 26, 2014, 10:01 am, by Carol McGraw
More and more school districts and states are expressing concern with Common Core standards. In the Pikes Peak region, school boards have been asking fore reviews and condemning Common Core and other new mandates from the federal and state
governments. The latest resolution being sent to the Colorado legislature to express that concern was Lewis-Palmer School District 38. Colorado Springs School District 11 board members are also discussing the issue. Other new resolutions were passed by Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy and the Vanguard School, and James Irwin Charter Academy. They say that all these measures are eroding the district’s local control of education in their communities, plus are expensive to implement on budgets that have been cut because of state budget woes the past few years. read more here
COMMISSIONER ROBERT HAMMOND, COLO DEPT OF ED, IS COMMISSIONING A STUDY ON DISTRICT
ASSESSMENTS, INCLUDING THE COMMON CORE ALIGNED PARCC TEST. THIS STUDY IS TO BE DONE BY WestEd. WESTED RECEIVED NEARLY $3MILLION FROM BILL GATES WHO HAS FUNDED COMMON CORE WITH OVER $170 MILLION. ADDITIONALLY, WESTED PRESIDENT, RABINOWITZ, WAS ON THE COMMON CORE VALIDATION COMMITTEE AND APPROVED THE CC STANDARDS AND WROTE A PAPER IN FAVOR OF NEXT GENERATION REFORM, AND ALSO SITS ON THE SMARTERBALANCED TESTING COMMITTEE. TELL CDE WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER BIASED STUDY. According to CDE code of conduct (here)
IT IS A CLEAR CONFLICT OF INTEREST. CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO MORE INFO AND A SAMPLE LETTER.
WestEd did similar study on Colo math and reading standards
Kafer: We may be too hasty in instituting Common Core
Denver Post February 23, 2014
"If you like your textbooks, you can keep your textbooks," Tom Monson said with a wink to a packed room of parents and educators at a recent Centennial Institute forum. ...When thoughtful people offer compelling and competing alternatives, the best course is often to continue dialogue. Requiring Colorado public schools to teach to Common Core standards and administer aligned national assessments too soon will shut down debate when important questions remain unanswered. What are the costs of testing mandates in terms of money and time away from instruction? read more here
Denver Post February 23, 2014
"If you like your textbooks, you can keep your textbooks," Tom Monson said with a wink to a packed room of parents and educators at a recent Centennial Institute forum. ...When thoughtful people offer compelling and competing alternatives, the best course is often to continue dialogue. Requiring Colorado public schools to teach to Common Core standards and administer aligned national assessments too soon will shut down debate when important questions remain unanswered. What are the costs of testing mandates in terms of money and time away from instruction? read more here
New York Will Release Confidential Student Data
By dianeravitch February 20, 2014
New York officials say they will release confidential student data in July to Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates’ inBloom, despite parental protests and a futile lawsuit. Why the unseemly rush to give away student information? read more here
By dianeravitch February 20, 2014
New York officials say they will release confidential student data in July to Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates’ inBloom, despite parental protests and a futile lawsuit. Why the unseemly rush to give away student information? read more here
Washington Senate defeats teacher evaluation bill
LISA BAUMAN, Associated Press Updated 8:06 pm, Tuesday, February 18, 2014
In a bipartisan vote, WA state voted down teacher evaluations linked to tests. Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, said she voted against the bill because using state tests to measure student growth has not been proven to be an effective way to judge teachers. Education officials say the state will be limited in the way it can spend about $44 million in federal dollars after the Senate on Tuesday turned down a proposal that would have mandated the use of statewide standardized tests in educators' evaluations. read more here
LISA BAUMAN, Associated Press Updated 8:06 pm, Tuesday, February 18, 2014
In a bipartisan vote, WA state voted down teacher evaluations linked to tests. Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, said she voted against the bill because using state tests to measure student growth has not been proven to be an effective way to judge teachers. Education officials say the state will be limited in the way it can spend about $44 million in federal dollars after the Senate on Tuesday turned down a proposal that would have mandated the use of statewide standardized tests in educators' evaluations. read more here
Common Core Curriculum Now Has Critics on the Left- NY Teacher's Union
By AL BAKERFEB. 16, 2014
The Board of Directors of the New York State United Teachers, a union with more than 600,000 members, has approved a resolution that withdraws its earlier support for the Common Core State Standards ”as implemented and interpreted” by the New York Education Department. It also declares ”no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King and calls for a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing. Read NY Times article here
By AL BAKERFEB. 16, 2014
The Board of Directors of the New York State United Teachers, a union with more than 600,000 members, has approved a resolution that withdraws its earlier support for the Common Core State Standards ”as implemented and interpreted” by the New York Education Department. It also declares ”no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King and calls for a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing. Read NY Times article here
State Board decides to watch testing flexibility bill
by Todd Engdahl on February 12, 2014
State Board of Education members Wednesday took a collegial approach to a bill that would allow school districts to opt out of state tests, a marked contrast to their vigorous disagreement over a previous standards-and-testing measure. The measure has its origins with the Douglas County school board. It was clear that individual board members disagreed about the bill, but in the end they voted 7-0 to “monitor” it, meaning the board neither endorses nor opposes the measure at this time. Education Commissioner Robert Hammond told the board that the Department of Education is working with WestEd, a research organization, to assess the impact of the new tests rolling out in Colorado this year and next. read more
by Todd Engdahl on February 12, 2014
State Board of Education members Wednesday took a collegial approach to a bill that would allow school districts to opt out of state tests, a marked contrast to their vigorous disagreement over a previous standards-and-testing measure. The measure has its origins with the Douglas County school board. It was clear that individual board members disagreed about the bill, but in the end they voted 7-0 to “monitor” it, meaning the board neither endorses nor opposes the measure at this time. Education Commissioner Robert Hammond told the board that the Department of Education is working with WestEd, a research organization, to assess the impact of the new tests rolling out in Colorado this year and next. read more
Testing opt-out bill morphing into testing study
by Todd Engdahl on February 17, 2014
The impetus for the study is Rep. Ray Scott's House Bill 14-1202, which originally proposed allowing districts to opt out of certain aspects of state standardized tests. (Get details of the bill in this legislative staff summary.) “This issue has been escalating and escalating and I think we’ve reached the tipping point,” Dillon Democratic Rep. Millie Hamner, chair of the House Education Committee, told Chalkbeat Colorado Monday afternoon. Scott’s proposed study amendment would require the State Board of Education to appoint a “working group” (primarily representing various education interest groups) to study proposed assessment timelines, costs, impact of tests on classroom instructions, feasibility of letting districts opt out, extension of testing timelines and the feasibility of allow parents to opt students out of testing. read more here
by Todd Engdahl on February 17, 2014
The impetus for the study is Rep. Ray Scott's House Bill 14-1202, which originally proposed allowing districts to opt out of certain aspects of state standardized tests. (Get details of the bill in this legislative staff summary.) “This issue has been escalating and escalating and I think we’ve reached the tipping point,” Dillon Democratic Rep. Millie Hamner, chair of the House Education Committee, told Chalkbeat Colorado Monday afternoon. Scott’s proposed study amendment would require the State Board of Education to appoint a “working group” (primarily representing various education interest groups) to study proposed assessment timelines, costs, impact of tests on classroom instructions, feasibility of letting districts opt out, extension of testing timelines and the feasibility of allow parents to opt students out of testing. read more here
Senate Education kills standards and testing timeout
Whole spectrum of views aired at marathon hearing
Chalkbeat by Todd Engdahl on February 13, 2014
“I heard a lot of things today that give me lots of things to think about,” said Denver Democratic Sen. Mike Johnston, perhaps the legislature’s leading proponent of the standard education reform agenda. “I don’t think the answer is to pause on this.” Aurora Democratic Sen. Nancy Todd, a bit choked up, said she sympathized with concerns about over-testing but that “it’s a difficult thing” to put Colorado’s system on hold. “There will be discussions that will continue.” The hearing, with long lists of witnesses organized by both sides (more than 40 total), spotlighted the variety of fears and criticisms that have been sparked by the Common Core standards and by the prospect of new online tests aligned to those standards. Some witnesses were emotional, and one broke into tears while speaking to the committee. Read more
Whole spectrum of views aired at marathon hearing
Chalkbeat by Todd Engdahl on February 13, 2014
“I heard a lot of things today that give me lots of things to think about,” said Denver Democratic Sen. Mike Johnston, perhaps the legislature’s leading proponent of the standard education reform agenda. “I don’t think the answer is to pause on this.” Aurora Democratic Sen. Nancy Todd, a bit choked up, said she sympathized with concerns about over-testing but that “it’s a difficult thing” to put Colorado’s system on hold. “There will be discussions that will continue.” The hearing, with long lists of witnesses organized by both sides (more than 40 total), spotlighted the variety of fears and criticisms that have been sparked by the Common Core standards and by the prospect of new online tests aligned to those standards. Some witnesses were emotional, and one broke into tears while speaking to the committee. Read more
2014 Common Core Legislation Round-Up (Updated)
Truth In American Education Shave Vander Hart February 14, 2014.
Here’s the latest round of Common Core legislation that has been filed. There’s too many to do individual articles so I wanted to get caught up and mention them in one article. See more here
Truth In American Education Shave Vander Hart February 14, 2014.
Here’s the latest round of Common Core legislation that has been filed. There’s too many to do individual articles so I wanted to get caught up and mention them in one article. See more here
Common Core conflict spikes as Colorado bill aims to rethink standards
Denver Post Kevin Simpson 2/12/2014
Conflict over Common Core, the widely adopted national math and language arts standards, spiked Wednesday as opponents brought their concerns to the state Capitol while backers countered with a campaign to support the continued
rollout. Read more:
Denver Post Kevin Simpson 2/12/2014
Conflict over Common Core, the widely adopted national math and language arts standards, spiked Wednesday as opponents brought their concerns to the state Capitol while backers countered with a campaign to support the continued
rollout. Read more:
High cost of Common Core has states rethinking the national education standards
By Perry Chiaramonte Published February 05, 2014
States are learning the cost of Common Core is uncommonly high.
Several states are reconsidering their participation, and one big reason is the cost. States will spend up to an estimated $10 billion up front, then as much as $800 million per year...read more
By Perry Chiaramonte Published February 05, 2014
States are learning the cost of Common Core is uncommonly high.
Several states are reconsidering their participation, and one big reason is the cost. States will spend up to an estimated $10 billion up front, then as much as $800 million per year...read more
Seven U.S. Senators Lead Resolution For U. S. Dept of Ed To Repeal Common Core
February 5, 2014 at 12:25 am / by Karin Piper
The resolution will call on the federal Department of Education to stop strong-arming states into adopting the standards by making federal grants contingent upon them. It also establishes that local education authorities, not the federal government, should set curriculum requirements.” Read the rest of the story.
February 5, 2014 at 12:25 am / by Karin Piper
The resolution will call on the federal Department of Education to stop strong-arming states into adopting the standards by making federal grants contingent upon them. It also establishes that local education authorities, not the federal government, should set curriculum requirements.” Read the rest of the story.
Make that 18 states that have pulled out of testing.
Kentucky Withdraws From PARCC Testing Consortium
Catherine Gewertz Jan 31, 2014
Kentucky has pulled out of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers,
better known as PARCC. Gov. Steven L. Beshear, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday and State Board President Roger L. Marcum sent a letter by email yesterday to Mitchell D. Chester, the chairman of PARCC's governing board. In the letter, they said that Kentucky would likely be issuing a request for proposals for new tests read more
Kentucky Withdraws From PARCC Testing Consortium
Catherine Gewertz Jan 31, 2014
Kentucky has pulled out of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers,
better known as PARCC. Gov. Steven L. Beshear, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday and State Board President Roger L. Marcum sent a letter by email yesterday to Mitchell D. Chester, the chairman of PARCC's governing board. In the letter, they said that Kentucky would likely be issuing a request for proposals for new tests read more
State Board splits over testing and standards delay
by Todd Engdahl on January 31, 2014
Colorado State Board of Education members — who work hard to bridge partisan and philosophical divisions — fractured dramatically Friday over a new bill that proposes to delay implementation of state academic content standards and new tests. Top of the agenda Friday was Senate Bill 14-136, which was introduced last Monday by several Republican legislators (see this story for details). The discussion accelerated quickly after a briefing by Jennifer Mello, board and Department of Education lobbyist. Noting that state content standards (adopted in 2009) already are being rolled out in school districts, Democratic member Elaine Gantz Berman of Denver said, “I don’t know that we can support it when the standards are being implemented. It’s totally inconsistent with the work the department has done and is doing.” Marcia Neal, a Grand Junction Republican, weighed in to say, “I have very little patience with this bill. We all know it is not going to pass. Why are we being dragged through this?” She added that the bill seems “designed to make Republicans look bad.” Neal participated via speakerphone, as did three other members, giving the meeting an occasionally disjointed feel. But Republican board chair Paul Lundeen of Monument, also on speakerphone, defended the bill, saying that public conversation only now is “catching up” with the issues of standards and testing. “Sometimes the fastest way to make progress is to turn around,” he said, adding the bill is “appropriate, in my opinion.” Neal asked, “Are you taking this bill seriously?” to which Lundeen said, “This may be the first step in a long journey.” Republican member Deb Scheffel of Parker described ideas behind the bill as “a grassroots effort on the part of parents … this bill addresses part of that concern.” Pam Mazanec, a Republican member from Larkspur, agreed, saying, “This bill is a response to a growing concern … and I don’t see anything ridiculous about it.” read more here
by Todd Engdahl on January 31, 2014
Colorado State Board of Education members — who work hard to bridge partisan and philosophical divisions — fractured dramatically Friday over a new bill that proposes to delay implementation of state academic content standards and new tests. Top of the agenda Friday was Senate Bill 14-136, which was introduced last Monday by several Republican legislators (see this story for details). The discussion accelerated quickly after a briefing by Jennifer Mello, board and Department of Education lobbyist. Noting that state content standards (adopted in 2009) already are being rolled out in school districts, Democratic member Elaine Gantz Berman of Denver said, “I don’t know that we can support it when the standards are being implemented. It’s totally inconsistent with the work the department has done and is doing.” Marcia Neal, a Grand Junction Republican, weighed in to say, “I have very little patience with this bill. We all know it is not going to pass. Why are we being dragged through this?” She added that the bill seems “designed to make Republicans look bad.” Neal participated via speakerphone, as did three other members, giving the meeting an occasionally disjointed feel. But Republican board chair Paul Lundeen of Monument, also on speakerphone, defended the bill, saying that public conversation only now is “catching up” with the issues of standards and testing. “Sometimes the fastest way to make progress is to turn around,” he said, adding the bill is “appropriate, in my opinion.” Neal asked, “Are you taking this bill seriously?” to which Lundeen said, “This may be the first step in a long journey.” Republican member Deb Scheffel of Parker described ideas behind the bill as “a grassroots effort on the part of parents … this bill addresses part of that concern.” Pam Mazanec, a Republican member from Larkspur, agreed, saying, “This bill is a response to a growing concern … and I don’t see anything ridiculous about it.” read more here
N.Y. plans to share data from pre-K to workforce, aims to unlock keys to student success
Written by Gary Stern Jan 25, 2014
New Yorkers can be tracked from preschool to college to the workforce and, potentially, “throughout their lives.” What does prekindergarten background say about the likelihood of success in high school Advanced Placement classes? How did college students who fail science do in middle school? What are the links between applying for unemployment benefits as an adult and one’s educational history? Critics say the Education Department’s little-known plans to share data with other agencies — known as P-20 — raise all sorts of concerns about how closely government should be following citizens’ lives. read more
Written by Gary Stern Jan 25, 2014
New Yorkers can be tracked from preschool to college to the workforce and, potentially, “throughout their lives.” What does prekindergarten background say about the likelihood of success in high school Advanced Placement classes? How did college students who fail science do in middle school? What are the links between applying for unemployment benefits as an adult and one’s educational history? Critics say the Education Department’s little-known plans to share data with other agencies — known as P-20 — raise all sorts of concerns about how closely government should be following citizens’ lives. read more
Blue States Turning on Controversial 'Common Core' School Standards
by Dr. Susan Berry
As controversy intensifies over new the Common Core educational standards, two Democrat-led states are showing signs of distancing themselves from the curriculum that the Obama administration has supported. read more here
by Dr. Susan Berry
As controversy intensifies over new the Common Core educational standards, two Democrat-led states are showing signs of distancing themselves from the curriculum that the Obama administration has supported. read more here
CO School Board Seemingly Bought & Sold–Did Gates Buy Your School Board, Too?
January 20, 2014 at 5:00 am / by Macey France
France states, "If I have taught you nothing in this Common Core journey it is to follow the money. So let’s follow that Legacy Foundation money and see where it leads." She links the Colorado Governor's office and several members of Colorado Board of Education and school superintendent to Bill Gates funded Legacy Foundation. Read the rest of this PolitiChicks.tv article here.
January 20, 2014 at 5:00 am / by Macey France
France states, "If I have taught you nothing in this Common Core journey it is to follow the money. So let’s follow that Legacy Foundation money and see where it leads." She links the Colorado Governor's office and several members of Colorado Board of Education and school superintendent to Bill Gates funded Legacy Foundation. Read the rest of this PolitiChicks.tv article here.
Indiana Senate panel OKs plan to drop Common Core
By Eric Weddle, [email protected] Jan 30, 2014
Senate Bill 91, authored by Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, would erase the Common Core curriculum already in use and require the State Board of Education to adopt its own college and career readiness educational standards by
July 1."This voids Common Core, and we are starting the process of writing new standards. Eternal vigilance of parents is still needed, and I encourage you to do so," Schneider said. "SB 91 is a strong statement that we are moving forward,
moving away from Common Core, protecting Indiana sovereignty and student data." Indiana's Governor expects higher standards for his state. "When it comes to setting standards for schools, I can assure you, Indiana's will be uncommonly high,"
Pence said. "They will be written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers and will be among the best in the nation." read more
By Eric Weddle, [email protected] Jan 30, 2014
Senate Bill 91, authored by Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, would erase the Common Core curriculum already in use and require the State Board of Education to adopt its own college and career readiness educational standards by
July 1."This voids Common Core, and we are starting the process of writing new standards. Eternal vigilance of parents is still needed, and I encourage you to do so," Schneider said. "SB 91 is a strong statement that we are moving forward,
moving away from Common Core, protecting Indiana sovereignty and student data." Indiana's Governor expects higher standards for his state. "When it comes to setting standards for schools, I can assure you, Indiana's will be uncommonly high,"
Pence said. "They will be written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers and will be among the best in the nation." read more
New York teachers turn on Common Core
One of the biggest groups of educators in the country says the program's not working.
By STEPHANIE SIMON | 1/26/14 10:12 AM
The board of the New York state teachers union this weekend unanimously withdrew its support for the Common Core standards as they have been implemented — a major blow for Common Core advocates who have been touting support from teachers as proof that the standards will succeed in classrooms nationwide. “We’ll have to be the first to say it’s failed,” said Richard Iannuzzi, president of New York State United Teachers. The NYSUT, which represents about 600,000 teachers, retired teachers and school professionals — and accounts for 15 percent of national teacher union membership — is demanding “major course corrections” before it can consider supporting the standards again. Read more
One of the biggest groups of educators in the country says the program's not working.
By STEPHANIE SIMON | 1/26/14 10:12 AM
The board of the New York state teachers union this weekend unanimously withdrew its support for the Common Core standards as they have been implemented — a major blow for Common Core advocates who have been touting support from teachers as proof that the standards will succeed in classrooms nationwide. “We’ll have to be the first to say it’s failed,” said Richard Iannuzzi, president of New York State United Teachers. The NYSUT, which represents about 600,000 teachers, retired teachers and school professionals — and accounts for 15 percent of national teacher union membership — is demanding “major course corrections” before it can consider supporting the standards again. Read more
Common Core tests widen achievement gap in New York
By Valerie Strauss August 26, 2013
"We need to do a great job communicating why these new test scores that we’ve just seen are not an indicator that there’s been no learning or teaching going on." If one muddles through the double negative, the takeaway is that the results of the tests for third-to-eighth graders are meaningless. They may be meaningless, but they are not inconsequential. The results expanded the black/white achievement gap. In 2012, there was a 12-point black/white achievement gap between average third grade English Language Arts scores, and a 14-point gap in eighth grade ELA scores. This year, the respective gaps grew to 19 and 25 points. Read more
By Valerie Strauss August 26, 2013
"We need to do a great job communicating why these new test scores that we’ve just seen are not an indicator that there’s been no learning or teaching going on." If one muddles through the double negative, the takeaway is that the results of the tests for third-to-eighth graders are meaningless. They may be meaningless, but they are not inconsequential. The results expanded the black/white achievement gap. In 2012, there was a 12-point black/white achievement gap between average third grade English Language Arts scores, and a 14-point gap in eighth grade ELA scores. This year, the respective gaps grew to 19 and 25 points. Read more
A Formal Response to the CCSSO Letter on Student Data Privacy
Privacy/SLDS by Shane Vander Hart January 30, 2014
In an unprecedented show of opposition to data collection, 35 groups in 25 states co-signed this letter written by Dr. Karen Effrem, President of Education Liberty Watch and co-founder of the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition, in response to a letter that members of the Council of Chief State School Officers (including Colorado's Commissioner Hammond) sent to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. (This represents millions of Americans, including Coloradoans, who are opposed to data collection and sharing without parental consent.) read more
Privacy/SLDS by Shane Vander Hart January 30, 2014
In an unprecedented show of opposition to data collection, 35 groups in 25 states co-signed this letter written by Dr. Karen Effrem, President of Education Liberty Watch and co-founder of the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition, in response to a letter that members of the Council of Chief State School Officers (including Colorado's Commissioner Hammond) sent to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. (This represents millions of Americans, including Coloradoans, who are opposed to data collection and sharing without parental consent.) read more
Colorado Teachers Will Sue to Stop Failed Law
By dianeravitch Jan 29, 2014
The Colorado Education Association, which represents the overwhelming majority of teachers in the state, will sue to block further implementation of SB 10-191. That law, written by ex-TFA State Senator Michael Johnston in 2010, wiped out due process for teachers and tied evaluations of teachers and principals to student test scores. This method, called VAM, has failed wherever it was tried. Most researchers agree it is inaccurate and deeply flawed. See more here
By dianeravitch Jan 29, 2014
The Colorado Education Association, which represents the overwhelming majority of teachers in the state, will sue to block further implementation of SB 10-191. That law, written by ex-TFA State Senator Michael Johnston in 2010, wiped out due process for teachers and tied evaluations of teachers and principals to student test scores. This method, called VAM, has failed wherever it was tried. Most researchers agree it is inaccurate and deeply flawed. See more here
What States Have Pulled Out of their Common Core Assessment Consortium?
by Shane Vander Hart on January 23, 2014
We wanted to provide a complete list in one location of all the states that have pulled out of either Smarter Balanced or PARCC, as well as, states that are
considering it. State that have pulled out of their Assessment Utah, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Florida
States Actively Considering Withdrawing Michigan, Kentucky, North Carolina, Iowa, States that never joined Virginia, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota
read more here
by Shane Vander Hart on January 23, 2014
We wanted to provide a complete list in one location of all the states that have pulled out of either Smarter Balanced or PARCC, as well as, states that are
considering it. State that have pulled out of their Assessment Utah, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Florida
States Actively Considering Withdrawing Michigan, Kentucky, North Carolina, Iowa, States that never joined Virginia, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota
read more here
Get ready for Common Core, data privacy bills
by Todd Engdahl on January 23, 2014 Chalkbeat
Colorado so far has escaped the level of Common Core standards controversy that’s flared up in other states —
but that may change.
Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, confirmed to Chalkbeat Colorado Thursday that she’s planning to introduce a bill that would delay rollout of the Common
Core Standards and the PARCC online tests so that both could be studied. Some states have delayed implementation of the Common Core Standards and
withdrawn from the PARCC consortium, which is developing online tests based on the standards. read more here
[PARCC] Mandate to cost local schools district $2 million
January 22, 2014
EAGLE — It could cost local schools $2 million to comply with an unfunded state and federal mandate.
The Colorado Department of Education is demanding that all standardized testing be done online by 2015. It will cost the school
district around $2 million to buy enough computers and bandwidth to comply....read more
January 22, 2014
EAGLE — It could cost local schools $2 million to comply with an unfunded state and federal mandate.
The Colorado Department of Education is demanding that all standardized testing be done online by 2015. It will cost the school
district around $2 million to buy enough computers and bandwidth to comply....read more
Colorado Moms Push Bill to Delay Common Core
By Anthony Cody on January 23, 2014 11:10 AM Follow Anthony Cody on Twitter
Guest post by Colorado Moms Like so many states in the union, Colorado's 2014 Legislative Session is largely focused on education. The session opened with the introduction of eight education bills...and now there is one more. Senator Vicki Marble has presented the Colorado Mom's Bill to delay the implementation of Common Core and PARCC testing . Colorado moms are urging Coloradoans to contact their legislators today; ask them to co-sponsor this bill to put a hold on Common Core and PARCC. The bill asks that implementation of the Common Core State Standards and PARCC be delayed until a comprehensive review is complete. The review will be conducted by an independent task force and will range from an analysis of the academic standards to an independent fiscal audit of implementation, training, technology, and maintenance costs. read more here This bill has nothing to do with political affiliation and everything to do with our children.
Bill Number SB136, Education Committee
By Anthony Cody on January 23, 2014 11:10 AM Follow Anthony Cody on Twitter
Guest post by Colorado Moms Like so many states in the union, Colorado's 2014 Legislative Session is largely focused on education. The session opened with the introduction of eight education bills...and now there is one more. Senator Vicki Marble has presented the Colorado Mom's Bill to delay the implementation of Common Core and PARCC testing . Colorado moms are urging Coloradoans to contact their legislators today; ask them to co-sponsor this bill to put a hold on Common Core and PARCC. The bill asks that implementation of the Common Core State Standards and PARCC be delayed until a comprehensive review is complete. The review will be conducted by an independent task force and will range from an analysis of the academic standards to an independent fiscal audit of implementation, training, technology, and maintenance costs. read more here This bill has nothing to do with political affiliation and everything to do with our children.
Bill Number SB136, Education Committee
Colorado Parents Say “NO!” to High-Stakes Testing!
by diane ravitch January 19, 2014
The corporate types who hate teachers’ unions and public schools have been running a billboard and mass media
campaign in New York and New Jersey. But they are not the only ones who know how to frame a message.
Here is a fabulous billboard posted on a major highway in Colorado by critics of the nutty testing regime imposed by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. [PARCC will only be worse-longer tests and more often!]
by diane ravitch January 19, 2014
The corporate types who hate teachers’ unions and public schools have been running a billboard and mass media
campaign in New York and New Jersey. But they are not the only ones who know how to frame a message.
Here is a fabulous billboard posted on a major highway in Colorado by critics of the nutty testing regime imposed by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. [PARCC will only be worse-longer tests and more often!]
Hear Dr. Sandra Stotsky and Dr. James Milgram explain to interviewer Ann Marie
Banfield why they each refused to sign off on the academic legitimacy of the
Common Core standards, when they served as official Common Core validation
committee members. Intro is about five minutes; Dr. Stotsky begins to speak at
about minute 5:00, Dr. Milgram follows. listen here.
January 10, 2014 NHCornerstone.org
Banfield why they each refused to sign off on the academic legitimacy of the
Common Core standards, when they served as official Common Core validation
committee members. Intro is about five minutes; Dr. Stotsky begins to speak at
about minute 5:00, Dr. Milgram follows. listen here.
January 10, 2014 NHCornerstone.org
The Denver Post: Five myths about Common Core
By Valeria Strauss Posted: 01/04/2014 read full article here
One of the many TRUTHS in this article..."federal promotion of the Common Core "may well have been illegal."
Comparing Common Core Support With Evidence Against
By P.L. Thomas January 17, 2014
Thomas refutes the myths that support Common Core: CC and the tests are inseparable and the research base clearly reveals that standards are always reduced and corrupted by how they are tested (see Bracey). CC and the so-called next-generation high stakes tests have been examined and neither, in fact, offer anything different than the failed standards/tests implementation that has occurred at the state levels (see here about the next-generations tests, for example). read full article here
By Valeria Strauss Posted: 01/04/2014 read full article here
One of the many TRUTHS in this article..."federal promotion of the Common Core "may well have been illegal."
Comparing Common Core Support With Evidence Against
By P.L. Thomas January 17, 2014
Thomas refutes the myths that support Common Core: CC and the tests are inseparable and the research base clearly reveals that standards are always reduced and corrupted by how they are tested (see Bracey). CC and the so-called next-generation high stakes tests have been examined and neither, in fact, offer anything different than the failed standards/tests implementation that has occurred at the state levels (see here about the next-generations tests, for example). read full article here
Lively Radio Debates: Colorado Grassroots Radio Hosts Dr. Terrence Moore, Dr. Sandra Stotsky, Anthony Cody, Jane Robbins, Michael Brickman, Laura Boggs
Thank you to our friends at Education Without Representation for posting this on their blog. See break down of debate and listen to podcast here. Stay tuned to AM560 KLZ for more discussion and debates about Common Core.
Thank you to our friends at Education Without Representation for posting this on their blog. See break down of debate and listen to podcast here. Stay tuned to AM560 KLZ for more discussion and debates about Common Core.
Pearson Foundation Fined Millions for Violating Laws
Diane Ravitch December 13, 2013
New York state’s attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman won an agreement from the Pearson Foundation to pay $7.7 million in fines for using its charitable activities to advance its corporation’s profit-making arm. “Around 2010, Pearson began financing an effort through its foundation to develop courses based on the Common Core. The attorney general’s report said Pearson had hoped to use its charity to win endorsements and donations from a “prominent foundation.” That group appears to be the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “The case shed a light on the competitive world of educational testing and technology, which Pearson has come to dominate. As federal and state leaders work to overhaul struggling schools by raising academic standards, educational companies are rushing to secure lucrative contracts in testing, textbooks and software. See full article here.
Diane Ravitch December 13, 2013
New York state’s attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman won an agreement from the Pearson Foundation to pay $7.7 million in fines for using its charitable activities to advance its corporation’s profit-making arm. “Around 2010, Pearson began financing an effort through its foundation to develop courses based on the Common Core. The attorney general’s report said Pearson had hoped to use its charity to win endorsements and donations from a “prominent foundation.” That group appears to be the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “The case shed a light on the competitive world of educational testing and technology, which Pearson has come to dominate. As federal and state leaders work to overhaul struggling schools by raising academic standards, educational companies are rushing to secure lucrative contracts in testing, textbooks and software. See full article here.
The Denver Post: Common Core fails to prepare students for STEM
By Sandra Stotsky
Posted: 12/17/2013
By Sandra Stotsky
Posted: 12/17/2013
When states adopted Common Core's math standards, they were told (among other things) that they would make all high school students "college- and career-ready" and strengthen the critical pipeline for science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM). However, with the exception of a few standards in trigonometry, the math
standards end after Algebra II, as James Milgram, professor of mathematics emeritus at Stanford University observed in "Lowering the Bar: How Common Core Math Fails to Prepare High School Students for STEM," a report that Milgram and
I co-authored for the Pioneer Institute.
Who was responsible for telling the truth to the Colorado Board of Education when it adopted these standards in 2010? Who should be telling Gov. John Hickenlooper, business executives, and college presidents today that Common Core
includes no standards for pre-calculus and that high school graduates taught only to Common Core's mathematics standards won't be prepared to pursue a four-year degree in STEM? Read more here
engineering and math (STEM). However, with the exception of a few standards in trigonometry, the math
standards end after Algebra II, as James Milgram, professor of mathematics emeritus at Stanford University observed in "Lowering the Bar: How Common Core Math Fails to Prepare High School Students for STEM," a report that Milgram and
I co-authored for the Pioneer Institute.
Who was responsible for telling the truth to the Colorado Board of Education when it adopted these standards in 2010? Who should be telling Gov. John Hickenlooper, business executives, and college presidents today that Common Core
includes no standards for pre-calculus and that high school graduates taught only to Common Core's mathematics standards won't be prepared to pursue a four-year degree in STEM? Read more here