Press Kit Rebuttal

Just recently a “press kit” was put out by IdahoCoreStandards.org.  (The .org makes them look official doesn’t it.)

(Click to enlarge)

I emailed the link out to the group of  people I work closely with and thought I would try to write up a rebuttal later that evening.

Well, I didn’t have a chance.  Reading this lit a fire under Victoria Young and she popped off a response in no time flat.

Thank you Victoria!

Idaho Core for Kids recently put out a “press kit” with key points about Common Core and Idaho Core Standards. Here is a different perspective.

7 Key Points about Idaho Core Standards

1. Idaho Core Standards ARE Common Core Standards that are a set of standards that did NOT go through the typical adoption process. Standards alone can never “ensure that all students graduate from high school with the core academic knowledge and skills necessary for success in college, careers and life.”
2. Standards were never meant to be stagnant and we have procedures in place to improve them. “Leadership” chose not to. To claim they are “rigorous” is not a declaration that they are the best we can do.
3. It is only standardized test scores “that parents and policymakers will be able to compare the results of” ONLY in states that adopted the same standards AND only in the same testing consortium, NOT in any and all locations in the USA. PLUS, please note that a comparison of schools based on standardized test scores is inappropriate, unethical, and a false judge of educational quality.
4. Quality of instruction, engagement in reading, and the opportunity to spend time reading determines a students ability to read NOT how “challenging” the text is or how “high” the standard is set. Personal expectations mean much more.
5. Quality mathematics instruction builds on student’s knowledge, use, and confidence with basic arithmetic. Conceptual understanding is an important component but too much emphasis on abstract concepts, too soon, is not appropriate and has proven detrimental particularly in K-3.
6. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are not concepts new and unique to Common Core. Students were expected to think critically and solve problems until the advent of high-stakes standardized test-reliant “accountability” mechanisms squeezed these practices out of the curriculum in many schools seeking to increase scores at all costs. Common Core will NOT provide real-world learning opportunities – communities will.
7. This claim, we have heard before, “These standards will help Idaho schools build a better, stronger academic foundation to prepare students for college, careers and life in the 21st Century.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“Idaho’s Standards for Excellence”

3/10/99

MISSION STATEMENT: It is the Idaho State Board of Education’s goal to raise the required level of academic achievement necessary to graduate from Idaho high schools. It is the Board’s expectation that the end result will be a citizenry better prepared to function successfully in the workplace and/or post-secondary education opportunities without additional, remedial entry-level requirements.

Sound familiar? Same groups. Same promise.15 years later it’s repackaged and renamed.

Victoria M. Young, DVM

Be sure to learn more from Victoria on her website.