And, just in case anyone was still wondering if the redesigned SAT will be aligned with the Common Core, I stumbled across this job posting this morning. Ugh... SAT Writers United States SAT Writers Posted: June 17, 2014 Duties and Responsibilities: Freelance SAT Writers Needed nSight is a content development and communications services firm that specializes in learning and information products. nSight has an immediate need for math and ELA writers to create practice items for the redesigned SAT. We are also seeking a lead writer for math. Required Experience: - At least 3-5 years of experience writing SAT or Common Core items at an advanced high school level. For math, experience writing items at the advanced algebra and trig level required. This will be a fast-paced project with no ramp-up time, so only very experienced writers will be considered. - Experience writing cross-curricular items. Examples: engineering-based math problems and science-based reading passages. - Familiarity with the redesigned SAT strongly preferred (especially for candidates for lead math writer). Direct Application To: If you're interested and meet these qualifications, please send your resume to staffing@nsightworks.com. Thank you!
It makes sense that the SAT is interested in Common Core. All Common Core is...is a measurement of skills achievement that can be applied to everyone regardless of where they live, how their school teaches, and what material their school covered. Common Core Standards are simply a to-do list...to master a complete subject. This is particularly important for college admissions. Before common core....a school in Alabama might teach the same skills in a class called "Honors Algebra" that are taught in a class in Vermont called "Pre-Algebra". Unless there are standards that give us a framework of universal skills that are expected to be learned, we don't know how much of a particular subject a student has been exposed to or mastered....the labels, the names of the classes....are meaningless in assessing a student's abilities and preparedness to tackle a complete subject. So instead of focusing on names of classes in a transcript...the SAT and the ACT try to measure the student's understanding of each skill (regardless of what the names of their classes were) on the to-do list of skills that make up a subject. Curriculum written to support all the objectives of the common core of a particular subject (the to-do list)....can be good or bad. Like any other curriculum...some work, some don't. Often, Common Core employs some new learning techniques that people are unfamiliar with and feel are unnecessary....so they react negatively. But in reality, if you look at the whole picture, these new techniques are designed to prepare students for the next objective on their to-do list. My daughter was taught math in a public school that fully embraced common core. She was taught differently than I was. I didn't always understand why a required skill that didn't seem to be necessary...was included in her work. I found it confusing that the point of her work was not always focused on the answer, but parts of the process. But when I talked to her teachers and learned that these integrated skills prepared her for the next step in her mathmatical journey, and supported a fuller understanding of the whole topic...I could absolutely see the VALUE of this process. Not only could my daughter do the problems correctly by the end, she could explain the problem, give you insight into each component of the problem, and describe how it tied into the next advanced math skill. She had a fluency in the language of Math that I was NEVER taught....and it has served her REALLY REALLY well. Why does studying the complete subject matter? Because it matters to colleges. If your kid has aspirations to go to an Ivy or top public or private University....the common core...the COMPLETE skill set...will matter to admissions...and will be reflected in their ACT and SAT score. If your kid is going to a small private school or a community college, mastery of common core will not be as important for admissions...but will still help your kid immensely.
Crazy, I'm going to wise and not get drawn into this discussion with you again!!! Rachael has not had to deal with CC, and she's making the Dean's List, so it sure hasn't hurt her at all!
This is one reason AP classes are so popular with college admissions. With AP classes....there is a set standard of skills, a universal to-do list...that each kid taking the class (regardless of where they live) must complete. When a college sees "AP Calculus" they know what the student has studied...in detail. They have the to-do list that goes with that class. They know what the test scores mean. They know all students who have taken the class have studied the exact same thing. This makes comparing Johnny's 3.5 in AP Calc, to Jenny's 3.8 in AP Calc MEAN something. It's not surprising that the ideas behind Common Core came from the creators of the AP Courses.
Jackie...my take...is that you were an excellent teacher...and don't realize that you covered all the common core objectives without labeling it "common core". You don't have to use "common core curriculum" to teach common core. All you have to do...is cover the whole skill set. And as I recall...Rachael DID take some AP classes. And they're utterly common core (and the preparation they gave her probably has something to do with why she's on the Dean's list) (along with hard work, discipline and great support from home, of course!) One of the main creators of the Common Core is David Coleman...who is the president of the College Board (the organization that designs the SAT and AP tests!) So yeah...Rachael DID "deal with" Common Core in her AP classes. And as you point out...she's a pretty sharp and successful kid
I could have sworn Rachael took AP classes. My bad. What am I thinking of? Did she take some IB courses? Community college? Common Core is "feel good crap" Hmmmm.... Well...Elle feels pretty good to have gotten a 31 in Math on the ACT, and feels even better to have gotten into University of Michigan...which is a pretty darned good and pretty darned competative school. She also feels pretty good about her 3.93 high school GPA and graduation with honors. I know she feels good about getting college credit for Calculus in high school. Come to think of it, she feels good about her grants and scholarships, too. And Lord knows I feel good about all of it! Maybe you're right
Oh, yeah, I know Elle has done VERY well, and you do and should feel darned proud of her. But that has NOTHING to do with CC. I've no doubt she would have done just as well without it, simply because she's a capable and intelligent young lady, and has parents that value education. Yeah, Rachael took classes her Senior year at a Community College. I don't know what IB courses are.
International Baccalaureate offers exams (sort of like AP exams) that colleges recognize for credit hours. Jackie I know you're concerned about common core. A lot of people are...because sometimes it's implemented with some very new and different teaching techniques that kinda freak people out. Change is tough. And sometimes it needs tweeking. Takes time, too. But I've gotta tell you that Elle's math skills made me a believer. Neither myself nor my hubby have anywhere near the fluency in or grasp of higher maths that Elle does. I was pretty skeptical, too. Had a few conferences, couldn't make much sense out of the homework sometimes...other times I saw how they were marrying two concepts and thought, "holy cow, that's genius!". But Elle seemed energized and excited by it...and she grew to really love math. Hard for me to separate that result from the common core curriculum at her school. It worked for her. Very well, actually. Also...her AP classes (which are aligned with common core) have given her a boat load of college credits before setting foot in the University. Not only is she well prepared for her college curriculum, this has saved her taking some freshman classes, and has saved us quite a bit of money. So, can you sort of see why I'm a proponent? I'm not speaking for everyone's experience here...only my own. Why would I do less? Everyone's experiences are worth considering.
Sort of, but not exactly. CLEP tests can be taken to test out of college courses and be given college credit. (College Level Examination Program) CLEP is offered by College Board...the same people who do the SAT and AP (and who, incidentally, designed common core... LOL) AP is also run by College Board (designers of common core) And IB is run by IBO...headquartered in Switzerland (hence the International part) Different colleges will accept (and choose NOT to accept) AP, IB and CLEP exams as credit for classes. Different colleges will assign different value to the test scores, too. At U of M, Elle will get 5 credits for her score of 5 on her AP biology exam (and skipped out of her freshman bio requirement). At MSU, she'd get 8 credits. At Yale and Harvard, she'd get one credit. At MIT, she'd get no credit. It all depends on the school. Each school will have a chart of credit awarded for AP and IB scores. CLEP is the same...some schools will take it, some won't, and credit will be assigned by the school. AP is much more widely accepted and recognized. The more selective a college is, the less likely it is that they will accept CLEP. CLEP exams are generally considered to be lower level exams than AP. CLEP is a popular way to complete first year requirements for a career path associates degree at a community college. You might CLEP test out of English and Math on your way to a two year degree as a radiographer. It would be less common to see a competitive four year school accepting CLEP for credit (though some do!)
I do know some schools don't accept CLEP. I'm pretty sure Deena's son CLEPped out of some classes. I'm also pretty sure that Ohio State will take some CLEP courses, not just community colleges.
Yup, Ohio State takes a few CLEP courses: http://clep.collegeboard.org/college-credit/ohio-state-university They also take IB and AP. (and quite a few tests they'll administer themselves to registered students for credit) If you scroll to the bottom of the page...you'll see they award a lot more credit for AP courses. https://registrar.osu.edu/testing/em_brochure_2013_2014.pdf If Elle started college at Ohio State...she'd already have 30 credits due to her AP courses/test scores. Her first year of Math, English and Science would be skipped. Ohio State doesn't take any CLEP credit for Math or English.
The problem with rejecting common core...and closing your mind to trying to understand it's purpose...is that students today absolutely DO have to deal with it. There are two college placement tests widely accepted in the US....the ACT and the SAT. Both are partnered and aligned with common core standards. AP and CLEP are college board....again...partnered and aligned with common core standards. These classes/exams are a great way to save money and get a jump on your education. Competative colleges are not shy about recommending AP classes at their admission sites. Common Core is very ingrained in college admissions at this point.
Yet more and more states are rejecting it. I have one child left. He WILL NOT be taught according to CC. PERIOD. And I don't anticipate any difficulty getting him into college. (Well, MAYBE I do...he's more interested in Minecraft than Algebra and Biology, lol!)
So if you can figure out how to teach math and science using Minecraft, let me know! Maybe THEN I can motivate him!
The states that reject it are setting their kids up to be less competitive in college admissions, sadly...because they will likely not do as well on the admission tests (which are written to core standards as we've discussed) Ultimately, if your kid wants to go to a smaller/religious college, this is probably not going to be a problem. But if your kid has his heart set on Harvard, or even wants to go to a very competitive public university....lack of exposure to common core topics could certainly hurt his chances. I have a feeling states are going to dance around this issue back and forth for some time before they figure it out.
Jackie- Minecraft is spacial, lots of creativity and architecture. Plus you have to run from zombies and such. LOL. I think Elle is playing it right now. She's making a replica of our house/lake/woods so she can "visit" while she's at college http://minemum.com/minecraft-parents-things-to-love
