Just what is wrong with Common Core in Vermont?

What's wrong in Vermont CCSS is also what's wrong in any of the CCSS states connected to Smarter Balanced Constortia.  These are standards/assessments produced by private trade organizations and financially supported by the DOEd.

What happens with common core standards in Vermont happens in Missouri since we are states in the Smarter Balanced Consortia.

Susan Ohanian writes about the future of Vermont public education.  As you read it, just insert Missouri in place of Vermont and you will have a good picture of what Missouri's future education will look like.  If your state is one of the remaining states in Smarter Balanced, this is your educational future as well.  From vtdigger.org and Putting a test on computer doesn't make it up-to-date:

The press release published in VTDigger (Oct. 23) by the Vermont Department of Education makes me weep. I shed tears for what the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has in store for Vermont children. Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca says, “These sample items will provide Vermont teachers with an early look into the rigor and complexity students will see on the Smarter Balanced assessments.”

Looking at the sample items for English Language Arts/Literacy, I’m reminded of that old Wendy’s ad, “Where’s the beef?”

Rigor and complexity? No. Mind-numbing drill on material that research shows is useless? Yes.

Read more here.

The ironic point is you, as a taxpayer into your local district, have little control about whether your district uses these mind-numbing drills.  It's consortia driven so your state educational agency can't direct the assessments to a meaningful degree either.  Short of taking your child out of the public school and either private schooling/home schooling options, what can a parent do to make sure their child receives the education he/she needs?  Ohanian has a suggestion:

If you want your young child to develop savvy about how words work, buy her lots of “genre” riddle books — books such as those written by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg: Creepy Riddles, Spooky Riddles, Turkey Riddles, Fishy Riddles, Piggy Riddles, and so on.

Parents, it's time to become the educational advocates your child needs to become an independent thinker and responsible for his/her own life decisions.  The "free market" privatization of education with taxpayer dollars with no taxpayer input isn't going to provide the education your child needs.  The "free market" and governmental agencies will provide an education to supply a managed workforce, but as for learning academics in a meaningful way (and learning  how to use them for life skills) and applying them to a self-directed life, that's just not the goal.  It's not going to happen.  It's up to parents to either supplement or pull their kids out of this system. It's not for the kids in the least. 

Ohanian has extensive links on what's wrong with the common core here.