This Week is Important in the Life Of HB3399 and the Death of Common Core in Oklahoma

*(For purposes of continuity, I will use the term Common Core though in Oklahoma these standards have been renamed Oklahoma Academic Standards)

Now that Senate bills have been cleared from the House calendar, it is time to go back to HB3399.  We must stay on this bill and get it through the process - and there is still process to go.  It still needs to be heard by the House, have the Senate amendments voted down and sent to conference committee.  There, we need to convince the committee of the following things:

BILL ITSELF:

• need 2 years to create standards to prevent copy and paste of Common Core back as happened in Indiana
• legislature must decide upon educational standards during standards re-write period - in Indiana, Gov. Pence hired Sujie Shin - from federally funded WestEd and responsible for assisting states in aligning their standards to Common Core - to oversee the process.  Our Governor and Superintendent both have a history of appointing/hiring those from the organizations responsible for promoting/creating Common Core and other national education reforms.  

STANDARDS DURING INTERIM MUST BE PASS

• Recent analyses of ELA and Mathematics PASS against Common Core show PASS the better set of standards:

• Sandra Stotsky chose 20 attributes across 4 major categories of comparison:  PASS were better than CC for 50%, CC was better than PASS for 15% and PASS and CC tied for 35%.
• Ze've Worman reviewed PASS and CC mathematics standards and concluded, "One can argue whether they are slightly weaker or stronger in specific areas, yet all those who seriously studied both agree they are of similar strength.  The big difference is that Oklahoam can modify and improve its PASS but it cannot modify the Common Core."

• According to school code, 210:15-4-3. Adoption and Implementation of Common Core State standards, Common Core was to be instituted in public schools year 2014-15, however, there is a caveat.  (a) (4) says, "...The Priority Academic Student Skills shall remain as the assessed standards until such time that full implementation of the Common Core State Standards are required and common assessments aligned to those standards are available." 

• Common Core tests are being developed, but have hit snags, causing concern of proper readiness by next school year.  ""Both consortia will have tests in 2014-2015 that will be better than almost all existing state tests, if not all. Neither will be as good as promised in their response to the department's [request for proposals]," said Scott Marion, an associate director at the Dover, N.H.-based National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, which advises both consortia. "But if they can survive until 2018, '19, '20, they actually might have something pretty good that comes close to living up to their promises."

• Oklahoma will not put their Title 1 funding at risk through a loss of their NCLB waiver (though it shouldn't have been sought in the first place if our Governor and Superintendent truly believe their anti-Federal Department of Education rhetoric) by returning to PASS

• If Oklahoma's PASS are as good as they have been graded by the Fordham Institute (paid by the Bill Gates Foundation to institute the study in an effort to push Common Core) - a fact now verified by outside sources - Oklahoma has an excellent argument as to why we would return to our previous standards.  PASS is more 'college and career ready' than CC.
• At this time, the OSDE is currently undergoing modifications to its NCLB waiver.  Obviously, that is an option. 
• Even a cursory review of Oklahoma's NCLB Waiver shows that our waiver was granted based upon an 'assurance' (promise) we would utilize Common Core.  There was another option, however - that of having institutes of higher learning certify the standards as 'college and career ready'.  Seeing as how our standards are better even than the Common Core, it wouldn't appear hard to make this happen. 

TESTING MUST BE CTB/McGRAW HILL PASS TEST BANK WITH PAPER AND PENCIL

• Measured Progress is a subcontractor to Education Testing Services for PARCC - if we continue with MP, we continue with PARCC and the federal strings that come through the RTT funding of PARCC.  Our Governor has issued an Executive Order prohibiting a breach in student privacy with the Common Core.
• Student privacy is a very large issue with computerized tests and federally-funded, Common Core-aligned testing

• MP's contract specifically refers to FERPA when citing student privacy.  FERPA was changed in 2012 at the request of Arne Duncan so that personal student data can be shared at least 11 different ways without parental consent. 
• The other concern is the fact that CC standards have been digitized and uploaded into a database corresponding directly with test questions.  This allows data to be collected down to the exact standard a child missed on a test.  This then, can allow the type of European style education in which students are divided into college and career tracks.
• Certainly the computerized method utilized for this testing has been unsuccessful two years in a row.  Third time's a charm?

CLOSING:

As soon as we know the names of the legislators (both House and Senate) who will be placed on the Conference Committee, we will post their names and contact information.  It will be of ULTIMATE importance to our cause that you read this information, understand it and regurgitate it back to these men and women.  The only way we can STOP Common Core, is to STOP it NOW and not continue on in the interim period while new standards are designed.

Here is the reason we fight:

If Congress… may establish teachers in every State, county, and parish, and pay them out of the public Treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union… I would venture to declare it as my opinion… it would subvert the very foundation and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America…James Madison, 1792

LITERATURE CITED:

Pence OKs Education Standards for Indiana; Hit as Common Core Remix, Alicia M. Cohen,

 http://blog.heritage.org/2014/04/22/indiana-education-standards-common-core-trojan-horse/

Hoosiers Process Run By DC Insider, Erin Tuttle, http://hoosiersagainstcommoncore.com/hoosier-process-led-dc-insider/

Is Oklahoma Education Being Sold To Out Of State Interests? Jenni White, http://restoreoklahomapubliceducation.blogspot.com/2014/02/is-oklahoma-education-being-sold-to-out.html

Comparison of PASS to Common Core in English Language Arts - Sandra Stotsky.  Sandra Stotsky.  http://www.scribd.com/doc/220284871/Comparison-of-PASS-to-Common-Core-in-English-Language-Arts-Sandra-Stotsky

Comparison of PASS to Common Core in Mathematics - Ze'ev Worman.  Ze'ev Worman. http://www.scribd.com/doc/220283197/Comparison-of-PASS-to-Common-Core-in-Mathematics-Ze-ev-Worman

Oklahoma School Code 210:15-4-3. http://www.oar.state.ok.us/viewhtml/210_15-4-3.htm

Oklahoma's ESEA Flexibility Request. 2012.  http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/ESEA-FlexAmend8-12.pdf

Vision, Reality Collide in Common Core Tests. EdWeek. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/04/23/29cc-promises.h33.html

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Thomas B. Fordham funding. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/search#q/k=thomas%20fordham%20institute

Accountability and Assessments page. ESEA Accountability Addendum. http://ok.gov/sde/accountability-assessments

To PARCC or Not To PARCC - That Is The Question. Jenni White.  http://restoreoklahomapubliceducation.blogspot.com/2014/04/parcc-or-not-to-parcc-that-is-question.html

Executive Order 2014-40.  Governor Fallin.  https://www.sos.ok.gov/documents/executive/917.pdf

You Can't Always Get What You Want. Jenni White. http://restoreoklahomapubliceducation.blogspot.com/2013/06/you-cant-always-get-what-you-want.html

Common Core State Standards Developers and Publishers.  Common Core State Standards Initiative. http://www.corestandards.org/developers-and-publishers/

Track My Progress.  Website.  http://www.trackmyprogress.com/overview/

Glitch shuts down state testing for second time.  KOCO.com  http://www.koco.com/news/Glitch-shuts-down-state-testing-for-second-time/25591396

New Pro-Common Core Video Out from Expect More/Stand for Children

http://vimeo.com/88372212

Recently, a Stand for Children-affiliated organization, "Expect More Ok" has put together a rather expensive-looking PRO-COMMON CORE video called, "Teach Me".

I thought it interesting enough to post a 'rebuttle' if you will.

Look at the blackboard.  This child is doing math problems using TRADITIONAL math - NOT the PROGRESSIVE form of math prescribed by the Common Core State Standards where, 

"HOW the mathematics content is approached to engage students in doing mathematics, as articulated in the mathematical practices is as important - if not more important - the WHAT is taught".

From the book, Common Core Mathematics in a PLC at Work

The voice over says that Common Core is "common sense standards for math and English language arts - but other pictures are of a child practicing chemistry.  So now Expect More/Stand For Children are admitting Oklahoma has national (Common Core-like) science standards - which we will if they are approved.  I don't understand what this video is trying to say.

This video seems to indicate a happy classroom where teachers are teaching Traditional math.  The Kids seem to have the answers.  

That's not what's currently happening in classrooms - especially in the younger grades. An excellent example of this phenomenon is seen in this Common Core third grade reading exam where four out of seven questions have NO RIGHT ANSWER.

Many childhood educators (including those in Oklahoma) have told anyone who will listen that Common Core are NOT developmentally appropriate for kids K-5th grade.

Here are a couple of claims made in the video that are easily refuted.

Claim: Voiceover says "Common Core...raises expectations for our kids today."

FACT: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute - an Ohio think-tank that supports the Common Core State Standards, rated Oklahoma's previous standards for ELA as 

"Better organized and more clearly presented than Common Core." 

For Math, Fordham found,

"Standards are briefly stated and frequently include examples, making them easier to read and follow than Common Core." 

Additionally, Fordham found that Oklahoma's previous English/LA standards Math and Common Core's standards were rated  'too close to call' to say if Common Core was any better. 

What was wrong with the standards we had?  Our ELA and Math NAEP scores were not as horrible as Common Core proponents want us to believe.  Was it a problem with the standards or the way the state tests were graded under previous State Superintendent Sandy Garrett, who lowered the cut scores on PASS tests to try and meet NCLB's regulations?  In fact, Common Core Math standards won't even prepare kids for a STEM career.

Claim: Voiceover says, "But right now, self-serving partisan mindsets are tying our teacher's hands from preparing our kids from thinking creatively, to problem solve, to be competitive in a global economy."

FACTS: Common Core was passed into law in 2010 as one paragraph in a 34 page bill under a working title describing teacher incentive pay. The Common Core State Standards weren't even finalized for English/LA until June of that year - after session was over. 

How is there any creativity or problem solving in a classroom there there is no more than 15% of any information allowed over and above what is in the actual standards themselves?  

Teacher's hands are being tied by the implementation of Common Core.  How do we know?  We have information from over 60 Oklahoma teachers in a survey done last year who say exactly that.  Here is a video from a teacher who is quitting teaching because she isn't able to teach anymore the way she would like - and this is only one of MANY we've encountered that say the exact same thing.  Gosh, I wonder why there is a teacher shortage?

Who exactly are the PARTISANS protesting here?  Parents?  Teachers?  Kids for Pete sake?  I guess we should be glad Stand/Expect used this term and not the emotion-evoking words of the Oklahoma Chamber who called dissenters fear mongers and liars.

No wonder kids in the commercial are begging their teacher's to "Teach Me" - that can only be done when teacher's hands are UNTIED by UNRAVELING Common Core.