UNITED WOMEN'S FORUM

UNITED WOMEN'S FORUM
Minutes

Date: October 12, 2011
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Place: American Legion Hall, 52 W. 200 S., Bountiful, Utah

Topic: The ABC's of Common Core Curriculum: The New Nationwide Curriculum and Assessments

Presenters Dalane England and Pamela Smith

Common Core has been renamed Utah Core. On the surface it looks wonderful; it is essentially about raising and setting standards, which is a universal goal. The presenters said that they don's have as much of an issue with the standards as they do with the curriculum and assessments that are tied to the standards.

Although Utah Core is being touted as an effort by the individual States to improve education, and that States are not required to participate, it is being funded through consortiums that are federally funded, which are providing the writing assessments and curriculum, and it is being designed by UNESCO--the United Nations. It is seen by conservatives as a backdoor strategy to give greater control of education to the Federal Government.

Governor Herbert has signed an agreement on behalf of the State of Utah to adopt Common Core/Utah Core. The Common Core curriculum is still being written, but Utah's teachers are being prepared to implement it at this time. If any of the curriculum does not meet the standards and values of Utah, our children will still be required to be taught those standards/values.

The math assessments that have been written to date have totally reconstructed math and the way it is taught. Educators are concerned because this method will be a big step backward. Geometry and Algebra won't be taught categorically, with new math skills being built upon previous learning, but will be integrated into basic math. Teachers report that it is very difficult for students to understand, and that only the very mathematically adept will be able to grasp it. Also, assessments are different than tests because the answers are subjective. The educator does not see the questions and answers, only the final score, so the students' needs cannot be determined and addressed. The presenters report that one of the questions has to do with how many kittens a cat can produce in a specified amount of time--which has no correct answer, but will be determined by the computer program whether or not it is 'correct'. Also, the child's future vocation will be determined by the outcome of the testing by as early as 7th grade, according to the testing evaluation, not according to the teacher's evaluation, nor the child's and the parents' understanding and inclinations.

Pres. Obama's administration is offering the States who sign on to Common Core to be relieved of the No Child Left Behind requirements. The presenters state that now is the time to act. Once a lot of money and effort have been invest in CCSS/UC, it will be difficult to back out. They are asking that the following:

1. Contact a school board member to discuss this issue one-to-one. They note that a power point presentation will be made available to you via e-mail to assist in your discussion.
2. Write a letter to the Governor addressing your concerns and asking him to withdraw Utah's participation in this program immediately.
3. Talk to your friends and family and educate them on the consequences.

For information and documentation of all of our information, please go to:


http://truthinamericaneducation.com/ and,
NCE website: 1992, NCEE invited the University of Pittsburgh, 23 states, 6 cities and three national foundations to join with it in creating New Standards - http://www.ncee.org/about-ncee/history/ and,
NCEE math standards questioned: http://wgquirk.com/NCEESV.html

Many more sources are available. For more, contact Dalane England.