Common Core Curriculum; Here's What's Out There
I plan a big thread on Common Core about:
- examples of current curriculum
- developmentally appropriateness of Common Core
- and the HUGE pushback (and pushing out of CC) in many states. Update: hot off the presses: twelve NY state senators urged a delay in Common Core standards because of the outcry from parents, teachers and administrators. They also said if there are not changes made administratively, they will change the law.
But first this, from a second grade class in Troy, Illinois.
- examples of current curriculum
- developmentally appropriateness of Common Core
- and the HUGE pushback (and pushing out of CC) in many states. Update: hot off the presses: twelve NY state senators urged a delay in Common Core standards because of the outcry from parents, teachers and administrators. They also said if there are not changes made administratively, they will change the law.
But first this, from a second grade class in Troy, Illinois.
Comments
The Big "D"
reader
Honesty
As more and more teachers are forced to source material online, perhaps to meet CCSS without district funding for materials, I think we will have more instances like this.
-reader
I believe the mother. I would hope the larger story would be who would alter this material and why. Parents can talk to their children and tell them this worksheet is nonsense. The important issue IMO is to determine who altered it, why, and work on exposing the people who are responsible for it. We need to determine who would alter copyrighted material and present this to a 2nd grader and why.
There is a reason they did it. We need to find it out. I don't know if this is CCSS aligned. I have my thoughts on it.
Evidently, at least on the CCSS-based SBAC tests, they do NOT include divorce as an acceptable topic. But the list of what is unacceptable is interesting:
(sorry, forgot how to build a hyperlink...been awhile...)
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TaskItemSpecifications/EnglishLanguageArtsLiteracy/IssuesRelatedtoStimulusandItemDevelopment.pdf
Stimulus material topics:
Although acceptable and unacceptable topics come under the gambit of bias and sensitivity, it is worth noting lists provided for each category. Often topics considered unacceptable for large-scale testing are found in highly complex and emotionally charged aspects of life and culture and are therefore, by their very nature, fertile ground for sourcing complex texts and providing an avenue for cognitively demanding analysis. It is important that the list of acceptable topics is broad in its vision to allow for the selection of complex and contemporary stimulus materials.
Unacceptable Topics:
Abortion, birth control Anthropomorphism (except in contexts such as fables) Bodily functions Catastrophic events Crime, criminals, prisons, capital punishment Children dealing with serious issues Dancing, the prom Death, life-threatening diseases/illnesses (cancer, etc.) Evolution, creationism, origin of universe, age of dinosaurs, worldwide flood, prehistoric humans Extraterrestrial life, UFOs Gambling, lotteries Halloween Junk food Magic realism, the paranormal New Age ideas/objects Movies, television programs Natural disasters Religion, religious holidays Sex, sexuality, pornography, abuse Single parents (no direct reference), step-parents, foster parents, and guardians Slavery, child labor, sweatshops Violence, gangs, terrorism, bloodshed, war* Weapons (street, military, nuclear) DIVORCE, Drug, alcohol, tobacco use Obesity, dieting Parapsychology
Politics, political issues that are current and controversial