Warriors, we are faced with all kinds of count-downs lately. Thirty-eight days until election; so many days until a new President; count-downs until our holidays, and more.
However, regardless of ALL this counting, day in/day out, our teachers, students, and families are receiving the stinging bites of the busy bee-like CCSS Machine members/groups.
It’s enough to drive us mad. I hope we are not only mad, but as aggressive in fighting back, as the CCSS Machine is cranking out their bitter poison.
As you know, NC is where my home is for now. If you’ve followed my blog long, you know the amount of CCSS Machine alignment bred here.
As far as the picture above, that’s NC’s official state insect. As bee colonies go, there’s always a queen.
Here in NC, her name is Dr. June Atkinson. She’s our State Superintendent (probably counting down the days until she hopes to be re-elected for the umpteenth time) AND the President of the CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers). As you well know CCSSO has made no bones about their devotion to the CCSS Machine.
Now that our nation faces a count-down to August 2017 (When all 50 States MUST have ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) implemented), what else is in the NC CCSS apiary?
Part One:
Honey, It’s a Beehive of Deception in NC:
Recently, I was contacted by a very concerned grandparent (Grandma J) who lives west of me in Caldwell County, NC. Her concern? A conversation she had with 3 school board candidates (running for office in Nov. 2016). According to Grandma, all 3 told her that there was absolutely no Common Core in Caldwell, or in NC as a state, for that matter. That Common Core was gone. Grandma’s a Warrior, she’s invited me up to her neck of the woods several times to reveal what my anti CCSS research has found for NC, as well as our nation.
Grandma J also shared that these candidates (up for re-election) do not get to see the curriculum for their county; that they are sent papers to sign (aka: rubber stamp), told pretty much what to do, but NOT get to be a truly LOCAL Board. Well, we can thank Dr. Atkinson for that, but we’d also have to thank legislators. In the screen shot below, look at why I would say this.
Hhmmm…I’m flashing back to a 2014 NC School Board meeting in Cabarrus County (southeast of me). When I revealed credible evidence about the number of assessments truly embedded in what NC schools use, I was called a ‘lunatic’. When I challenged the school board member, what I got was ‘we do what we’re told. If Raleigh says ‘jump’, we jump. We don’t ask ‘where’, we just do it. They do tell us how to jump.’
As being a mighty Warrior, Grandma J has once again called me and asked for help. Grandma J, this is for you to share with them.
Since this one NC County (there are 100 in all) has it mandated to follow all federal and state regulations NOT in the current NC (Common Core) Essential State Standards, guess what this means?
That every piece of legislation already connected to NCLB, RttT, Common Core State Standards, College/Career Readiness, STEM, Career Tech Education, dual enrollment, early College Promise, AP classess, learn-to-earn apprenticeships, on-line virtual public NC Schools is LOCKED in! ESSA will only INCREASE the lock-down! WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) is also not only already in place in Caldwell County, NC, but nation-wide! WIOA’s embedded in ESSA.
If you’ve traveled anywhere in NC (or in your State) and seen “One Stop Job Centers”, WIOA’s in your town and Common Core/Career Tech, including STEM are in your schools.
This screen shot reveals some eye opening evidence that the ‘NC educational sweet spin’ isn’t telling you the whole truth,
I’ve written PLENTY about how sold out to the CCSS Machine, AdvancED is. You are free to search my blog for the articles, there are that many.
However, let me share with you, an excerpt from their 2013-2014 Annual Report, “AdvancED combines the knowledge and expertise of a research institute, the skills of a management consulting firm and the passion of a grassroots movement for educational change. While our expertise is grounded in more than one hundred years of experience accrediting schools, AdvancED is much more than an accrediting agency. Our goal isn’t to certify that schools are good enough. Rather, our commitment is to help schools improve.”
To see their entire CCSS Machine ‘driven expertise’:
http://www.advanc-ed.org/sites/default/files/documents/AE-AnnualReport2013-14.pdf
Considering the screen shot above and the fact AdvancED is SO devoted to the CCSS Machine that they’ve got ESSA alignment plans going, I fail to see how great this is for NC..or any other State! I wrote extensively about AdvancED, ESSA, and the US:
https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/06/06/blenders-ready/
For Those Who Are Convinced NC Is Now ‘Common Core Free’:
1) NC DPI where CCSS is plainly stated and is currently in use state-wide:
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/
2) NC State Ed Policies for ‘Global ready’, which is connected to the CCSS Machine:
http://sbepolicy.dpi.state.nc.us/policies/GCS-L-004.asp?pri=01&cat=L&pol=004&acr=GCS /
3) NC DRAFT (literacy), CCSS aligned:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/sbe-archives/meetings/2012/05/gcs/05gcs01attach01.pdf
4) NC’s Wikispaces where you’ll see CCSS and Essential Standards. (ES has been passed off as the ‘no CCSS’ in NC)
http://www.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/
So there you go, Grandma J, lots to help your local school board see the truth!
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Part Two:
NC ‘Bred’, Nation Fed:
These websites will show you how MORE NC bee-stinging, CCSS Machine alignment is going on. If you’d like to see my vast array of articles on other NC CCSS joint efforts, please search the blog.
1) Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Studies Inc. This NC organization (TUCASI) has been around since 1975. It’s basically a large park with lots of space for UNC (University of NC), Wake Forest University, and Duke University to combine their efforts for ‘research’. Sadly, every one of these has long since sold out to Common Core in some way. They have no plans, it appears of slowing down.
Since Common Core came to town, TUCASI been busy as a bee aligning all it can. For example, our National Humanities Institute is located here.
Sponsors of this Institute (when you go the website, it states “National Humanities Center”) include some very big CCSS Machine members, including the National Endowment of the Humanities. I exposed the Endowment back in 2015. See: https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/04/12/rmt-national-humanity-common-core-style/ (*Note: the National Endowment for the Arts has also sold out, but is not NC specific.)
To see the list of CCSS Machine sponsors: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/who-we-are/
To see the other research projects of TUCASI: http://www.rtp.org/tucasi/
2) Located in Carrboro, NC is the Advanced Learning Partnerships,
http://www.advancedpartnerships.com/
This group likes to call themselves ALP. They also love to spread their models for educational innovation for K-Higher Ed nation-wide. Leading them is Amos Fodchuk. He’s got a Masters degree and is a “veteran of the high school classroom, Amos is a National Board Certified Teacher (VA, 2006), a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of over 20 awards for educational excellence and innovation. His range of experience in the development and implementation of innovative, strategic learning models currently supports education partnerships across 25 states.”
You’ll find personalized learning, blended learning, data measuring, and SO much more:
http://www.advancedpartnerships.com/services
If you’ve heard of Districts of Innovation, ALP is into it; if you’ve heard about “ClassTalk” or “Innovators PIE”, ALP is leading it. While I couldn’t find specific partners, I did see Dell Computers joined ALP for ‘blended learning’ in Georgia. See: http://www.advancedpartnerships.com/read-me/
The LIFT Initiative in WA has ALP all over it:
Closing:
Warriors, I hope that regardless of where you live, you can use this information. Grandma J’s got every right to not only be concerned, but seeking help to inform others. Remember, there are some fantastic folks in our school systems. Folks are not our target, the CCSS Machine IS! If you’ve got a fantastic school system member in trouble, you help them; you don’t attack them.
Between my eye opening article about the ICANN’s ties to the CCSS Machine/global angenda to this article, you’ve got plenty of digital/technology stuff to fill Pooh Bear’s Honey Pot several times over. BUT, there’s more. Just released late yesterday (10/3), was the announcement about several internet giants creating a new AI (Artificial Intelligence) Council. Their focus will include education/social justice/technology. Google is among them. Here’s a short video:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqZeTtxw9V4&w=560&h=315]
Article announcing the Council:
http://readwrite.com/2016/09/29/key-players-create-a-non-profit-ai-alliance-pl1/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=RWW&utm_content=Key+tech+players+create+non-profit+AI+alliance
Common Core aligned standards are in every state in America. When your state or local school district tells you Common Core is gone be careful. Common Core is a NAME and nothing more than a name. So a state can get rid of the name and in essence honestly say they got rid of Common Core. BUT did they get rid of the Common Core aligned standards? No they did not and they cannot. ESSA mandates College and Career ready standards to be approved by the US Dept. of Education. College and Career are buzz words for Common Core aligned. If they are not aligned with Common Core standards the feds will not approve the state standards and that puts funding in jeopardy. So as was planned………the states will stay on board with Common Core aligned standards for fear of creating a truly good set of standards but that do not meet the dumbed down expectation of the Common Core agenda.