Common Core for the “Commoners”

Presentation provided by:

Dr. Mary Kay Bacallao, Board of Education Member, Fayette CountyProfessor of Mathematics Education, Mercer UniversityWebsite: www.marykaybacallao.jimdo.comE-mail: marykaybacallao@hotmail.comEducational Freedom Coalition at www.EducationalFreedomCoalition.com

Eratostheneser-uh-tos thuh-neez

Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics

The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic (Prime Factorization)

Scientific Measurement Concepts

Patterning

Probability and Statistics

RL 1-2

Popular Activities from the PastHeads or Tails?

Coin Flip Trials

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

HeadsTails

Class Coin Flipping Trials

Probability in elementary gradesprepares the foundation for

Statistics in 5th grade and beyond

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Probability standards in Pre-K – 2nd grade

• www.IXL.com international content: Probability standards in Kindergarten

• Former Massachusetts Standards: Pre-K – 4 standards include concepts of

chance• CCSS- No probability in elementary grades.

What happens in 6th Grade CCSS?

• Students are expected to begin statistics without any prior instruction in probability.

• Let’s look at the actual Common Core State Standards.

• The CCSS set up our students and teachers to fail in 6th grade.

CCSS Statistics and Probability 6.SPDevelop understanding of statistical variability.

1. Recognize a statistical question as one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers. For

example, “How old am I?” is not a statistical question, but “How old are the students in my school?” is a statistical question because one anticipates variability in students’ ages.

2. Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its

center, spread, and overall shape.3. Recognize that a measure of center for a numerical data set summarizes all of its values with a single number, while a measure of variation

describes how its values vary with a single number. Summarize and describe distributions.4. Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms, and box plots.5. Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by: a. Reporting the number of observations. b. Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement.

c. Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall pattern and any striking

deviations from the overall pattern with reference to the context in which the data were gathered.

d. Relating the choice of measures of center and variability to the shape of the data distribution and the context in which the data were gathered.

How can this be happening?

• Who decided our students are not ready for concepts of chance in elementary school?

• Who decided to surprise our 6th graders with concepts they could have been prepared for in elementary school?

• This is just one example of the poor planning that went into the standards adopted sight unseen by Governors in 45 states.

Accurate Weights and Measures

• The CCRPI is not an accurate measure.According to the CCRPI, students with limited English proficiency, students who are economically disadvantaged and special education students are better prepared for college and careers than other students. Why? Those students generate more points than other students, even with the same test scores. That is the way the CCRPI bonus and challenge points work at the school level. And who out there thinks the CCRPI is a valid and reliable score? What was it intended to measure, college and career readiness? The name needs to be changed. Just because it intends to measure college and career readiness, does not make it so.

Common Core Educational Treadmill- Everyone goes the same speed.

Will taking your temperature more often bring down your fever?

What makes us think that more tests increase student achievement?

Accurate Measures

• Testing, not assessment• What kind of tests do we need?• Formative placement tests so we know where

to start.• End of the year tests so we can see how much

we have learned.

Tests to determine…

• End of School Year Reading Level• End of School Year Math Level• End of School Year Writing/Grammar Level

Truth in Testing… equal opportunity not equal educational results.

Cyrus McCormick

The Wright Brothers

Powerpoint from Achieve, Inc. describing the CC math pathways

http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1101

CC Contradictions

• GPPF Report cites Achieve and the Fordham Foundation

• Language Arts- 81% Correlation, 50% change• Math- 90% correlation, 1-2 year change• Mobility: Integrated vs. Traditional CC Math

Broad

CFR sponsored task force

Achieve

US DOE

CCSSO Pearson

Sir Michael Barber CEO

McKinsey & Co.

College Board

ACT

In-Bloom Wireless

Generation

Parent Trigger

Americas Promise Alliance

NCEENGA

Gates

PARCC

Walton

FEE J. Bush

Student Achieve-

ment Partners

Americas Choice

Common Core

US Dept of

Defense

Connections Academy

Colin Powell

Lou Gerstner

Big Data

FUSE

TFA

LuminaState FarmWaltonBoeingGENationwide

David Coleman

Former

Consultant

Pres

iden

t

Lou Gerstner

Bob Wise

FORM

ER D

IREC

TOR

CO-SPONSORED CCSS INITIATIVE

EDUCATIONAL REFORM &NATL. SECURITY REPORT

Condi Rice

Lou Gerstner

Co-Founder

Partner to Manage PARCCSC

SBAC After 2014

Lumina

Joanne Weiss

Director RTTT

Chester Finn

BroadMcKinsey

Advisors for 2009 DOE Blue Print

Alma Powell

Chair

PearsonWalmartLuminaBoeingLockHeedFord

Funders

Rupert Murdoc

h &Joel

Klein

SpellingGene

Wilhoit (CCSSO)

Fordham

Funds

Sponsored ALEC Bill

State Farm

Acquired

Acquire

d

For Profit

Spin Off

From NCEE

Sir Michael Barber

Former Consultant

Creator

Chai

r

Boar

d

State Farm

Supports Natl Curriculum

CCSSBODCo-Chair

Petersmyer Co-Chair

McKinsey Consultant

Helped

Develop

Supp

orts

FUSE

A Bo

ard

Mem

ber

Empl

oyed

by

Gat

es

Florida? Contract toManage DataAfter 2015

Marc Tucker

Chris Minnich

Director Former

Employee

CCSSO

Klein Co-Sponsored

The CFR Paper

Supports CCSS

Managed

Data Collection for PARCC

Data Collection for PA

RCC

Facilitated by CCSSO (Corporate Partn

er)

Developed Standards

American Enterprise

Inst.Rick Hess

signs report

Revenaugh was co-chair of ALEC

Education Committee

Slide from Karen Bracken