SPEAKOUT (471-6636)

Common Core not mandatory

I don't understand why our school administrators are continuing to choose to use Common Core in Sikeston. I thought at first that this school district was forced to use Common Core curriculum and materials because the state education department was making them. But that is not true. Sikeston School District is voluntarily choosing to rewrite all the curriculum to conform to Common Core, as well as to use Common Core materials. It is not mandated by anyone that our district do this. Common Core is failing here and everywhere, and it's going to continue to get worse. The MAP scores in Sikeston are some of the worse in this area. This district did away with the remedial program in grades five through eight, even though 20-30 percent of the kids in our district are proficient in reading and math. We need to go back to what works. And that is allowing our teachers to be teachers. And please don't say they are allowed to teach what they want. I, along with countless others, know this is not true. Parents and citizens in this community don't want Common Core here. I'm more and more convinced every day that we are heading in the wrong direction in Sikeston. How much more data and evidence do our administrators need from countless other states who say this is failing? I'm frustrated and so are many, many other parents. This issue needs to be addressed. We have got to stop our administration from using Common Core in this district because we are failing our kids.