Undoing the Damage of Common Core

[gracesufficient4me]

I'm curious to know if there are others out there who are trying to reverse the damage done by Common Core teaching?  We have a very bright upcoming 2nd grader who was totally frustrated by first grade in public school and the nonsense of the Common Core Curriculum.  Thankfully, we are homeschooling starting this next school year!

 

If you've experienced this situation, where did you start to undo the damage?

 

Thanks for your consideration.

[mamapedia]

I am not in this situation. Are you referring to academic damage? Was he confused or lost and now he's behind? I would just figure out where he is academically and move forward from there. Or do you mean spiritually or philosophically damaged?

 

~Laura

[hornblower]

What damage of Common Core are you referring to specifically? 

[OneStepAtATime]

FWIW, Common core is not a curriculum.  Curriculum can be aligned with CC but there is no CC curriculum.  

 

What damage has happened?  Was the school poorly implementing whatever CC aligned curriculum they chose?  Was the material they were using not developmentally appropriate for the age/grade level?  Was it a poor fit for the way your child learns?

[regentrude]

What damage does Common Core cause???

 

I pulled my kids out of public school way before Common Core because they did not receive the education they needed.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2016 by regentrude

[madteaparty]

Nope. Common core greatly improved math instruction at my child's former public school.

[wapiti]

While my understanding is that some of the Common Core standards at the early elementary levels have issues with age/developmental appropriateness, among other things, and available school options might be less desirable than homeschooling, at a 2nd grade level I don't imagine there being some sort of damage that needs remediation.  Going forward, you have plenty of time to teach at home using a better method and more appropriate benchmarks than whatever the school used.  Good luck!

[Carol in Cal.]

Sounds like trolling for an article to me.

[regentrude]

Sounds like trolling for an article to me.

 

had a similar thought, especially since it is a first-and-only post....

[fourisenough]

No, I'm very successfully using a CC-aligned math curriculum to teach my DD11 & DD7 deeply and well. I think your child's understanding probably has much more to do with the implementation of his school's curriculum (aka the teaching) than it does with the particular standards to which his curriculum was aligned.

 

Good for you for taking on his education. It is very challenging, but satisfying work. I think you'll find lots of support for teaching here. I've learned tons about good math teaching from my fellow boardies!

[lazzaroni]

I know what you mean OP. My son attended Public School from K to 3rd, and we had a horrendous experience with the implementation of their idea of what Common Core should look like. My son went from loving math to thinking he was stupid even though he made excellent grades. Even though he made excellent grades, he had no real conceptual understanding of number sense, and in fact could not even add or subtract without serious hesitation. We pulled him after 3rd grade, and I had to start at the beginning practically with 2nd grade math. I used Singapore as well as Math in Focus both of which are hardly anti- Common Core. For him, it was necessary to revisit and build a foundation of number sense and place value. He needed the concrete traditional algorithms before he could even begin to understand the abstract methods that were being taught at his school. We were discouraged from teaching him the way we learned how to add and subtract. The school wanted the kids to learn based on the textbook which taught via drawings and multistep solutions to basic problems. Unfortunately, his school also had time requirements left over from the traditional way of teaching "facts" so the kids were required to do all this abstract multi step processing BUT they were supposed to solve the problem quickly too! If you have read up on Common Core implementation, time requirements are not encouraged because it does nothing to foster a deep understanding of basic arithmetic. So, in my opinion, you might want to just back up to wherever you think the problems began and start there - taking as long as you need to take to get your kid comfortable with math again.

 

After two years of homeschooling, my son is very much back on track. He could theoretically start pre Algebra but I am taking 6 months or so to make sure he is really ready. For him, number sense and place value were just simply not taught in a way that he was able to understand. Flying through the material and doing timed fact tests were also disastrous and greatly added unnecessary anxiety to his math experience. I truly believe there has to be a concrete foundation for many kids before they can begin to think in the abstract.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck.

[ElizabethB]

I am not a big fan of common core overall, but the sight words and reading problems are about the same before and after. I have remediated this problem with hundreds of remedial students over the last 22 years with nonsense words and word lists from a good mastery phonics program, no sentences or stories or outside reading for a month or two until the guessing stops and phonics is automated. You can use audio books and read alounds and read their math and science to them. Here is how to teach the sight words phonetically and why they cause problems:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

A child that young usually remediates fairly quickly, older children take longer.

 

This is the program I use with my remedial students, all free to print:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/howtotutor.html

Edited May 27, 2016 by ElizabethB

[MerryAtHope]

I would try posting a thread about de-schooling. I think you'll get more responses that are along the lines of what you are looking for. It's often beneficial, when pulling kids from school, to go through a time of de-schooling and focusing on just instilling a joy for learning. School experiences are varied, and some are better or worse than others. If there are specific subjects that he struggles with (ie, reading, math etc...) you may want to ask specifically about those. I hope your first year of homeschooling goes well!

[amsunshine]

I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with Common Core.  It's the implementation that can be a problem.

 

Regardless, your ds is young.  Get the latest copy of the Well Trained Mind, find a comfy spot and start reading.  Consider the listed options for second grade -- you may tweak things along the way, but you will get a solid start with homeschooling.

 

Good luck to you!

[maize]

Agreeing with others, Common Core standards are not likely the cause of whatever frustrations your child experienced in school, though I do think some of the Language Arts standards are not developmentally appropriate for many six year olds. Poor implementation and teaching can happen with any standards.

 

So--avoid poor implementation and teaching in your homeschool and you should be fine :)

 

If this is a real situation (we do sometimes have folks come on here just trying to stir up controversy and Common Core is a potentially controversial topic) I recommend you think of what specific questions you might have and ask those. Is your child struggling with reading? With math? Are they bored? Are you looking for curriculum suggestions? For scheduling suggestions? What is it that you and your student need help with?

Edited May 27, 2016 by maize

[Caviar]

I also agree with what others are saying.  The Common Core is not necessarily the problem, just the way in which it is implemented.  I actually put my oldest dd back into public school this past February, and I have been very pleased with the types of math problems that come home for homework.  But, the school system she is in gets a rating of 10 out of 10, so I think it's the parent-community involvement and excellent teachers that make the difference.

[mom31257]

I don't know about all schools, but my dh has taught at three public schools in that last several years. He has had no set curriculum or textbooks to follow. He is expected to take every standard and teach it himself, making up every lesson plan. He teaches social studies, which is not Common Core, but there are still required standards.

 

If math and language arts are being handled the same way, then no wonder there are problems. Each classroom teacher would be deciding for themselves what that standard means and how it should be taught.

[mom31257]

As far as undoing the damage, pick a curricula you like, do placement tests, and go with the appropriate level, even if it means going back to Kindergarten level.

 

Do you want specific suggestions on programs?

[OneStepAtATime]

Maybe I am wrong but I don't think they are coming back.  Only the one post and nothing since.

[Janeway]

Common Core is a scope and sequence. The schools are full of problems and now that common core is around, people often blame that. 

 

I am working hard to undo the damage the public school caused my child academically. But I am in Texas and we don't do common core here and this issue he has has been around since before common core. They simply barely teach. It is more of a test environment. They only taught the kids to take tests. Every day, they took tests. Emphasis was on test skills. The tests used calculators. Oddly, the writing did not include spelling or mechanics.  Also, previously, algebra 1, as we know it here and from growing up, is now called algebra 1 and 2. What they call algebra 1 is just first half of algebra. Algebra two gets the second half.  My understanding is that algebra 1 is going back to being algebra 1. And algebra 2 is no longer being required of everyone. I suspect having it required of everyone is what got them to water it all down. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Common Core is a scope and sequence. The schools are full of problems and now that common core is around, people often blame that. 

 

I am working hard to undo the damage the public school caused my child academically. But I am in Texas and we don't do common core here and this issue he has has been around since before common core. They simply barely teach. It is more of a test environment. They only taught the kids to take tests. Every day, they took tests. Emphasis was on test skills. The tests used calculators. Oddly, the writing did not include spelling or mechanics.  Also, previously, algebra 1, as we know it here and from growing up, is now called algebra 1 and 2. What they call algebra 1 is just first half of algebra. Algebra two gets the second half.  My understanding is that algebra 1 is going back to being algebra 1. And algebra 2 is no longer being required of everyone. I suspect having it required of everyone is what got them to water it all down. 

They start drilling how to take standardized tests in kinder here locally (also in Texas) and kids are being required to give up after school activities to go to practice test taking sessions in certain grade levels at certain times of the year.   It is VERY much a test taking environment, not a learning environment here.  I have teacher friends that are hating.every.minute.of.it.

 

OP, (if you ever come back and aren't a troll) as mentioned, Common Core isn't a curriculum.  I agree with maize that some of the expectations are not developmentally appropriate for all kids but it isn't a curriculum and it isn't really the issue.  The issue is how CC aligned material (or ANY material) is implemented at the local level.  Some schools have a good system in place.  Others don't.  CC is just the latest buzzword that people can focus their frustrations on.

Edited May 28, 2016 by OneStepAtATime