In the last few weeks, I’ve been publishing the public feedback for North Carolina from 2010 that CCSSO and NGA refused to release. These “10,000 comments” have been used by proponents in an arguably dishonest manner to point to a vetting process for the standards.
Here are the articles I’ve put up with comments published in them to date:
Here is another point of reference on these “10,000 comments”:
Take a look at the summary of “public feedback” posted on the Core Standards website. It is grossly misleading. First of all, calling the feedback “public” is wrong: the organizers of the standards would not make public the nearly 10,000 comments they say they received from citizens. The summary quotes 24 respondents–less than 1/4 of 1 percent of the total–selectively chosen to back up their interpretation of the results.
-Source: Washington Post, 1/29-13
Today I have put together grade 6+ writing and language comments, as well as a section where people could leave more overall feedback on the ELA portion that might not have been covered in previous questions.
The first two, writing and language, only had 3 or 4 comments each. The third section that allowed for more overall commentary on the ELA had a flurry of comments.
- NC Feedback – 6+ writing
- NC Feedback – 6+ language
- NC Feedback – More Overall ELA comments
In the 3rd set of comments above, there are a few excerpts I would like to share:
K-12 Teacher
“This is a repeat of an earlier statement. These standards have totally forgotten the nature of young children. Research has repeatedly and recently shown that children in the early grades need lots of time for instructional and developmentally appropriate play and these standards do not allow for that. I am a kindergarten teacher and I take each child where he/she is and move them as far along as I possibly can. Many of our young children enter kindergarten, however, with very limited play and language experiences. These children do not need rigorous standards. They need teachers and administrators who understand the nature of the young child. Please consider reading research on the importance of activity and play for young children and completely revamp these standards. Thank you.”
K-12 Teacher
“Not every student plans to go to college. We are not meeting the needs of these students. Not every student comes from a home that provides a background for the kind of learning described here. What do we do with those students who are doomed to failure in such a rigid curriculum. Fourth grade students are 9 or 10 years old. They are very much children. We already expect much more than they should be expected to do. Instead of teaching things well, we end up stabbing at a curriculum that is above the learning curve of a young child. We would do better to provide a good sound elementary education to elementary students so that they are ready to build on that knowledge in upper grades. As it its, so many children are “beaten up” by education. They are expected to produce work beyond their ability at such a young age. Why don’t we do a good job on basic things and work towards building a base for learning in the upper grades?”
K-12 Teacher
“The entire focus on specific academic skills like writing and learning to read are not appropriate for the youngest grades. We need to look at what children are ready for developmentally and then meet those needs through play-based learning. There are successful models for this type of instruction, such as antiochschool.org and centralparkschoolforchildren.org.”
K-12 Teacher
“I believe any attempts by Congress to create nationalized standards, curriculum or testing would be unconstitutional. ‘Homeschool families have demonstrated that parents, not bureaucrats in Washington, best know their children and what they need to learn.’ Homeschooling families pay for their own children to be educated and also pay taxes to help other children. Schools now are too small for the number of children they have, specials like music and art are being cut, some classes children share textbooks because there aren’t enough to go around….just think if the 41,000+ homeschooled children were required to go to public school. What would the schools do then? Congressman Buck McKeon (CA), the ranking member on the House Education and Labor Committee said, “Some people in Washington seem to think that the federal government created the states to administer its far-reaching programs and policies. But that’s not the case. History tells us that the states created the federal government.” I’m telling you, I oppose any calls for nationalized standards, testing, or curricula.”
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About A.P. Dillon
A.P. Dillon is a freelance journalist and is currently writing at The North State Journal.
She resides in the Triangle area of North Carolina.
Find her on Twitter: @APDillon_
10,000 Comments: More NC Public Overall ELA Feedback, Grade 6 and Up
In the last few weeks, I’ve been publishing the public feedback for North Carolina from 2010 that CCSSO and NGA refused to release. These “10,000 comments” have been used by proponents in an arguably dishonest manner to point to a vetting process for the standards.
Here are the articles I’ve put up with comments published in them to date:
Here is another point of reference on these “10,000 comments”:
Today I have put together grade 6+ writing and language comments, as well as a section where people could leave more overall feedback on the ELA portion that might not have been covered in previous questions.
The first two, writing and language, only had 3 or 4 comments each. The third section that allowed for more overall commentary on the ELA had a flurry of comments.
In the 3rd set of comments above, there are a few excerpts I would like to share:
K-12 Teacher
“This is a repeat of an earlier statement. These standards have totally forgotten the nature of young children. Research has repeatedly and recently shown that children in the early grades need lots of time for instructional and developmentally appropriate play and these standards do not allow for that. I am a kindergarten teacher and I take each child where he/she is and move them as far along as I possibly can. Many of our young children enter kindergarten, however, with very limited play and language experiences. These children do not need rigorous standards. They need teachers and administrators who understand the nature of the young child. Please consider reading research on the importance of activity and play for young children and completely revamp these standards. Thank you.”
K-12 Teacher
“Not every student plans to go to college. We are not meeting the needs of these students. Not every student comes from a home that provides a background for the kind of learning described here. What do we do with those students who are doomed to failure in such a rigid curriculum. Fourth grade students are 9 or 10 years old. They are very much children. We already expect much more than they should be expected to do. Instead of teaching things well, we end up stabbing at a curriculum that is above the learning curve of a young child. We would do better to provide a good sound elementary education to elementary students so that they are ready to build on that knowledge in upper grades. As it its, so many children are “beaten up” by education. They are expected to produce work beyond their ability at such a young age. Why don’t we do a good job on basic things and work towards building a base for learning in the upper grades?”
K-12 Teacher
“The entire focus on specific academic skills like writing and learning to read are not appropriate for the youngest grades. We need to look at what children are ready for developmentally and then meet those needs through play-based learning. There are successful models for this type of instruction, such as antiochschool.org and centralparkschoolforchildren.org.”
K-12 Teacher
“I believe any attempts by Congress to create nationalized standards, curriculum or testing would be unconstitutional. ‘Homeschool families have demonstrated that parents, not bureaucrats in Washington, best know their children and what they need to learn.’ Homeschooling families pay for their own children to be educated and also pay taxes to help other children. Schools now are too small for the number of children they have, specials like music and art are being cut, some classes children share textbooks because there aren’t enough to go around….just think if the 41,000+ homeschooled children were required to go to public school. What would the schools do then? Congressman Buck McKeon (CA), the ranking member on the House Education and Labor Committee said, “Some people in Washington seem to think that the federal government created the states to administer its far-reaching programs and policies. But that’s not the case. History tells us that the states created the federal government.” I’m telling you, I oppose any calls for nationalized standards, testing, or curricula.”
Share this:
Like this:
Related
About A.P. Dillon
A.P. Dillon is a freelance journalist and is currently writing at The North State Journal. She resides in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Find her on Twitter: @APDillon_