Curious About Common Core?

"Common Core – Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been in the national and local news lately. Sometimes we hear negative comments, and sometimes positive. It’s important to re‐ member the state standards are there to help ensure teachers are teaching and students are learning. The new common core state standards will help lead all of our children to a successful future. The standards help to ensure students learn what they need to go on to pursue a technical, associates or bachelor’s degree after they complete high school."

                                                          Holmes Elementary School Newsletter, January 2015, Spokane

This is the propaganda going out to parents from schools regarding CCSS....otherwise known as Common Core State Standards,  but are they "state" standards?

This may come as a surprise..based upon the name of the program, but. the answer is "No."

Valerie Strauss, who studies this stuff reports that they are not state standards at all.  She says, in her article,  Common Core's, Fundamental Trouble, published in the Washington Post, June, 2013,  "They’re national standards, created by Gates-funded consultants for the National Governors Association (NGA). They were designed, in part, to circumvent federal restrictions on the adoption of a national curriculum, hence the insertion of the word “state” in the brand name. States were coerced into adopting the Common Core by requirements attached to the federal Race to the Top grants and, later, the No Child Left Behind waivers."

The history and implementation of the "Common Core" as well as all the controversy is an interesting subject, but it's hard to know everything about it, could even take you years.  Fact is, it is being used in a school near you and for this reason, people need to inform themselves about it, even if they are not subject to the Common Core Curriculum directly.

Homeschoolers, being independent of the direct oversight of public school, (and equal in competency to educate their own children from home in this manner legally) have never been required to participate in testing mandated for public schools. They have yearly testing requirements, but at this time are unaffected by "Common Core."  Just the same, as citizens who pay taxes in support of public education, who's students will be attending colleges in the future, they are often concerned about the issues of public education.  There is even a group in Spokane, parents with kids in the public schools, who are trying to stop Common Core in Spokane and they have created a Facebook page that can be accessed here.

What is wrong with Common Core... (you may wonder.)  It depends on who you talk to.A group like, " Stop Common Core" finds it detrimental.... while  the  National Education Association, (NEA)  for example, thinks it's great. 

The NEA also spends a lot of money promoting it and financially rewarding teachers who get on board with it.  Teachers who promote the Common Core concepts are no longer just "teachers," but are labeled "Master Teachers."  In some states, like Massachusetts, those teachers chosen via application to join the program, who then work to promote the project receive a stipend of $15,000.00.  But not all teachers think it's such a great thing, however, many find they have no choice.  They believe their job is on the line when it comes to support of Common Core.

If you are curious about why some criticize Common Core, you might want to check out the video at Stop Common Core of Washington State of a little girl, Sophia, doing a math problem both the common core strategy of place value, and again using the standard algorithm for addition. It will have you wondering what is the out is in training teachers to train kids to do math this new way and have you considering how your tax dollars are working in the local schools. If you are a homeschooler, your home based educated students are automatically exempt from  meeting common core standards, but you might want to know what all the hoopla about Common Core is about.

Teach Common Core methodology to your kids if you like it, don't teach it if you don't like it;  because as a homeschooler, you can implement your own philosophy on the matter,,,, but  you can bet that local school administers and teachers are being told to meet these standards.  They have already been trained to teach to the tests.... and this is often to the tune of a lot of dollars and cents.  If you are not a homeschooling family, just remember, your kids, even though they are in public school... are YOUR  kids.  You have parental rights and you have a right to know what they are learning and doing in school.

If you are curious about Common Core in our schools, here are some websites you might want to check out:

Learn about the Common Core "in 3 Minutes," (Watch the informative video promoting Common Core to and check out more information from a perspective in support of Common Core at www, corestandards.org

Have a look at National Public Radio's F.A.Q. and answers about Common Core.

Read from Joy Pullman, writing for The Federalist... as she discloses salaries of Common Core's co-authors.  And if you want to know more about who they are and the company they created to make the Common Core, read a concerned Arizona's report about it here.

Test yourself! Try this Math Test Common Core Sampler for First Graders... Here.  Check out a corrected first grade test, here.  REad about the first grader's parent's complaint, in a 2013 Washington Post Article about Common Core in New York public schools by Valerie Strauss.

Watch the Sophia Abelita Video on Vimeo, (if you missed watching it in the link earlier.)

Read a Spokane librarian's report on being "trained." (Important note: she was not being "educated" about, but being"trained" in "Common Core." and there is a difference between educating a person and training a person.  In "training," the outcome of the experience is already determined, and often rewarded.  Education involved critical thinking of the student to determine what to do with what is learned.)

Note the foriegn political slant found being taught to students across
the nation, vis Common Core (masquerading as "English" lessons.)
(Fox News exposed this example while examining
Common Core material.) 

And finally, here's some articles  by Laurie Rogers about (against) Common Core in Spokane Schools.... (particularly in the area of Math:)

Common Core Leading Districts to Adopt Unproved Math Programs

A Battle for Our Freedom

Be informed, learn more about Common Core!

2015 NEWS fromThe Christian Homeschool Network of WA (CHNOW) to Homeschoolers in WA

NEWS from The Christian Homeschool Network of WA. 2015
Intent to Homeschool Form due September 15th:
• The annual Declaration of Intent (DOI) to Homeschool form is due to be filed with your local school district superintendent’s office by September 15th, or within two weeks of the start of the school year. 
• In most cases we encourage sending in this form via certified mail to avoid unnecessary interaction with school officials.
• And we encourage you to use only the form provided on our website. This form includes only the small amount of information required by the Washington Home-based Instruction Law.
o Be wary, sometimes a district forms will ask for more information than you are legally responsible to provide! 
o Find the Declaration of Intent (DOI) form http://www.chnow.org/declaration-of-intent-form.html
o Filing instructions, here: http://www.chnow.org/declaration-of-intent.html 
o AND note, This form is only required for students 8 years and older.

Growing Our Network: 
• Homeschooling has not always been legal! So we need your help to keep it this way! 
• CHN is working to build a large, vibrant network of homeschoolers, concerned about their future rights to homeschool and willing to become involved in the political process necessary to protect our rights. 
• And being involved is as easy as 1 ... 2 … 3!
1) READ … our emails. Involvement starts by simply being informed!
2) LEARN … to understand our political process through events like Homeschool Day at the Capital (DAC). 
3) PHONE … when notified about crucial issues by CHN. Use the State Capitol central legislative number enabling you to briefly inform all your state legislators of your position on important bills with just one call.
4) So Don’t Wait! Begin Today!
o VERIFY … this is the correct email for us to contact you.
o E-MAIL … five friends who would also like to take action.
o SIGN-UP … send our e-Alert link to your friends http://www.chnow.org/e-Alert.html 
o VISIT … CHNow.org to see what we have available on our website. 

Day at the Capital – March 1, 2016: 
• This action packed day includes:
o Morning in the Columbia Room: Speakers include former Washington State Sen. Val Stevens and Rep. Jason Overstreet, plus a legislative update 
o Noon Under the Dome: Rotunda events include homeschool musicians, hearing from legislators, and more …
o Afternoon Activities: Visiting your legislators; Tours of the Capitol
o Our Apple Pie Tradition: Delivery teams taking apple pies made by homeschooling families to all the legislators and key government officials. 
• Mark your calendar now! And look for the DAC registration link coming soon at http://www.chnow.org/day-at-the-capitol.html

Need Some High School Ideas?

Sometimes parents are intimidated with homeschooling high school.  A parent might not feel confident about a certain subject area... perhaps a higher math, or theater arts, or a writing class.  There may be areas where you child need some special help.  It can boost your confidence and your student's confidence as well, to remember that there's beauty in the flexible schedule allowed in homeschooling, especially in the high school years and that there's a lot of options for meeting the various "requirements" when one is homeschooling high school.

Here is a 2013 High School Course Catalog from the Spokane Schools that you can look at.  It's not current, but it will give you an idea  of what credits the local public schools require of their students in each year and what the courses and course content was in the classes they offered.  Seeing the schedule and classes offered might boost your confidence in covering all the required subject areas in your home-based, parent directed and selected, course of study from home.   As you will see, the public school day is not as flexible for public school students as it can be for homeschooling kids.    The catalog says it is used for Ferris, Lewis and Clark, NEWTECH Skills Center, North Central, Shadle, Rodgers, and two more.

If you are not high schooling...  or if you do not have kids in a public high school, please simply remember that here in America, the local public school is accountable to the people who not only use them, but also pay taxes to support them.... and it is important to know and care about what your local public school is teaching, regardless of if you have kids in the public school or not.

The PDF provided at the above link, (if it continues to work, )will supply you with a lot of helpful information.  It also contains a list of tests that public high schoolers are given and a schedule as to when they are usually administered.  There are tips for college admission and even student planning sheets that will give you an overview of a typical public school students day and their course of study when planning to head to college.  Of course, this can all change, as curriculum and educational goals change, but it will give you some direction as you plan ahead. Remember, there are a lot of options that keep parents in the driver's seat regarding their kids educational decisions until they are grown and "driving" on their own.

Also, it can help to know that as a Home Based Student, as a tax paying person, there are ancillary classes for various subjects that may be available.

Regarding ancillary classes, the Washington Homeschool Organization,  reports that:

"Homeschoolers may take "courses" at the public school on a part-time basis. A "course" is defined as any instructional curricular service or activity. They may also avail themselves of ancillary services. These are defined as co-curricular services or activities. Some examples are counseling, testing, hearing tests and speech therapy, etc. While participating at the public school for part-time courses or for ancillary services, homeschoolers remain under the home-based instruction statutes"

HSLDA  The national organization offering homeschoolers legal defense, offers some high school consultants to help you plan too.


There are a lot of  "ancillary classes" available to homeschoolers through tutors and other sources... and yes, some are even offered at the local public school but don't forget.... be aware.... your local public school now-a-days would "rather" you enroll full-time in their " parent partnership program" than homeschool your children on your own.  This is because a school district gets a little bit of funding for your child taking an ancillary class, but they get a lot of money for full time enrolled students.... and a lot of money per student, is better than a little when the dollar is the bottom line.

You must remember that, as professionals who need employment, and as people whose employment depends upon your kids being under their care and supervision for which they are paid, they often dislike homeschooling as an option for education.... unless they have explicit jurisdiction over your time teaching your own kids.  Remember, Home Based Education Laws were never intended to give the teachers employed at the local school jurisdiction over your homeschooling.  In fact, it was the other way around.   The state does not provide funding for people to home educate or  "pay" people to school their kids at home, so make no mistake, schools prefer that you be a full time enrolled public school student than a student schooled at home, because when you are enrolled in their program, schools get more money and they get control.

The parent, in a partnership program is not the "teacher" and the teaching must conform learning to the objectives of school.  Instead, the parent asan  educational "coach,"  does the work of an educational mentor (not "teacher" though that is what a "teacher" is...) under the direct supervision of one "highly qualified teacher,"  Be reminded, that college-graduated and "qualified" parent, even one who has taken a "qualifying course" in order to homeschool legally in our state can legally home school without such oversight.  Parents can be community based instructors, (CBI)  in Parent Partnership programs, and they can be paid, (your tax dollars hard at work) to teach classes at the campus location by the school district, but are never really thought of as being on par with the "highly qualified" teachers.

Anyhow, you may, as a homeschooler, take ancillary classes at the local public school and you may also be able to participate in school sports,and do this without full-time enrollment. 

For more information on how to access sports and classes in regular school (not taught by community based instructors,) view the Homeschool Legal defense Association' PDF on the topic of equal access, here.  Participation in homeschool co-ops, like this one, private tutoring and other private self-pay options for learning is more often recommended by homeschooling support groups and organizations than is taking ancillary classes at school but as a Homeschooling High School Student seeking educational resources, you need to know that there are many options.... including using the local schools.  You can even utilize your child's smarts at the local colleges through the program known as  Running Start.  

The running Start Program allows high school students to take college classes free of charge and earn college credit while in their high school years.  This is done on the college campus or sometimes through teleconferencing classes.  Juniors and seniors must have a GPA of at at least 3.0 to qualify and pass required entrance exams.  Spokane Falls and Spokane Community, as well as Eastern Washington University all offer Running Start.   Unfortunately, Running Start programs  which used to be handled directly at the community college campuses are now accessed through the local high schools, but again, you register there, but do not necessarily have to attend in order to participate.

There's beauty in the flexible schedule allowed in homeschooling , especially in the high school years and there's a lot of options that you can make work for you too.  


Contact  your State support Groups like the Washington Homeschool Organization  and the Home School Legal Defense Association to  has the resource of  you can confer with to help you in your decision to homeschool high school with your teens. 



The link address for the Public School high School Cataloguecatalogue is: (as of July 28, 2015,)
http://www.spokaneschools.org/cms/lib/WA01000970/Centricity/Domain/1434/SPS%20Course%20Catalog%202012-13-proof.pdf

Book Sale! Book Sale! Another Summer Book Sale!

Homeschool Curriculum Sale!

Newman Lake, WA

July 30th, 2015

10:00 - 2:00

The Newman Conference Center




6703 N. Idaho Road

                   

Newman Lake, WA. 99025







FREE to attend!

 Sponsored by the Newman Lake Christian Homeschool Co-Op.