Common Core Standards DRIVE High-Stakes Testing!



Common Core Standards DRIVE High-Stakes Testing

Many people discuss how they are infuriated about the high-stakes, excessive testing, but like the standards and think they just need “tweaked.” I am certain these same people are not doing their full investigative research into the common core standards when they state this.  

First of all, these standards are what drive the high-stakes testing.  Oklahoma has yet to even implement a common core test, which happens next year 2014-2015, and common core standards DOUBLE the amount of testing for the students. Second, these standards are a copyrighted public license, which means they are NOT “tweak able.”  The only organizations or “deformer” machines that have any authority over the standards are the NGA and the CCSSO. Please see link below to common core standards Public License, which includes the full disclaimers, liability waivers, limitations, and copyright warnings.

http://www.corestandards.org/public-license

This is like one of those pharmaceutical commercials where the benefits to the headache medicine are to eliminate your migraine headaches but then continues for 2 full minutes with side effects, and possibly even death. The common core standards are an executed copyright written as-is, where-as, with all faults by two DC based organizations. I recommend you read their March 2010 PowerPoint presentation on the resources page, and pay very close attention to slides 10 and 11.

http://www.corestandards.org/resources

—  Slide 10 states: State adopts 100% of the common core K-12 standards in ELA and mathematics (word for word), with option of adding up to an additional 15% of standards on top of the core. A state will have adopted when the standards authorizing body within the state has taken formal action to adopt and implement the common core. States are responsible for demonstrating that they have adhered to this definition of adoption.

—  Slide 11 states: Educators must be given resources, tools, and time to adjust classroom practice. Instructional materials needed that align to the standards. Assessments must be developed to measure student progress. Federal, state, and district policies will need to be reexamined to ensure they support alignment of the common core state standards with student achievement.

Also, please note on the CCSSO website link below…it states exclusively that they are the organization established to enforce these FEDERAL policies, laws, and mandates. “Promoting innovation in Federal Law,” clearly does not endorse these copyrighted standards are any sort of state-led initiative!

http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Promoting_Innovation_in_Federal_Law.html

These standards are a mandated policy backed and bribed with federal funding.  They are a package deal, all or nothing, with teachers only being allowed to add up to 15%.

Also, please remember that these standards, the only copyrighted public policy in our nation’s history, were adopted and bribed to the states in 2010 by Race To The Top federal funding prior to them even being written.

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf

Finally, we can discuss more specifically the Oklahoma portion of the common core standards. How the common core standards drive the REACH3/TLE (Teacher and Leader Effectiveness) evaluation system. Pay close attention to slide 6 which states a teacher’s effectiveness is based solely on increasing the quality of college a student attends! Then read down further starting on slide 9 which specifically states how and why common core drives the TLE system.

http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/Summit2-TLE-CCSS.pdf

Therefore, concluding as stated on the OK.gov website that the TLE is a supporting tool and strategy used to assess a teacher’s effectiveness according to the common core standards and the TLE system is a state law.

 http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/TLE-ReportLeg.pdf

According to the Common Core Standards website it states the following:

http://www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions

Q. Will there be tests based on the Common Core State Standards?

A. Yes. States that adopted the Common Core State Standards are currently collaborating to develop common assessments that will be aligned to the standards and replace existing end of year state assessments. These assessments will be available in the 2014-2015 school year.

In conclusion, the standards drive and promote the high-stakes, excessive testing and assessments. There is one and only ONE solution…to repeal the common core standards which are the framework and foundation of transformation. We need to reverse back to a true locally controlled educational system prior to NCLB (No Child Left behind), prior to the ESEA (Elementary Secondary Education Act) back in 1968, prior to all of the federal government and US Department of Education regulations. Yes, this slow progression of federal overreach has been discreetly implemented for a VERY LONG time folks. But the common core standards are the 9^th inning and the final grand slam on our schools. It does go back even further, but 1968 was definitely a turning point toward progressive transformation.

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003060d.pdf

We must rise up and resist the US Department of Education and the federal government from removing ALL local control by stopping the common core standards initiative.

·         Contact your District Senator today and schedule a one-on-one meeting in order to inform them about the dangers and copyrighted education policy of common core before February 15th! The time is ticking and the buzzer is about to sound, let’s hit a home run and demand our legislators listen to the Oklahoma people and their constituents.

Find your District Senator here:

http://www.oksenate.gov/FindMyLegislature.aspx?Address=&City=&Zip=

Apparently meeting face-to-face holds presidence over calls & emails so PLEASE meet with your District Senator ASAP!!

The Mystery Meat and Unanswered Questions about Common Core



I have personally sat down to meet with and discuss the common core standards with school board members, superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, teachers, older students, fellow parents, Senators and Representatives in two different states, Colorado & Oklahoma.

What gets me so frustrated is the fact that none of these people I have listed above have EVER been able to give me a single answer or direct response to many very specific questions. Below is a small sample of some of the questions I have asked and continue to ask with little to no response. These are suggested questions you as a parent or teacher can utilize when discussing the education reform for 2014. Common core might be the most controversial topic most people have NEVER heard about.

Question # 1 – If these new common core standards are in fact so great for our schools then why are teachers and administrators not able to openly discuss them without fear of losing their jobs?

Question # 2 – Considering these standards were adopted back in 2009/2010, why are they still unannounced in 2013/2014 and approximately 65% of parents and even teachers have never heard the words common core? Why if they are so much better than our previous standards are educational leaders NOT promoting and advertising them and instead are secretly implementing them?

Question # 3- If standards do not drive curriculum then why are the major textbooks companies such as McGraw-Hill & Pearson Publishing, as well as, software companies such as Microsoft rewriting ALL of the textbooks and software programs to align with common core standards? Why can’t we just use the current textbooks and computer programs already available? Why waste millions of dollars on new curriculum if these are just standards? And how do you expect students to pass the assessments and/or tests if you do not teach the specific contents that will be on the end of instruction (EOI) exams? Especially if the teachers entire evaluation depends on it?

Question # 4 – If we still have local control and if these standards are truly “state-led” then why when I meet with my local administrators do they tell me “Their hands are tied. This is a mandate. They DO NOT have any choice; it is a law, they MUST abide?” Why can’t I get answers to my questions from these higher level administrators or state board members? If we give up our local and state power in exchange for Race to the Top (RTTT) federal grants and No Child Left Behind Waivers (NCLB), what happens 2-3 years from now when the system fails our children? What is our recourse? Are you willing to take that big of a risk with an entire future generation of children for one expensive experiment?

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

Question # 5 – Why would any state continue to choose to implement standards that two educational experts on the validation committee refused to sign off on? (James Milgram and Sandra Stotsky) 

http://www.uaedreform.org/sandra-stotsky/ 

http://parentsacrossamerica.org/james-milgram-on-the-new-core-curriculum-standards-in-math/

http://www.nas.org/articles/Common_Core_Standards_Miss_the_Mark

Question # 6 – Are students only considered successful if they attend college? What about the entrepreneur or business owner, the military helicopter pilot, and how about the local farmer that farms 400 acres? Are these people not successful? Why did Bill Gates himself drop out of college? In fact, recently he only received an honorary college degree based on his business efforts back in 2007 NOT his college coursework. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-03-22-gates-harvard-degree_n.htm

Question # 7 – As an administrator how many teachers have you currently evaluated and observed in the classroom in order to see how the current implementation of these standards is going?

Question # 8 - What specific data is being collected and submitted on our children? Who is this data being submitted to and how often is it submitted? And through what kind of computer program? Why would any type of data ever need to leave the local school building? What is the purpose of sending my child’s data off to anyone besides the local school district? How will the State Longitudinal Database System (SLDS) be utilized in reporting this information to a National Database such as Federal EdFacts Exchange and/or the National (EIMAC) Education Information Management Advisory Consortium of (CCSSO) Council of Chief State School Officers? http://www.ccsso.org/resources/programs/education_information_management_advisory_consortium_(eimac).html

Question # 9 – Many attributes of learning CAN NOT be measured by any type of quantifiable or qualitative data so evaluating a teacher solely off of one End of Instruction (EOI) exam or test score simply cannot be justified. Don’t you feel as though teachers and students are more valuable than any single test score? Would any type of test ever show a teacher or student’s creativity, leadership, compassion, responsibility, resilience, teamwork, self-control, perseverance, honesty, ambition, etc? Aren’t we missing some of the most important qualities if we only measure academics and disregard evaluating the character traits?

Question # 10 – Here is the Webster Dictionary definition of rigor:

 rig·or

noun \ˈri-gər\

rigors: the difficult and unpleasant conditions or experiences that are associated with something

: the quality or state of being very exact, careful, or strict

Bottom of Form

Full Definition of RIGOR

1 a (1):  harsh inflexibility in opinion, temper, or judgment:  severity (2) :  the quality of being unyielding or inflexible :  strictness (3) :  severity of life :  austerity

   b:  an act or instance of strictness, severity, or cruelty

2:  a tremor caused by a chill

3:  a condition that makes life difficult, challenging, or uncomfortable; especially:  extremity of cold

4:  strict precision:  exactness <logical rigor>

Is “rigor” really what we want for our students? Does this sound like an educationally nurturing environment that will motivate a young child or any child to want to learn? Does it inspire or create a positive approach for teachers to utilize their passion for teaching?

Question # 11 – What is the final budget and cost to us as taxpayers in order to implement the technology infrastructure, purchase software, initiate IT and technology databases, textbooks, professional development, etc.? What are the ongoing costs to maintain these upgrades?

Question # 12 - How many field tests do students take? When and in what grades? I keep running into this spin on words, such as mandated, but yet NOT mandatory. So what tests and standards are mandated and yet NOT actually mandatory for graduation? How do parents go about opting their children out of mandated but NOT mandatory field tests? What is the process? Where can we get an opt-out form?

Question # 13 - How much time have you personally spent reviewing these standards prior to them being implemented?

Question # 14 – Which played the most important role in adopting these so-called higher standards?

A.      Oklahoma receiving Race to the Top Federal Grant $Money$ and No Child Left Behind Waivers

B.      A very thorough investigation and review into these higher academic standards as a solid educational tool

Question # 15 – Again if these are “state-led” then why did states get bribed to adopt them before they were even written? And why are specific individuals of a private organization, Achieve.org, taking credit for writing National Standards? And more importantly why are they also a copyrighted public policy under FEDERAL LAW with alarming disclaimers and limited liability?

 http://www.achievethecore.org/about-us

http://www.corestandards.org/public-license

Please do your children a favor by asking deeper questions about these new standards. Dig past the surface layer, ask the tough questions, and pay close attention to what your children are learning in school. Ask to see the portfolio of schoolwork that the teacher is expected to keep on every single student (yes the same schoolwork that may or may not be coming home depending on how much time your teacher has to make copies.)  I have learned to trust my gut instincts, when something does not seem quite right, when my intuition can’t pinpoint something, and red flags loom, I look into them…no matter how big or small it might seem. I was shocked to discover it was not the teacher’s fault, it was not my child’s fault, it was not the principal, the school, or even the district…what I discovered was this new education reform and a national curriculum called common core.

I am grateful to be invited to put my efforts into written editorials in order to share my current/previous experiences and my lack of answers.

Top 10 Facts About National Standards (Common Core)

10 FACTS ABOUT COMMON CORE

1.    Our children are unique. Oklahoma as a state is unique. Common core is one size fits all.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/23/national-curriculum-2013-should-one-size-fits-all.html

www.hslda.org/commoncore

2.    There was NO legislative vote on Common Core as a national curriculum.

http://truthinamericaneducation.com/uncategorized/south-carolina-education-committee-vote-calls-common-core-scrutiny/

3.    Common core is very expensive to implement, and the funds run out quickly.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/82477413/Common-Core-State-Standards-Implementation-Cost

4.    Common core standards are primarily funded by special interest groups.

http://commoncore.fwsites.org/

5.    All students will be scrutinized into MANY different longitudinal databases and tracking programs.

http://www.conservativeteachersofamerica.com/2013/03/13/common-core-is-not-just-about-data-mining

6.    Subjects will strictly be introduced and it will cause teachers to “teach to the test.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/04/principal-i-was-naive-about-common-core/

7.    Choice reading and classic literature selection is replaced with “informational texts.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/common-core-nonfiction-reading-standards_n_2271229.html

8.    Little effort and/or exceptions will be made for special needs, gift & talented, or struggling learners.

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/educator-tips/what-special-education-teachers-need-to-know-about-the-common-core-standards/

9.    The standards written expect students to learn in a way that they are not physically or developmentally ready for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrQbJlmVJZo&app=desktop

10.   Common core standards remove ALL absolute truths in exchange for relative abstract reasoning through Outcome Based Education, a Progressive approach instead of Traditional academics.

http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4218117/k.760A/Outcome_Based_Education.htm

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Owasso AGAINST Common Core

GUMPTION, GUTS & GRIT



There are people all over our entire nation speaking up right now against these “national standards.” What’s amazing is how every single one of us has the same exact story!!! Doesn’t anyone find that alarming??? Come on parents, if you have time to check Facebook, search Pinterest, watch TV, go to the gym, play candy crush, shop online, then YOU HAVE TIME to make your child’s education a priority!!! I don’t have time…I MAKE TIME!! Our nation is completely and utterly distracted; we are so out of tune and so complacent with what is really happening. It is plain and simple for me to see how children have become our accessory and NOT our main focus. It makes me sad and depressed, and it is time to take back our children, take back our schools and focus on strengthening our community and quit allowing these distractions to tell us how to manage our time.

Who cares what you look like, what kind of car you drive, how big your house is, how fancy it is decorated, what you ate at that restaurant yesterday that was so important you had to take a picture of it and post it on Facebook and plaster it for the entire world to see.  And yet right in front of our faces our families are being destroyed, our homes are being broken, divorce is at an all time high, our country is being bullied and parental rights are being stripped away.  Our children are suffering and everyone wants to look the other direction and ignore it!!

Every SINGLE day since I began this fight here in Oklahoma I have had dozens of phone calls, and emails from parents and teachers EVERYWHERE (as far as West Virginia) contacting me to encourage me to fight, to support me, and share their heart, to push me forward and say Thank You! Then they go back to their ritual of all these distractions. WHERE ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU EXPECTING ME TO FIGHT FOR YOU? I will and I am, but why will you not join me??? I don’t want you behind me…I want you beside me! This is NEVER ever going to stop by one or even a few hundred people, this is a revival, and this is another form of a revolution. This is the modern day David VS Goliath and Martin Luther King!!! How can you not see it? The red flags and warnings signs are everywhere, but you have to stop these distractions long enough to pay attention. Isn’t this still America? The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave! What happened to WE THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE?

Currently in Oklahoma we have about a dozen powerful, money hungry BULLIES dictating to us the people and constituents with SCARE TACTICS, oppressing us to be FEARFUL and threatening us to keep our mouth shut. Don’t you wonder why? What is their purpose? It says a trillion times in the Bible DO NOT BE AFRAID, DO NOT FEAR, and yet we buckle to their scare tactics. If this is an educational system that is suppose to change education for the better and be so amazing then why are we not allowed to openly discuss it, why is it a secret, and why are they having to shove it down our throats? Why are teachers being threatened to lose their jobs if they say anything against it? Honestly, to watch teachers continue to teach to the test, and lose valuable time being able to actually teach my children is disgusting. Teachers are forced to do more paperwork and regulations than actual teaching, and that makes me sick to my stomach. They are told you MUST do this regardless if they agree with it or not. And yet they turn around and say it's just standards and that teachers have the ability to teach whatever they want. That is nothing but LIES, straight LIES. How can a teacher control what they teach if their students are expected to pass the end of the year test? How can a child pass a test if you don't teach those specific contents? And the teacher's evaluation is based off the student test results. We are losing AMAZING teachers every single day, and our children are losing valuable fundamentals in their education. And this is happening in 46 states across the country. Unbelievable!

I am asking each of you to start reaching into your gut, to start relying on your Christian principles, your values, and your instincts and follow your convictions. PLEASE, I have a giant target on my back and I have many supporters whom I am grateful for. But the target becomes smaller when more people join in! What if ALL 65 teachers at each school united together and said enough is enough? Are they going to fire the whole school? What if teachers did this across the entire state? Are you too scared to spend your time fighting to protect these innocent children paying the consequences? Is Pinterest, Facebook, and candy crush more important than your child’s entire educational foundation? Children are a gift from God, our most precious resource and yet we continue to put them on the back burner. Including myself, I am TOTALLY and COMPLETELY 100% guilty, but now I am changing that. I have made a conscious decision to not allow it anymore.  I am going to be more engaged, choosing wisely what I allow to manage or take control of my time. One of those is becoming active in the one thing I hate most, politics! Legislation starts on February 3^rd and I am making it my duty to learn more about what and who is controlling the education and then I am contacting the legislators to let them know I as a parent am not going to tolerate my child’s education to be bullied anymore. Ignoring this problem does not make it go away, and neither does walking around discussing it privately or complaining about it. Taking action and demanding our legislators listen to us as Oklahoma constituents is the only way.

Let’s all commit to removing our distractions in order to be informed so we can start making a difference!!

Nehemiah - Physical & Spiritual Restoration

According to Nehemiah, the walk of faith is a balanced blend of prayer and action. Nehemiah prayed and then put his request before the king (Neh. 2:4-5); he prayed and then "set a watch" (Neh. 4:9). He exhorted the people to "remember" the Lord...and FIGHT!! (Neh. 4:14)

http://theokieblaze.com/stories/2014/01/14/the-mystery-meat-of-unanswered-questions-about-common-core/

I do not believe that Church and Politics are separate, and in fact I am grateful I was able to attend an amazing presentation by Pastor Dan Fisher and Paul Blair about losing Civil & Religious Liberties in America. It was a powerful message. 

You can discover the Black Robe Regiment here:
http://www.blackrobereg.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5i2viK-C8o

  “Being a Christan is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will.”

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Just" a mom!

I started this journey helping fight for Owasso schools, students, and teachers back on Oct. 14th, 2013. It's ONLY been 90 days, but it feels like it has been YEARS!! I have gained weight, cried, got mad - ACTUALLY got ANGRY, been slandered, lost LOTS of sleep, neglected my own two kids, talked ALOT, cried more - actually bawled, lost friends, met amazing people, learned new things (like how to blog, how to design t-shirts, create brochures and even resolution for yard signs). I have neglected cleaning my house and doing the laundry, been on the news, spent a lot of money on copies and CC aligned textbooks, overcame my nerves of public speaking, practiced over and over and over feeling stupid in front of my bathroom mirror, researched and researched, made zillions of phone calls, attended political meetings for the first time ever, approached legislators, asked TONS of questions, but most important I have PRAYED fervently more than ever before in my entire 35 years.

Most days I wake up and pray,  "God, I want to please go back to "just" being a mom!! This is NOT what I want to do with my time, this is NOT for me." I can't do this, this is draining, I am exhausted, why me, what did I start, why did I start, this is miserable, this is overwhelming, this is too much, too much, too much, TOO MUCH!!

And then I get that phone call, that email, that text message, that new "somebody" reaching out. Another "just a mom" thanking me for informing her, thanking me for speaking up, telling me her and her children's story, sharing their heart, digging for more information, asking me what is next, what they can do, but mostly encouraging me to keep going. And at that very moment it reminds me why I am tackling this David VS Goliath battle. I appreciate the complete strangers that have reached out and sent me encouraging words, bible verses, private notes, purchased my t-shirts, donated their time to teach me how to create blogs, designed my logos, attended my meetings, given me discounts at their businesses to make copies, offered me free space for advertising, donated their services, and the list goes on!! And they thank me and say keep fighting, you are right, thank you for being our voice, thank you for standing up, GO, GO, GO!

But that's not what drives me, those things shock me, surprise me, and I appreciate and am forever grateful for every single one. But the calls and emails that drive me to continue are the "just moms" who send me pictures of their children's homework, share their heartache and tears during homework time when your child is so frustrated, when the teacher shares with me that she spent 5 days of their Christmas break re-creating new CC aligned lessons and then stayed until 7PM every night their first week back because the standards are so demanding, and the fact that they are now sending home additonal homework packets for our kids to do in order to prepare for tests they are going to take in April. Yes, after being in school ALL day now they want them to do additional amounts of extra homework for test prep for the next 2 months!! Also, the mom's who share the fact that a 2 on your child's report card can represent an A,B, or C and gets into a heated debate as to how and why!? The middle and high school teachers that share how the constitution has been watered down and amendments have been diluted in their new CC aligned textbooks, the fact that my child will take "zillions" of tests that only grade their teacher but not their progress. The fact that a child is only 5 and in Kindergarten one time, and once its gone, its gone. The children being robbed daily of their "fun" and kindergarten childhood because of rigor. Testimony, after testimony, my desire grows, my passion builds, and I realize I am right where I am suppose to be. In fact, here are some other very powerful testimonies and examples of what I am talking about.

http://www.restoreokpubliceducation.com/node/789

These are the battles and scars that don't get celebrated on pinterest, usually don't win popularity votes but name calling, they are some of the most vulnerable moments where people run the other direction when you walk into the room, or avoid you completely in fear of losing their job due to association, or because they are too busy to worry about what issues you might bring up and they simply don't want to get involved.

But for me this is not "just being a mom," this is being a REAL life mom, an authentic my life has been turned upside down, I don't have a single clue what I am doing, the scared, tired, feeling overwhelmed and defeated before I ever started kind of mom. But being a mom is enough...God's word says DO NOT GROW WEARY, DO NOT WORRY, HAVE FAITH, BE STEADFAST, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING and DO NOT FEAR!!!!

I am proud to be "just a mom" the same one that fights. prays. gives. cries. loves. cares. sacrifices. fails. learns. grows. but NEVER gives up, even on days when I want to throw in the towel. Common core is just the issue that brought this out in me, and to each their own, but I hope you choose to discover and learn more about this particular issue, especially if you have children or grand-children attending schools. And for those of you that are thankful you are done raising your children and don't have to deal with this issue, I ask if you will please do it for mine?

There is an entire generation of children being taught "fuzzy" math and will be considered successful if they get close to the answer. Mainly because there is more concern about deeper more critical thinking and the process on how they got to answer not whether or not its actually correct due to rigorous academics.  These will be the same children taking care of you when you are in your rest home!

If they can't be proficient in exact math but only reasoning and getting close to the right answer but not necessarily the correct answer....how do you feel about them monitoring your medication dosages??? How do you feel about them engineering that plane you plan to ride in to go on your retirement vacations???

Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace

I have never once been interested in getting involved in politics, in fact, I admit I have ignored issues for WAY too long. But enough is enough, and when it started directly impacting my children, I decided I wasn't going to tolerate it anymore. My children can not stand up for themselves, and it is my responsibility to protect them, and I will!

Watching your children struggle and become so frustrated over assignments that you as an adult can't even comprehend what is expected, makes me ask why? Why can't my child just learn normal traditional addition and subtraction, basic phonics, letter sounds, sentence structure, punctuation, etc. and build a solid foundation gaining confidence with math facts and language arts before we start confusing them with operational algebra, addends, figurative connotation, inference, and dictations? What is the purpose? Why force students to try and use inference backing their way into the answer of a problem? It is confusing for most of them...is this what common core thinks is deeper, more critically thinking? Because, I do not. I think it creates frustration, anger, and a complete lack of any type of thinking because kids just shut down and turn off. Let me give you a few examples of what I am talking about...

2nd Grade Assignment



4th Grade




Kindergarten Assignment








1st Grade Assignment

   Maybe you as a parent are also seeing assignments similar to these, and you can't figure out why your child is becoming so frustrated with school.  Maybe you aren't even paying attention to these types of assignments that our children are being expected to complete.

Why can't 3+4 = 7, why do they need to break it down to 3+3+1? I just don't understand what the purpose of this is and I have not heard any evidence to prove how it makes them think more critically. In fact, the clinical psychologists are claiming that a child's brain is not even physically developed enough to think like this and use logic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrQbJlmVJZo

So my questions to you is this...when are you going to take the lead and decide to start protecting your children? If you don't do it, then who will? Even our school district leader and superintendent discretely heeds warning signs in his end of the year message:

http://www.owasso.k12.ok.us/departments.cfm?subpage=157202

Our administration, teachers, and educators hands are tied behind their backs, they have essentially been threatened their jobs if they speak out...what's holding you back? The time is now. Silence = CONSENT!!

Our solution is to contact the very people that adopted these public policies in the first place...contact your District Senators and Representatives and let your voice be heard. WE THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE!

And as for you teachers and educators who have been living in fear...might I suggest or PLEAD and BEG with you to begin using your own personal time in the evenings to write letters, send emails, and leave messages as well. Not during school time or with school resources, but at home what you do on your personal time is your private business. Here is one way to look at it, be miserable with no flexibility to really teach and keep your mouth shut, do as told and eventually quit or speak up and make changes...either way you might lose so please do what's best for an entire future generation of children! The door is open, Senate Bill 1146 has recently been submitted by Senator Eddie Fields to repeal common core and now we MUST support it...below is a great article from the Jenks Middle School principal, Rob Miller and I agree 100% with everything he says.

http://viewfromtheedge.net/?p=1810

This is our state, our community, our schools, and our children...let's NOT allow them to BULLY us anymore.

Legislator Contacts for Owasso District:

Mr. David Derby, Representative
http://www.okhouse.gov/District.aspx?District=74

Mr. Rick Brinkley, Senator
http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/biographies/brinkley_bio.html

Education Committee Contacts for the State of Oklahoma:

Senate Members: http://www.oksenate.gov/committees/standing/education.htm

House Members: http://www.okhouse.gov/committees/CCommitteeMembers.aspx?CommID=228&SubCommID=0

How My Warrior Mom Common Core Crusade Began...

I am a domestic engineer, mother of two, and wife transformed into a passionate educational common core warrior because of previous experience coping with these standards. We lived in Colorado and my children attended various different schools but primarily they attended a K-8 and P20 Aurora Public School in Aurora, Colorado. After major struggles, heartache, agony and lots of tears wondering why my two children began to hate school at the early age of 5 & 6…I interjected myself into the classroom as a permanent volunteer.

We moved several times in order to attempt fixing our educational nightmares. We first began blaming our own children, then the teacher, then the principal, then the school district before we ever realized after 3 LONG devastating years that it was a national education reform and curriculum that was causing us so much misery.

Some of my initial warnings signs included: less recess, less time to eat lunch, MORE time sitting at a desk with worksheet after worksheet, self-directed collaboration of group efforts as opposed to individual needs and learning, children teaching other children, five and six year olds expected to write “personal narratives” and “progressive poetry,” vague and subjective standards-based grading 1’s, 2’s and 3’s, PP, P, U, S and M’s?!  Or “approaching grade level” but NOT “at grade level” which seemed alarming although the teacher told me not to worry about it. Little to no phonics and whole language instead, abstract subjective reasoning and time spent focusing on processes instead of objective lessons in right and wrong or correct answers. My son would receive unsatisfactory or partially proficient for reading and yet score 100’s on reading comprehension, in reverse my daughter would somehow manage to score 100’s for reading and yet zero’s for reading comprehension…quite frankly I was confused and angry because I did not understand the expectations. More importantly neither did my children. I noticed after a couple years class sizes were growing rapidly into the mid-to-high 30’s, GREAT teachers were leaving in mass quantities, principals not quite ready to retire were retiring and getting out, superintendents were bailing too, it was major turnover in every aspect from all directions at schools district wide. Learning through play with centers and fun engaging activities turned into MORE and MORE boring worksheets, MORE writing, inappropriate expectations on what and how the students were expected to write. My child knew a whole lot about other foreign countries but barely knew the first letter of the name of his street or city; he could perform a CO2 science experiment with clouds, speak many different words in other languages, had memorized the definition of communities, picture walks, could brainstorm central ideas and narratives with beginning, middle and end’s, but could hardly write his full name and had little to no concept of traditional basic reading, writing, or math!! We skipped ALL of the basics and went straight to high school. How many five and six year olds do you know that can write lengthy detailed personal narratives with full and complete punctuation and precise capitalization in chronological order as the events occur? Well neither of mine could. And I admit my kiddos are pretty normal, run-of-the-mill average kids. They are not gifted & talented nor do they have any specials needs, but they could NOT understand and neither could I as their parent why school was so difficult.  I did have one rowdy energetic boy that we knew school would be a challenge, but I also had a daughter that was a “natural learner,” school came very easy to her and she naturally picked things up with ease. So, why were they BOTH already failing or practically failing Kindergarten and First Grade?!  

After volunteering immensely in the classroom I realized ALL of the students in both classes were not engaged, they were all glazed over, overly rowdy, behavior problems were increasing, small attention spans became smaller and I couldn’t help but wonder why? Then it dawned on me, the teacher of course, she has no clue how to teach, that or every single kid in this class is stupid and has major problems. Actually, it must be the leadership or lack thereof, so the principal must not be enforcing rules. Our school or the school district is definitely the problem! But then I began to set-up one-on-one meetings with these specific people, in that order. I attended PTO meetings, City Council meetings, school board meetings, and even a parent class on how to do 1st grade math in order to actually be able to help my child with front end estimation integrated math. I was invited to join the accountability committee and discuss (AYP) adequate yearly progress, quantifiable data graphs, CSAP/TCAP results, and I proctored many tests with all the headaches and nuances.  I was officially a “helicopter” mom trying to figure out the source of our education frustrations. I discovered there were 32 failing kindergarteners, which turned into 35 failing 1^st graders, which turned into 38 failing 2^nd graders. And a whole lot of failing teachers! Why? Where was the support? Where was the leadership? What was going on here?

Again, I began to look for alternate solutions; I toured other neighboring school districts, private schools and charter schools. Charter schools wait lists were in the hundreds minimum because parents were signing their children up when they were born, unfortunately I did not know to do that and quite frankly after attending some of the Charter school meetings we realized they were run as businesses and were certainly NOT a solution to our education dilemma. Every person in our family is “Type A” so home-schooling would be a last resort, and private schools were extremely expensive so instead we decided to hire an in-home, one-on-one tutor in order to supplement.

Over the course of those few years, the school atmosphere and environment became more and more chaotic. Nobody had answers. It seemed as though the entire school had been turned upside down.  Tension grew, extremely upbeat positive teachers with pleasant attitudes turned cold and negative, open doors turned into closed doors, more teachers left in mass exodus, gym became more time for class instruction and academics NO LONGER fun according to my children, warm and friendly principals turned into authoritarians demanding authority of “do this or else”, and quite honestly we wanted out, IMMEDIATELY! This was not the nurturing educational environment that we desired for our children.  I hated seeing the simple joy for learning vanish and I was depressed watching what was transpiring inside the building. If I heard the words rigor, data, or test scores one more time I would have a panic attack. It was a miserable place for everyone that entered whether they wanted to admit it or not. It was an obvious transformation that began instantly and slowly progressed into pure misery in less than 3 years.

Finally, an answered prayer, my husband’s job was going to relocate us, and we didn’t care if it was to Egypt. We were ready to move far way. We began to do research, I asked both of my children’s teachers more and more questions about what to look for and how to make sure we get our kids into the right school district once we moved. It wasn’t until right at that moment the 2^nd grade teacher gave me a sheet of paper with my son’s assessment data and said, “Here, it may not look like it but he’s doing great in school, don’t worry about him. Here is an old-fashioned report card which shows what I mean for your own peace of mind before you move. It’s NOT a common core assessment or standards based grading, I am giving you an old report card like the ones I used to do. And she handed me a hand-written old fashioned A,B,C,D report card.” That was the first time anybody had ever mentioned the words common core, and I went home and spent all night researching it. The light bulb went on and after 3 miserable years I finally understood what the problem was, NOT the teacher, NOT the student, NOT the school, NOT the principal, or even the district. Although it was a major issue, I realized it was NOT the root cause creating this ripple effect. It was actually a secretly implemented and mandated national curriculum, a copyrighted public policy called common core standards. It was the new top down approach to education. An outcome based approach, a transitional method to teaching and not a traditional method to teaching and learning.

By this point, I was glad to be packing our stuff and was even more eager to move on and forget about everything we had just lived through. My research into common core ended there, the light bulb came on and I was only looking toward the future and hope that the new changes would be the end to all these problems. Within a month we transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma. We did some serious school searching which included touring miles worth of school districts, we asked all the tough questions, and we chose Owasso School District based on many different reasons.

Immediately the school district got me in contact with a summer tutor who tested my children and we decided to retain our oldest child because he was struggling drastically with reading. Once school began that fall our children came home for the first time ever with spelling lists, (AR) Accelerated Reader book programs with incentive for reading, normal math mixed with some (but very little) fuzzy math because primarily the teacher was still teaching her old traditional approaches, and they were excited to begin learning and reciting the pledge of allegiance which was not allowed in Colorado. They were allowed to have their first ever Christmas party, they earned rewards for going above and beyond, they were disciplined and received consequences as needed, they were held accountable for the first time to a black and white standard, and they grew dramatically in academics, character, and in responsibility. My son for the first time ever had to learn how to manage and maintain the responsibility of keeping his very own desk neat and tidy, as opposed to the group effort at his table of 6 classmates sharing community supplies. Both of my kids were engaged, excited, and eager to learn again…their delight in learning which was stolen away had returned and it was a HUGE relief. My daughter came home one day and said she felt like school was a lot more fun here, she was glad we had moved because people weren’t always mad and this new school had more rules. An interesting perspective from my first grader. I noticed the hallways were cheerful and sometimes loud but always within reason.  The classrooms were full of a variety of activities and hands-on learning, one of their teachers used m&m’s to teach math as opposed to another boring worksheet, they engaged rotating through centers, students gave the announcements and managed the school store, it was realistic genuine, traditional education at its best. The students here in Owasso were smiling, they were having fun, and they were enjoying school, most important they were learning life skills but they didn’t even realize it. It was a pleasant change and I left daily in tears grateful my kids finally had the opportunity to experience it!

However, this year, only one year later after many teachers left, and our principal retired I was back to feeling a dramatic shift in the atmosphere. I continued on my weekly copy schedule for teachers and I began to see a whole lot of common core stuff again, and I also received another standards-based progress report. NO!! It couldn’t be, these standards were haunting me, and this can’t happen to these amazing Oklahoma schools. Our schools here in Owasso are exceptional, why would they choose to implement common core? And my journey began again, but this time I had something AMAZING to compare them too. Before I was a new school-aged parent with newbie’s entering the education arena. But now I knew for sure what the warning signs were, I had been on this train wreck before…I could see the danger up ahead. God had granted me wisdom and knowledge and now I am here to spread awareness about what is looming around the sharp curve. I refuse to allow any other parent or child to experience what we experienced without at least an educated decision, a vote, or a fight. I do not choose this, for whatever reason, it chose me. But I understand now how this top down approach of outcome based education (OBE) really works and I refuse to not share my story. 

Students and teachers are far more valuable than any given test score or quantifiable data statistic!! And some character traits such as creativity, responsibility, perseverance, determination, resilience, compassion, honesty, authenticity, teamwork, respect, dependability, originality, and individuality cannot be measured by any given test. And most important there is a huge difference between knowing and learning, between knowledge and wisdom.

Here is the blog I started in order to track my efforts on this unexplainable journey of spreading awareness. I was determined to get some sleep in 2014 so I decided to start blogging my thoughts and emotions, as well as, share my research and experience.  This is my new temporary solution to get my brain to shut down and stop spinning a million miles per second long enough to acquire a good night’s sleep!