God is merciful and heard the many pleas of Alabama's families on their knees in prayer. Multitudes of heads bowed down in meetings after meetings have resulted in something akin to a miracle. Governor Robert Bentley has taken a stand for the children of Alabama (please call him and thank him). Parents can opt their child(ren) out of the assessments and will not have to suffer the sit and stare policies that most state are under. Principals and Superintendents across Alabama are being informed but many have given parents a hard time and there is a Petition (see link here) that is being sent to the Governor.. For other states...write letters to your leaders if denied. The PPRA is in your student handbooks. Charlotte Iserbyt cites it as important to use. Support your Stop Common Core movement in your state by liking them on fb and getting pertinent information (Alabama's is Stop Common Core in Alabama). And most importantly remember to pray as Ben Franklin cited in his speech in the Continental Congress.."have we forgotten that powerful friend?" In Alabama, we have not...we acknowledge we have need of him. To find out why this is important--to these two eye-opening interviews: One is from Joan Landes--mental health therapist and the other is Anita Hogue who won a case using the PPRA --listen here and here .
In Alabama: here is a sample of our original Opt Out Form which now has additions, that you can change to suit you (copy and paste). Now that the Governor is behind parents, simpler letters are good. Please note in many cases parents are turned down initially as schools are not used to this new way of thinking and information has not been shared across the state properly by Ed Dept. Parents that are denied opt out have to ask the principal to contact Superintendent . If still turned down then please call Tommy Bice office at 334 242-9704 and also send email to the Education Advisor in Gov Bentley's office get email at (334) 242-7100. Same thing if there are threats that opting out of tests will affect next years advancement or getting in honors classes etc (one mom was told if kids don't take test, they can't qualify for presidential award next year because scores are factored into the award)--please call Tommy Bice office at 334 242-9704 and at same time email the Education Advisor with information so the Gov. office will see what is happening. We are hearing from many happy parents. God is good!
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232h, requires[School District]to notify and obtain consent or allow parents/guardians to opt child out of participating in certain school activities. These activities include a student survey, analysis, or evaluation that concerns one or more of the following eight areas (“protected information surveys”): 1. Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; 2. Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family; 3. Sex behavior or attitudes; 4. Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior; 5. Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships; 6. Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers; 7. Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents; or 8. Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility. This requirement also applies to the collection, disclosure or use of student information for marketing purposes (“marketing surveys”) and physical exams and screenings.
I __________________________________________do not give my consent
for_______________________________ (parent) (child) to participate in any student survey, analysis, class, evaluation or other activity pertaining to any of the above-listed eight categories, and I direct that said child be excused from any such activities including any of the following testing/assessment: ACT Explore, ACT Plan, ACT Quality Core End-of-Course Assessments, ACT WorkKeys, ACT Plus Writing Assessment, ACT Aspire, Alabama Science Assessment, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Also see checked items: ( __) Student should also be opted-out of preliminary pre-testing associated with the assessments. (___)Please notify me where my child will go during testing and if he/she will be allowed to read a book etc. (we are told that there will be no sit and stare policy for children opting out, that they will be allowed other accommodation and will not be punished, investigated or retaliated upon.) (___)My child will not take the assessments and will be kept at home during testing days.
--Abe Lincoln: "Philosophy Of Classroom In One Generation Will Be Philosophy Of Government In The Next"
Most states signed on to these Common Core Standards since Jan 2010 and to date almost all states, except ten, have a movement to repeal them. Why? Because many parents have seen in their own homes that they are poisoning the minds of America's children, besides dumbing them down and at the same time--costing the states money, they do not have. But, there are those making money and guess who they are --the developers and promoters. To top it off, they have the audacity to force taxpayers to pay for the assaults on the children. Can parents afford to play dead or trust their legislators.
It is very rare to find legislators against Common Core and therefore this election will be key to removing the poison from the states.
Here's where you know there are central planners to Common Core. You can just hear it across states.
Door #1 is the Indiana Example-when they got what they were told as Indiana's own College and Career Ready Standards-see link of result
This is an excerpt of musings on the Indiana Repeal:
Even with this new bill we have to wonder how much Indiana is surrendering control over their standards.
SB 91 originally stated that the new Indiana standards must “comply with federal standards to receive a flexibility waiver under 20 U.S.C. 7861.” Proponents believe that “college and career ready standards” means adopting Common Core or something practically identical to the Common Core State Standards in order to stay within compliance of the state’s conditional waiver.
The bill also says the standards must “Prepare Indiana students for college and career success, including the proper preparation for nationally recognized college entrance examinations such as the ACT and SAT.” While that seems good, ACT and SAT have said their tests will be aligned to the Common Core.
Also they can lead you to Door #2
Door #2--Control leadership such as Alabama's Senator Del Marsh. As Speaker Pro Tem he is able to use the same ploy as he did last year and prevent an anti-Common Core bill from being voted on. You see that repeated in many states and the Business Council's seem to be the voices heard over the people. Hmmm but God is not dead and there will be an accounting.
As the above picture clearly shows, America's foundation is being destroyed and it is happening in the classroom. The planners of Obamacare now are fully implementing Obamacore. Can we learn and not repeat lessons from Obamacare?
Let the local boards be able to choose to opt out of Common Core--that is what the Central Planners want as in reality they know whose really in charge. Teachers are afraid to speak out locally -so the truth will not be heard and that is the enemy of error.
Let's be strong and ask Sen Beason's original bill be allowed to be voted on instead of being changed to suit those that didn't want it voted on in the first place. Let's stand for what's right for a change and pray hard that these people will be convicted to follow an awesome God and His ways.
I pray they will ask themselves--what would Jesus do? Simple question but yet so full of wisdom. I hope they will do as George Washington and many others like him at the beginning of this nation, when things looked so hopeless and they felt so helpless.
That's when God shines the brightest and I believe God is looking down upon every county Superintendent, every principal, every legislator and Governor..knowing full well their relationship with Him will determine the fate of the children and their very own.
Let's remember our history and these famous words from Ben Franklin:
I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that Godgoverns in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall be become a reproach and a bye word down to future age. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest.
Upon watching this video, I pray every parent will say a prayer asking God for eyes to see where the path they are choosing will lead. Ask as David did "Is there not a cause?"
Watch this video of one of the leaders of Alabama's demeanor about parents attempts to tell what is going on-http://youtu.be/dsZmYLBKn20
Apparently Del Marsh cannot connect the dots. Can citizens please help him!
WE citizens have some basic charges upon those with the mindset of Del Marsh that promotes the Common Core Standards Initiative.
1. We know the State of Alabama signed on before standards were even published---wrong foundation and should have been illegal. Texas Superintendent Robert Scott knew that and would not sign on his state.
2. The Common Core Standards are owned by outsiders...Alabama law forbids that we fund it when we don't have absolute control.
4. Parents should be who the education system is to work for. Education System is to help the parents of Alabama's children in deciding the future of their children. The legislators are accountable to the parents not the businesses in making a "workforce".
5. The untested, unproven standards are guaranteed to harm students as 20% of each classrom has children with mental health problems and increasing the stress with these (developed without help from mental health experts etc.) will hurt the most vulnerable.
6. Even though the State Superintendent insists we are no longer under Common Core--the ESEA Flexibility Application (NCLB waiver) proves Alabama's College and Career Ready Standards include the Common Core see excerpt:
November 18, 2010, Alabama joined 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). The adoption by the Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) incorporated selected Alabama standards with those in the Common Core to create a set of internationally benchmarked college-and career-readiness standards that will prepare students for a future in the ever-expanding global environment. These standards are known as the Alabama College-and Career-Ready Standards (CCRS).
For parents that agree--please fax the above request to your Governor and legislator and ask for their help. If none given, find those who will. Our children and their future must not be put aside for electioneering!!! We need our Legislature to do their job now. Please share the truth and awaken others.
Ask each how can he trust Tommy Bice in light of the "ruse" played on parents of Alabama. Can everyone send a fax to Governor Bentley--(334) 353-0004--Kindly Ask Him To Help Get Rid Of Common Core! Each Day A Child Is Mentally Abused.
Dear Governor Bentley, Del Marsh and Mike Hubbard and other Legislators that are Pro-Common Core:
What Happens When Trust Is Lost?
What happens to the so-called friend (Governor, Legislators) that's near you and allows your children to get hurt? This is what Alabama parents and really many parents across the country are having to decide. The fate of their children lies in who will help them change the education system.
Common Core Standards, which now many people know-- take away parental authority in education. Local school boards are now just rubber stamps with someone out of state controlling the standards. State School Boards signed away that authority for federal money.
Voters are watching current state leaders which appear to be willing under the disguise of improving the future work population married with agendas--(something in the order of dear old Russia--just more techie).
And they don't blink an eye in throwing parents (and their parental authority) "under the bus."
Citizens are asking governors such as Governor Bentley in Alabama and their legislature, to let the children get out of these untested, unproven, state budget-robbing Common Core standards that are very detrimental.
Please don't ignore the parents--like Pharaoh ignoring the cries of the children of Israel. Common Core is like poison, as Prof Sandra Stotsky (invited by CC folks to validate Common Core and she said NO) said, no matter how expensive the poison supply, it must be stopped.
Thank God for all the Conferences/Discussions about Common Core--people are taking notice and truth is being unleashed. This picture is of 1-18-2014 Conference in Dotha, Al.
Why are parents so angry about Common Core?
It has taken the joy out of learning, replaced with anxiety and tears. Sooner or later the child figures out that he/she is no longer important. It is the test that's important.
It has taken the joy out of teaching as now many teachers are leaving the profession unable to bear what they see happening to the children they love.
Children are treated as guinea pigs by developers (Bill Ayers and Linda Darling Hammond for example) to see how to best influence the future mindset of our children--calling the killers of hard-working Americans on 9/11 as "Freedom Fighters". They use every method available and with today's technology--there are plenty of ways to gather data subtly or not to help develop approaches and/or means to influence.
Troubling negative mindset of the developers that they would tout the Bluest Eye as a National Example of what they consider as "good reading" for children.
Developers not heeding the warnings of Mental Health experts and therefore many of the teachings are very confusing, manipulative and destructive as it did not follow the best approach to develop the minds of children.
"Education Goldmine" has clouded the thinking of many decent people to sell out the children in lieu of perceived profits and/or power.
Most importantly, parents which used to be the most important part of education are now ignored and have no recourse for problems they are seeing with their most precious children who are living the nightmare results of the so-called rigorous Common Core standards.
In Alabama for Governor Bentley and the Legislature to leave the fate of Common Core to the leadership of Tommy Bice the Superintendent of Ed, is like watching a crime --when you have something you can do about it. Stephanie Bell and Betty Peters, our two board members proven to expose corruption, have clearly pointed out the "ruse" that was performed by Tommy Bice Nov 14, 2013 (as if we no longer were under Common Core).
Tommy Bice rescinded the Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) with the owners of CC--when he already knew there was a legal memorandum in Feb 2013 that told him the MOA was no good and that it was superseded by Alabama College and Career-Ready Standards.
However, Governor Bentley, Del Marsh, Mike Hubbard--we are still able to read and comprehend truths (something Common Core may destroy in future generations.)
And we hope you will take the time to read the definition (which contains the National Standards aka Common Core) because as more parents find out about the ruse--there will be no going back and one way or another we will with God's help set the children free.
As one mental health expert have said a generation that can think independently is free. The bottom line should not be making the best workers for companies but "freedom loving people that think independently". Surely you want that for your children as well...
See the documents links for yourself--here for MOA and here for Alabama College and Career-Ready Standards definition.
Here are to do list for those wishing to get rid of Common Core:
Ask each how can he trust Tommy Bice in light of the above info about the "ruse" he played on parents of Alabama.
Call, fax, email, write letters to governors, legislators, local and State School Boards.
Needd you to shine the light on truths--make it to be a daily task to do something to either call, fax, email one or more and preferrably make it a daily job to help melt the phone lines of these people. Too many have forgotten they are there for WE THE PEOPLE--it is time they understand.
Attend conferences that share truth as truth is so powerful it can set a nation free.
Of course please give this to God in prayer daily.
And let's do it the way George Washington did at the start of this nation--get on our knees. May an awesome-loving God, forgive us and heal our land and send like he did in the time of Moses---DELIVERANCE. As more parents see the mental health trauma of these rigorous standards--the more we will grow and Stop Common Core. May God bless you and your family.
Governor Bentley Contact info: Telephone Numbers Switchboard 334.242.7100 Fax 334.353.0004 http://governor.alabama.gov/contact/ for email Tips on contacting Senate. They are in their districts on Mon and Fridays but in Montgomery Tues-Thurs. You can call (334) 242-7800 to be transferred or call their individual numbers listed below as each Senator has a secretary that can take a message to the committee member--Tues or Thurs. If you call Wednesday--they are in committee meetings you may also call the committee clerk and give her a message. Clerk--Micheele O'Connor (334) 242-7896. Please pass on information
Tips on contacting House. They are in their districts on Mon and Fridays and in Montgomery Tues-Thurs. You can call and leave a message at (334) 242-7600 and tell who answers you would like to give a message to the committee member--this is a great way as they will get that message to the member if you are calling them on Tues or Thurs. If you call Wednesday--they are in committee meetings so call the committee clerk and give her a message. Committee Clerk: Karen Reeves (334) 242-7251
Below are contact info--some maybe changed as this is what they gave out last year: Phone Numbers and Emails of Legislators:
Senate: KAY IVEY Lieutenant Governor DEL MARSH President Pro Tempore D. PATRICK HARRIS Secretary
Senator Party District Room # Office Phone ALLEN, Gerald (R) 21 729 334-242-7889 BEASLEY, Billy (D) 28 737 334-242-7868 BEASON, Scott (R) 17 726 334-242-7794 BEDFORD, Roger (D) 6 738 334-242-7862 BLACKWELL, Slade (R) 15 733 334-242-7851 BREWBAKER, Dick (R) 25 734 334-242-7895 BUSSMAN, Paul (R) 4 729 334-242-7855 COLEMAN, Linda (D) 20 735 334-242-7864 DIAL, Gerald (R) 13 732 334-242-7874 DUNN, Priscilla (D) 19 737 334-242-7793 FIELDING, Jerry (R) 11 735 334-242-7898 FIGURES, Vivian Davis (D) 33 736 334-242-7871 GLOVER, Rusty (R) 34 721 334-242-7886 HOLLEY, Jimmy (R) 31 732 334-242-7845 HOLTZCLAW, Bill (R) 2 731 334-242-7854 IRONS, Tammy (D) 1 737 334-242-7888 KEAHEY, Marc (D) 22 738 334-242-7843 MARSH, Del (R) 12 722 334-242-7877 McGILL, Shadrack (R) 8 731 334-242-7858 ORR, Arthur (R) 3 730 334-242-7891 PITTMAN, Trip (R) 32 730 334-242-7897 REED, Greg (R) 5 734 334-242-7894 ROSS, Quinton T., Jr. (D) 26 735 334-242-7880 SANDERS, Hank (D) 23 736 334-242-7860 SANFORD, Paul (R) 7 731 334-242-7867 SCOFIELD, Clay (R) 9 731 334-242-7876 SINGLETON, Bobby (D) 24 735 334-242-7935 SMITH, Harri Anne (I) 29 740 334-242-7879 SMITHERMAN, Rodger (D) 18 737 334-242-7870 TAYLOR, Bryan (R) 30 733 334-242-7883 WAGGONER, J. T. "Jabo" (R) 16 726 334-242-7892 WARD, Cam (R) 14 719 334-242-7873 WHATLEY, Tom (R) 27 733 334-242-7865 WILLIAMS, Phil (R) 10 733 334-242-7857
______________
Phone Numbers for Alabama House of Representatives
Please note prefix for all their phone numbers is area code 334
List
Alan Baker Baldwin & Escambia staterep@co.escambia.al.us 242-7720 Mike Ball Madison mikeball@knology.net 242-7683 Jim Barton Mobile jbarton104@gmail.com 242-7662 Richard Baughn Tuscaloosa, Walker, & Winston rgbups@yahoo.com 242-7593 Paul Beckman Autauga & Elmore paulbeckmanjr@yahoo.com 242-7662 Alan Boothe Dale & Pike alan.boothe@alhouse.gov 242-7710 DuWayne Bridges Chambers & Lee dwwayne.bridges@alhouse.gov 242-7708 K.L. Brown Calhoun klbrown@cableone.net 242-1778 Mack Butler Etowah & St. Clair mack.butler@alhouse.gov 242-7446 Mac Buttram Cullman mbuttram@att.net 242-7775 Jim Carns Jefferson & Shelby jwcarns@yahoo.com 242-7600 Donnie Chesteen Geneva & Houston dchesteen@panhandle.rr.com 242-7742 Steve Clouse Dale & Houston steve.clouse@alhouse.gov 242-7717 Terri Collins Morgan terri@terricollins.org 242-7693 Randy Davis Baldwin & Mobile rmdavis14@aol.com 242-7724 Paul DeMarco Jefferson paul@pljpc.com 242-7667 Dickie Drake St. Clair & Jefferson ddrake1080@aol.com 242-7727 Allen Farley Jefferson allenfarley@bellsouth.net 242-7767 Joe Faust Baldwin jfaust@co.baldwin.al.us 242-7699 Chad Fincher Mobile chad.fincher@alhouse.gov 242-7778 Victor Gaston Mobile hvgaston04@yahoo.com 242-7664 Lynn Greer Lauderdale lynn.greer@alhouse.gov 242-7576 Micky Hammon Limestone & Morgan mickyhammon@gmail.com 242-7709 Alan Harper Pickens & Tuscaloosa salanharper@gmail.com 242-7732 Ed Henry Cullman & Morgan ed.henry@alhouse.gov 242-7736 Mike Hill Shelby mhillcolum@aol.com 242-7715 Mike Hubbard Lee mike.hubbard@alhouse.gov 242-7668 Jamie Ison Mobile isonfor101@comcast.net 242-7711 Ken Johnson Lawrence & Winston kenjohnsonrep@gmail.com 242-7754 Ron Johnson Coosa & Talladega ron.johnson@alhouse.gov 242-7777 Wayne Johnson Jackson & Madison waynejohnson259@yahoo.com 242-7492 Mike Jones, Jr. Covington & Escambia mljatty@andycable.com 242-7739 Paul Lee Houston pwlee@graceba.net 242-7675 Wes Long Marshall weslong@mclo.org 242-7511 Jay Love Montgomery jlove32376@aol.com 242-7716 Barry Mask Coosa & Elmore barry.mask@alhouse.gov 242-7782 Jim McClendon St. Clair & Shelby jimmcc@windstream.net 242-7768 Mary Sue McClurkin Jefferson & Shelby marysue.mcclurkin@alhouse.gov 242-7682 Mac McCutcheon Limsetone & Madison c.mac.mccutcheon@gmail.com 242-7705 Steve McMillan Baldwin bcld07@gmail.com 242-7723 John Merrill Tuscaloosa john@tuscaloosagop.org 242-7554 Barry Moore Coffe barry@barrymooreindustries.com 242-7773 Becky Nordgren Dekalb & Etowah clearimagesal@earthlink.net 353-9032 Jim Patterson Madison jimpattersonhd21@gmail.com 242-7531 Bill Poole Tuscaloosa poole@gpr-law.com 242-7691 Kerry Rich DeKalb & Marshall kerryrich@mclo.org 242-7538 Bill Roberts Walker broberts1229@cs.com 242-7694 Howard Sanderford Madison howard.sanderford@alhouse.gov 242-4368 David Sessions Mobile d.r.sessions@att.net 242-0947 Harry Shiver Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, & Monroe harryshiver@aol.com 242-7745 David Standridge Blount & Jefferson david.standridge@alhouse.gov 242-7475 Allen Treadaway Jefferson bsketa@aol.com 242-7685 Mark Tuggle Lee & Tallapoosa tughd81@gmail.com 242-7219 Lesley Vance Lee & Russell lesley.vance@alhousegop.gov 242-7687 Kurt Wallace Chilton & Shelby reprentativewallace@gmail.com 242-7772 April Weaver Bibb & Shleby april.weaver@alhouse.gov 242-7731 Dan Williams Limestone dan.williams@alhouse.gov 242-7741 Jack Williams Jefferson jack@jackwilliams.org 242-7779 Phil Williams Madison philhouse44@gmail.com 242-7704 Randy Wood Calhoun & St. Clair randy.wood@alhouse.gov 242-7700 Greg Wren Montgomery & Elmore repgregwren@yahoo.com 242-7764
Tommy Bice, Board of Ed Sup., lied to Alabamians as Tommy Bice passed a Resolution to get us out of Common Core through dissolution of Memorandum of Agreement when he had already received word from Legal Counsel (that MOA carried no legal obligation) was superseded by Alabama's College and Career Ready Standards.
Can the people who voted for him please let him know your children are important. Most Alabamians finding out the truth about Common Core, are tired of their children (and teachers) being abused by the Common Core planners and are ready for their legislators to get things done. Please, Mr. Jabo Waggoner wake up as Obamacore is destructive like Obamacare and more are finding out. We are tired of the children being the punching bags in lieu of someones $$$$$$$. Enough is enough.
Here's food for thought from one former County School Board Member about the Common Core:
Common Core is Rotten to the Core By: Annette Griswold
Neal McCluskey, of Cato Institute said it right when he said, “There is a revolution happening, and people probably don’t even know it. While we worry about wars, spills, bailouts, Washington has been quietly taking over our schools. Amazingly, almost no one has heard about it; and that is exactly what standardizers want. Stealth is essential for the proponents of Common Core to succeed.”
There are many reasons why the Common Core curriculum in schools is “rotten to the core.” It will cost Alabama taxpayers over $282 million just to implement not to mention additional costs each year. It takes away parental rights to their children’s education. Common Core calls for unprecedented monitoring, collection and sharing of private student and family information.
Common Core stifles teachers’ flexibility in classrooms. Teachers become “agents of change” which John Dewey, the socialist “father of modern education,” intended for public schools. This was a deliberate attempt to change history and the thought patterns of our children. Children’s personal and intimate information, that has nothing to do with academics, will be “data-mined” and shared with the federal government and private organizations without parents’ permission. They will be tracked from preschool through the workforce.
Thomas Sowell, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, had this to say about Common Core, “The new history books no longer give attention to the great men who founded this country, but include what looks bad for our country. Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States degrades our American history to a lower level than the Communist newspapers in the days of the Soviet Union. American schools today are similarly undermining American society as one unworthy of defending, either domestically or internationally.” It is sad that our president apologizes for our nation’s defense of freedom worldwide.
Bill Gates profits from Common Core because of the technology involved. Certain publishing companies who print the literature also profit from this. It is about the “love of money” not about love for our country or love for our children. Cursive writing will become a thing of the past. Children will not be able to read the original U.S. Constitution and our national Bill of Rights as both documents are written in cursive. Legal documents require cursive signatures.
Common Core literature, for high-school students, include smut books such as The Bluest Eyes, by Toni Morrison and Dreaming in Cuba, by Christina Garcia. Books such as these break down moral barriers for our youth.
So, what can we do? Become informed, involved, and in prayer. Be informed by looking up information on websites on Common Core education. David Barton, Founder and President of Wallbuilders, www.wallbuilders.com a national pro-family organization that presents America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on moral, religious and constitutional heritage, will be at Calvary Baptist Church in Dothan on January 18, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Be involved. Find out how your elected officials stand on this issue. Insist that they repeal the Common Core curriculum in Alabama schools. If they do nothing, remind them that election day is coming.
Be connected with your children’s schools. Teachers have their hands tied and need our support. Know what your children are being taught. Although we have the greatest teachers in the greatest schools in this area, we must stand in the gap for our children. They are our future. The old saying, “garbage in, garbage out’ should not apply to our children’s mind development. We must work together to make “rotten-to-the-core” Common Core “uncommon” in our local schools.
Be in prayer. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, James 5:16.
Annette Griswold, a former member of the Coffee County Board of Education
"For these Superintendent and others who say we've spent so much and we gotta continue--No! If you're feeding poison to your children, you don't want to continue using that poison on supply even if you've invested a lot of money buying it!" Per Professor Sandra Stotsky who was invited to be on the Common Core National Validation Committee.
Most of us realize children are gifts from God and the responsibility to raise them belong to parents. Unfortunately Common Core is a families worst nightmare as it takes away PARENTAL AUTHORITY. Unfortunately like Obamacare which most Americans have seen as a package of lies and destroys so many-this too is the case with Common Core. Common Core gives control of educating your children to Arne Duncan of US Dept. of Ed just like your family's healthcare is now under the control of Kathleen Sebelius and Dept. of Health and Human Services. As many are groaning of the changes in their healthcare coverage so will many families at the changes in educating the childdren. And you will find same in that Common Core was pushed on states with lies and of course fed $$.
Package of Lies:
Developers LIED!!!
Testimony from Texas Commissioner of Ed-Robert Scott --HE was urged to adopt CC before they were written. Final draft came out in June 2010 and yet these standards were already touted as tested, benchmarked and will make our kids college and career ready. (see signature of Alabama signing on in Jan 2010).
The Developers failed to heed the Science-
The Joint Statement of Early Childhood Health and Education--signed by 500 of the most prominent pediatricians, deveopmental psychologists and researchers that warned CC is developmentally inappropriate.
Standards Same For All Common Core States From ESEA Flexibility Application: On November 18, 2010, Alabama joined 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). The adoption by the Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) incorporated selected Alabama standards with those in the Common Core to create a set of internationally benchmarked college-and career-readiness standards that will prepare students for a future in the ever-expanding global environment. These standards are known as the Alabama College-and Career-Ready Standards (CCRS). http://www2.ed.gov/policy/eseaflex/al.pdf
Tommy Bice --Alabama's State Superintendent LIED!!! These are not Alabama's own standards--they are copyrighted--Alabama can only make a difference on 15% of it which will not be tested. And his Resolutionto get out of CC is "a ruse, an attempt to deceive good people and make it appear the board has done something to correct the common core disaster. In reality, the board is reaffirming its commitment to common core ....", according to a press release submitted by Board Members Stephanie Bell and Betty Peters yesterday. To support their statement, they reference a February memorandum written by the ASDOE General Counsel who stated that "the 2009 Memorandum of Agreement contains no legal obligations and has been superseded in practice at the state level by the state board of education's adoption of AL College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts."
The mindset of the developers needs to be questioned.
When they tout the Bluest Eye which many see as pornographic(I couldn't read it as it dealt with incenst, rape etc).--it is on their Common Core Website as part of a National List--they are so proud ofit they placed it there--you really need to question who are these people and what kind of a moral compass will we have specially when these standards are copyrighted and parents are out of the loop? Dr. Carla Horowitz of the Yale Child Study Center (one of the above signers of Joint Statement) says The Core standards will cause SUFFERING not learning for many, many, young children!!!!
Conclusion: The Horror Stories you hear in NY and others states is coming and for some it is already here...New York got into it earlier but here is NY experience which should move every parent to kick out Common Core!!
Testimony-From a licensed clinical social worker in New York State and have been providing psychotherapy services since 1995 appeared before their NY Assembly:
I am a licensed clinical social worker in New York State and have been providing psychotherapy services since 1995. I work with parents, teachers, and students from all socioeconomic backgrounds representing more than 20 different school districts in Suffolk County. Almost half of my caseload consists of teachers.In the summer of 2012, my elementary school teachers began to report increased anxiety over having to learn two entirely new curricula for Math and ELA. I discovered that school districts across the board were completely dismantling the current curricula and replacing them with something more scripted, emphasizing “one size fits all” and taking any imagination and innovation out of the hands of the teachers.In the fall of 2012, I started to receive an inordinate number of student referrals from several different school districts. A large number of honors students—mostly 8th graders—was streaming into my practice.The kids were self-mutilating—cutting themselves with sharp objects and burning themselves with cigarettes. My phone never stopped ringing.What was prompting this increase in self-mutilating behavior? Why now?The answer I received from every single teenager was the same. “I can’t handle the pressure. It’s too much work.”I also started to receive more calls referring elementary school students who were refusing to go to school. They said they felt “stupid” and school was “too hard.” They were throwing tantrums, begging to stay home, and upset even to the point of vomiting.I was also hearing from parents about kids bringing home homework that the parents didn’t understand and they couldn’t help their children to complete. I was alarmed to hear that in some cases there were no textbooks for the parents to peruse and they had no idea what their children were learning.My teachers were reporting a startling level of anxiety and depression. For the first time, I heard the term “Common Core” and I became awakened to a new set of standards that all schools were to adhere to—standards that we now say “set the bar so high, anyone can walk right under them.”Everyone was talking about “The Tests.” As the school year progressed and “The Tests” loomed, my patients began to report increased self-mutilating behaviors, insomnia, panic attacks, loss of appetite, depressed mood, and in one case, suicidal thoughts that resulted in a 2-week hospital stay for an adolescent.I do not know of any formal studies that connect these symptoms directly to the Common Core, but I do not think we need to sacrifice an entire generation of children just so we can find a correlation.The Common Core and high stakes testing create a hostile working environment for teachers, thus becoming a hostile learning environment for students. The level of anxiety I am seeing in teachers can only trickle down to the students. Everyone I see is describing a palpable level of tension in the schools.The Common Core standards do not account for societal problems. When I first learned about APPR and high stakes testing, my first thought was, “Who is going to rate the parents?”I see children and teenagers who are exhausted, running from activity to activity, living on fast food, then texting, using social media, and playing games well into the wee hours of the morning on school nights.We also have children taking cell phones right into the classrooms, “tweeting” and texting each other throughout the day. We have parents—yes PARENTS—who are sending their children text messages during school hours. Let’s add in the bullying and cyberbullying that torments and preoccupies millions of school children even to the point of suicide. Add to that an interminable drug problem.These are only some of the variables affecting student performance that are outside of the teachers’ control. Yet the SED holds them accountable, substituting innovation and individualism with cookie-cutter standards, believing this will fix our schools.We cannot regulate biology. Young children are simply not wired to engage in the type of critical thinking that the Common Core calls for. That would require a fully developed prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that is not fully functional until early adulthood. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for critical thinking, rational decision-making, and abstract thinking—all things the Common Core demands prematurely.We teach children to succeed then give them pre-assessments on material they have never seen and tell them it’s okay to fail. Children are not equipped to resolve the mixed message this presents.Last spring, a 6-year-old who encountered a multiplication sign on the NWEA first grade math exam asked the teacher what it was. The teacher was not allowed to help him and told him to just do his best to answer.From that point on, the student’s test performance went downhill. Not only couldn’t the student shake off the unfamiliar symbol, he also couldn’t believe his teacher wouldn’t help him.Common Core requires children to read informational texts that are owned by a handful of corporations. Lacking any filter to distinguish good information from bad, children will readily absorb whatever text is put in front of them as gospel. So, for example, when we give children a textbook that explains the second amendment in these terms: "The people have a right to keep and bear arms in a state militia," they will look no further for clarification.We are asking children to write critically, using emotionally charged language to “persuade” rather than inform. Lacking a functional prefrontal cortex, a child will tap into their limbic system, a set of primitive brain structures involved in basic human emotions, fear and anger being foremost. So when we are asking young children to use emotionally charged language, we are actually asking them to fuel their persuasiveness with fear and anger. They are not capable of the judgment required to temper this with reason and logic.So we have abandoned innovative teaching and instead “teach to the tests,” the dreaded exams that had students, parents and teachers in a complete anxiety state last spring. These tests do not measure learning—what they really measure is endurance and resilience. Only a child who can sit and focus for 90 minutes can succeed. The child who can bounce back after one grueling day of testing and do it all over again the next day has an even better chance.A recent Cornell University study revealed that students who were overly stressed while preparing for high stakes exams performed worse than students who experienced less stress during the test preparation period. Their prefrontal cortexes—the same parts of the brain that we are prematurely trying to engage in our youngsters—were under-performing.We are dealing with real people’s lives here. Allow me introduce you to some of them:…an entire third grade class that spent the rest of the day sobbing after just one testing session,…a 2nd grader who witnessed this and is now refusing to attend the 3rd grade—this 7-year-old is now being evaluated for psychotropic medication just to go to school,…a 6-year-old who came home crying because in September of the first grade, she did not know what a vertex was,…two 8-year-olds who opted out of the ELA exam and were publicly denied cookies when the teacher gave them to the rest of her third grade class,…the teacher who, under duress, felt compelled to do such a thing,…a sixth grader who once aspired to be a writer but now hates it because they “do it all day long—even in math,”…a mother who has to leave work because her child is hysterical over his math homework and his CPA grandfather doesn’t even understand it,…and countless other children who dread going to school, feel “stupid" and "like failures," and are now completely turned off to education.I will conclude by adding this thought. Our country became a superpower on the backs of men and women who studied in one-room schoolhouses.I do not think it takes a great deal of technology or corporate and government involvement for kids to succeed. We need to rethink the Common Core and the associated high stakes testing and get back to the business of educating our children in a safe, healthy, and productive manner. - Mary Calamia, LCSW, CASAC--Statement for New York State Assembly Education Forum Bentwood, New York October 10, 2013
Food for thought for those who says Obama admin had nothing to do with Common Core
Obama's plan: Obama's Sec. of Ed Arne Duncan's speech at 2009 Governors Education Symposium June 14, 2009 Cary, North Carolina...He stated the following..."But if all we do is save jobs, we will miss this opportunity – which is why we are also using this recovery money to drive reform" "There has never been this much money on the table and there may never be again" "Once new standards are set and adopted you need to create new tests that measure whether students are meeting those standards. Tonight -- I am announcing that the Obama administration will help pay for the costs of developing those tests."* "Today, perhaps for the first time, we have enough money to really make a difference."
Data Mining/Collection is such a big deal to think about. Who would want to collect tons of data on children and their families. What kind of information do they plan to get--data points? Why would they go to great lengths to data mine or collect? By the way here is a website with help for Opting-Out.
The above are just some of the questions that many parents across America are trying to figure out. We just saw the over-reach of the IRS, NSA, Obamacare and now Obamacore (Common Core). It is as if nothing is sacred or to be protected--not even our children. The more you find out the more questions you have. Specially when you see them say in their guide--Grit Tenacity and Perseverance--
"Recommendation 13: Researchers should investigate systematically the different reasons for demonstrating grit and potential benefits and costs in learning environments with different goal structures. Potential risks should be explored." (xvi)
So, why aren't we listening to experts? Computerization--research shows that it limits creativity, mind body coordination, and the human dimension of school that is so crucial to child development.
Ex. Silicon valley executives and engineers are sending their kids to schools that do not use technology in the classroom but rely on old fashioned methods because they do not believe computers and other technology enhance learning. LOS ALTOS, Calif. — The chief technology officer of eBay sends his children to a nine-classroom school here. So do employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard. They have a message: computers and schools don't mix.
Here are some links to do your own investigations on what happens with computerization:
Education is the new goldmine as a $500 Billion industry--it has been found a worthy place to invest by Bill Gates.
Here are some of the reasons for giving his grants (complete list here):
Council of Chief State School Officers (Supposed Owners of the Copyrighted Common Core)
June 2011 to support the Common Core State Standards work $9,388,911
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The Aspen Institute
January 2013 to support the Aspen Institute’s Urban Superintendents Network, develop resources to integrate Common Core State Standards and educator effectiveness policies and practices, and use lessons from the field to inform national policy $3,615,655
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Scholastic, Inc.
November 2011 to support teachers’ implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics $4,463,541
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American Federation Of Teachers Educational Foundation
June 2012 to support the AFT Innovation Fund and work on teacher development and Common Core State Standards $4,400,000
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Khan Academy Inc.
July 2011 to develop the remaining K-12 math exercises to ensure full coverage of the Common Core math standards and form a small team to implement a blended learning model $4,079,361
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Since it is such a goldmine it is not hard to find others partnering in the goldrush with Gates such as Rupert Murdoch's News Corp's Amplify Education division that develop the database system. They then turn it over to inBloom a non-profit to operate and control the information.
The 2009 Stimulus $$
But if all we do is save jobs, we will miss this opportunity – which is why we are also using this recovery money to drive reform in four core areas. It starts with robust data systems that track student achievement and teacher effectiveness ...(Arne Duncan's speech here is a must read.)
We need to do a much better job of tracking students from Pre-K through college. Teachers need this data to better target instruction to students. Principals need to know which teachers are producing the biggest gains and which may need more help.
We also need to track teachers back to their colleges of education so we can challenge teacher-training programs to raise the bar.
There's a lot of money available in the Recovery Act to help improve our data systems and I want to work with you to put the very best technology at the service of education...
"There has never been this much money on the table and there may never be again"
"Once new standards are set and adopted you need to create new tests that measure whether students are meeting those standards. Tonight -- I am announcing that the Obama administration will help pay for the costs of developing those tests."*
"Today, perhaps for the first time, we have enough money to really make a difference."
So Here They Go With The Data System:
Start the State Longitudinal Data Systems--Feds prohibited legally from gathering student specific data for a "national database", the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) "Stimulus Bill" -- gave money to the states to develop longitudinal data systems to catalog data generated by Common Core aligned tests.
Race to the Top Application--made states comply when this administration used data system development as the key criteria for awarding additional K-12 funds through RTT.
Changing FERPA-- to allow almost anyone access to student record without parental consent.
Where are our legislators on the FERPA changes?--One commenter (see page 7) stated that ARRA was merely an appropriations law and did not suggest any shift in Congressional intent regarding FERPA’s privacy protections, information sharing, or the disclosure of student education records, generally. Great point--please ask your legislator to look into this!!!
The Common Core tests gather student-specific data to be stored by the states in the longitudinal data systems designed to track a student from pre-school through college. This is a must read as to what they may gather.
-An Experiment on America's Children--"Recommendation 13: Researchers should investigate systematically the different reasons for demonstrating grit and potential benefits and costs in learning environments with different goal structures. Potential risks should be explored." (xvi)
Read Emmett McGroarty's (American Principles Project) warning on Dec. 2011:--As of Jan. 3, 2012, interstate and intergovernmental access to your child’s personal information will be practically unlimited. The federal government will have a de facto nationwide database of supposedly confidential student information.
The department says this won’t happen. If the states choose to link their data systems, it says, that’s their business, but “the federal government would not play a role” in operating the resulting megadatabase.
This denial is, to say the least, disingenuous. The department would have access to the data systems of each of the 50 states and would be allowed to share that data with anyone it chooses, as long as it uses the right language to justify the disclosure.
And just as the department used the promise of federal money to coerce the states into developing these systems, it would almost certainly do the same to make them link their systems. The result would be a nationwide student database, whether or not it’s “operated” from an office in Washington.
The loosening of student-privacy protection would greatly increase the risks of unauthorized disclosure of personal data. Even the authorized disclosure would be limited only by the imaginations of federal bureaucrats. "
The future looks too much like Orwell's 1984--let's stop it now and it involves YOU. Hear a Mother's concern about data:
Here's food for thought from Mrs. Lisa Harris--follow it and it will amaze you at what each state is being forced to buy into:
ATTENTION ALABAMA PARENTS BE IN MONTGOMERY TOMORROW IF YOU CAN. THIS IS IMPORTANT INFO!!! This link is to a public statement by MARY SCOTT HUNTER, ALSDE board member in her support of the resolution to be voted on tomorrow regarding student data and privacy.
This resolution is a smoke screen and DOES NOT PROTECT STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
I have broken the resolution down by category and inserted the facts as they apply. This resolution actually confirms the collection and sharing of student data, but because most individuals do not know the legal information, it appears solid.
First, let me say that prior to the release of the Common Core Standards, ALL 50 states agreed to set up SLDS, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems to collect data and share with the federal government because it is illegal for the Feds to do this themselves. The Obama administration has called for over 400 points of data to be collected on families, very personal information.
THE RESOLUTION begins by stating that ALSDE fully complies with the requirements of FERPA, the federal law which is supposed to protect family privacy in education settings. HOWEVER, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION GUTTED THE LAW IN DECEMBER OF 2011. On January 3, 2012, changes went into effect that allowed for the collection of student data by third parties and that those parties retain ownership of that data and may share it or SELL IT at their discretion.
The Resolution is broken down in categories.
DATA COLLECTION PROCESS This states that ALSDE does not collect data. It is collected at the local level. Of course, that is the direct access to the student, academic records, registration for standards tests, etc. HOWEVER, the resolution goes on to state that this data is reported daily to ALSDE and the USDOE. The resolution claims that students are given an individual unique student identifier and no information is shared that is personally identifiable. This is false on two levels. First IT experts state that because of cross data collection from various sources, including multiple government agencies such as USDOE, HHS, Dept. of labor, USDA, and the IRS, that this unique identifier can within a matter of seconds IDENTIFY the child and family. Secondly, there are many situations where the child's data is collected which requires specific personal information to be collected by name, social security number, etc.
DATA CATEGORIES This is where ALSDE claims that information is only shared using unique student identifiers. Well, because the categories of the types of information shared is so specific, the cross collection easily allows for the breakdown of data privacy here. There are numerous requirements by the Feds and categories by which they collect data. Computer programs have the ability to almost instantaneously sort and match information to be able to isolate individual students.
Data is collected at the federal level from schools to meet requirements of many different federal programs, such as the federal law governing education, ESEA, No Child Left Behind, The ESEA waiver to NCLB, Special Education, Title 1, and various sources of federal funding just to mention a few.
DATA SECURITY IT experts say that even the best security can be easily hacked. But, the information is so easily accessible, hacking is not really necessary.
EXTERNAL DATA REQUESTS ALSDE states that it will give out data to outside entities based on certain criteria and in adherence to FERPA. As I have already stated, FERPA has become basically worthless. So, the criteria is usually loosely categorized as "for educational purposes". That could be surveys by Google or Microsoft (Bill Gates), Textbook companies, testing companies, colleges and universities, etc.
THIRD PART DATA USE The resolution states that data collected will be shared with third parties (who can and will further share it) based on executed agreements and Memorandums of Understanding by third parties (Common Core was adopted in Alabama due to a Memorandum of Understanding). These executed agreements are such as those with ACT, Inc., the company that will provide the Common Core aligned assessments for AL. It is stated in their privacy agreement that they can and will collect student data at their discretion and share it as they see fit. Registration for these tests requires inputting personally identifiable student information,
Furthermore, ACT assessments include components that by a computerized test collect information to be scored using artificial intelligence through psychosocial behavioral assessments to make diagnoses of students' psychological attributes. These components include the ACT Engage component of ACT Aspire, ACT PLAN, and WORKKEYS.
LOCAL SCHOOL/SYSTEM COMPLIANCE As previously stated local data is shared daily with the state. Alabama collects student data with programs from STI of Mobile, AL. The academic and personal information is collected using their INow program which identifies students by name, photo, and other personal family information. In 2010, AL added a medical component called HealthNOW or InformationHealthNow. This can be accessed by school and medical personnel and retains as a part of the record medical information, disciplinary records, mental health records, legal and criminal records.
Additionally, as a part of COMMON CORE data collection, there are data exchange systems being put into place to collect data and share it across states and regions. In the Southeast to include Alabama is SEEDS, the SE data exchange system. To access student data through SEEDS, one has to enter the child's name, age(grade level) and state. A list of students with those shared details appears. So, not only is one specific student accessed but a list of them having common information.
In early 2012, The Quality Data Campaign identified Alabama as having all required components in place for the SLDS.
So, with these facts how much privacy protection do you think this resolution offers? Be at that meeting in Montgomery at the ALSDE board meeting and let your voice be heard.
Friday, April 25, 2014 at 03:04PM 
