And I don't mean, "Be critical of Beck."
I mean think critically about what Beck or others (here or elsewhere) say.
Common Core is a set of standards. Common Core is not a method of evaluation. It is not data mining. It is rigor in standards, not how to implement these standards.
Standards tend to be a bit mushy. Take this one.
"... The student is expected to ... contrast the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids and their positions in the solar system, including the orbital regions of the terrestrial planets, the asteroid belt, gas giants, Kuiper Belt, and Oort Cloud; (and) explore the historical and current hypotheses for the origin of the Moon, including the collision of Earth with a Mars-sized planetesimal."
It sounds precise, but what does it mean? Do you have to know the standard theory of the Moon's formation? Arguments in favor of it? Against it? How about doubts that have surfaced in the last year? Older theories? If the teacher has a preferred one, can he weight his discourse to that theory? And how does the teacher handle the low SES assumption that something is either right or wrong? Useful or useless? I've had students object to a "confirmation" that was 0.01% off, at the limits of what equipment would allow. "But it's not right!" they'd say.
The student should contrast the characteristics of comets, asteroids, etc. Does he have to compare them, as well? Understand their origins and why they have the contrasts they do? Where do you stop?
How do you implement this standard? Quick test? Project? Do you need to make sure every student has this standard nailed? 90%? 80%? How about 90% gets 80% of it? And how do you check up on the public employee's output?
It's the last paragraph that jumps the rails. Bureaucrats, those who must control and be "accountable" demand to know. That demands testing. Gotta make sure the employees do their jobs--the taxpaying voters demand it. Researchers do, too, with all the "data-driven" drivel, where you have to know exactly what kids know and push to share techniques to assure mastery. Current best practice, promoted not by politicians but by academicians. They want to control how things are done and are jealous of their authority.
Common Core is the wedge. All states have standards. Most have raised them recently. CC tries to make them uniform across political jurisdictions. But the will to power by politicians and academicians makes it into a tool for splitting.
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