I know so many people that are up in arms about Common Core. I don’t really know how I feel about it yet. So many of my friends are upset because of the kind of math Common Core is introducing. Matthew is in 3rd grade and personally I don’t have any issue with his current Common Core Math program. He has been working on multiplication and they are using multiple ways to describe it. Yesterday his homework consisted of 6 x 4 and 3 options for a correct representation of that math problem. Matthew got it immediately. He chose the six boxes with four dots in each. He was then asked to describe “why” this answer was correct. This is where Common Core and I start to part ways.
Matthew has trouble with spelling. Apparently, unbeknownst to my husband and I, Matthew has not progressed from a grade 2 spelling level, although he is on a level 3 reading level. As we struggled to understand how our child, who is obviously smart, did not progress at all in spelling while in 2nd grade we found out that spelling is not a Common Core requirement. Although spellings close and intimate relative, Reading, IS on the Common Core, spelling it self, is not. That means that as long as Matthew continues to be on grade level with reading he can, conceivably, lag behind in spelling and this will not effect his moving up a grade. It also means that he will not be grade or corrected for using improper spelling outside of a spelling test! What?! Yes, that is right. If he gets his point across, he is not required to spell correctly. It was pointed out that there are spell checking applications and dictionaries, so spelling is not a requirement to move forward in school.
I was completely flabbergasted. Of course we are not accepting the Common Core idea on spelling and have retained the services of a reading/spelling specialist to help him with his spelling. We fully expect him to produce all work to the best of his abilities, not just reading and math.
I do fear for us as a family dealing with an IEP and Common Core, along with myriad other standardized test and autism. It appears, from where we are situated, that children with special needs will fall in that 10-15% of kids that do not test well and therefore are forgotten in our test driven society. What happened to a teacher being able to keep one of her students after school for a few hours a week to help the child catch up or understand a particularly trying concept? No, now a parent must find a tutor outside their child’s current school, so that no “favoritism” can take place. I think we are moving too far away form the idea of teaching our children, and to close to the idea that everything, even school, is a capitalistic venture.
Thoughts?
I must be lucky because our school has teachers that are more than willing to go the extra mile to make sure the students understand all material presented in class.
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Leah, I would be surprised if they would or could take the time to tutor a child after school. It is against our school board regulations to tutor a child in your class since you get money for it. Gone are the days when teachers can stay after school to help a student overcome their challenges. And my son will be in tutoring for a very long time.
I hadn’t heard the no spelling before. So I can add lack of spelling to my dislike of the Common Core. I didn’t like it because in older grades they don’t read literature; they read instruction manuals…so they will be prepared for the work force. The Common Core has NOTHING to do with a “capitalistic venture.” A capitalistic venture would encourage children to do their best and reward them for doing so. It is pure socialism with a big brother who believes he know best for our children. I actually have met some people who think the school system knows best and public school provides what all kids need….none of them who I have met have children in school today.
As a little more background, the Common Core is replacing the “no child left behind” initiative. No child left behind required that all children be at or above grade level by 2014. Keep in mind this includes inner cities, suburbs, rural area, and all levels of special needs. If a state did not meet this, they lose Federal Funding (caps used to indicate its importance). Along came the Common Core…states who adopt the Common Core are excused from no child left behind and do NOT lose Federal Funding.
Margaret, I think you are I are thinking the same thing, I’m calling it Capitalism because it is all about the money they get for meeting the requirements. They don’t care about those children that are struggling and not making the “grade” as long as the majority meets the requirements and they get their federal funding. It is sickening.
I didn’t know about the reading requirements. That is just plain lovely. Thanks for stopping by!!
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We are lucky to have great teachers this year. I like the IDEA of Common Core… the ability to have everyone across the US teaching the same thing at the same time so you could move and not be behind, BUT… I’m not fond of the way they are doing things. Last year the teacher wouldn’t correct spelling in Kindergarten. She said as long as it was spelled phonetically it was fine. She called it Kindergarten spelling. Well, what about now that Cadence is in first and can’t spell anything right?!
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