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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 19, 2014 13:26:42 GMT -5
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 19, 2014 13:51:36 GMT -5
It's NOT just a problem with common core testing, nor is it limited to New York; here's a recent article about ISAT testing in Illinois: morethanascorechicago.org/2014/03/04/press-release-testing-chaos-on-big-isat-opt-out-day/ "Some opting out students at Addams were forced to take the test because an administrator said the signatures on the opt out letters were forged by the students. One opting out child at Addams was made to sit in the classroom during the test, denied a bathroom break, and watched their classmates eat treats that were given to the tested children but not those opting out." |
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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 19, 2014 15:02:43 GMT -5
"denied bathroom breaks" -- call cps.....
Also, the superintendent of the Williamsville District (mentioned in this article) is the same idjit that violated IDEA big-time with my grandson and was found in violation of three different regs. They just promote them..... and people wonder why I'm so cynical....
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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 19, 2014 15:07:41 GMT -5
I might be tempted to show up at school during the test time if I had refused to allow my child to take the test. Maybe with other parents whose children weren't taking the test also. Stop Diana, you're getting carried away again......ha ha ha.....
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Post by keepthefaith on Mar 23, 2014 11:56:13 GMT -5
I just found out about the 2 year delay - I have to go back and re-read all of this because a good deal of weight is placed on DD's inabililty to access the curriculum based on test scores (in school) and NY State Assessment scores (never passed) so I guess the 2013 scores of 1 won't be "a valid concern" any longer,sigh.
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Post by keepthefaith on Mar 23, 2014 12:10:47 GMT -5
This was a reply from one of DD's teacher a few weeks back:
Redacted:
Don't go crazy over getting the correct answers. The choices are very confusing,
frustrating and you can't always make sense out of them. I don't want the children
to work at a frustration level, just want to expose them to some of the ridiculousness
that they will have to deal with. Thanks for your concern, but don't go nuts.
He called me too. I said "we're done, we are opting out". He thought it was a good idea for us to opt out; but the school Admin said "you have to take the tests because it's your only proof of needs for services............why would they tell me this if the "results can't be used in establishing a need for Special Education"?
Views?
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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 23, 2014 15:36:49 GMT -5
Because he's lying...... and once 10% or more opt out, results are not valid. Ask him where in IDEA does it say that?  |
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Post by keepthefaith on Mar 26, 2014 5:03:37 GMT -5
ELA assessments are next week! I don't know what to do.............I'm going in to see the principal today.
Today, she was detained by a sub teacher who detained the entire class due to behavior of 2-3 students (not DD's) and she missed lunch. The water fountains were broken as were the toilets; end result I got a text at work "Mom, I am sick, plesae come get me I am thirsty, hungry and need to use the toilet (she suffers from Chronic Constipation). If she was that upset about her routine being out of whack due to the Sub's decision, I think these assessments will throw her into a tizzy. Sub should have checked to see which kids are on meds - she drinks A LOT on meds!
THanks!
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 27, 2014 18:17:55 GMT -5
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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 27, 2014 19:03:40 GMT -5
HA HA! I love the line about simple being valued over complex in the real world!
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 30, 2014 10:39:05 GMT -5
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Post by lorij on Mar 30, 2014 18:19:42 GMT -5
Haha!!! The best one I witnessed first hand was of a short response math question that asked you to explain your answer, and use a sketch. This (very bright!) student drew a picture of a calculator, and then wrote something like "first I pushed this button, then I pushed...", complete with arrows draw from the words "this" to the sketch. IRRC, he was about 5th grade at the time.
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Post by dihicks6 on Apr 2, 2014 7:33:09 GMT -5
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Post by keepthefaith on Apr 2, 2014 8:34:25 GMT -5
Haha!!! The best one I witnessed first hand was of a short response math question that asked you to explain your answer, and use a sketch. This (very bright!) student drew a picture of a calculator, and then wrote something like "first I pushed this button, then I pushed...", complete with arrows draw from the words "this" to the sketch. IRRC, he was about 5th grade at the time. That is pretty creative! DD came home Monday 3/31 and asked me "did you opt me out" lol! Last week I emailed and I called school 3x and no one got back to me so I used the link from the teacher, wrote the letter and she sat out the ELA's. I thought long and hard about this - having followed this movement since 2011 and having tried to get other parents in my area involved (without any luck), my husband and I were really concerned what, if any effect, this decision would have on her upcoming CSE elibility meeting. I did about as much research as I could in 1 night to try to answer that question, but couldn't find the answer so I wrote the letter based on my gut instinct that she would sit there for edited 6 hours over 3 days each and feel nothing but rejection and dejection. A total of 10 students in her middle school were allowed to sit and read quietly in the library. I briefly saw news reports about the punitive "sit and stare" some districts imposed. Many children were called out sick but I think they will be subjected upon return to school for re-takes? It felt good to do it. I hand delivered DD and the letter - I didn't know if they would invoke the "sit and stare" option - when I knew that she was ok in the Library I left. The ELA teacher said I only needed to write a 2 sentence email "I refuse" but we spoke later and I said that wasn't an option given our long-standing history with the district and their refusal to do anything other than keep the kid in RTI & AIS purgatory. We were also advised by a former Special Ed Teacher that RTI is a "general education" matter versus a Special Ed matter. For a laugh, I brought up the Common Core implementation with the president of our local PTA. I was informed that "I was the only parent to complain". And "if I am going to attend meetings at both of the elementary school and the middle school, then I needed to pay double dues"! This was last year - I didn't reply (though I did want to ask for a refund!). This year, the story is much differnent - they email me frequently to ask me to attend XYZ meeting on RTI/AIS/CCCS, etc. but I've elected to now just deal with our DD; not *worry* about what anyone else is doing. You can't make this stuff up! |
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Post by keepthefaith on Apr 2, 2014 9:16:57 GMT -5
Seriously, I want to cry for Jack. Really, is this what we're now teaching the kids in grade 1 or 2? Is it really that bad for the younger kids? That would turn me off from learning - full stop! Here, at home, my husband, tutor, DD and I are still trying to fill in those swiss cheese gaps from grades 1-3 and we continue to work on DD's basic math skill set - we do not have that much experience with the exposure to Common Core math in the lower grades *because we privately tutor to remediate using "multi-sensory" approach). My DD would be crying over that homework. Wow. Edited to add: She no longer has 6th grade math homework - the teacher has, since 9/2013, recognized that it's over her skill set. The teacher works with DD in school regarding the 6th grade math curriculum. We handle remediation of her basic math skills at home...................how will she ever pass the Regents? Edited to also add that she now has the Math Dyscalculia (sp) disability on file with the School - since we submitted the private test results, her 6th Grade CC math homework is all now addressed in school. Prior to this new policy - her math book was blank anyway - we tried but how could we teach her algebra when she struggles with subtraction............... |
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Post by bros on Apr 2, 2014 11:53:25 GMT -5
Seriously, I want to cry for Jack. Really, is this what we're now teaching the kids in grade 1 or 2? Is it really that bad for the younger kids? That would turn me off from learning - full stop! Here, at home, my husband, tutor, DD and I are still trying to fill in those swiss cheese gaps from grades 1-3 and we continue to work on DD's basic math skill set - we do not have that much experience with the exposure to Common Core math in the lower grades *because we privately tutor to remediate using "multi-sensory" approach). My DD would be crying over that homework. Wow. Edited to add: She no longer has 6th grade math homework - the teacher has, since 9/2013, recognized that it's over her skill set. The teacher works with DD in school regarding the 6th grade math curriculum. We handle remediation of her basic math skills at home...................how will she ever pass the Regents? Edited to also add that she now has the Math Dyscalculia (sp) disability on file with the School - since we submitted the private test results, her 6th Grade CC math homework is all now addressed in school. Prior to this new policy - her math book was blank anyway - we tried but how could we teach her algebra when she struggles with subtraction............... No, that is not what is given in the lower grades. None of that even corresponds to the math common core standards for the early grades. |
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Post by mamak on Apr 4, 2014 21:04:08 GMT -5
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Post by mamak on Apr 4, 2014 21:15:13 GMT -5
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Post by healthy11 on Apr 4, 2014 23:18:50 GMT -5
Geesh, mamak, I hope that worksheet isn't "for real," either. As far as your earlier post, Congrats to your son on his upcoming graduation!!
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Post by mamak on Apr 5, 2014 11:33:15 GMT -5
I am trying to locate a recent video I watched of a woman explaining 3-4 grade common core to parents. It was garbage. I'll post if I come across it.
Thanks we will be attending college graduation for H as well this year. I am very proud!
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Post by bros on Apr 5, 2014 11:35:45 GMT -5
Common Core is... interesting, to say the least.
Right now, because I have nothing to do, I am taking a coursera class on the LAL common core in the classroom. Should be interesting. I'd take the math one if they didn't say it was for 6-12th grade
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Post by healthy11 on Apr 5, 2014 11:38:36 GMT -5
Bros, please let us know your opinions after the class is over!
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Post by bros on Apr 5, 2014 11:59:20 GMT -5
Bros, please let us know your opinions after the class is over! Sure - so far the first week was just an introduction to the standards, what it means in states where the shift hasn't occurred yet (which sounds rather... tumultuous, to say the least, as it is a rather seismic shift). Here's the course if you're interested - www.coursera.org/course/ccss-literacy1Here's the math one - www.coursera.org/course/ccss-math1 |
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Post by healthy11 on Apr 5, 2014 15:39:00 GMT -5
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Post by mamak on Apr 6, 2014 10:52:03 GMT -5
Sad
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Post by SharonF on Apr 8, 2014 10:53:13 GMT -5
Ms. Sluyter's letter makes me sad and scared. Sad that we emphasize test data over the joy of learning. For five year olds, no less.
Scared that so many well-reasoned efforts to reshape this good-concept-gone-horribly-wrong-in-implementation are being met with resistance or apathy.
No student's potential should be reduced to a numeric test score. No teacher's intrinsic value should be determined solely by numbers on a spreadsheet.
In one decade, the business of education has been transformed into the business of "Big Data"--with too much time spent collecting and crunching numbers from test scores. Big Data will not solve our educational problems. Big data will not rid us of ineffective teachers or even show which teachers need help or a new profession.
When seen as a small part of a larger pie, Big Data in education can yield important clues. But the data should be seen as the beginning of the questions, not the answers to them.
It's sad and scary that we have chosen to treat Big Data in education like we treat the Dow Jones average or the price of a barrel of crude oil. The value of children and their education cannot be quantified like stock prices or commodities prices. How foolish and short-sighted of us!
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Post by healthy11 on Jun 15, 2014 13:42:28 GMT -5
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Post by keepthefaith on Jun 20, 2014 16:04:39 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing that link Healthy as I am researching homeschooling as it's looking like the road we will travel; I have thought about the CCC and how that will play a role in the future of home schooling.
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