Common Core State Standards: Are They Right For The State of Oklahoma? A.

What Are the Common Core State Standards?

1. The CCSS are a set of English/Language Arts and Mathematical standards for students from Kindergarten through 12th grade 2. To appropriately cite the Common Core State Standards, use the following: a. Authors: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers b. Title: Common Core State Standards (insert specific content area if you are using only one) c. Publisher: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C. d. Copyright Date: 2010 i. http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards 3. In states that adopt them, the previous state English/LA and Math standards are replaced with the CCSS 4. CCSS Disclaimer: a. NGA Center and CCSSO assume no responsibility for consequences resulting from use of the information contained herein, or from use of the information obtained at linked sites, or in any respect for the content of such information. NGA Center and CCSSO are not responsible for, and expressly disclaim all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, reliance on, or performance of such information, as well as for any damages or injury caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration of, or use of any record. You also acknowledge that NGA Center and CCSSO are not liable for the defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of other third parties, subscribers, members or other users of the message boards and that the risk of injury from the foregoing rests entirely with each user. i. http://www.corestandards.org/terms-of-use

B. Oklahoma Origins of Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

1. The Common Core State Standards comprise one paragraph on page 30 of a 34 page bill (SB2033; http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb2033&Session=1000) containing other education reform issues, written to make Oklahomas Race To The Top grant more competitive. 2. SB2033 didnt pass the first time it had to be brought up again for a majority House vote 3. Like all state legislatures that adopted CCSS early on in the process, Oklahoma passed the bill adopting them before the final draft of the standards had been made available for review. a. http://www.corestandards.org/resources/process

C. Are the Common Core State Standards State Led?

1. Though the term State Led is meant to message, local control, this is a false notion. a. The thinking behind the messaging is that since the National Governors Association is an organization comprised of state governors of many states, the governors of each state are leading independent education reform measures inside each of their independent states b. In reality, none of the education reform measures currently underway in Oklahoma originated in Oklahoma nor are they being managed at the local level.

D. National Origins of Common Core State Standards

1. 1992 - Mark Tucker, President of the National Center for Education and the Economy (NCEE) wrote his friend Hillary Clinton a letter urging the Clintons to pass sweeping education reform including National Standards and National Testing using the slogan high standards 2. 1994 - Dear Hillary letter became the basis for 1994s School-to-Work Opportunities Act, Goals 2000 Act and Improving Americas Schools Act of 1994 (Clintons ESEA reauthorization) a. http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/marc_tucker/ 3. 1996 - Achieve, Inc. was formed by the nations governors and corporate leaders and NCEE (Marc Tucker) at the 96 Education Summit in Palisades, NY a. http://achieve.org/history-achieve b. Main goal of Achieve was to benchmark education standards and assessments in order to make the 1994 reforms lasting. i. http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/StratPln/goal_2.html 4. 1999 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gives Achieve, Inc. a grant to support comprehensive benchmarking and review of academic standards and assessments between states a. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/GrantsDatabase/Grants/1999/10/OPP369 5. 2007 - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded a large Chicago education reform initiative during Arne Duncans tenure as CEO of Chicago schools called Turnaround 6. 2008 - Duncans name circulated through the non-profits and Gates-backed organizations President Obama picks Duncan as Secretary of Education a. http://archive.truthout.org/got-dough-public-school-reform-age-venturephilanthropy66598 b. Upon his appointment, Duncan began staffing DOE offices with employees from Gates, Broad foundation and a wide range of other organizations and associations funded by Gates and Broad i. http://networkedblogs.com/KeDRH 7. 2008 - November, Bill and Melinda gathered about one hundred prominent figures in education at their home and introduced a plan: a. Performance-based teacher pay, data collection, national standards and tests, and school turnaround (firing the staff of a low-performing school and hiring a new one, replacing the school with a charter, or shutting down the school and sending the kids elsewhere). b. http://archive.truthout.org/got-dough-public-school-reform-age-venturephilanthropy66598

8. 2008 - Achieve, Inc., The National Governors Association (NGO) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) produced Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring Students Receive a World-Class Education a. Called for Washington to implement tiered incentives to push states to adopt common core standards b. http://www.achieve.org/BenchmarkingforSuccess 9. 2009 - Work begins on the development of the Common Core State Standards; Achieve partners with the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers on the Initiative and a number of Achieve staff and consultants serve on the writing and review teams. a. http://achieve.org/history-achieve 10. 2009 - The Broad Foundation wrote in its 2009/2010 report, a. The election of President Barack Obama and his appointment of Arne Duncan, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, as the U.S. Secretary of Education, marked the pinnacle of hope for our work in education reform. In many ways, we feel the stars have finally aligned. i. With an agenda that echoes our decade of investmentscharter schools, performance pay for teachers, accountability, expanded learning time, and national standardsthe Obama administration is poised to cultivate and bring to fruition the seeds we and other reformers have planted. ii. http://www.broadfoundation.org/asset/101-2009.10%20annual%20report.pdf 11. 2009 Sec. of Education Arne Duncan creates RTT backed by $4.3 billion dollars of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funds for four categories that include: a. Adopting Common Core State Standards (CCSS) i. Turning around lowest-achieving schools ii. Improving teacher/principal effectiveness iii. Fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system b. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html c. No public hearings Congressional or otherwise - were ever held on RTT or any of the separate initiatives. i. Just an extension of Gates/Broad agenda now made policy without any field testing or research to show it worked ii. http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2013/02/11/education-policiesled-gates-not-states 12. 2009 - Gates Foundation gives Council of Chief State School Officers nearly 71 million dollars to increase leadership capacity of chiefs by focusing on standards and assessments, data systems a. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/GrantsDatabase#q/k=CCSSO 13. 2010 - the final version of the CCSS English/Language Arts released a. http://achieve.org/history-achieve 14. 2011 - Gates gives NGA nearly 31 million dollars to to work with state policymakers on the implementation of Common Core State Standards, with special attention to effective resource reallocation to ensure complete execution a. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/GrantsDatabase#q/k=National%20Governors%20Association%20Center%20For%20Best%20Pr actices

15. Gates alone has provided organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, PTA, National Association of State Boards of Education and Council of State Governments among others nearly 16 BILLION dollars to implement Common Core State Standards a. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlHzNS1Lt37tdHAweF9OWWZ6aEZtRX AtNXN6SjBDdGc#gid=0

E. Echo Chamber Effect

1. Non-Profits (by and large) publish research which is used to persuade legislators to pass laws a. http://www.scribd.com/doc/63098739/Review-of-Smart-Start-Conference-Update b. Example Malaria in Africa i. Bill Gates gives to organizations who write what the Foundation likes in order to get more money ii. Organizations outside the Gates food chain have a hard time getting their research heard because it wasnt funded by Gates and doesnt say what Gates researchers say 1. http://archive.truthout.org/got-dough-public-school-reform-ageventure-philanthropy66598 2. NPO funding leads to organizations parroting the research of other non-profits which explains the Common Core language a. Rigorous and relevant, state-led, fewer and deeper, critical thinking, unpacking, college and career ready i. http://restoreoklahomapubliceducation.blogspot.com/2013_02_01_archive.ht ml 3. Example U.S. Chamber of Commerce a. Secretary Duncan in a discussion with business leaders and others at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event April 16, 2013 told them they must step up their political advocacy to defend the Common Core State Standards and other changes to K-12 policy. i. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2013/04/arne_duncan_urges_ business_leaders_to_defend_common_core.html?cmp=ENL-CCO-NEWS2 4. Example - Indiana Chamber of Commerce Press Release April 23, 2013 a. Two moms from Indianapolis, a handful of their friends and a couple dozen small but vocal Tea Party groups. Thats the entire Indiana movement that is advocating for a halt to the Common Core State Standards. No educational backgrounds. No track record of supporting education reforms or any other past education issues. And worst of all: A demonstrated willingness to say just about anything, no matter how unsubstantiated or blatantly false, to advocate their cause. i. http://www.indianachamberblogs.com/facts-ignored-politics-winning-oncommon-core

F. Conflicts of Interest and Monopolies

1. 2008: Achieve, Inc., NGA and the CCSSO produced Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring Students Receive a World-Class Education a. All organizations funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2. Achieve begins serving as Project Management Partner for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). a. http://achieve.org/history-achieve

b. PARCC is committed to developing a computer-based assessment system aligned to the math and English CCSS i. http://parcconline.org/ c. PARCC receives ARRA funds to develop assessments for the Common Core i. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/awards.html 3. Achieve creates Americas Choice through Marc Tuckers NCEE to serv[e] every aspect of that required by RTT. a. http://achieve.org/history-achieve 4. Pearson purchases Americas Choice a. http://www.pearsoned.com/tag/marc-tucker/#.UXsAXMpPGRQ 5. Pearson provides Complete and cohesive support to implement the new Common Core State Standards which includes English and math curricula, consultation services, professional development, and tests, as well as being the largest textbook supplier in the world. a. http://commoncore.pearsoned.com/

G. Are The Common Core State Standards Federal Standards?

1. Federal educational standards as well as a national database are prohibited by federal law. a. http://www.scribd.com/doc/67808823/Presentation-for-Interim-Committee 2. PARCC assessments paid for with ARRA funds (federal stimulus dollars) a. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/awards.html 3. PARCC assessments will now undergo a federal review process for the assessments covering design and validation a. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/04/common_assessment_groups_to _undergo_new_federal_review_process.html?qs=parcc 4. Neal McClusky (CATO Institute) a. And what is tested, of course, ultimately dictates what is taught, at least if the test results are to have any concrete impact, ranging from whether students advance to the next grade, to whether schools gain or lose funding. Since the ultimate point of uniform standards is to have essentially uniform accountability from state to state, they will have to have some concrete impact, rendering this a clear next step in a major Federal incursion into curricula. i. http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-indialogue/2013/04/common_core_state_standards_to.html

H. What Will the Common Core State Standards Initiative Cost Oklahoma?
1. Oklahoma did NOT receive a Race to The Top grant. 2. Pioneer Institute (public policy research) calculated and reported the cost of implementing CCSS at 16 billion dollars on the national level a. http://pioneerinstitute.org/education/study-estimates-cost-of-transition-to-nationaleducation-standards-at-16-billion/ 3. Henry Burke a Civil Engineer turned education reform analyst took Pioneers study broke it down according to Oklahomas needs and arrived at an implementation cost of $231 million: a. $19,382 million testing b. $82.411 million Professional development

c. $37.024 million Textbooks d. $108 million Technology e. http://www.scribd.com/doc/129843530/Oklahoma-Common-Core-ImplementationCosts 4. Burkes analysis seems plausible given Superintendent Barresis budget request of $37.7 million in supplemental funds for 2013 a. Line item $1.8 million in funding for the State Longitudinal Database System (technology Burke 108M) i. http://www.ok.gov/sde/newsblog/2013-01-24/state-superintendent-janetbarresi-request-377-million-supplemental b. Though these numbers are disparate, SDE got a 5 million dollar SLDS grant i. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/fy12_announcement.asp c. Without an RTT grant Common Core an unfunded mandate causing schools to have to fund their own technology needs i. Western Heights Superintendent Joe Kitchens applied for 475,000 in ERate grants to cover bandwidth needs ii. Putnam City ran a 2013 Technology for Learning Bond Election for 6 million dollars iii. http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/01/the_educational_tech_scam.html 5. Request for 2.6 BILLION in additional education funds for 2013/2014 a. Line item for instructional materials at $35 million (Burke 37M textbooks) b. No reported line item for professional development or testing available i. http://newsok.com/state-school-superintendent-asks-for-2.6-billion-foroklahoma-education/article/3750201 6. Dr. Barresi has never answered the question of CCSS cost when asked by the media a. "We anticipate the costs of implementation to be covered by the current state budget that includes such line items as professional development and assessments...There may be some additional technology costs at the district level, but these are technology upgrades school districts should be implementing regardless of whether Oklahoma implements the Common Core State Standards. So the argument about costs is essentially a red herring. i. http://www.capitolbeatok.com/reports/state-education-departmentspokesman-barresi-anticipates-low-costs-for-implementing-common-core

I. Common Core State Standards Are A Mechanism for Capturing Lots and Lots and Lots of Student Data
1. The National Centers for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/) is the the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. a. The organizational chart for the NCES can be found here; http://ies.ed.gov/help/ieschart.asp b. US CODE Title 20, Chapter 76, Subchapter I, Part C, 9543, lists NCES duties i. (5) determining voluntary standards and guidelines to assist State educational agencies in developing statewide longitudinal data systems that link individual student data consistent with the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), promote linkages across States,

and protect student privacy consistent with section 9573 of this title, to improve student academic achievement and close achievement gaps; ii. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/chapter-76/subchapter-I c. According to this definition, though establishment of a national database is against Federal law (G1a), this law appears to contradict that previous admonition. 2. P20 Councils a. In order to get a RTT grant, Oklahoma had to declare our intent to create a Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) also called P20 (P = PreK, 20 = 20 years of age) or P20W (PreK to 20 years into workforce) i. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html b. Oklahoma created a P20 Council via law to manage an Oklahoma SLDS (SB222, 2009) i. http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb2033&Session=1000 c. Why is a P20 necessary? i. Arne Duncan 2009, The common denominator forpolicy decisions was that they were informed by data. I am a deep believer in the power of data to drive our decisions. ROBUST data gives us the roadmap to reform. It tells us where we are, where we need to go and who is most at risk. 1. http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/robust-data-gives-us-roadmapreform ii. Governors should consider utilizing or forming P-20 councils that involve early education, K-12 education, higher education, adult education, workforce training, and business leaders to develop state completion goals and associated state action plans. Several states, including Rhode Island and Washington State, are viewed as having model P-20 councils. State action plans to meet short- and long-term college completion goals can be created by any number of state entities, including solely the governors office, but broadly constructed P-16 or P-20 councils can serve as a vehicle to ensure that state action plans are comprehensive and make full use of multiple resource streams. 1. http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/cc-toolkit.pdf d. Oklahoma P20 Purpose i. improving teaching and learning, ii. informing public policy (law writing), iii. fostering culture of evidence-based decision making, iv. CONDUCTING RESEARCH, evaluating system and program effectiveness and v. providing reports to various STAKEHOLDER groups (accountability should be to parents and community not the Chamber of Commerce or other workforce groups involved in sharing information) 1. P20 Council SB222: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/200910%20ENR/SB/SB222%20ENR.PDF e. Oklahoma P20 Duty i. To advise Dept. of Education, State Regents, Career Tech, Office of Accountability, OK Employment Security Commission, Legislature, Governor on COORDINATION of a UNIFIED, longitudinal student data system to provide

INTEROPERABILITY and efficient and effective storage USE and SHARING of data among the Department of Ed, Career Tech, Regents, legislature, OTHER policymakers and executive agencies and the general public. 1. (P20 Data Coordinating Council Annual Report 2010, pg 2; http://www.scribd.com/doc/61575587/P20-Coordinating-CouncilAnnual-Report-2010) 3. The Data Quality Campaign helps create interoperability among the state databases managed by the P20 Councils a. Focusing our work on several critical agents of change, DQC does the following: i. Promotes the development of state longitudinal data systems that collect the quality data needed to answer critical questions facing education stakeholders ii. Advocates state policies that support effective data use iii. Calls for federal policies that support state and local efforts to use data effectively iv. Collaborates with DQC partners to ensure that policy discussions are informed by high-quality data v. Creates public demand and discourse among all education stakeholders for better education data 1. http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/about b. With a common vocabulary and set of business rules in place, transporting data across entities and systems is more efficient, accurate, and seamless. Without standardization, more resources and time are required to standardize the data after the fact. The best examples are from other industries. i. http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/files/dqc_ipdf.pdf (pg 5) c. The Data Quality Campaign a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation organization i. http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/resources/details/1023 ii. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/PressReleases/2009/01/Foundation-Invests-in-Research-and-Data-Systems-toImprove-Student-Achievement iii. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/GrantsDatabase#q/k=data%20quality%20campaign 4. The National Education Data Model (http://nces.ed.gov/forum/datamodel/) a. 438 separate fields (attributes) exist to inform states of the kinds of data they can collect on state K-12 students; including family income range, health care plan, insurance coverage, medical laboratory procedure results, medical waiver, multiple birth status, voting status i. http://nces.ed.gov/forum/datamodel/eiebrowser/techview.aspx?instance=stud entElementarySecondary b. Fields for workforce data (>18 yrs) include; family income range, family obligations, fathers educational level, first generation in college status, religious affiliation i. http://nces.ed.gov/forum/datamodel/eiebrowser/techview.aspx?instance=stud entPostsecondary

c. Data models expand and evolve over time d. Example: PreK data being collected in Illinois through a database called Baby Talk fields include i. Student born with a low birth weight, Was parent married at time of student's birth, Student's family is receiving child support ii. http://www.missourieducationwatchdog.com/2013/04/illinois-trackingstudents-from-24.html 5. Common Education Data Standards (CEDS - https://ceds.ed.gov/elements.aspx?v=3&ex=) includes at present (4/29/13) 706 separate terms which education authorities can use to describe data for inclusion in NEDM, including such odd entries as, Dental Insurance Coverage and Dental Screening Status, Weapon Type and several categories identifying workforce issues. a. Data is meant to be collected in part through Common Core linked assessments (PARCC) i. Explains why there are 289 records for A and why most of the category relates to assessments 1. https://ceds.ed.gov/elements.aspx?v=3&ex= ii. Student data (including assessment data) will be deposited into the federal EdFacts (http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/edfacts/index.html) database using CEDS elements (terms) 1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/135509962/Oklahoma-State-LongitudinalDatabase-Grant (pg 22) b. CEDS was developed and supported by the DQC to insure states were developing their databases with just the right types and numbers of data fields to support those created by the Common Core assessments interoperability i. http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/resources/topics/35 6. Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) - The SIF Association is a non-profit membership organization created by MicroSoft and Bill Gates whose members come together to create a set of rules and definitions which enable software programs from different companies to share information. This set of platform-independent, vendor-neutral rules and definitions is called the SIF Implementation Specification. The SIF Specification makes it possible for programs within a school or district to share data without any additional programming and without requiring each vendor to learn and support the intricacies of other vendors applications. a. https://ceds.ed.gov/FAQ.aspx b. The Oklahoma Student Information System (OKSIS) is based on SIF standards i. Student records in OKSIS have been linked to state assessment files to do assessment pre-coding of answer sheets ii. Reports data to national EDfacts database iii. http://www.scribd.com/doc/135509962/Oklahoma-State-LongitudinalDatabase-Grant (pg 12) c. January 2005, SIF is recommended by the US Department of Education in the National Education Technology Plan in Action Step 7, which promotes Integrated Data Systems. According to the Plan, Integrated, interoperable data systems are the key to better

allocation of resources, greater management efficiency, and online and technologybased assessments of student performance that empower educators to transform teaching and personalize instruction. The recommendation under this Action Step is, Ensure interoperability. For example consider Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) Compliance Certification as a requirement in all RFPs and purchasing decisions. i. https://www.sifassociation.org/AboutUs/The-Association/Pages/InternationalHistory.aspx 7. Concerns are growing that CCSS assessments are introducing psychological (behavioral) components - http://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/dr-thompsons-letter-tosuperintendent-menlove/ a. These kinds of tests are not to be administered except under very controlled circumstances as they can produce results that are hard to interpret and very unreliable b. In addition, health records in schools fall under FERPA not HIPPA psych tests are considered health records 8. The Tripod Project , an integral part of the Measures of Effective Teaching Project, is funded by Bill Gates. a. Tracks tripod quality values across multiple dimensions. b. Tripod student surveys use a suite of multi-item indicators that capture students academic and social behaviors, goals, beliefs and feelings. Student engagement and achievement are conceptually and empirically predicted by seven multi-item measures covering key domains of teaching effectiveness referred to as the 7Cs c. http://www.camb-ed-us.com/QualityReviews/TripodSurveyAssessments.aspx - Tripod Assessment Flyer 9. inBloom Database a. inBloom was created by Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also led by CCSSO. b. inBloom functions with CEDS and SIF c. In addition to making instructional data more manageable and useful, this open-license technology, provisionally called inBloom technology, will also support a large market for vendors of learning materials and application developers to deliver content and tools that meet the Common Core State Standards and are interoperable with each other and the most popular student information systems. d. The system itself will be based on a cloud computing approach, and third-party applications will have access to record-level data to help create a complete picture of each students learning. i. https://www.inbloom.org/sites/default/files/inBloom-ed-fi-qa.pdf e. Much concern has been brought to bear over the type of data they are collecting from students, without parental permission i. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/03/us-education-databaseidUSBRE92204W20130303 f. Has fields that include, mental ability (intelligence) test, Performance assessment, Personality test, Psychological test, Psychomotor test

i. https://www.inbloom.org/sites/default/files/docs-developer-1.0.6820130118/ch-data_model-enums.html 10. New Pearson texts have massive on-line ancillaries including a. Online grade books, online assessments and activities all electronic i. http://www.successnetplus.com/node/175 b. My Story allows students to write their own books in their own words using prompts i. http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS19Ie&PMDBSUBCATEGO RYID=&PMDBSITEID=2781&PMDBSUBSOLUTIONID=&PMDBSOLUTIONID=6724& PMDBSUBJECTAREAID=&PMDBCATEGORYID=815&PMDbProgramID=85641 c. Here We Are Pearson My World Social Studies i. http://www.tikatok.com/starters/view/title/myworld-social-studies-grade-khere-we-are-chapter-1/returnUrl/%252F d. Please do not include personal information about yourself in these books such as your full home address, phone number, email address, or any other personal information that would allow someone to contact you directly. e. Examples of psychological tests are open ended statements and questions about personal thoughts. f. Writing prompts for the book include: i. Think of a decision you made with your friends. How did you decide? ii. Tell about something you want. g. Then there is the fact that the My World Social Studies books contain a three page treatise on the importance of Bill Gates as a person i. http://www.scribd.com/doc/136619262/Pearson-Social-Studies-TextbookPages-Honoring-Bill-Gates 11. CTB/McGraw Hill offers Common Core tests (Oklahoma is using CTB/McGraw Hill), http://www.ctb.com/ctb.com/control/main?p=home, http://www.ctb.com/ctb.com/control/productCategoryViewAction?p=products&productCatego ryId=41159 a. CTB/McGraw Hill researches psychological testing; http://www.ctb.com/ctb.com/control/topicShowAction?topicId=423&p=ctbResearch b. Testing 21st Century Skills, Deconstructed scores provide dynamic revealing information about a students study habits, abilities, potential for growth and subject mastery, as well as guideposts for effective classroom instruction and professional development of teachers. i. http://www.ctb.com/ctb.com/control/researchArticleMainAction?articleId=469 &p=ctbResearch 12. What Is ROBUST Data as described by Arne Duncan (I2c)? a. Robust data systems were created by the Rand Corporation b. Designed to support decision making and policy analysis under conditions of deep uncertainty. c. Very powerful tool for making assumptions across fields of data that may not be connected in any way

d. the method identifies those combinations of uncertainties most important to the choice among alternative options and describes the set of beliefs about the uncertain state of the world that are consistent with choosing one option over another. This ordering provides cognitive benefits in decision support applications, allowing stakeholders to understand the key assumptions underlying alternative options before committing themselves to believing those assumptions. i. http://www.rand.org/international_programs/pardee/methods/robustdecisions-2010.html ii. http://www.rand.org/education.html e. Bill Gates gave RAND a multimillion dollar grant to create a database to measure teacher effectiveness i. http://www.rand.org/education/projects/measuring-teacher-effectiveness.html

J. Problems With Common Core:

1. P20 Council is attempting to get student data from home school and private school students a. http://www.scribd.com/doc/61575587/P20-Coordinating-Council-Annual-Report-2010 (pg 18) 2. FERPA Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act addresses rights of students NOT to have personal educational records shared a. Since January 2012 FERPA regulations changed at behest of Arne Duncan b. Page 52 of the new FERPA document outlines 11 different ways PII can be shared without consent of student and/or parent c. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-02/pdf/2011-30683.pdf 3. Published data attributes of the NEDM and CEDS represent a massive invasion of privacy whether or not personal identifiers are stripped before data sent beyond SDE 4. NO DATA IS SAFE TODAY

K. Conclusion
1. There are other ways to benchmark Oklahoma educational standards to a national level (ACT Explore/Plan, NAEP) 2. Home school students have higher ACT scores, GPAs and graduation rates when compared with public school students based usually on a classical model of education the study of facts over a broad range of topics not an inch wide and a mile deep 3. National standards present the risk of states accepting a one size fits all, lowest common denominator education standard (Fordham - Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude?) 4. Presents a way to deliver political ideals that may not be representative of the community at large, nor appropriate in a public school setting 5. National standards cede more control to Washington and weaken the decision-making power of parents and teachers those closest to students (Heritage Foundation) 6. National Council of Teachers of English believe CCSS publishers criteria to be a signal of usurpation of teacher judgment in ways that are alarming

7. Now that the CCSS have been in public purview for some time and more is being learned about them, 43 states have some kind of organized pushback against the Common Core and a large number of those have attempted to pass legislation in their state to stop and roll back their implementation a. http://right-reason.com/2013/04/11/anti-common-core-face-book-pages-listed-bystate/