Congressman Mark Sanford on Common Core (from his facebook page)

Congressman Mark Sanford

September 21 via mobile

Given yesterday's Post and Courier coverage of the Common Core issue, I wanted to make sure my position on the issue was known to all. As I suspect you know I have always been a proponent of local control of education and school choice and the market principles that they entail, as keys to bettering education. That’s why during my prior time in Congress I voted to end the Department of Education, ...and during my time in the governorship I pushed the school choice bill, the "Put Parents in Charge" bill and any other choice bill that came across my desk. I think our push for total choice in education is the reason we were able to get choice in early childhood education and the charter school bill through during our eight years.

In 2009, when South Carolina had a chance to compete with other states for federal funds in the Race to the Top program, my administration elected to not prevent the state from competing for federal funds. In order to make a competitive bid for these Race to the Top funds, states had to adopt a program for college and career ready standards. South Carolina was not, however, forced to adopt Common Core nor did our Administration condone the initiative. Daren Briscoe, a press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, was even recently quoted in an article by The State saying, “States were not required to adopt Common Core as a requirement to qualify for…Race to the Top grants”.

After I had left the governorship, the state Board of Education and the Education Oversight Committee voted to adopt and implement Common Core. My remaining appointees all voted against the adoption of Common Core. Had I still been Governor during this time, I would have urged that Common Core not be adopted and vetoed any portion of it that might have come to my desk. Out of office, and as a private citizen I opposed it for the way it takes local decision making to Washington and I oppose it now. As a Representative for the 1st District of South Carolina, I will oppose Common Core at the federal level. I have always believed that local communities are best able to determine the educational needs of their own children and that means local/state level determination of curriculum standards and assessment. As significantly I remain committed to choice in education because I believe that God makes every child different and that there ought to be a host of learning options available to parents and their children and because I believe all services are improved through the very American notion of competition. This means choice in all its forms, homeschool, religious and private school and even choice within public school through things like charter schools.

 

 

Common Core advances on false pretenses

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130927/PC1002/130929512/1023/common-core-advances-on-false-pretenses

State Board of Ed Meeting 8/15

Attend State Board of Education Meeting Tomorrow

State Board of Education Meeting LOCATION: Rutledge Building - 1429 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201

Full Board Meeting Begins at 1pm If you plan to speak, arrive early to Sign-In The State Board of Education regular meeting will be held in the Rutledge Conference Center (take the elevator to the basement level and turn left). The State Board of Education is currently reviewing state science standards.  An overview of the SC Science Academic Standards (2005) is an item on the agenda.  The new NGSS, national standards are a part of that review.  While the NGSS are not directly deemed Common Core, they are problematic standards that we need to be concerned about. Board Agenda click here August 14, 2013 Wear Your STOP Common Core Buttons

The State Board of Education is the body responsible for public elementary and secondary education in South Carolina. The Board consists of 17 members, one appointed from each of the state's 16 judicial circuits by the legislative delegations representing the various circuits and one member appointed by the governor.  Subcommittees of the Board meet in the morning prior to the afternoon full board meeting.   Watch the August 14 State Board meeting live, or see videos of previous meetings here.

Important links for State Board of Education below: Find your State Board Members Upcoming Board Meeting Dates 2013

Contact info@scpie.org for more information

Common Core Data mining for ..... what is their end game... what do these people REALLY want?

"David Coleman, president of the College Board and author of Common Core State Standards, gave a presentation to data analysts in Boston three weeks ago. In his speech he states the new goals of the College Board are to use data to find “low-hanging fruit” or low-income children who are high achievers but at risk for not going to college.


This may sound noble, but Coleman intends to carry out his new Access to Rigor Campaign by partnering with Obama’s reelection campaign directors who specialized in data and field mobilization. In the video, he lavishes praise on the Obama operatives as well as research teams like Strategic Data Partners based at Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research.


Names he mentions are a virtual Who’s Who in data collection, both educational and political and they’re all from the left."

 

 

Potter Williams Report: Common Core Author Seeks More Data

http://potterwilliamsreport.com/2013/06/16/20130616.aspx

THE OTHER SIDE ON COMMON CORE - Post & Courier letter to the editor

THE OTHER SIDE ON COMMON CORE

Thanks to Ms. Moore for her 45 year teaching career.

But there is so much more to be said about still another federal take-over.  Really, how much is enough?  First, the Automobile industry; then student loans; then the banking industry (Dodd/Frank); Then health care; and now an attempt at nationalized education.  Literally, the minds of our children and grandchildren.

Unfortunately, 45 states have initially embraced the Common Core standards, having been bribed (race to the top promised grants) and threatened (removal of Title I funding for poorer students).  But since the full effects of the take-over have become clearer, 16 states have bills in their legislature (two in S.C. S300 and H3943).  And there are many civic groups across the nation raising their voices against the program. And well they should.

The concept of Nationalized education is not new.  Wilson, Roosevelt, Clinton have all had similar designs.  Obama’s overreach has gone further than any other because his department of education was given over $4bn to spend from the Stimulus Bill.  (Shovel ready???)  But this recent effort has a great many negatives.

            The standards were developed in secret by a Washington trade group (National Governors’ Ass’n.) and a lobbying group (Council of Chief State School Officers) together with a Data Specialty Company they hired (Achieve, Inc.). Not a class room teacher among them.  The 50 state school boards were asked to compete for grants and sign up for Common Core in 2009, even before the standards were written.  Enticed by the much needed money dangled, and with the promise of waivers on progress required under “No Child Left Behind” 45 states signed up.  Only 7 got grants.  All got waivers.  Even the most biased observer must agree that this process was deeply flawed in many ways.  Notice, no legislatures involved.  And no cost analysis made

The curricula developed to meet the standards are seriously flawed:

            -The math curriculum moves addition and subtraction forward to the fourth grade and division forward to the 6^th grade.  Algebra is moved forward to the 9^th grade.  And Geometry is to be taught through a new and untested method unknown to the current teaching staffs.  James Milgram (Stanford Professor) refused to certify the math curriculum stating it would “place American students at least 2 years behind their peers in other high performing countries”.

            -The English Language Arts curriculum calls for overly simple reading challenges at all grade levels, eliminating classics and substituting pedestrian materials from technical manuals, menus, pop music, etc.  Professor Sandra Stotsky refused to certify the curriculum stating “the reading deemed sufficient for High School graduation will be at about a 7^th grade level. 

            -And the material substituted for the classics will put highly political and social justice messages into a propaganda pipeline aimed directly at the children.  A few of the mentioned items in the curriculum were: Selected executive orders; EPA rulings on carbon emissions; Why Obamacare is great, etc.

            Further, personal and  family Data collected from students will cover periods from Pre-K to 20yrs and work experience.  3000 data points will be collected and stored to be shared with entities both inside and outside government.  Student/parent privacy rights under F.E.R.P.A. were eliminated by the U.S. Secretary of Education (Arne Duncan) and parental permission is no longer needed for release to third parties. I don’t have to spell out what so much intrusion by a powerful central government can lead to.

            Moreover, the cost to roll out this take-over was never considered until two years into the roll-out and then only by non-government entities.  Heritage Foundation estimates a total national cost of $16bn over 7 years.  The S.C. estimate is nearly $300m over the first full 5 years.  ALL UNFUNDED MANDATES.

Those are only a few of the soft points on Common Core.  Limited space of an editor letter prevents me from listing more.

The various comments by Ms. Moore regarding tea partyers and Dr. Zais were unworthy of a person with her background.  In particular, Dr Zais declined stimulus money because the funding was front-ended only and would have left the state with a very heavy financial hangover to fund once the Fed $ ran out.  Good judgment exercised by a responsible executive.  The snide tea Party comments don’t deserve an answer.

Roger O’Sullivan, Chairman

Greater Charleston Parents Interested in Education

The Common Core Assessments & Biometric Data

What Will It Look Like

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heritage Foundation: Reclaiming Education Freedom

 

Lindsey Burke of The Heritage Foundation and Joy Pullmann of The Heartland Institute

 

Please settle in, grab a cup of coffee, and listen to what these ladies have to say about this so-called state led initiative.

Common Core: Who's Involved

This is part of a series of videos released by Freedomworks, a 501 (c) 3, 501 (c) 4, and 527 non-profit organization.