By: Diane Benjamin On December 5th I FOIA’d Unit 5 for emails referring to Standards Based Grading. I was told it was way to many emails and they requested I narrow the request. I did narrow the request to emails between Dan Lamboley and the consultant Unit 5 hired – Garnet Hillman. I also requested […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was going to wait to post these letters until I received the Unit 5 emails. Since I may not see them until January, I’m going to post the letters now. Standards Based Grading is making teachers, kids, and parents nuts. It proves why your kids should not be in the Public […]
By: Diane Benjamin I just caught the last few minutes of District 87’s Barry Reilly on WJBC. Dr Reilly repeated the Common Core talking points: It’s a set of standards not a curriculum. Dr Reilly: Since the students are tested over and over and over, please explain how that “set of standards” doesn’t become “teaching […]
By: Diane Benjamin I get the feeling nobody at the Pantagraph wrote today’s editorial on the Education bill that passed the House and will be voted on in the Senate. It’s full of the talking points used to get support and none of the points hidden from Congress. The bill is over 1000 pages and […]
The video below is 4 1/2 minutes of parents talking about Common Core and PARCC. Do you see kids that no longer love going to school? This comment was made to the “I will not Comply story”: I am a school administrator…and your kid doesn’t have to take the test. The rules only say the […]
by: Diane Benjamin The kids at Normal Community organized their own protest against the Common Core PARCC test. I congratulate the students who have not allowed public school to indoctrinate the FREEDOM loving spirit out of them! Kids and young adults know the country is on an unsustainable path. My generation has allowed government […]
By: Diane Benjamin There has been a lot of talk about City elections, but nothing about School Boards. Why? Maybe you aren’t suppose to know! I couldn’t find anything on the Unit 5 or District 87 site, but I did find this: Unit 5 and Dist 87 now have Winter Break instead of Christmas Break. […]
Unit 5 can’t figure out why enrollment leveled off. Gee, it was just last spring they wanted a big tax increase. Voters are evidently smarter than the guys getting paid HUGE bucks by us. Think, think hard Unit 5. Both Bloomington and Normal have reported Sales Tax receipts are down. Has anybody asked how many […]
Tonight 7:00 at the Starplex Theater in Normal – live event. There are only a few opportunities in life to make a real difference by standing up for what you believe in. Glenn Beck and Fathom Events invite you to your local movie theatre to experience a live national night of action against Common Core. […]
CHICAGO – Today, members of the House of Delegates (HOD) of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) passed the following resolution that enjoins the city’s educators to growing national opposition to the Common Core State Standards, saying the assessments disrupt student learning and consume tremendous amounts of time and resources for test preparation and administration. Now that […]
Michelle Malkin has the facts about Common Core every parent in America needs to know There has been a lot of discussion about Common Core lately and a growing swell of concerned parents across the country as public schools nationwide begin to apply the Federal standards to curriculums. But what are the facts? Michelle Malkin has been […]
by: Diane Benjamin I could post Common Core lessons all day long that are meant to indoctrinate your kids. The math takes 5 times longer because they created ways to “make kids think”, parents call it atrocious. Indiana just passed a law to END Common Core for good: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-quits-common-core-for-good/article_41f908de-da51-525c-b467-2a95f1758693.html From Springfield, Il – they re-wrote […]
by: Diane Benjamin I asked Unit 5 how much Common Core was costing them. Them claim ZERO. Unit 5 and District 87 were test sites, so maybe they haven’t incurred costs – YET. Here’s a little history: The Common Core State Standards, meant to guide K-12 instruction in math and language arts, were written by nonprofit education […]
Update: Many states (including Illinois!) notify DC they will NOT share student data Click here to see the letter: Letter_RE_FedData by: Diane Benjamin Below is some interesting information on Common Core. I have questions that haven’t been answered anywhere. Common Core is presented as benchmarks, not a curriculum. How exactly can test scores fall? […]
Survey Shows Common Core Opposition Among Iowa Educators (Des Moines, IA) Professional Educators of Iowa late last week released the results of their survey of members on Iowa’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards. This wasn’t a scientific poll, but it does raise questions about how many teachers on the front lines really do […]
The 2 Pantagraph articles in today’s paper leave out most of the facts about Common Core. Here is another view. The 2 articles fail to mention Common Core is one size education fits all. (Just like China!) Search Common Core on this site for additional information that is opposite of what was reported. Today’s kids […]
This post was on Facebook last week, but the picture was difficult to read. I found a full size version at this site: http://chasvoice.blogspot.com/2013/11/sixth-graders-polled-on-gay-marriage.html?goback=%2Egde_4400754_member_5810477903166603264#%21 Parents of a sixth grade student at the Milam Elementary School in Tupelo, Mississippi were shocked when their daughter brought home a political beliefs worksheet that teachers asked students to fill out.
Read more: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/15/this-could-be-one-of-the-best-cases-ever-made-against-common-core-no-one-expected-it-to-come-from-a-high-school-student/ Illinois Senator Kyle McCarter has introduced a bill to delay Common Core in Illinois. Call your Senator and tell them to support it! http://nocommoncore.blogspot.com/search/label/Resolution
School Test Teaches Kids: “Commands Of Government Officials Must Be Obeyed By All” Steve Watson Infowars.com Oct 29, 2013 A parent of a ten year old was shocked to discover a grammar and writing test paper that their child brought home from school reads more like document from an authoritarian country such as China. The […]
This article doesn’t mention Illinois, but Next-Gen has been used locally for at least a year, maybe longer. By Ben Velderman EAGnews.org TOPEKA, Kan. – In education circles, 2013 may well be remembered as the Year of Nationalized Learning Standards – and the beginning of the political battles they instigated. Even while Americans are still […]
Make sure you read the ENTIRE article. It contains opinions from virtually every side of the issue. Michigan is at least voting on whether to use Common Core, in Illinois it was adopted without the legislature involved. Examining The Issues Surrounding Common Core Concerns over control, structure and parental involvement surround national education standards plan […]
by: Diane Benjamin Supporters of Common Core want citizens to believe governor’s got together and made new standards. The following documents proves Illinois adapted Common Core to get Federal RACE to the TOP money. The legislature was never consulted and never voted to accept Common Core. It is also obvious that NOT accepting the adoption […]
This book is NOT connected to Common Core, this is a result of a bill passed in Illinois to require sex-ed education. HB2675 http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?GAID=12&GA=98&DocNum=2675&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=85&LegID=&SpecSess=&Session= by: Diane Benjamin This text is approved for sex-ed classes, but it is not required. Each school district can pick what they want to use. This book is for ages 10 […]
Business Execs: Fight for Common Core Before It’s Too Late http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2013/09/business_execs_fight_for_common_core_before_its_too_late.html?intc=es By Sean Cavanagh on September 17, 2013 1:04 PM | 6 Comments UPDATED Washington Representatives of major corporations today urged their peers in the business community to take up the fight to defend the Common Core State Standards—and warned them to steel themselves for opposition from some quarters, and apathy from […]
Common Core Part Of Mao and Lenin Handbooks by Mychal Massie on September 19, 2013 It’s a well-known observation that whenever businessmen come together sooner or later their conversation turns to how to best separate consumers from their money (which is why businesses in reality exist). And in a froward way, similar can be said about what happens […]
Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Susan Ohanian of Charlotte, a longtime teacher and author of 25 books on education policy and practice. Her website is at http://www.susanohanian.org. Selected questions: Origin of the Common Core 22. Do you think that the fact that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spent several hundred million dollars […]
Select quotes from this story: http://www.newswithviews.com/iserbyt/iserbyt120.htm There is nothing new about vouchers/choice. The idea of vouchers/choice has been around for a long time. Here is a quote from George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) of the socialist Fabian Society of England, who said, “Nothing will more quickly destroy independent Christian schools than state aid: their freedom and […]
Our kids deserve better and the Federal Government is breaking the 10th amendment by handing money to cash-strapped states to implement Common Core. The 10th Amendment prohibits the Federal Government from being involved in education. Local schools should make their own decisions! Inform yourself by watching this video: http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/stop-common-core-video-series/ Common Core can ONLY be stopped […]
The McLean County TEA Party will have a Common Core presentation at their September meeting on Tuesday September 3rd. Common Core is a destructive force in education. Our kids deserve better. Come get informed and involved! Place: The Launch Pad 315 E Front Bloomington Time: 6:30
Years ago, Gates paid NGA to “rethink policies on teacher effectiveness.” One man, lots of money, nationally shaping a profession to which he has never belonged. Note: A group of concerned parents will be marching in the Thresherman’s Parade in Pontiac on Sunday handing out information to parents! This is a post about Bill Gates […]
An Interview with Paul Horton: Monopolies, Tomfooleries, Conspiracies and Skullduggery Posted by Michael Shaughnessy EducationViews Senior Columnist on August 29, 2013 in Commentaries, Daily, Editor’s Pick,Insights on Education, Teachers | 1 Comment Paul Horton Source: http://educationviews.org/an-interview-with-paul-horton-monopolies-tomfooleries-conspiracies-and-skullduggery/ Michael F. Shaughnessy 1) Paul, there has been a lot written about certain book companies, and test companies being almost a monopoly. It has been years since I […]
Maybe when a 30 year History Teacher has a problem with Common Core, somebody should listen! The next question is why did the Chicago Tribune refuse to print it? “Nothing that is capable of being memorized is history” R.G. Collingwood “History is an argument without end” Peter Geyl The End of History in Illinois? As […]
Unlike the Panatgraph opinion in today’s paper based on nothing, read actual comments made by teachers and the test writers: Dear Colleagues, This site contains responses (600+) to the all-new, CCSS-aligned ELA exam that Pearson gave this year in New York State. Given that Pearson is poised to compete with PARCC and Smarter Balanced as […]
by: Lindsey Burke August 14, 2013 Proud parents and grandparents are sharing photos of their kids’ first day of school. And as students head back, many states are pushing back—telling the Obama Administration that its federal education plan isn’t right for their students. Anyone who has taught in a classroom knows how different children are from […]
by Alex Newman http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/item/16192-common-core-a-scheme-to-rewrite-education?goback=%2Egde_4400754_member_265301701 Excepts from the story: If something is not done soon, the vast majority of American K-12 school children will be taught using dubious, federally backed national education “standards” that have come under fire from across the political spectrum. America’s kids, as well as their parents, will also be monitored and tracked in […]
by: Michael Snyder Have you ever seen the movie Idiocracy? It is a movie about an “average American” that wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that is surrounding him. Unfortunately, that film is a very accurate metaphor for […]
Indiana just rejected common Core along with other states. 2 moms started it themsleves! Illinois won’t reject it when you are sitting down. Source: http://advocatesforacademicfreedom.blogspot.in/2013/07/common-core-sixteen-billion-dollar-scam.html?m=1 Many legislators, parents, and taxpayers have been given the false impression that Common Core State Standards and the International Baccalaureate programs will reform and improve education. But these two newest […]
Paul Horton is a Democrat, a political activist, and a Chicago high school history teacher who stands up against Common Core. He writes: “I will vote for a Republican for governor who will get rid of Common Core and PARCC, if the Democrats can not produce a candidate who will. Thousands of Democratic voting teachers and parents […]
Hidden in Common Core is the real objective – presenting the minimal amount of material that high-school graduates need to be able to enter the work force in an entry-level job. By Dr. James Milgram, Emmett McGroarty James Milgram is a former NASA mathematician, Stanford math professor, and the only true mathematician to serve on the validation […]
THOUGH MOST STATES IN THE COUNTRY ADOPTED “COMMON CORE” EDUCATION STANDARDS IN 2010, MANY AMERICAN PARENTS STILL KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THEM. Arne Duncan from the U.S. Department of Education in an interview discloses the idea that children should be in school 6 to 7 days a week and from morning till night. Are parents going […]
