Tutu Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Hello there! I haven't posted in such a long time! Nice to come back actually. :) Anyway, the common core stuff has been weighing heavily on my mind. I know nothing about it other than there are a lot of people out there with opinions for or against. I never really felt like it was that big a deal to us. I mean, we have our curriculum that works, so no worries, right? But it appears that it will play a part in the new SATs, and I want my kids to not be at a disadvantage. What have you done with your kids to address this? Do you think this presents a problem at all, or am I worrying needlessly? I'm thinking Khan Academy would address this lack of familiarity, right? Is there anything else we should be doing? Would using the prep materials for the new SATs alone make up with this lack of familiarity? Thanks in advance for any discussion on this topic! (***I tried the search function, but I must have not searched enough because I'm sure this has to have come up before!) Patty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Since your specific concern is how Common Core will affect the new SAT, I would just focus on practice and prep with materials for the new SAT, and not worry about Common Core in any other way. If you are homeschooling, Common Core is not going to have any other effect on your high school student at this stage. This page at the Ivy Global website has a load of links for practice materials for the new Sat. Side note: Common Core seems to be playing out very differently in different states and different school districts, as each district attempts to interpret how to make the new standard work for them, or what it means, so it really doesn't seem possible to me to figure out how to incorporate Common Core standards into your homeschooling, unless you were planning on putting your students back into the public school system. And even then, you would likely just focus specifically on the methods and policies of the specific school your student would be attending, in order to smooth transition. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutu Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Thank you, Lori! We're planning on homeschooling through high school, so yes, the SAT is the only place where my younger kids would encounter CC standards. My first child dodged the CC bullet entirely a few years ago, and is currently a college sophomore. Checking out the link you shared now. Thanks again! This puts me at ease. :coolgleamA: Patty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Most of the standard skills per se should not be surprising for a college-prep high schooler. I agree that test prep is the main issue here and your kids will actually not be on worse footing. They just need to know the test language and how it's scored and what will be covered. How to play the game. I think it's worthwhile to read the standards themselves, not Pearson or anybody's interpretation. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. They're really just a list of basic skills and knowledge areas in educationese. Like a "what you need to know" list per grade so that some districts can't say "kids don't really need to know multiplication facts". The implementation, with curricula being developed by the private sector in a near-monopoly situation under tight deadlines, seems to have affected some districts really negatively unfortunately, but what I'm seeing here is that my kids are doing more intensive conceptual math and reading than their step-siblings did. Overall I'm happy with it, but we're well-funded, well-organized, and don't have to spend extensive resources on remediation and discipline because it's a very well-off area. I know that for others the implementation has been the straw that breaks the bureaucracy's back. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutu Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 Thank you. Yes, I agree. There appears to be a lot of confusion, even among public school teachers that I know, on how best to implement the standards. I'm sure that how well the standards are implemented in different districts has a lot to do with how successful CC ultimately is. Not ever having experienced CC first hand, I was specifically worried about how math problems were presented and worded. I'm relieved that the test prep alone would likely be enough to quickly acclimate my kids to the new guidelines. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 FYI: There is free common core curriculum at engageny.org if you just want to get a feel for what it looks like. I agree with the others that just focusing on SAT prep rather than the whole of common core makes the most sense. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 By high school, I would think a college bound student would have covered the standards for each grade. Maybe not in the same order common core lists them. For that reason, I only think of issues with common core when a student is switching into or out if a common core program at a lower grade--much like switching curriculum or taking standardized tests in 4th or 5th grade. If you plan to cover algebra 2 before the SAT then I think the thing to work on is test taking strategy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Be sure your student has a good understanding of basic probability and statistics (you should see these in test prep). Some math programs do not cover these topics. Kahn Academy has a specific College Board SAT test prep that you can use for free. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 My dd is only a freshman, but we do not pay any attention to common core. I hardly know what it entails. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutu Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Sorry I didn't come back on earlier. Thank you all so much for your responses! Regarding the statistics and probability, I'm realizing this now. I will be sure to cover this well. I'm afraid I've let this slip through the cracks. :\ I will definitely have to seek out resources, in addition to the prep books for this, because I want to cover them as thoroughly as possible. The prep books often assume prior familiarity, and I'd need more explicit instruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Our state did not adopt the common core, but did update the TEKS. I was worried because I heard the new TEKS were so unreasonable and expected way too much. But when I read what was on the new TEKS, I realized the old TEKS (effective last year and before, I don't know how long) were very weak. Very little has been expected. There was even a chart comparing the new algebra one from the old. The "old" TEKS seem to make algebra 1 in Texas equal to what most people on this board would call preAlgebra. If the math is even indication, I am completely not worried about being behind the "new standards." The "new" standards seem to be taking us back in time to when something was actually taught in school. However, personally, I have my doubts about the ability of the average public school to stand up to this task.http://www.projectsharetexas.org/resource/revised-mathematics-teks-side-side-teks-comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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