If I could add to the newspaper article...

I have never aspired to be on the front page of the local newspaper and was so nervous when I realized David Bell was there to photograph and write an article about what I had to say last Friday night.  So as I ate lunch with friends today and got up to pay my bill and could hear others "talking" about what was in the paper, my heart fluttered a bit more in anxiety about what is being said.   So, please do your own research and ask questions about what common core.  I would love to hear your opinions.

David did a great job writing the article, but if I could add to what he said this is what I would say:

When you take federal dollars, in this instance for common core, you are in a way indenturing yourself to the source of the money.   We are taking this money for an UNPROVEN, UNTESTED curriculum where in the case of social studies and science standards are yet to be completed, where NO fiscal analysis has been done.  I would ask, do we ever get enough money for education?  Ask a teacher the last time they had a significant pay raise.  Have your taxes increased recently due to an education need?

Another concern with common core is the p-20 data collection system. The nonprofit organization called Achieve Inc, in Washington D.C. is the main driving force behind creating the Common Core Initiative.  (The Common Core standards were initiated by private interests in Washington, D.C.)  From the Achieve Inc. website it states that full implementation of the Common Core will include P-20 data collection or Statewide longitudinal  Data System (SLDS).  Schools will collect data and report to the AZED.  This student data is then shared with other states and the federal government.  These systems are being developed to track our students from preschool through college.  So what will be tracked?  From the SLDS website this is what will be tracked: “a unique identifier for each student; student enrollment history; tracks if a student drops out or switches school; tracks student test scores; matches student performance to teachers; tracks transcripts of  “remedial” classes; tracks student data to determine if they are “prepared to success in college”, and a “character” report card.  The Achieve Inc. website explains that this information will benefit a “wide array of stakeholders”.  Achieve also states on their website that “While the Common Core Standards are a critical first step, they alone will not bring about the instructional changes necessary to improve student achievement and attainment.  I feel that this violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  In fact it is suggested that this law will need to be reformed through legislation to make it legal for schools to collect and distribute this information.

·        The Arizona State Board of Education adopted Common Core on June 28, 2010 in the failed attempt to acquire Race-to-the-Top funding.  Arizona was “hooked” into the Common Core movement with Race-to-the-Top grants they applied for in 2009-2010 and with that application, they were allowed to apply for “No-Child-Left-Behind Waivers” if they adopted the Common Core Standards verbatim!

      THE FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN

Substitute Teachers — Schools have to send teachers to be a part of the curriculum mapping process for Common Core Standards. These trainings will be over multiple days which will take teachers out of the classroom . . . There is a cost to have a substitute teacher in the classroom for multiple days.

New Textbooks — Textbooks are outrageously expensive . . . even if we do find internet options, the publishers who created those options are certainly not offering them for free.

The Cost of Time — Teachers spend a great deal of time trying to educate themselves on the changes from their old standards to those of the Common Core . . . The cost of time is a big reality for schools.

Training Teachers — Bringing in outside experts or consultants is very expensive. In order to properly train teachers, school districts must offer professional development in order to ensure that educators can master the Common Core Standards. These trainings are not a one-shot deal and will cost school districts money. 

NEW TECHNOLOGY - All of the testing for the PARCC test (will repalce AIMS) will be done online

For more information on the financial burden visit: http://educationviews.org/states-taxpayers-cannot-afford-common-core-standards/

There will be a meeting open to the public on May 2nd, 2013 at 7 pm at the Graham County General Services building.  There will be two experts on common core there that night who will be able to answer many more questions than I, including that of bills being written, what is happening in the state sentate and legislature regarding common core.  Please come and be involved!