Category Archives: Common Core

Common Core Replacement Commission Named

Posted on August 31, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

The NC House and Senate have named their appointees to the Academic Standards Review Commission, a.k.a Common Core Replacement Commission (see below).

HOUSE (Tillis Appointments)

Mrs. Sara “Katie” Lemons of Stokes County – English Teacher
Dr. Jeffrey A. Isenhour of Catawba County -Middle School Principal
Ms. Tammy J. Covil of New Hanover County — New Hanover County Board of Education
Mrs. Sharmel “Denise” Watts of Mecklenburg County — Project Lift in Charlotte
SENATE (Berger Appointments)

Dr. John. T. Scheick of Wake County – Retired Professor
Laurie McCollum of Rockingham County – Assistant Principal
Ann B. Clark of Iredell County – Deputy Superintendent of Schools, CMS
Jeannie Metcalf of Forsyth County – Winston Salem, Forsyth County Board of Education
Over the coming week, profiles of each of the members will be posted here at LadyLiberty1885. Anyone wishing to contribute to said profiles can do so by emailing me at TheLL1885@gmail.com. The same applies for corrections, deletions or updates once the profiles are posted.

Watchdogging The Commission
I call on citizens across North Carolina ….

KEEP READING Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Academic Standards Review Commission, Common Core, NC Board Of Education, NC State Standards | Tagged Academic Standards Review Commission | Comments Off

About that North Carolina Teacher…

Posted on August 30, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Policy Watch’s Rob Schofield has an article up titled A North Carolina teacher weighs in on the reality of Common Core repeal. The article is really by Rod Powell, a Common Core true believer affiliated with the Center for Teaching Quality and who has engaged me on Twitter defending the standards and on this blog. Powell should update his piece — The Commission members from the House and Senate have been named.

I am certain Mr. Powell is an excellent teacher. He was one before Common Core and he will be one after it is gone. Having said that, this turn of phrase is used by many Common Core true believers and it should bother everyone.

“The Common Core provided consistency and a curricular anchor for new teachers like my new colleague—as well as teaching veterans like me . The standards helped us push our students further and shape them into global citizens for the 21st century.”

“Consistency”? You had standards before.
“Curricular anchor”? Admitting that the endgame of a national curriculum is the point here? Thanks. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core | Comments Off

Required Reading For The NC Common Core Replacement Commission

Posted on August 29, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Over at the Pioneer Institute, Jim Stergios has a must read for the Common Core replacement commission. In fact, this is a must read for the legislators at the North Carolina General Assembly, who will be hearing from parents if the Commission is used for ‘show’ by those attempting to force a rebrand scenario.
The article addresses the false hand-wringing we saw over Race To The Top money, the unfunded mandate Common Core places onto the states and the unpredictability of future costs.

Some other main points the article draws, but pointing to Ohio and how they appear to be getting repeal done ‘right’: Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, NC State Standards, Testing | Tagged PARCC, SBAC | 2 Comments

Iredell Touts Improved Test Scores With “Lowered Bar”

Posted on August 29, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

You can’t make this stuff up. The headline at Statesville.com reads, “Iredell test scores improve with lowered achievement bar”.
Excerpt:
The positive numbers, though, are partly the result of a strategic decision the State Board of Education made in March to add an extra achievement level to EOG and EOC tests. For about two decades in North Carolina, students were given either a score of 1,2,3 or 4, with 3s and 4s considered passing. But in response to larger-than-expected numbers of third-graders being likely to need summer school for lack of reading on grade level per the state’s new Read to Achieve law, the State Board voted 8-4 in March to add a fifth level, and now scores of 3,4 and 5 are considered passing. Under the new system, level 3 students have “sufficient command” of the material, but level 4 and 5 students are “career and college ready.”

Well… DUH.
Of course if you lower the bar for scores it is going to look like there was improved inigoachievement. This is smoke and mirrors, folks.

KEEP READING…. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI | Comments Off

Rep. Linda Johnson: ‘Common Core Reform by Jan 2015’

Posted on August 29, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

A reader sent me the comments made by Rep. Linda Johnson at the most recent meeting of the Republican Women of Greater Cabarrus County meeting.

It would seem that Operation Rebrand has recruited Rep. Johnson from her comments. Rep. Johnson made the puzzling comment that we’d see “Common Core reform by January 2015”. That’s just three months of work by the commission. That is not a feasible end date for re-writing the standards line by line. Three months is barely time to address the K-3 standards, which are atrocious.

Perhaps Rep. Johnson misspoke? We can hope, but given recent statements by the Governor and Superintendent Atkinson, I doubt it.

See below the fold for the comments reported to me.
CCSS = Common Core State Standards and APUSH = Advanced Placement U.S. History. Continue reading →