And The Survey Says....

Several weeks ago now, ROPE published a survey to find out what people knew about the implementation of the Common Core State Standards here in Oklahoma.  A total of 135 responses were collected.  This survey was not designed to identify reactions to specific Common Core topics, but more to find out how much people know about the implementation of the Common Core.  The results were quite interesting as there were many who were not as informed about the facts as we thought.  Here are the results of the survey.  Here are the results of our survey from last year which sought to identify perceptions and feelings about local versus federal control of education.  It is interesting to see the results of that study and our latest, together.

The important thing to look at for this survey are the heterogeneous mix of individuals who answered - we have teachers and parents and administrators and homeschool parents - quite a varied lot.  This variation makes the survey richer as it's not confined simply to the 'taxpayer' category.  For the most part, respondents will have to deal with the Common Core on a personal level in one way or another and that makes the astonishing fact that so few knew about its genesis even more impactful.  The fact that over 40% of respondents didn't know that the National Governor's Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers were the progenitors of the standards was impressive and speaks well of our proponents ability to message the completely false notion of the CCSS being "state-led".

Below, I have picked out a few of the more interesting and informative comments (out of 67) collected with the survey.  Please read.  I was surprised at how personal so many of them were:

• I'm a mom of a 2nd grader in a public school; I totally disagree with the CCSS. My child is intelligent with a responsible, well-balanced family that encourages and supports her in schoolwork and beyond. I have been told by her teacher that she struggles. With this being said, I compared my current 2nd grader's learning requirements to my older child's requirements 4 years ago as a 2nd grader. My current 2nd grader IS NOT BEHIND!. The standards have been raised to a ridiculous high. The things my 2nd grader is having to do now is the same thing my other child did in the 4th grade. It's impossible for a child to be able to grasp all the things that are now required. Their brains are not physically mature enough to even understand concepts in the new CCSS. Too many skills are only being touched on, but never mastered. Completely outraged at the amount of pressure put on the students/parents because CCSS. I am the parent, not the teacher! It's sad that my child thinks she is dumb!

• Are you also aware about the data collection that is connected with CCSS? Most people think of the state tests, once a year, but for 6 years (before CCSS was signed by Brad Henry), teachers in OK public schools have been required to scan weekly tests (reading and math) in to a scanner. The first year, teachers could choose a random number, but the 2nd year, they had to turn in a master list, matching the students to the number. Beginning the 3rd year, OCPS (and probably other schools) required teachers to use the student ID number. Beginning the 2nd year of these weekly tests' implementation, teachers are required to sit down with the principal and discuss every student scoring below 80%, and the principal then forwards this information on. Teachers don't talk about these tests because they don't consider the data as being available to anyone besides the principal, but they absolutely are available to anyone with a password.

• I can't believe that common core was put into schools without public knowledge and without the legislature even knowing about it. I don't like the common core's constructivist math, elimination of so much classic literature, ending cursive instruction, and massive data collection on kids. I think it's the most invasive thing to have happen to our nation in decades. I am totally alarmed and want Common Core gone.

• In theory, common standards across states sounds great (so that all kids are learning what they need to at each grade level, which would help if a family moved to a different state), but in reality, everyone's moral values vary (especially from state to state); therefore, I do not want a more liberal state deciding what students in Oklahoma are taught. I think if you give more liberal people control of schools (especially if they don't even live locally - which is unconstitutional), that is an extremely dangerous place to be that opens up all kinds of doors I do not even want to be cracked open.

• I am a PE teacher. I am being told to use what little time I have with my kids teach math reading and so on as we do PE. I do not want the math teacher teaching gym why would anyone want the gym teacher teaching math.  It weighs heavy on my mind the endless children that suffer from childhood obesity, some call it the new polio. We are slowly getting new laws to make sure children are not expected to set still for eight hours a day. Now thanks to common core PE is being dummied down to have your gym teachers to teach common core. My only question is what is next? Recess.  To say the least I am disappointed.

• At the university level, education majors are being taught Common Core, I feel the school is mot being upfront with us regarding details, including effectiveness research, who writes the standards, who pays for them, and how they will help our students OR our teachers. I feel this is the beginning of our public education system falling into rubble with no one to help is dig out and save our students' futures or our careers as educators. Educators should be writing standards for education, not corporations!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey.  We may have another one yet - keep a weather eye!  Until that time, keep up with all the latest news and information on Common Core on our Facebook page!

Common Core Testing Needs "Assessing"

Today, KRMG released its interview with Janet Barresi about the Common Core State Standards after being inundated with questions from listeners on the issue.  Here is the full text of the article.

I have chosen to go head to head - arguing each of her points in this article, as this information is exceptionally important for parents to know.  Sadly, this interview contains the same kind of behavior we have witnessed Janet Barresi exhibiting since she became our Superintendent - waving away opposition as if those of us who pay her salary are just peons to be ignored.  It infuriates me anytime I hear this because it is so elitist - so big government Republican.  She never really seems to give credibility to any concerns emanating from the public, but continues with the rhetoric spawned by the supporters and defenders of the Standards.

Please read the article so you can follow my points, although I will paste the quotes from the article upon which I will comment.

"The old assessments were simply questions that were memory tests. That's all they tested, was a child's ability to recall. These new assessments are testing their full knowledge of foundational information, and then more importantly, they're assessing their ability to think about those items and to apply those items," she told KRMG in an exclusive interview.

She talks about the tests as though she knows what the tests say...PARCC doesn't even know what the tests say!  All they've released are sample questions.  In fact, the tests will not be fully ready for use until 2014 AND our superintendent has already gone to our legislature to ask them to approve money for INTERIM tests because our children are going to fail the PARCC tests when they are ready (SB447 - comment made by Senator Clark Jolley at a Senate Education Committee Meeting on 2/5).  So these tests are all that and a bag of chips but our kids are going to fail them and we need to cough up more money for other tests until kids can pass them?  That's comforting and, well, confusing.   

Look at the speech Secretary Arne Duncan gave at a gathering of Achieve (one of the Players in the Common Core scheme)  lauding the 'new generation' ASSESSMENTS!  See if Dr. Barresi is not simply parroting Arne Duncan nearly word for word.

How about them apples for "testing their full knowledge of foundational information"?  Yup, you got it!  Kids are supposed to show their thinking about math!  How exciting.  Very creative though.

How about the fact that numerous different studies have shown technology as more a bane than a boon to student learning and attention spans in the face of more and greater technologies that allow escapism and instant gratification?   Okay, so let's make the computer one of the biggest things in the life of a student.  Cognitive dissonance much?

How about the fact that these new tests could potentially have partial credit answers?  Where's the line in the sand?  How do you determine what a kid really knows when you're granting him partial credit answers?  But then, I guess it's important to have every point you can get when the test results go into determining the school's A-F grade and schools that get a D or an F can be taken over and run by a contractor for the State Department of Education!  Look also at that link provided for this test.  Look at the jargon written on the page.  Have you not seen these terms used over and over and over with the Common Core?  So much so in fact, that I wrote a blog about it way back in late 2011, two in 2012 (and here) and another in 2013.  Frankly, it seems to me there is more time spent 'messaging' about the Common Core than actually 'teaching' the Common Core.  Look at the number of articles I found online showing states how to "MESSAGE" about Common Core.

Messaging Toolkit - from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) - one of the two private, trade organizations responsible for the Common Core.

Common Core State Standards Communication and Outreach - Achieve

Common Core, We'd Better Get The Message Out - Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education

Realizing the Potential:  How Governor's Can Lead Effective Implementation of the Common Core State Standards - National Governor's Association (NGA) the other organization responsible for creating the Common Core

What to Tell Your Teachers To Help Them Implement The Common Core Standards; Messaging is Key To Common Core Implementation (among other choices) - from the School Improvement Network

Why in the world are these organizations so invested in this effort that they devote so much energy to selling it?  If the standards and tests are so good, why in the world do you have to work so hard to sell them?  (Answer:  Money - they are all invested in selling schools programs/books/software/etc. to support the Common Core).

Maybe there's so much 'selling' going on of the Common Core and PARCC tests because this is the way in which the state and the federal government will collect data point after data point of personal information on your child.  Since the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1964, provisions have been made in the law for collecting 'educational data' on students.  This troubled ROPE so badly that we researched this situation and produced a paper for an interim study on the topic of student privacy last October for the Oklahoma House.

Many readers have no doubt seen Glenn Beck talk more than once about the intrusive nature of the data 'mining' occurring within schools today.  This is just one page from the National Center for Education Statistics including the type of data they collect on students.

Note Blood Type and Birthmark in the 1st column 5 and 6 down!

Recently, while trolling around for information on other issues, I found something called the Tripod Project.  Of course it's founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - a serious major underwriter of all this new education 'reform' - or should I say data collection?  Just this page on their Foundation website shows that the Gates apparently have quite the interest in 'assessments' and data collection.  The Tripod 'project' provides,

"...a suite of multi-item indicators that capture students’ academic and social behaviors, goals, beliefs and feelings. Student engagement and achievement are conceptually and empirically predicted by seven multi-item measures covering key domains of teaching effectiveness referred to as the 7Cs."

What?  Feelings?  Beliefs?  What in the world does that have to do with my kids' education?  Well, in order for teachers to be effectively teaching students, schools need to know about their Grit Tenacity and Perseverance and the only way to do that is to monitor them electronically with as many gadgets as possible and then collect and store that data in a database in order to more fully evaluate the child.  Apparently, teachers are too stupid to figure out how a student is responding in their classroom, so that student must be hooked up to an electronic instrument of some kind and data collected on his 'engagement' and 'behaviors' in the classroom.  But what about feelings?  How do we measure these?  On tests apparently, where we 'assess' just these things.  After all, "to assess" means to pass judgement - something that's a subjective state, not an objective state such as a right or wrong answer to a deliberately posed and specific question.

Just recently, our friend Howard Houchen posted an exchange he had with one of his son's friends over their recent writing tests on ROPE'S Facebook page.  As Howard puts it:

He said he noticed a "transition" in the "writing tests" from others he had taken. He didn't like the "how does this make you feel" and the "how do you feel about this" questions in the "pre-tests". Now, keep in mind these "tests" are now called OCCT (Oklahoma Common Core Test) and not CRT. This kid mentioned that to me during his letting me know about the "transition" he noticed. Close to the end of our conversation, and these are the words he spoke that STICK...he said: "yeh, these pre-tests make you feel like your talking to a psychiatrist or something". A Common Core Writing Pre-Test that makes a kid uncomfortable...like they are spilling their feelings out to a psychiatrist??? This, at the very least, is NOT acceptable!

McGraw/Hill - the testing company identified by Senator Jolley during the Senate Education Committee meeting as providing interim Common Core tests, ALSO does psychometric testing.  Gosh, that's handy.

We identified a similar situation last year with the 21 Century Skills After School Program where we were able to show that Behavioral Response tests (psychological tests) were given to students without parental permission, so this is undeniably occurring, though the extent is unknown.

Having administered several state tests over the course of my teaching career, I can tell you without hesitation that test security is a HUGE issue.  Why?  Because if the test questions get out it costs the testing company more money to create additional test questions and allegations of cheating can be leveled against the school if security protocols are not followed.  What better place to put psychological test questions but on a test that has ZERO scrutiny outside the testing company and its graders and the child taking the test who has not enough life experience to know the questions he/she is answering can lead to the creation of a psychological profile of their own making?

For years Dr. Barresi has taken pride in saying that these standards are "state led" (another talking point) and that the federal government is not involved.  In fact, the Daily Oklahoma created an editorial calling us Conspiracy Theorists for our assertion that the Common Core is federally led!  Let's think....if the two consortia creating the tests were given FEDERAL dollars (Race to the Top) grants and are now saying they the consortia need to undergo a 'federal review process'  how NOT federal is that?  We won't get started on the standards themselves...

The interview goes on:

[Dr. Barresi] says those who say it will mean 40 days of testing a year are simply misstating the facts.  "It is generously timed so children can actually think and formulate an answer. So, it is not 40 days. There are two 20-day testing windows. Children are not involved in testing for the full 40 days all day. That is simply not accurate."

Okay, well no one ever said kids would be tested for 20 days.  I have no idea where that came from.  Our concern was that teachers were literally going to have to spend 40 days a semester getting their kids ready to take tests lasting 8-10 hours.  Here's the document.  Isn't that what it says?

Here she makes a concession about the fact that this Common Core stuff is all an UNFUNDED mandate, but who cares, really, because all schools will have to have all this technology anyway.

She does admit that many schools will have to make major upgrades in terms of broadband Internet access, computer equipment, and software.  But, she firmly believes that's something that would have to happen regardless of whether Oklahoma instituted the new testing system or not.  "This is something that is absolutely critical. This is not a nice to have kind of thing -- this is an essential tool. This is as important as pencil and paper."

Hmmm...so we want kids to think critically and be able to write, but only if we use the computer as a crutch to do so.  Not only does this not make sense, but I don't know how much sense it makes to taxpayers to see their property taxes (and others) increase because the school can't afford the technology necessary to administer tests for a set of standards that were never generally agreed upon, studied or even seen before put into law.  But then, I guess that doesn't really matter if we can keep the state from studying the actual costs associated with the Common Core by killing bills and holding the media at arms length with platitudes like, "We anticipate low costs".

Dr. Barresi also explains that...once people learn more about what's called "common core" education, they get on board.

"I know industry is excited about being here, I know the governor is focused on making sure we have a work force that's ready for the 21st Century, and we're doing our part at the State Department of Education and all the great educators throughout the state are working their hearts out."

Wow.  It just shocks me that she continues on the Communist Party line here.  WE DON'T EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN FOR THE WORKFORCE we educate them so they can decide what they want to do with their lives when they are able to make those decisions for themselves.  The Oklahoma and National Chambers of Commerce, however, do not believe in such folly, however.  The top two issues of the Oklahoma State Chamber (under the heading of 'workforce') are

• Prioritize education funding for programs and reforms designed to enhance access to current and future Oklahoma workforce needs.
• Protect Common Education reforms designed to enhance growth, learning and proficiencies needed to ensure students are career or college ready.

The National Chamber of Commerce supports "A Competitive Workforce" by:

• Requiring a Quality, Rigorous, and Well-Rounded K–12 Educational System:
  • Promoting the use of student data for accountability.
  • Supporting college and career ready standards, including the common core, that prepare all students.
  • Providing real choices and options for students and parents.

I guess Dr. Barresi is right on this!  Industry is excited about this.  I wonder why she doesn't understand, however, that America doesn't educate its children to be members of the states' workforce - CHINA DOES!

Of course, she is correct that Governor Fallin is all behind these education 'reforms'!  Of course she is - she's Vice-Chair of the National Governor's Association and on her way to the highly touted Chair position!  It wouldn't look good for her political aspirations if her state rejected Common Core, would it?  Damn the parents/kids/voters!  Full speed ahead she cries as she forgets for whom she works and to whom she owes her position.

In closing, Dr. Barresi has this to say,

"we are going in this state from driving an old broken down 1980s car that's burning oil to a Prius."

What a metaphor!  Isn't it that broken down old 1980's car that PUT A MAN ON THE MOON?  Oh, but the Prius has been a shining example of JAPANESE engineering though most hybrid owners wouldn't own another.  Maybe she's got that backward?  Maybe she just doesn't know what the heck she's saying!

Daily Oklahoman Calls Common Core Detractors "Conspiracy Theorists"

Sunday (3/31), while many of us were enjoying Easter at church, with our families, one Daily Oklahoman editorial writer (see PS) was VERY busy doing damage control after the COMMON CORE IS NOT OK rally ROPE had last Wednesday.  His article, "Conspiracy theories about Common Core should be ignored", was full of nonsense and name calling.  Just like some of the 'research' that comes out of the State Department of Education, this essay had absolutely no legitimate, non-spun truth anywhere inside.  In fact, it was so ridiculous, I penned the following response:

WINNING!  Now that we're in the "ridicule" stage (we've been through the "ignore" stage) WINNING is next! 

Here are some fundamental questions to ask yourself and FACTS to research to see who the "Conspiracy Theorists" really are: 

"Would you buy a car sight unseen?" These standards were put into Oklahoma law before they were even available for review in order to get a Race To The Top grant funded by stimulus monies. So, if you're all for making school kids Guinea Pigs in an education experiment that could affect them (and private and home schooled students) for the rest of their lives just to get money from the feds, you're all for the Core!  

"Would you show up to buy a car without knowing how much it cost?"  The legislature never studied the cost Common Core would place on the state before enacting them into law in 2009/2010.  The Superintendent never answered that question when asked by legislators at a 2011 Interim Study, or when asked by Pat McGuigan of Capitol Beat that same year.  Since that time schools have had to apply for eRate grants and raise school bonds to pay for the technology costs associated with giving students the tests tied to the Standards. If you're all for having your property taxes raised and the superintendent asking for another140 MILLION dollars more for education spending, you're all for the Core! Sadly, that money won't go to students or teachers, but to buy computer and testing software and wiring.  If you're all for having less money in the classroom, you're all for the Core!  

As for Gus Blackwell and his voting record on the bill (SB2033 - 2010) that placed the Common Core into Oklahoma state law, read it.  You will find that the bill died the first time it went to the floor of the House 60 to 36.  Also, you will find that this was a 34 page bill titled "Schools; relating to teacher incentive pay plans; modifying requirements. Effective dates. Emergency."  The part about Common Core equals exactly one paragraph on page 30 in Section 11-103.6a  B.  WOW!  I can totally see how Gus Blackwell and all other legislators that signed on to the bill THE SECOND TIME it came to the floor, missed it.  Oh, but that's probably a conspiracy theory!  What am I thinking?  So, if you're all for a set of standards based on zero transparency to the people of Oklahoma, you're all for the Core!  

This editorial indicates that the Common Core is voluntary.  That is correct.  Now you know the process by which they were adopted in Oklahoma.  Voluntary for whom exactly?  Because the STATE adopted the standards, all state school boards now have to follow the Common Core without any input into their adoption, or risk getting poor grades on state tests aligned to the Common Core.  What happens if a district school board doesn't adopt the standards for their schools?  They do poorly on their Common Core-aligned state tests.  What happens if that brings down their school grade (calculated through the very controversial A-F gradingsystem) to a D or an F?  According to the No Child Left Behind waiver for which Governor Fallin and Dr. Barresi applied (against 10 out of 15 comments made on the process), the state can take over the school and either administrate it through the Department of Ed or hire a contractor to do so.  So if you're NOT for local education, you're all for the Core and if you're NOT for voluntary standards, you're all for the Core! 

What about state led?  I guess, if you consider either the National Governor's Association (NGA) or Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSO) NOT private, dues-supported, trade organizations not subject to Open Records, that works.  

I definitely hope the writer of this editorial doesn't call himself an advocate for Public Schools, or education, or children. We at Restore Oklahoma Public Education care about teachers and students - that's why we say COMMON CORE IS NOT OK!  

PS: The husband of Superintendent Barresi's ex-chief of staff (Jennifer Carter left the department after a tenure in which she referredto Jenks administrators as "dirtbags" in a Twitter post - and a stink was raised by state board members over the fact that her salarywas paid by a private donor prior to acceptance of her employment by the state board) is a writer for the Oklahoman.  This editorial certainly argues a connection...yet I don't know that matters so much as the time-worn notion that when you have no evidence to stand on to make your case, you just call others names!

Common Core Is NOT OK Rally Summary

And so it was that Wednesday, March 27, somewhere between 150 and 200 people came to the Oklahoma State Capitol to rally against the Common Core State Standards!  We were so grateful to look out and see such a fabulous crowd!  We know the time and energy it takes to leave your home and put aside your day to do something like this and we truly appreciate your willingness to work with us to stop the de-humanization and de-localization of public education.

I'm not going to take the time today to rehash all the reasons why we object to the Common Core in this post, but I will make sure that those of you who wish to have ammunition to give your friends, family members and neighbors, can get that here - in a one stop shop of sorts!

A brief list of Common Core educational materials

Here is a link to our one page information sheet called, "What Oklahomans Need To Know About Common Core State Standards".  If you're not in Oklahoma and wish to have something more generic, please use this handout from our friends at the Truth in American Education website.

Here is the paper that really helped to spread the word about CCSS, "Common Core State Standards, An Introduction To Marxism 101"  This should help you put the background together on where the Common Core came from - it's political background and who's behind the push.

For those of you interested also in the data collection aspect, our paper, "How Much Data Is Enough Data? What happens to privacy when bureaucracies exceed their scope?" might be of interest.  We also have another one page information sheet called, "What Oklahomans Need To Know About The P20 Council" that you can hand out to those seeking information.

A number of media outlets were represented at the Rally.  Below, are posted the links to the stories the rally generated.


Educators Protest New Guidelines At State House (added 4/1) - I totally forgot to post this video/story from NewsChannel 4.  I thought their reporting was absolutely great!  Both sides, no spin.  Two thumbs up!

Lawmakers Urged To Reject Proposed Nationwide Academic Standards - this was a video from our Daily Oklahoman.  We thought this video - and the news story - very fair.

Protestors Rally Against New School Curriculum - this was from our FOX affiliate.  Not bad, but didn't really get to the meat of the matter, just more about 'federal takeover'.  Also, in this story, I lost 3 of my children!  My husband, who watched the story with me said, "Do we get to pick which ones we lose?" (David and I have 5 children, not the 2 depicted in the story!)

Opponents of 'Common Core Standards' Education Rally At State Capitol.  This was from the AP and instead of doing their own reporting, LOCALLY OWNED KWTV-Channel 9 picked up the AP report.  So did Glenn Beck!  The reporting in this 'article' (if you can call it that) was SO atrocious that Glenn Beck picked it up off the wire and skewered it on the radio!  This was HORRIBLE.  I imagine News9 will lose a number of viewers over this - they lost me!  It was so bad in fact, that I penned this reply:

Hunter (a very liberal hate-speak blogger), you might get some sleep...that might help your disposition a bit. This 'loon' would like to ask you a question, "Would you buy a car sight unseen?" These standards were put into Oklahoma law before they were even available to read. So, you're all for making school kids Guinea Pigs in an education experiment that could affect them for the rest of their lives? You must not like kids very much! Here's another question for you, "Would you show up to buy a car without knowing how much it cost?" I wouldn't. I research that kind of stuff pretty thoroughly. We had no idea how much the Common Core would cost before they were enacted into law and two years later, our superintendent simply said she anticipated low costs. Since that time schools have had to apply for eRate grants and raise school bonds to pay for the technology costs to give the tests tied to the Standards. You must not care about your property taxes much, or the fact that the superintendent just asked for about 140 MILLION dollars more for education spending. Will that go to teachers? No. Will that go to kids? NO. It will go to buying computer and testing software and wiring. You must not be for more money in the classroom are you? I do hope you don't call yourself an advocate for Public Schools or education or children. We at ROPE care about teachers and students - that's why we say COMMON CORE IS NOT OK!

Here are the videos from the rally in order of speaker appearance, if you would like to watch and/or pass around:

Jenni White and Representative Gus Blackwell 

Representative David Brumbaugh

Reverend Paul Blair 

Tracey Montgomery (Oklahoma Coordinator - ParentalRights.org) 

Linda Murphy (longtime educator and owner of Education and Training Services)

Rally effects:

All Rally attendees were asked to write their name, address and phone number on three red postcards with our anti-Common Core logo on the other side.  They were then, at the rally, asked to take those postcards and deliver them to the offices of their Senator and Representative and the office of Governor Mary Fallin.  At the end of the rally, Lynn, Danna and Julia and I went to the Governor's office to drop off our cards.  We were met by the very unhappy office assistant who gruffly took the cards, timestamped them and plopped them onto a stack about 1 1/2 to 2 inches high.

In the event people don't remember, our bill (HB1907), run by Representative Gus Blackwell, to create a task force simply to study the cost of the Common Core, passed its committee hearing unanimously.  It was blocked from a hearing on the floor by Speaker T.W. Shannon at the behest of our Governor who is the Vice-Chair of the NGA.  After all, it wouldn't look good for the Vice Chair of the National Governor's Association to start trying to kill the Common Core when the NGA was one of two private, non-governmental trade organizations developing and pushing out the standards?  Oh, Representative Shannon offered Representative Blackwell an interim study to study all aspects of the Common Core in return, so we should have been happy with that and moved on to 'more important' topics, apparently, but of course, we don't quit that easily.  We immediately began setting up the rally and taking to Twitter and Facebook, calling the politics of our Governor and Speaker out into the open.

Representative Blackwell began authoring a House Joint Resolution against the Common Core - HJR1011 - which is a truly excellent piece of legislation.  As soon as it is written onto the Oklahoma State Legislature webpage, we'll provide the link.  Currently, we are attempting to get as many House authors on the bill as possible.  We are even attempting to get an SJR.  We have an author, my State Senator Ron Sharp and even a few Senators to sign on with him, but our Oklahoma Senate seems to be the toughest place to get good, conservative, liberty-minded legislation passed - ever.

Yesterday, Representative Blackwell called me to tell me he had heard from "a number" of legislators who stopped by to the rally to listen.  They expressed their concerns over Common Core and asked him for more information on the topic.  Not only that, but Rep. Blackwell visited with T.W. Shannon (who, we found out, will be a GUEST on the GLENN BECK program in the near future!) who told him he would make sure our HJR got to the floor.  This is great because our SJR says that implementation of Common Core will STOP until we have satisfied at least 6 different categories of inquiry on the topic!  

In closing, we are extraordinarily happy about the rally and expect that God will multiply our efforts toward restoring local public education!  We are grateful for all speakers and participants and suggest that, as many of us know, legislators will only see the light when they feel the heat.  We MUST continue to push this issue out there as often as possible - into the media and with our elected representatives bypassed by the initial legislation!  Let's not rest until Common Core is gone because COMMON CORE IS NOT OK!

Oklahoma State Department of Education Changes the Rules

This morning (March 25, 2013), Danna, Julia and I ventured to the Oklahoma State Department of Education to make public comment on current proposed rule changes.  Yes, it was as exciting as it sounds. 

This morning there were a number of rule changes on the schedule:

Revocation of certificates, student exceptions and exemptions related to graduation requirements for end-of-instruction exams (ACE), Implementation of a system of school improvement and accountability (A-F), Procedures for review and Implementation of Academic Content and Process Standards (which revoked all state standards in lieu of new rules), Administrative requirements of teacher certification, certification for languages with no subject area examination, Charter school surety bonds, and statewide virtual charter school board.

We went to address the rule change for the process standards (now either Common Core or a blend of Common Core and science or history).  More on that later.

There was a large crowd, 99% of which were there to protest the A-F grading system in some way.  I don't know how many superintendents/administrators signed up to speak, but here is a pretty comprehensive list:

• Chris Johnson, Tulsa Public Schools
• Corey Holland, Cache High School Principal, former member of the Oklahoma House
• Kevin Burn, Sapulpa Public Schools
• Lisa Muller, Jenks Assist. Supt.
• Lary Smith, Deputy Supt., Sapulpa
• Roger Hill, Asst. Supt., Altus Public Schools
• Steven Dunham, Supt., Comanche Public Schools
• Loyd Snow, Supt. Sand Springs Public Schools
• Rocky Birchfield, Fairview Public Schools
• David Goin, Supt. Edmond Public Schools

The only two commenters that were NOT superintendents were myself and Sarah Baker, the legislative chair for the Oklahoma PTA. Parents themselves had no buy in on this issue?  No one had a buy in on this issue but Supes?

Most ALL superintendent's comments centered around the fact that Dr. Barresi had been asked to make a public comment on the A-F study conducted by the researchers from OU and OSU, but she has not, frustrating these superintendents.  Most of them commented how unfair the A-F categories were in some way because of the fact that many are simply arbitrary.  Several mentioned that they didn't care for Florida writing Oklahoma education policy.  At any rate, there were a number of speakers that even passed on their turn, so it is obvious there is extreme concern out there in the districts regarding the A-F.  A couple of commenters relayed their frustration over the fact that their previous concerns about A-F had not been addressed in any earlier re-write (gosh, we feel their pain!).  Several suggested scrapping them altogether and to that ROPE says a hearty, "Amen"!

My comments were sparse and centered around the fact that if categories can't be replicated, the whole instrument is sunk because if it doesn't use replicable categories, it's not statistically valid and if it's not statistically valid it can't be compared among or over schools.  My original comments to the board are here and my original write up of the OU/OSU research is here.

In the end, it wasn't long until the superintendents were finished and the rules regarding curricula/standards were available for comment.  Danna and myself were the ONLY ones to speak on our concern for the new rule changes to address state standards.  Since finding out that, though Dr. Barresi had touted using David Barton to help write the US History standards, Oklahoma history standards refer to our REPUBLIC as a Constitutional Democracy, we felt it important to attend the meeting and provide comment on the proposed rule changes.  All rule changes and impact statements are here. Not only that, but, of course, we are gravely concerned about the addition of the Common Core to the state standards in not only English and Math, but throughout the Social Studies and Science standards as well.  This is Dr. Barresi's (by way of Jeb Bush's Foundation for Educational Excellence) infamous C3 initiative - combined Common Core and state standards.  We wonder how well that little experiment will work come test time, but what can we say?

Unfortunately, we didn't understand the process of DOE rule making apparently.  We should have come in with prepared remarks instead of feeling as though we would get any questions answered - which is exactly what we thought might happen - we thought we might get the proposed rules explained to us.  Oh, no, nothing like that, you're just given 3 minutes to tell what you have to tell the DOE attorneys and then you're excused.  Very unhelpful really and certainly not very satisfying when you're told after 3 minutes "TIME". 

Here are the remarks I penned as I sat through the litany of  State Superintendents lamenting A-F;

I am a mother who removed all her children from Quail Creek Elementary because of Common Core math.  I believe the rule change regarding curriculum and instruction is unclear.  It would be exceptionally helpful to know the current process to better understand the context of the proposed rule change/s but those are never mentioned anywhere in the documents, nor is there a hyperlink to the old rules.

A citizen advisory committee is apparently to be implemented, yet as a parent and an education researcher it was nearly impossible to find out about the rules changes in the first place without visiting the OSDE website on a regular basis.

Home school parents wouldn't be able to get information from their public school as to a change in the curriculum standards, according to current rules, since Superintendents receive the changes to the standards and then disseminate them to their schools.  This is important because the Common Core State Standards unfairly effect home school and private schools as well.

There is nothing in the proposed rules to address how parents will be made aware of the standards changes.  These methods need to be addressed publicly as if for no other reason than for the public to believe they are being considered as represented in their representative government.  How WILL parents and students - not stakeholders! - I genuinely detest that term;  The people that use schools across Oklahoma are parents and students.  Stakeholders are the Chamber of Commerce who think they have a say as to how students are educated in order that they may use them as workforce assurance to incoming businesses.  This is the wrong reason to educate our state's children.

How will parents and students be made aware of the standards after adoption?  I was not even aware that the US History standards in which America is referred to as a Constitutional Democracy - were available for public review or I certainly would have made comment.  Please make the rules changes more clear by adding the previous rules to the discussion thread, and provide a manner in which the rules will be disseminated across the state.  Thank you for your time...

So, there you go.  That was ALL that was said about the changes to the curriculum and instruction part of the rules.  Though I disagree highly with the A-F rules, it frustrates me greatly to see no superintendent or others commenting on rules that effect what kids learn!  Isn't that what EDUCATION is all about?  I'm pretty sure it is - not giving schools letter grades.  But then again, maybe that's why public education is flailing so...school administrators don't really pay attention to the standards, just how a rule is going to affect their bottom line?  Don't forget, the results of the A-F accountability formula will be used to determine which schools are D's and F's.  Those schools will be taken over by the state and their funding cut in different areas until they are remediated. 

As I complained about this situation bitterly to Lynn on the phone (our counterpart who actually has to work at her store for a living instead of gallivanting around to various state meetings!), she said she believed that it wouldn't be until the CCSS are cemented into place with all the time and labor-intensive PARCC tests to 'assess' them, and the high stakes teacher reviews and threat of takeover by the state department, that the superintendents would 'wake up' and realize they'd been sold down the river yet again by educratic numbnut control freaks.  Gosh, it seems easier to me to get it now...