Dr. Sandra Stotsky speaks on Common Core standards.
(Hour 3abc) Dr. Sandra Stotsky, PhD in Reading Research/Reading Education and former Validation Committee member on Common Core, refused to validate Common Core standards even though she was hired specifically to do that. In this interview, she discusses topics such as:
- The definition of “standards”
- How these standards may actually be “skills”
- The credentials (or lack thereof) of those developing the standards
- Standardized testing
- Lack of college input on standards
- “Strings” attached to Common Core standards
- Race To The Top funding
Sarah Ambrogi, Chair of the Curriculum and Instruction Committee of the Manchester School Board, claims that implementing Common Core is “voluntary”? The NH DoE promotes this myth, but unfortunately this is NOT true.
Despite disarming promises, there can be no “voluntary” compliance with Common Core according to the NH ESEA Flexibility [NCLB Waiver] application, signed and dated on Sept. 6, 2012 by Governor Lynch and Commissioner Virginia Barry. Read an excerpt from page 166-67:
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/esea-flexibility/map/nh.html
“By District: New Hampshire districts are at varying developmental stages in their experience and practice with performance assessments that are standards-aligned. Therefore, we propose that roll-out by district take place in three stages, with an early adopter group of districts selected to start up in 2013-2014, a second cohort to launch in 2014-2015, and the final cohort in 2015-2016. The early adopter and middle cohort districts would be districts who VOLUNTEER to participate, with the REMAINING districts falling into the third and final cohort.”
In addition, the Common Core SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES [History] Standards must be accepted by the NH BoE this year, according to this same application ESEA agreement. Nor will these additional standards be “voluntary.”