Thoughts From One Alabama School Superintendent on Common Core-I Dont Know-I Don't Know-I Don't Know
This morning (03-19-13) on a local talk radio program the Dothan City Schools Superintendent of Education, Tim Wilder, was being interviewed. He had previously and publicly stated his complete support for Common Core Standards in Alabama. I called in and praised his leadership, the accomplishments in our local schools, and the achievements our state recently announced about our increased graduation rates and higher test scores brought about through the hard work of the Alabama Board of Education, Alabama educators and students. My questions to him were: 1. Where have the Common Core Standards been tested 2. What were the results of the testing 3. Where are the test results published for parents, grandparents, teachers and citizens to analyze for determining the effectiveness of the Common Core Standards 4. Who specifically in Alabama wrote the the Common Core Standards for Alabama children. Superintendent of Education for the Dothan City Schools Tim Wilders answered: 1. I don't know 2. I don't know 3. I don't know 4. I don't know.
He declared that the reason Alabama adopted CCS was that "we" (never identifying who "we" are) had been told that Alabama education wasn't working - that improvement was not taking place. "We" were sold Common Core (never revealing who did the "selling"). He also said that Alabama
was one of 45 states that adopted the Common Core Standards,has invested a lot of money into textbooks, teacher training, etc., and that Alabama's CCS have absolutely nothing to do with the
Obama Administration.
I couldn't help thinking back to the Education Policy Committee Hearing last week in Mtgy. when we were told by an un-named legislator that legislators listen to and heed Superintendents of Education much more than their own constituents. We certainly saw evidence of that when the superintendents were given about three times the amount of time to speak over those who opposed Common Core.
Based on Tim Wilders lack of knowledge about Common Core which he supports whole heartedly, is it possible that our state adopted this
controversial plan (copyrighted) from the
federal government without the slightest empirical evidence that the plan has been tried, tested, and successful, thus supporting all their hopes, promises and claims? Would Alabama really conduct a
costly experiment on our children without any
proof that it's good for them in every way?
A Very Concerned Grandmother,
Barbara
(Please note the higher graduation rates were for work done before Common Core.)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Food for thought:
- Page 10 of Fordham Institute's Finding--Alabama Standards compared to Common Core was marked as "Too Close To Call" in both English and Math
THOMAS B. FORDHAM INSTITUTE • THE STATE OF STATE STANDARDS—AND THE COMMON CORE—IN 2010 (July 2010)
Executive Summary
Table 1: State English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards Compared to the Common Core
Jurisdiction English Language Arts Math
Alabama Too Close to Call Too Close to Call
----It does seem like they jumped the gun to put us under the Common Core Standards that were "
untested" in spite of the fact that we really didn't need to change. After all --the change to Common Core is going to run us approx. $282 million. Why?
We hope and expect this Legislature to do the right thing and cut off something which was founded on sand before everyone sinks. Common Core Standards is not worth having. It is not worth losing the rights of parents to have input over their children's education.