S/O regarding Common Core

[lynn]

Some things I ponder......What happens if I can no longer homeschool and have to use the ps system again? DD is well into 3rd grade (she is in 2nd according to ps start dates, but way above that level kwim)   am I doing a disservice to her letting her work at her advanced level   Will she flunk out of school because she has not learned the common core way of teaching and will get correct answers marked wrong because she did not draw a picture correctly or use proper words in her writing ?  Will some schools not know how to handle advanced students?    

 

[Chris in VA]

I wouldn't panic. A good teacher can work with advanced students, middle students, and students "elsewhere." And a good student will probably pick up new routines and procedures fairly easily.

 

I will tell you though, based on my experience of putting my advanced girlie into ps 3rd grade (so anecdote, not data...), that many good students will rise to the challenges given, and, conversely, sink into complacency if not kept interested. Dd was reading Secret Garden and other fine quality lit as an 8year old--one year of school in which she had to read light/fluffy/typicalthirdgradeScholastic junk made her less inclined to reach for the less twaddly books for a few years! She was still reading ok at home, but that year, and 6th grade ps, in particular, really influenced her choices for quite some time. That type of thing is what concerned me, not the CC.

 

Besides, our teachers never used the textbooks straight through anyway, always changing order, adding/subtracting lesson, pulling worksheets, etc--at Jr. High here, not ONE of dd's 6 teachers uses the text that comes with the class for anything except a reference. 

 

 

[zoobie]

Common Core is a set of standards, not a curriculum. There's no one way of teaching.

 

Her knowing how to write would be important with or without CC. Common Core does seem to stress teaching writing which is not necessarily a bad thing. I was a TA in grad school and holy cats, those kids could not write! This was 10-12 years ago, so not sure if it has gotten worse or better. I'm pretty surprised by written items I've gotten from other lawyers too.

 

Many schools didn't/don't know how to handle advanced students, period. Nothing to do with Common Core. It was a problem for me back in the dark ages.

 

I have friends whose schools use CC across the country. Their kids aren't doing the same things in lock step like minions. Two of my best friends have girls in 4th grade and I get texts about school work all the time. Their schools have very different expectations. One goes to the #2 elementary school in a state with very good public schools, and my kids would be crying with the work load expectations. They'd be bored in math, but the rest, wow. Open-ended projects, writing workshops, presentations, really intense stuff for 4th grade. The other girl is in a decent school in a decent district, but my kids would be bored out of their minds there. Both schools have covered the same basic topics but not in the same way at all!

[forty-two]

I don't worry myself, because I think my dd7.5 and dd5 could catch on quickly enough if needed.  But if you are worried that A) it might be hard for your dd to catch on to the CC way of doing things, and/or that B) your dd would be upset if she discovered she was at a (hopefully temporary) disadvantage in ps due to how you hs'ed her, I would go ahead and include a CC-aligned wb or two (maybe one each in math and ELA).  Hopefully it wouldn't take too much time and you'd have your bases covered.  Or I'd get a sample of CC work for your dd's level, sit her down and explain to her the differences in how you hs and how the ps is doing things, and how you worry she might be at a disadvantage (should she ever have to go to ps) if she has zero experience with the CC way of doing things.  Show her the CC stuff, and ask her what she thinks: would she like to do a bit of CC work to make sure ps wouldn't be an issue, or would she rather wait and deal with possible CC issues if/when they arise.  That way it's a somewhat informed choice on her part, so that she wouldn't be taken by surprise at any difficulties in coming up to speed.

[Caroline]

I don't think you should worry. However, if you are worried, look at the Smarter Balance and PARCC test samples that are out. Those will tell you what the end game is for Common Core.

[73349]

The Common Core is not a "way of teaching." It's just a list of skills for each grade, sometimes with unnecessary jargon. Here: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards

 

For example, second-graders have to

Write narratives in which they recount two or

more appropriately sequenced events, include

some details regarding what happened, use

temporal words to signal event order, and

provide some sense of closure.

 

 

Translation: write a little story in chronological order with a decent ending. There is no magic going on here that you have to worry about replicating at home.

 

A kid who is above grade level will have to adjust to being in a school environment and different expectations (behavioral, social, and academic) but should catch on fine.

[SKL]

I would just say, don't get too comfortable regarding the grade level you think your daughter is working at.  My second-graders are doing a lot of the work that is included in recently-published 3rd grade materials.  They are pushing it down in a significant way.  And my very advanced reader has bombed some reading tests because the type of "comprehension" questions they ask are so out there for a second grader.

[MistyMountain]

Common Core isn't a curriculum. I hear a lot of people claiming that because of common core kids are crying and spending hours over homework. I think that is more about a poor curriculum choice then the common core. There is nothing in there about marking correct answers wrong. In my area they actually switched away from a really bad curriculum after common core (Every Day Math) My dd goes to a school where they use different curriculum but from what I have seen from my friends who go to the neighborhood school I think the new program the school district chose is much better (Go Math). Kids are not given hours of homework and they are not marked wrong for correct answers. There are probably some crazy curriculums out there that are common core approved but good curriculums Signapore are also approved. I wouldn't worry about your child being ahead if she is in school just work at their pace. If something happens in the future where she isn't being challenged in the future deal with it then.