what's really wrong with the common core

So, the common core, am I right?
I feel like everyone is talking about it.
And everyone wants to know my opinion as a teacher.
Actually, they don't want to know my opinion. They assume that I hate it.
It's much more complicated than that.
I have so many opinions about the public school system.
I could write a book. But today I will just get this out there.
The opinion of a teacher teaching the common core.

The common core was slowly being implemented the first year I started teaching. By my second year, it was mandatory to be taught. I teach language arts, so I needed to teach it. I do, however, teach resource language arts. Really the biggest thing I found frustrating is that "they" say that resource kids are supposed to have the whole core taught to them just like every other kid. Obviously, that's the goal of resource, but I have to slow it way down. I have to accommodate like crazy. I cannot teach the entire core to my kids in 1 year. Yet, my kids are given the exact same end of year testing, holding me accountable on the same scale as general ed teachers, despite the fact that my students have severe learning disabilities. (I am talking 1st grade reading levels). So that's where my real problem with the common core is- testing.

Let me preface my rant by saying that I don't think there is anything wrong with holding our kids to a higher standard and wanting them to learn more. Americans are drastically far behind most of the world in our educational standards. I think it's important we stay up with other countries. I also like that every state is being teaching the same standards. It's incredibly hard when a student comes from a different state and hasn't even learned anything you have already covered that year and you have to catch them up while moving forward at the same time. A lot of people are mad because the government shouldn't have a hand in our education. If that's the only reason you are mad about the core, then you should really research more. I am not a huge fan of government involvement in all things, but I honestly do think this core is good for our schools. What's not good? THE TESTING.

I recently took an entire month out of my teaching time to prepare my students for our new end of year testing to match the new core. Not only was I intensely reviewing things we learned earlier, while desperately trying to cram things in that we haven't had time to reach yet, but I had to teach them how to take this freaking test! Because life isn't hard enough for teenagers already, let alone ones with learning disabilties, they had to make the test "interactive." They can;t just click the answers. Nope. They had to highlight answers. And drag answers. And click and change answers. And click and drag. And highlight and drag. And there were no directions at the top of the test. And here's the kicker: on test day.. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO EXPLAIN TO THEM HOW TO NAVIGATE THE TEST. So now we are not only testing their language arts skills, we are testing their computer skills. If a child knows the answer, but doesn't know how to select the correct answer, how is this helpful at all?

Also, special ed kids had no accommodations on this test. Yes, you heard me. NO ACCOMMODATIONS. Isn't that the point of special ed? To receive accommodations for kids who need them? Well, they don't get them this time. On the extensive essay portion, the articles that helped them write the essay could be read to everyone. So it doesn't make the playing filed even- everyone was getting them. My poor students who take a week to write one draft of one essay, had to write 2 argumentative essays in 4 days. Some kids had prompts like, "Is it possible to make work fun?" While others had ones like, "Did the inventor of penicillin use the scientific method to make his discovery, or was it serendipitous?" That prompt right there is testing this kid's knowledge of the scientific method, not just his writing skills. One of my ELL students got that one. He had no idea what it even meant. And I wasn't even allowed to tell him what the word "serendipitous" meant. I was instructed that any question I got, all I could say was "do your best."

These tests were HARD. Covering things far above a 9th grade level. Reading passages from Pygmalion and The Tempest, which are usually for seniors in high school. My kids can hardly read Diary of a Wimpy Kid!! Not to mention that on the essay portion the articles were read to all the students by the computer, but on the multiple choice portion, the readings were not read by the computer. They had to read it on their own. I could see the frustration on my kids faces. I could see them shutting down. I could see them clicking through the multiple choice questions without trying. I could see them filling in their essays with things that didn't make sense because they didn't really even know what they were supposed to be writing about. Why try when you can't even understand what is expected of you? And this goes much further than my resource kids. This test was over the heads of most of the general ed kids. And not necessarily the content, but the way they worded questions. The format of the testing. The articles they chose for them to read. It was honestly like they were trying to trick the kids. It was the most frustrating thing I have ever seen. I had a few kids cry. School should not be like this.

This all gets infinitely worse as we find out that they are going to begin merit pay- where teachers are paid based on their test scores. This makes my blood boil. Teachers don't get into this job for the pay. We don't do it because it's easy. We do it because we love these kids and we want them to learn. But now you tell me that one test at the end of the year, a test that is ridiculously written and structured, is going to determine how much you pay me?! And how about the fact that my students are years behind their peers but are required to take the same test? What does that mean for me? Testing is not an accurate measure of student learning and progress. Let me say that again. TESTING IS NOT AN ACCURATE MEASURE OF STUDENT LEARNING AND PROGRESS. And it is definitely no where near an accurate measure of how good of a teacher someone is. It infuriates me. Each school now also get a grade based off of our test scores. A GRADE. That the parents can see. That can determine our funding. My school has a B+. And that score isn't good enough.

So now we are even more stressed about teaching. Instead of taking the time to help my students really learn the basics and be successful; instead of taking opportunities to go off course to really help my students learn; instead of taking time to make sure my students are not just learning academics, but learning how to be a good person; instead of being a good teacher, I have to cram in every aspect of the core to make sure my kids can get good scores. So that my school can get a good score. So that I can be paid. It sucks the fun and love from teaching. It sucks the enjoyment and growth from learning. I can't teach to my kids' needs. I have to teach to the test. It's the worst thing you can do to a teacher.

This rant was longer than expected. I apologize, we just finished end of year testing yesterday so it is fresh in my mind. Here's my summary: I don't care about having to learn a new core. I don't care that it's harder on the kids and holding them to higher standard. They can handle that. I don't care that I have to come up with new and more challenging lessons. I don't care that the government stuck its hands into our education. I care that they are sucking the life from both students and teachers with extensive testing. Testing that is not even an accurate measure of student learning or teacher success. The entire year hangs on a few weeks of sitting at a computer at the end of the year. It's not fair. To teachers, students, or parents. If we really want our country to "keep up" with the rest of the world, things have got to change.