While Common Core math is making kids frustrated, it’s also driving parents and grandparents crazy. If you haven’t yet seen the video about the convoluted way of adding 9 + 6, you can view it at the link below. The focus is on the the process, ostensibly to teach “higher order thinking skills”, but it causes confusion, not higher order thinking. Read the article.

This convoluted, “constructivist” way of doing math did not originate with the Common Core, however. Fuzzy math has been around for years. See the Washington State manual, “Teaching and Learning Mathematics” which shows on page 58, that believing that math is about finding the right answer is a mathematical myth. In the past, states and districts had more flexibility to use the the methodologies of their choice, but now the Common Core Standards along with the Common Core Assessments embed this constructivist method into the curriculum for all participating states.

It’s up to you, parents and grandparents. If you want your student to truly understand math, YOU must teach them!

Common Core Standards are causing much concern among parents of school-age children. Parents of young children should also know that there are Common Core Standards for younger children as well. Experts have analyzed the K-3 Common Core standards and are critical that no one on the development panel has any expertise in early childhood development! Read the article from the Washington Post.

If your children plan to enroll in the Advanced Placement History program be forewarned that it has been changed and no longer teaches the traditional history course. Jane Robbins of the American Principles Project warns us that the College Board’s Advanced Placement History Course has been transformed, now that David Coleman, reported architect of the Common Core, is head of the College Board. Watch the video clip.

Here are some quick links to more  information on Common Core.

“I plead with all you well-intentioned but definitely misguided administrators, teachers, and politicians. Raise your heads out of the dust and realize that America is great because America bucked against the status quo.”

A native of Ghana, Alma Ohene-Opare, explains the over-controlling education system of his former country, and urges the USA not to repeat those mistakes.

Read his article, posted by Eagle Forum, linked here.

Isn’t it enough that the SAT, ACT, and the GRE are aligned with the Common Core? The Washington Post writes that now even Girl Scout badges are aligned with the Common Core.

All aspects of society– from birth to preschool to K-12 education to college and jobs–are intended to be aligned. “Seamless” is the term. Please realize, “seamless” is NOT a good thing. Read the article by Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post.

Some students taking Utah’s SAGE assessment this spring experienced what they described as “weird” colors and sounds while taking the math assessment. SAGE is Utah’s new computer adaptive assessment. From interviews with students, it seems that not every student took the version of the assessment that subjected students to the weird colors and strange voices. Some students appeared to be taking a different version.

Washington State also has a computer adaptive assessment. Washington’s assessments are being developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), one of the two assessment consortia for the Common Core. It is not known yet whether the Washington state assessment resembles the Utah SAGE assessment.

Parents, if your child took the Common Core Assessments this year, please ask him or her to tell you about it. If your child had a similar anxiety-producing experience, please contact the person who produced the video below, and also contact us. Our e-mail is cure@curewashington.org. A sample opt-out form can be found along the top bar of our website.

Please watch the entire video.

On March 24, 2014, Indiana’s Governor Pence signed SB 91 into law replacing the Common Core State Standards with its own Indiana Standards. So what’s the problem?

Somehow, they ended up with new standards that were almost the same as the recently rejected standards.

Indiana wanted to keep their federal waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act’s onerous mandates. To do this, they had to develop “college and career readiness” standards which met the federal guidelines, that is, they had to use the same blueprint to build their Indiana Standards as the blueprint for the Common Core.

Read the article.

The data tech company inBloom was started with seed money from the Gates Foundation. The company’s plan was to collect student data from various sources, store them in the “cloud” and allow the data to be accessed for various educational purposes. Faced with parent concerns and with recent data protection legislation from the New York […]

Kindergarten used to be where youngsters did finger-painting and made shapes out of clay.  Children learned valuable lessons  about being polite, sharing, and taking turns. They learned to be creative, musical, and artistic.

Today, the goal of education including preschool is to prepare children for the workforce–to make them college and career ready.  A Washington Post article by Valerie Strauss reports that a New York school has cancelled a kindergarten show so that there is more time for college and career training. Read the article.