New York Times Article on Common Core

[Plotinus]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/upshot/donald-trump-doesnt-understand-common-core-and-neither-do-his-rivals.html

Common Core is becoming even more controversial.What does this imply for the Redesigned SAT?

I found the hostility to Common Core in some of the comments noteworthy:

t is mystifying how the writer can still endorse the Common Core myth, despite the fact that it is been shown to be a complete failure (as seen below).

The author should be reminded of a few things:

1. Math, reading and science scores have remained flat for American students between 2000-2013 according to Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
2. American student scores are at or below the international average (which is quite low indeed).
3. 29 countries do better than the US in math. Forget Asian countries that do well. Latvia, Poland and Slovenia best the US.
4. In science, the US is ranked 22nd. Vietnam and Poland do better than their American counterparts.
5. The US had fewer "top performing students". Only 2% of US students excelled at advanced math, compared to 31% of students from Shanghai, China.
6. 25% of US students performed at the lowest levels of math proficiency.

Common Core has been around since 1990 or so. Despite what the writer claims, it has NOT raised standards.

The reason for this is simple, the approach is asinine. It flouts the basic pillars of traditional math most of us grew up with and replaces it with “new wave” math that is both incomprehensible and unecessarily complex. Case in point:

“Old fashioned” way of 32-12=20

“Common Core” way:

12+3=15
15+5=20
20+10=30
30+2=32

Now take the 2nd addend of each equation and add them together, so 3+5+10+2=20

Yes - really. This is the absurdity that is Common Core.

“Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand Common Core (and Neither Do His Rivals).” For that matter, neither do the majority of Americans, including most parents and a lot of teachers, curriculum developers, and test makers…

Now that the ACT and SAT are strongly influenced by Common Core standards, are students living in states not using Common Core at a disadvantage on these high stakes tests?

[TooOld4School]

Somehow I think students will adapt. The students living in non CC states will probably receive a better overall education.