Warning: the info provided about common core may be nauseating.

"The Common Core State Standards Initiative was supposedly developed with one goal in mind: to strengthen the United States’ global competitive advantage by rigorously educating the next generation." Let's see how they plan to fulfill that.

vs.

Student task before Common Core	Student task with Common Core

Students retell the main events (e.g., beginning, middle, end) of Frog and Toad Together, and identify the characters and the setting of the story.	Students compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of Frog and Toad in Frog and Toad Together, and participate in collaborative conversations about their comparisons.

Comparing and Contrasting isn't bad. But if this the central curriculum, this curtails limited critical assessment as opposed to reading, retelling and answering questions. Comparing and Contrast is something that can be done as research for a book review or an assignment or for answering questions. Not as a primary curriculum or standard. This may help them compare apples and oranges, black and white, or choosing between democrats and republicans (there's no difference btw, see: democratic-republic) come election time maybe? But this doesn't encourage questioning or in depth understanding I'm afraid.

Old Expectation	New Expectation
Who is telling the story in Charlotte’s Web? How does Wilbur feel towards Charlotte at the end of the story? How do you know?	What is your point of view about Wilbur? How is it different from Fern’s point of view about Wilbur? How is it different from the narrator’s point of view?
The old expectation requires students to state that the narrator is telling the story, and give one example to show that Wilbur loves Charlotte. In order to be successful in this task, the student only has to give an example that shows that Wilbur loves Charlotte. He doesn’t have to understand why Wilbur loves Charlotte. This example could be as simple as Wilbur telling Charlotte that he loves her.	The new expectation requires students to understand and explain that characters see the “world” differently. The reader learns about Wilbur and Charlotte and Fern from the narrator, but also learns about each character by what they say to each other, and how they act in certain situations. In order to be successful in this task, the student has to have listened to the teacher and engaged in the rich classroom discussion that occurs after each chapter has been read. He has to think about why Fern sees Wilbur in a different way than the Narrator does, and explain that.

The questions on the left are basic critical assessment one needs to know. The who, the what, the where, when, why & how. The 'progressive' fluff on the right panders to leftist ideologies of 'fairness', and the special consideration of how someone feels before all else, that encourages political correctness.

We're already seeing political correctness become 'law'.

Please take the time to read these carefully it's fairly long.

Grades 2-3 Text Sample before Common Core	Grades 2-3 Common Core Text Expectations
July 16, 1969. Cape Kennedy, Florida. A huge white rocket towers against the blue sky. It is thirty-six stories high. It weighs over six million pounds. It is called the Saturn V. It is the biggest, most powerful rocket ever built. Today it is going to make the dream of centuries come true. It will send three men where no human being has ever been before. To the moon! A few miles away almost a million people crowd the highways and beaches. Small boats full of excited people dot the ocean. They have all come to see the launch. People are not allowed any closer. The gander of an explosion is too great. Around the planet millions more people are watching their television screens. Everyone wants to share in the longest, most incredible voyage in history. As launch time approaches, three astronauts in gleaming white spacesuits walk toward the huge rocket. Their names are Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The men get into an elevator. They ride up to the top of the launch tower. There, at the very tip of the rocket, a spacecraft is waiting. It is called Apollo 11.	High above there is the Moon, cold and quiet, no air, no life, but glowing in the sky. Here below there are three men who close themselves in special clothes, who—click—lock hands in heavy gloves, who—click—lock heads in large round helmets. It is summer here in Florida, hot, and near the sea. But now these men are dressed for colder, stranger places. They walk with stiff and awkward steps in suits not made for Earth. They have studied and practiced and trained, and said good-bye to family and friends. If all goes well, they will be gone for one week, gone where no one has been. Their two small spaceships are Columbia and Eagle. They sit atop the rocket that will raise them into space, a monster of a machine: It stands thirty stories, it weighs six million pounds, a tower full of fuel and fire and valves and pipes and engines, too big to believe, but built to fly—the mighty, massive Saturn V. The astronauts squeeze in to Columbia’s sideways seats, lying on their backs, facing toward the sky—Neil Armstrong on the left, Michael Collins in the right, Buzz Aldrin in the middle. Click and they fasten straps. Click and the hatch is sealed. There they wait, while the Saturn hums beneath them. Near the rocket, in Launch Control, and far away in Houston, in Mission Control, there are numbers, screens, and charts, ways of watching and checking every piece of the rocket and ships, the fuel, the valves, the pipes, the engines, the beats of the astronauts’ hearts. As the countdown closes, each man watching is asked the question: GO/NO GO? And each man answers back: “GO.” “GO.” “GO.” Apollo 11 is GO for launch.
*In this passage, the text is organized in the order the events happened. It is straightforward and easy to understand. The sentences are short and simple, and state the facts in a concrete fashion. The purpose of the text is clear: to describe the setting of the Apollo 11 launch.	*In this passage, the organization of the text is generally in the order the events happened, but connects some events in a less obvious manner. The sentences are longer and include some challenging constructions. The purpose of the text is implied, but not too difficult to identify based upon the context: to describe the setting of the Apollo 11 launch.

Not only is the text more challenging, the task presented to students after reading such a passage is more difficult too.

Grades 2-3 Student Task before Common Core	Grade 2-3 Common Core Student Task
What was the spacecraft called?	What is the author trying to convey when he says, “these men are dressed for colder, stranger places. They walk with stiff and awkward steps…”? Use information from the text to explain your answer.
Why were people across the planet watching their television screens?	What makes this voyage an important event in history? Use information from the text to explain your answer.
Who were the three astronauts on the spacecraft?

The tasks on the left are factual and easy for anyone to understand. The tasks on the right sounds like something that stepped straight out of a science-fiction one would read in his/her spare time for a book club to present his or her own review. How does common core expect high competitiveness with that liberal, debauchery of our education system. What if no one wants to be a rocket scientists, Common Core. Your scientific lack-luster words won't suddenly make every student want to be scientists, engineers or professors to learn more of this stuff. (Which by the way all three professions tend to be liberal leaning in college standards.) Should I remind you this is for grades 2-3.

This is the overall turn-out

COMPARISON OF TWO TYPES OF EDUCATION: Type #1 (Traditional) vs. Type #2 (CSCOPE & Common Core)

Nov 4, 2013 by Henry W. Burke EducationViews Contributor

Description	Type #1 Traditional Classical Learning	Type #2 CSCOPE and Common Core Standards Progressive, Radical Social Justice Agenda

Instruction	Direct instruction by teacher	Self-directed learning, group-think Emphasis on: Subjectivity, feelings, emotions, beliefs, multiculturalism, political correctness, social engineering, globalism, evolution, sexual freedom, contraceptives, environmental extremism, global warming and climate change, victimization, diversity, acceptance of homosexuality as normal, redistribution of wealth De-emphasis on: Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution, national sovereignty, Founding Fathers, American exceptionalism

Curriculum	Academic, fact-based, skills, research	Social concerns, project-based, constructivism, subjective, uses unproven fads and theories

Teacher’s Role	Authority figure; sets the plan for the class; academic instruction	Facilitator

Student’s Role	Learn from teacher; focus on factual learning, develop foundation skills for logical and analytical reasoning, independent thinking	Students teach each other; focus on feelings, emotions, opinions; group-think

English, Language Arts, Reading (ELAR)	Phonics; classical literature; cursive handwriting; grammar; usage; correct spelling; expository, persuasive, research writing	*Whole language, balanced literacy, Guided Reading; no cursive writing instruction so cannot read primary documents of Founding Fathers*

Mathematics	“Drill and Skill,” four math functions learned to automaticity	Fuzzy math, rejects drill and memorization of math facts, dependent on calculators

Social Studies	Focus on American heritage and exceptionalism, national sovereignty, Founding documents	Diversity, multiculturalism, globalization, revisionist history, political correctness

Character Development	Pro-faith, self-control, personal responsibility, self-discipline, solid work ethic	Secular, moral relativism, anti-faith, victimization

Equality	Equal opportunities	Equal outcomes

Assessment	Students evaluated by earned grades, objective tests	Inflated grades, subjective assessments evaluated based upon value system of grader, group grades

Outcomes	Objective tests (right-or-wrong answers), emphasis on academic skills and knowledge	Subjective assessments; emphasis on holistic, “feel good” scoring

We need more teachers to stand up and stop being afraid of this virus that is common core. Just as teachers unions stood up against having to pay more than 1% of their money to their pensions and have NEA pay millions just to throw Governor Walker out of office. Soon we won't have teachers and education degrees anymore, we would have an influx of teachers and students getting an administration degree.

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http://excelined.org/common-core-toolkit/old-standards-v-common-core-a-side-by-side-comparison-of-english-language-arts-2/
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/sarahjeanseman/2014/09/02/the-case-against-common-core-n1885963