Is VanOstern trying to deceive parents on his support for Common Core? IF you look at his web site, he says,
In his debates with Chris Sununu, he dodges the question on Common Core. Chris Sununu has said he would remove Common Core from New Hampshire Schools. VanOstern diverts attention to his support for PACE. But most parents don’t know about PACE so is he trying to deceive them?
PACE is more Common Core testing in your schools. Like the other Common Core standardized tests, there’s no independent validity studies on PACE. This may be an experimental way to test your kids, but they will be testing them on Common Core.
Not only will they be tested on the dumbed down Common Core standards, but also the subjective “21st Century skills.” If your child doesn’t have the right dispositions or attitudes included in the competencies, they will not advance. That’s why parents often times complain about the subjectivity in the grading.
Whether it’s PACE, Competencies, SAT, Smarter Balanced, College and Career Readiness Standards, it’s all “Common Core.” Bureaucrats simply change the name to keep parents off their track.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment is given 1x/year but PACE will incorporate multiple assessments. PACE was brought in to reduce testing but if you pay close attention, you’ll see testing increases with PACE.
VanOstern also mentions that PACE is based on “project based learning.” That in itself has become controversial. If this is how they test, that’s how they will teach. When did you ask the State of New Hampshire to mandate teaching methods? Shouldn’t that be left up to the local district?
If your child is tested on a project, how do you know they’ve mastered the content first? There is a lot of talk in the education community that facts and knowledge do not matter. Why not simply say literacy is no longer the goal in this education reform? They want to focus not on the “doing.” But public education is supposed to be about imparting knowledge so when students are ready, they can apply their knowledge. In other words, if you do not put in all of the ingredients, you cannot bake the cake properly.
How do you know all of the ingredients have been put in? That’s what a lot to people are asking now. How will parents know their children have mastered their math facts or know the natural origin of the material used to make common objects, in science?
This is the biggest concern parents have for this shift from mastering core content knowledge to Competency Based Education or what is used to be called, Outcome Based Education. We’ve even had a State Board of Education member in Maine write to all of our State Representatives and Senators, warning them about Competency Based Education.
Every few years education reformers come up with a new and innovative way to teach children but when you peel back the layers, you find the old failed fads that have been tried before. They dress them up with a new name (Competency Based Ed instead of Outcome Based Ed), sell it like it’s new and innovative, and then hope for the best.
All of this can be a bit confusing to parents which is exactly why we question the authenticity of Colin VanOStern. Why hasn’t he made a definitive statement on Common Core? Is it because Democrats were warned not to talk about the subject? One of the leaked emails from DNC deputy communications director Eric Walker described the Common Core as “a political third rail that we should not be touching at all.”
Is this why VanOstern wants to stay away this subject? Is this why he references the PACE testing scheme so parents will not recognize it as more testing on Common Core and competencies?
It sure looks to us like we are going to get the same failed standards, tests and curriculum in a VanOstern administration. He hasn’t offered parents any hope that things will get better and he dances around the subject and deceives parents in the process.
If you oppose Common Core and you want something better for your kids, VanOstern is NOT the person we want as Governor.
Check out where the candidates are on education here.
Vote on Tuesday, November 8th