Transcript Document

CASAS Summer Conference
San Diego, CA
June, 2014
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
10 Truths / Facts about the CCSS & the
accompanying assessments

A “Dirty Dozen” of Opinions & Biases

What’s the Promise of CCSS & the Tests?

Top Ten “Too’s” About the Assessments

A Handful of Fearless Predictions

And finally,
◦
I’m an adult educator, SO WHAT??
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
It’s not “more of the same”

It’s here for awhile

It’s not just for “regular education”
There are CCSS STANDARDS . . . & there
are (soon) CCSS-based ASSESSMENTS.

These overlap, but aren’t the same!

It’s “done” – the (ELA, Math) standards
are set, the assessment development
is over
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
The CCSS goals are enviable, but we’re a
long way off . . .in just about every school

The reasons for being still exist:

Standards = Curriculum

Trickle-down is occurring to adult ed

If you knew about status 2-3 months ago,
you’re already badly out of date

Furor/angst: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet
need for higher &consistent standards
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What the heck am I talking about? The end of the world? Some kind
of natural disaster? Zombies? No, something even scarier: the
Common Core.
- David Kierski
Most of us who lived through this Hitler era remember how British
Prime Minister Chamberlain gushed how great Hitler’s Youth Corps
was, much like those who support Common Core today.
- Donald Conkey, Cherokee Tribune
Allowing the federal government at the throats of our young people
is to disallow children the opportunity to know the unique American
experience of liberty in a freewill republic. - Jim Mullen
Remember the quote by Hitler, 'Give me your children and in 10
years I’ll change society?' The Obama administration intends to do
just that.
- Elois Zeanah
Obama Core is a comprehensive plan to dumb down children
so they will be obedient servants of the government and probably to
indoctrinate them to accept the leftwing view of America and its
history.
- Phyllis Schafly
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Your child or grandchild will not be able to escape Common Core
materials that are anti-Christian, anti-capitalism, and anti-America.
Or that are pro-homosexuality, illegal immigration, unions,
environmentalism, gun control, feminism and social justice.
- Elois Zeanah
If this isn't Nazism, Communism, Marxism and all the 'ism's'
I don't know what is.
- Christina Michas
Today's teachers and psychologists are … being trained to influence
[students’] political views. Does it sound like we're becoming
Castro's Cuba? I can tell you from personal experience that we're
already there.
- New Hampshire Tea Party
Now they’re teaching something called Common Core. Folks, this
president is emulating dictators. Do you not understand that he is
not playing games? If you look at Mao Tse-tung, this boy is
emulating Mao Tse-tung to a T.
- Bradlee Dean
Our kids are going to be indoctrinated with extreme leftist ideology.
That should terrify most people.
- Glenn Beck
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1.
2.
3.
(on this topic) The more things
change, the more they change.
$3.4 billion yielded a lot of buy-in.
BUT, with Federal $, memory is very
short-term.
There’s “alignment” and there’s
“alignment”
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4.
What’s missing? Logic:
Set a goal, measure and report the
status, and things will improve.
(wish that worked for weight loss!)
5.
Loss of support = Dead in the water
6. However, if you’re a fan, the trend isn’t
good
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Once Upon a Time
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7. The missing critical piece: Are teachers
up to it? Are the committed to it?
8.
9.
10.
The “system” is INDEFENSIBLE politically,
ethically, legally (?).
No one who was a Rhodes scholar or with
a PhD in Physics should ever write
standards for elementary school.
The REAL threats are “reform fatigue” and
“suburban surprise” . . . And, the everpresent political paralysis gripping this
country ever-tighter
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In the “good ol’ days” of the CC honeymoon
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11.
The “Obama Core” furor is mostly about two
things:
POLITICS (“mind control” vs.“local
control”
TEST SCORES (accountability)
12. Where are the structural cracks?
Too much, too soon.
Teacher evaluation
Technology
Building a plane while it’s flying
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15
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 Too
much, too quickly
 “Readiness”
too based on a
traditional 4-year college definition
 Too
long !
 Too
hard . . .maybe
 Bearing
too much weight
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 Too
costly
 Too
tech-heavy too quickly
 Too
“growth” dependent
 Too
cavalier about teacher training
 Too
mired in the politics of today
(pre- & in-)
(too near to 2016?)
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


50 sets of standards (and tests) have
never really made sense
Expansion of types & complexities of
test item types
Moving everyone quicker into
expanded use of technology in
assessment
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


All the related parties have accomplished a
LOT in a short period of time.
Focus on deeper thinking (ELA – “beyond
reading” coverage, analytic comprehension,
Mathematics – application)
Focus on “essentials” – Reading for
understanding, conceptual understandings
in Mathematics
FOCUS !
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



More “dropouts” – states in 2014-15
Even more states in 2015-16
LOTSA kids in “graduation-test” states
Many mini-consortia – mostly after 2015.
Slow (but monotonic) absorption of CCSS, under
more politically acceptable labels at times.
(Yet) Another “major reform movement” by 2016
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Yes, the CCSS are
standards,
K-12 content
the accountability applies to
K-12 schools,
and the Consortia tests
are for Gr.3-HS
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Yes, these are K-12 standards &
assessments.
BUT –
They will impact what adult
programs do – in funding,
instruction, & assessment.
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

CCSS are a given . . . In most states,
in most curriculum materials, in most
tests . . . For several years.
Consortia (or cloned) tests are a given
for a couple of years
LOTSA FAILURES
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 Learn & Use the Lingo
 If you believe that “college and career
ready” has a range of meanings,
SPEAK UP !
 Don’t be an ostrich or decide “that’s
a problem the “regular” schools have to
deal with, not me !”
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
Attend to the CCSS: they are the game for the
next few years.
• They are NOT “more of the same.”
• They ARE markedly more challenging.
• They WILL control state tests . . . and GED & NEDP.
You MUST change both what & how you
teach – specific standards, complexity (both
ELA & Math), and expectations.
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
Just Maybe:
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
Just Maybe:
If you’re fully vested in your
retirement plan, have recently won
the lottery, or have married very
well . . .
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www.k12center.org
◦ ETS-sponsored site with balanced and complete
information about the Consortia
◦ Coming Together to Raise Achievement (3/14)
www.parcconline.org
www.smarterbalanced.org
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Michael D. Beck
35 Guion Street
Pleasantville, NY 10570
(914) 769-5235
[email protected]
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Grade
Span
Old
“Stretch”
Lexile Band
Lexile Band
2-3
450 - 725
450 - 790
4-5
645 – 845
770 - 980
6–8
860 - 1010
955 - 1155
9 – 10
960 - 1115
1080 - 1305
11 - CCR
1070 -1220 1215 - 1355
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Text Complexity / Difficulty
by Grade Level
The CCR “Gap”
C
O
M
P
L
E
X
I
T
Y
Today
Gr. 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
. . .
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Text Complexity / Difficulty
by Grade Level
Today
Tomorrow
Gr. 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
. . .
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