Three simple arguments against Common Core.
1. CCCS costs money, and takes money away from things that make school enjoyable and exciting like art, music, hands on science, and physical education.
2. It discriminates against huge groups of children for whom the standards are developmentally inappropriate
3 It forecloses investing in vocational and technical programs that we desperately need to create jobs for our young people in a fast changing economy
What, then, should be done about the increasing gap between the decreasing complexity of the average texts assigned in high schools and the increasing complexity of the average texts required for career and college? Business as usual?
ReplyDeleteA set of goals--that is, the Common Core--doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to include standardized testing.
Keep the baby, throw out the bathwater. That's all I'm proposing.
Response to wms: There is overwhelming evidence that when students have the chance to do self-selected reading, when books and time to read are available, they do read, and develop very high levels of literacy. Extensive self-selected reading provides readers with knowledge and linguistic competence, which helps make academic texts comprehensible. Without it, attainment of academic literacy is impossible.
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