We’ve been hearing about this book for a while now and a few of us decided to read it. We would highly advise that ALL of you who are concerned with Common Core and the federal reforms, purchase the book ASAP. Yes, it’s that good.

We will feature some excerpts from the book. However it’s important to read the book in its entirety to get a clear picture of how we ended up with Common Core in our classrooms.

The author goes through the history of reforming public education and what has led us to Common Core.

Here is an excerpt about the Common Core assessments. Make sure every parent knows this……

“Although the words assessments and tests are often used interchabgeably, it is important to realize that assessments measure behavioral changes moving from one point to another with a goal in mind, e.g., how much further was Johnny able to run in a minute from last year to this? Tests measure acquisition of knowledge with a right or wrong answer, e.g., what is the capital of the State of Kansas? Most activities called testing in schools are actually assessments. They do not determine how much or what someone knows. They measure how far Johnny has moved along a pedetermed set of behavioral outcomes.”

In other words, these assessments mean nothing to parents who want to know if their children are proficient in math, science, etc.

The best thing you can do as a parent is have your child take the CAT test. They’re $25.00 delivered to your door. They’re not cc aligned. Then you’ll know where your child is actually at and can make an informed decision unlike the state assessments and the curriculum which are convoluted.