From an article at Breitbart - author is Dr. Susan Berry New York State parent activists who have been battling the Common Core standards say the announcement that the state’s education department will be making changes to its Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) amounts to “only words.” The state’s education commissioner, MaryEllen Elia, says two committees, composed of parents and educators, have recommended changing 60 percent of the English Language Arts (ELA) standards and 55 percent of the math standards, reports the Associated Press. However, Yvonne Gasperino and Glen Dalgleish, co-founders of Stop Common Core in New York State, tell Breitbart News the education department … [Read more...]
Many parents give new mind-boggling report cards an F
From a story at Philly dot com Even though this story hails from Philadelphia...check your local school district...you may find the same approach. Have you even looked yet? As a lawyer, Dennis Weldon has to make sense of tortuous legal papers. But a year ago, the Plumstead Township resident opened a nine-page document that left him flummoxed. It was his child's report card from Gayman Elementary School in the Central Bucks School District. Gone was the traditional A-B-C-D-F report from the teacher. Instead, parents were sent to their computers to click open a nine-page digital document with row after row of learning standards and success indicators for specific … [Read more...]
Report: Requiring kindergartners to read — as Common Core does — may harm some
Published in The Washington Post - January 13, 2016 - Valerie Strauss > > > The Common Core State Standards call for kindergartners to learn how to read, but a new report by early childhood experts says that forcing some kids to read before they are ready could be harmful. Two organizations that advocate for early childhood education — Defending the Early Years and Alliance for Childhood — issued the report titled “Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose.” It says there is no evidence to support a widespread belief in the United States that children must read in prekindergarten or kindergarten to become strong readers and achieve academic … [Read more...]