\doc\web\index\curric.htm Curriculum Standards Home | Top of Index | Contents

Arthur Hu's Index of Education

(c) Arthur Hu please cite when using data from here arthurhu @ hufamily.com (no space)

Contents


What's normal?
Yes - traditional standards
No - higher standards (reform)
--------------
Kindergarten
Yes
most enter not knowing A-Z 1-10    

No
All must be able to write stories
Tell rectangle from hexagon from parallelogram

4th Grade
Yes
most add, multiply 1-2 digit numbers 

No
solve statistics, probabilty
and ratio problems

8th Grade
10th Grade


Curriculum


What should be learned at each grade level? Some books, districts,
and states have defined their "standards" of what should be taught,
when.  


@@Achieve

Home 
www.achieve.org

Search standards database:
http://www.achieve.org/achieve/achievestart.nsf/Search?OpenForm

The goal is to survey all the different state standards. Now that the
cat has gotten out of Tuckers bag of starting out with national
standards, it appears the idea is to let the states pilot their
standards first, and then tie them together into a national standard
he and his friends can control.

ACHIEVE STANDARDS: GOVERNMENT BY GOVERNOR AND CEO
\clip\99\15\achieve.txt Richmond Times-Dispatch Wednesday, January
22, 1997 Collective Guvs and CEOs Make Education Policy by Ukase By
Robert Holland look at Achieve's board of directors: Governors Tommy
Thompson of Wisconsin (co-chair), Bob Miller of Nevada, Roy Romer of
Colorado, John Engler of Michigan, George Voinovich of Ohio, and
James Hunt of North Carolina; and CEOs Louis Gerstner of IBM
(co-chair), John Pepper of Procter & Gamble, Robert Allen of AT&T,
John Clendenin of BellSouth, George Fisher of Eastman Kodak, and
Frank Shrontz of Boeing. If that cast looks familar to summit-goers,
it should: This was the summit's planning committee, now enshrined to
do the work of the summit.  Under our federal system, we the people
elect governors as the chief executives of our sovereign states. But
we seem to be getting more than we bargained for -- governors acting
as a collective entity to make national policy.

-------------------------------------------------------

Ravitch is on board of Achieve

\clip\99\16\achmath.txt www.achieve.org Achieve and Ten States Form
Partnership Tying Middle School Math Teaching and Testing to Common,
Internationally Challenging Standards New Materials, Training, and
Exam Based on Third International Math & Science Study Will Add More
Algebra, Geometry to States' Offerings


Achieve is headed by Marc Tucker affliated 
people.

From: SandyElliot  The standards are written
by the Regional Laboratories according to a document I found scouring
for Julanne's information yesterday.  And Achieve IS Tucker's and
Boeing's/Shronz.  I just need to dig that back out again to show you
the letterhead.

National Clearinghouse
will enable searching standards of many states by task.

@@Addison Wesley


Addison Wesley Math Grade 4 (c)
1991. John Dossey was an advisor.

Elementary School Mathematics Addison
Wesley 1964 Grade 4-6 Eichholz Based on the "new mathematics",
discourages teachers from teaching formulas before children have
explored their own ways to measure area = height x width, average =
sum / number.  No probability at any grade level.


@@Afrocentrism

Afrocentric 7th Grade Humani

in Berekeley. Islam helped advance women???

@@Age

%%4

Child Profile Washington Dept of Health
Many children can do most of these things
- jump, hop on one foot, stand on one leg
- cut paper with scissors
- six piece puzzle
- catch a large ball
- button a shirt
- draw recognizable pictures?
- say name, age, phone number?
- talk about something 2 days ago
? Henry couldn't do this at 4, but could type his name on 
computer

%%5
- put on his own clothes
- draw a person with head, body, arms, legs
- recognize letters of alphabet
- make up stories with dolls or toy animals
- knows own address and phone number (you gotta be kidding..)

@@America Reads

http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/arc-pubs.html
Checkpoints for Progress in Reading and Writing for Families and Communities 

K - understand stories being read aloud, alphabet, very simple words
     writes name, scribbles
G3 - read children's books, understands main themes.
     correct and edits as neccesary, spelling correct
G6 - fiction and nonfiction, magazines, newspapers, plot
     edit work to final draft, use dictionary. spelling, grammar

@@Arizona

\doc\web\98\09\azstand.htm Arizona Standards

@@Baltimore Curriculum Project

http://www.cstone.net/~bcp/BCPIntro2.htm
Lesson plans

4th grade 
- art european medieval religious art, stained glass
- science connect batteries in series and parallel, voltage, current, short 
circuit, fuse
- science heart, heart rate, muscle

@@Bellevue

\clip\98\07\bellcur.txt Copyright © 1997 Horvitz Newspapers Inc.
1/7/98 Bellevue revamping curriculum Students in middle school could
create 7-year program Molly O'Connor Eastside Journal Reporter "Under
the new curriculum, students would also find themselves placed in
classes by ability level, sometimes known as `` tracking.''  "

http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/curr_012198.html
\clip\98\03\midfast.txt "Middle schools go fast-track" Seattle Times
Jan 21, 1998 Mike Lindblom New curriculum encourages foreign language
starting in 6th grade (spanish, french in all, some Chinese, some
Japanese, German to be dropped), algebra at 8th grade.


@@Benedict School 
Curriculum guide with mayan counting system
and scientists of all races
http://www.ben.esu6.k12.ne.us/ben/curr.html
http://www.ben.esu6.k12.ne.us/ben/science.html

@@Boulder Valley Co

http://bvsd.k12.co.us/curriculum

@@British Columbia
British
Columbia K-7 Curriculum Standards (Less than WA 4th grade
assessment - inexactly probability vs. compute exact ratio)

@@California

California 1998 Math framework (rigorous)
http://www.cde.ca.gov/cilbranch/eltdiv/mathfw.htm
\clip\98\02\camath\camath.htm

California Challenge Standards Based Reform Initiative
http://www.cde.ca.gov/challenge/
G4: \clipim\98\11\challenge\g4.htm


http://www.rahul.net/dehnbase/hold/platinum-standards/ Alternative
Mathematics Content Standards for grades K-12 Submitted by Bill
Evers, Commissioner September 15, 1997. Parents challenge "reform
math" plan for K12 math.

@@Catholic
Our Lady of Peace
\clip\97\26\lady.txt

@@College

z42\clipim\2000\05\12\mathquiz.efx 6-7th grade level math
test given to computer science students in community college,
only 50% rose about 75% "pass" level. Graphing, percent,
apply formula.


@@Colorado

http://www.cde.state.co.us/asindex.htm
\clipim\98\11\comath.pdf Math

@@Connecticut Mastery Test Objectives

Mastery Test Objectives



@@Core Knowledge

I know it's better to know more than less, but I think these guys 
are going way overboard compared to traditional grade level work.

Core Knowledge Home Page (Hirsch)
I have been homeschooling my two kids for 6 years and I was thrilled
to find the Core Knowledge books "What Your K-6 Grader Needs to
Know".  

Core Knowledge
Sequence

Actual Lessons

Maybe this is too much for 1st graders?
1st grade - know the solar system. Name the 13 colonies. 
The students will cite why the development of writing (Cuneiform) and written laws
 (The Code of Hammurabi) was important to the development of early civilization. 
 G. The students will locate and distinguish between Upper and Lower Egypt. 
 H. The students will explain the Unification of Egypt. 
Barbara Fortsch
Core Knowledge Foundation


@@Dance

I'm sorry if I don't get it, but this is completely nuts.

Wisconsin Standards for Dance
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/standards/pdf/dance.pdf
\clip\99\14\dance.pdf

By the end of grade 4 students will:
A.4.1 Recognize and explore space, time, and force as the three
elements of dance
A.4.2 Define and maintain personal space and move safely in groups
throughout the general space
A.4.3 Demonstrate eight basic foot locomotor movements (walk, run,
hop, jump, leap, gallop, slide, and skip)
A.4.4 Demonstrate and combine nonlocomotor/axial movements (such as
bend, twist, rotate, stretch, or swing)
A.4.5 Explore forms of locomotion using other bases of support (such
as roll, crawl, cartwheel, or slide)
A.4.6 Combine various locomotor forms with directional changes (such
as forward, backward, sidewards, diagonal, or turn)
A.4.7 Create shapes through movement and move at low, medium, and
high levels
A.4.8 Demonstrate movements using various pathways (such as straight,
curved, zig-zag, twisted, or turning) on the ground and in the air
A.4.9 Demonstrate rhythmic awareness by moving to a musical beat and
responding to changes in tempo


@@Delaware

Delaware New Directions
http://www.dpi.state.de.us/content.html

@@Florida

Sunshine State Standards
http://www.firn.edu/doe/curric/prek12/frame2.htm


@@Fordham Foundation

Fordham Foundation

From:             "Mike McKeown" 
FORDHAM REPORT:
Volume 2, Number 3
March 1998
 "State Mathematics Standards"
 by Ralph A. Raimi and Lawrence S. Braden

< http://www.edexcellence.net/standards/math.html >

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation commissioned evalutations of state
mathematics standards.  The evaluations can be found in the .PDF file
available at the address above.

In all, the standards from 46 states plus the District of Columbia and Japan
were examined.   The the grades were

A  3
B   9
C   7
D  12
F  16 

This report is particularly notable in that the newly adopted
California Mathematics Standards received the highest, and highest
possible, rating: A. (Washington State rates an F, Oregon D) The
table is found on page 32 in the acrobat viewer, which you'll have to
have installed on your computer after you download the file.

"If teachers and textbooks can be found to carry it through properly,
this Standards outlines a program that is intellectually coherent and
as practical for non-scientific citizens as for the future engineer.
Whatever of 'real world' application school mathematics can have, is
found here, set upon a solid basis of necessary understanding and
skill. " (p 26, col 1)

The report explicitly blasts standards like the NTCM which opposes
memorization or even teaching of long division, and red flags several
false doctrines common to the new new math, such as problem solving
before basic skills.

Excerpt from Alaska and California


http://www.edweek.org/ew/current/31stand.h17 \clip\98\08\statstan.txt
An 'A' or a 'D': State Rankings Differ Widely By Lynn Olson The way
the American Federation of Teachers figures it, Michigan earns a C
for the quality of its math and English standards. [intermediate] By
the Council for Basic Education's reckoning, the grade rises to a
B-plus. [favors easy academics, progressive values] But on the Thomas
B. Fordham Foundation's report card, Michigan plummets to an F.
[favors tough academic, spurns progressive values like "relate to
everyday life", performance based tests]

\clip\98\08\fordstan.txt http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-17/27math.h17
3/18/98 Education Week Reviewers Disappointed in States' Mathematics
and Science Standards By Millicent Lawton [Fordham Foundation] The
standards states are setting for student performance in math and
science are disappointingly low, a pair of studies say, and are, for
the most part, unlikely to boost U.S.  students' achievement. [spurns
NTCM approach]


@@Grade 1

Don Crawford 2001 says: they should be able to read primer text at a
rate of 60 words per minute, solve addition facts at a rate of 40
problems per minute, spell 3 and 4 letter regular words as well as a
few of the most common words, and so on.  Such goals are achievable
through direct and explicit phonics-based instruction in first grade. 

Chicago Board of Education
By the end of first grade, students should be able to:
Re-tell content of text read to them.
Identify the main idea of text read independently.
\clip\99\12\chic.txt http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/skul23.html
Chicago Sun More kids must go to summer school June 23, 1999 BY
ROSALIND ROSSI AND FRAN SPIELMAN STAFF REPORTERS 

1ST GRADE -
READ 15 MIN PER DAY
ALPHABETIZE LIST OF 9 WORDS
WRITE COMPLETE SENTENCES
WRITE ANY SPOKEN WORD
SUMS OVER 11-20
\DOC\WEB\98\08\hi1st.txt
(This is my son's combined 1/2 class)

Peter G1- who is author what is title of book

Money - 2 digit sum with carry and
no instruction

From: Tanya Sharon  One of the exit skills for
first grade here is to produce and market a product. We (the first
grade teachers) have decided to hold a sale late in April to raise
money for a field trip and will use this opportunity to complete this
exit skill activity. 

Can you spell estivation? Frog
life cycle AG Bell kirkland



@@Grade 2

%%Math

Core curriculum
\doc\web\98\09\math2d.txt
http://www.trinity.edu/departments/education/TCKC/2math97.htm
2nd Grade geometry
describing shapes by attributes
(looks like mostly G3 and G4 level,  this is a thematic 
curriculum)

-measuring perimeter in inches; area in square inches 
-identifying solid figures: sphere, cube, pyramid, cone, cylinder, rectangular prism, hemisphere
-associate solid figures with planar shape: sphere (circle) etc.
-make congruent shapes and designs
-identifying lines as horizontal; vertical; perpendicular; parallel
-naming lines and line segments (line AB: segment CD)
-identifying a line of symmetry

%%Sample

AG Bell 2000
"Quotation marks"
reading response - 4 sentences tell about an experience you had like
one of the characters in the story
Question mark
adjective
character/concept web
pan- means chaos = pandemoneum
contractions can't
suffix -ed -ing
prefix pre- dis- pregame disobey
story sequence chart begin middle end
vocabulary
perseverance
regroup
Venn diagram - what tortoise was diff, same as hare
 (this was a reading exercise!)
numeral
million
Guess and check: 63 cents of pennies, nickels and dimes
  same dimes as pennies, 3 more nickels than dimes
  how many
(algebra problem!)
science guess length cm, mass gm, hardness penny nail fingernail

http://www.arthurhu.com/images/2000/15/18/lobster.efx
z42\clipim\2000\05\12\lobster.efx - reading passages
Rather complex report on lobsters for a 2nd grader! Female lobsters
do not take care of the newly hatched larvae.

@@Grade 6

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING.
zip36\clipim\99\08\17\french6.pdf
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/699frchrev.pdf
We Have the Baker, the Baker's Wife, and the Bakers Son.  We Shall
Have Bread. The French Revolution, 1789 Grade Level: Grade 6
Presented by: Patricia Gray and Jeanne Federle, Sharonville
Elementary, Cincinnati, OH The French Revolution will explore the
extravagance of the absolute monarchs, Louis XIV, XV, and the XVI,
that gave rise to a major financial crisis for the French government. 
[more unbelievably high standards...]

@@Hillsdale

MORE STANDARDS FROM HELL.
Hillsdale academy 7th grade
Put the following in chronological order:
Julius Caesar        Nero            Marcus Aurelius
Diocletian            Constantine    Pompey        Augustus
1. Of the rulers mentioned above, who was the best? Why? Who was the
worst? Give specific examples to support your answer.
2. DEFINE: a) Pax Romana    b) Papyrus    c) Oratory    d) Huns


@@History

Chinese Americans
not VA
CA (state history)

Columbus
CA
not VA

Communism
CA
VA

Franklin, Ben
CA
VA (as scientist)

Hitler
CA
not VA

Holocaust
VA
CA

Irish
CA
not VA

Japanese American Internment
CA
not VA

King Martin Luther
CA
VA

Lincoln
CA
not VA

Malcolm X
not CA
not VA

Martin Luther
not CA
VA

Mao Tse Tung
CA
VA

Mayas
not CA
VA

Karl Marx
not CA
VA

Mussolini
CA
not VA

Napoleon
CA
not VA

Nazi
VA

Slavery
CA
VA

Stalin
CA
not VA

Washington, Booker T
CA
VA

Washington, George
CA
VA


%%California

http://www.cde.ca.gov/board/historya.html
zip36\clip\99\15\historya.htm
GRADE 10 WORLD HISTORY, CULTURE, AND GEOGRAPHY: THE MODERN WORLD
4.how the ideology of the French Revolution led France to develop
from constitutional monarchy to democratic despotism to the
Napoleonic empire 
No Karl Marx

%%Virginia

Virginia standards
zip36\clip\99\15\history.htm
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/go/Sols/history.html
9th grade makes no mention of Napoleon but lists Edict of Nantes
Joan Masters thinks it's completely
nuts to cover this much stuff in one year.

Teaching resources
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/go/VDOE/Instruction/wmstds/history.shtml

@@Holt Rheinart Textbook

Holt, Rheinhart and Wilson 1970
Exploring Elementary Mathematics. Probability introduced at the 5th
grade, has mode, median, and mean at 5th grade.

@@Illinois

Illinois 4th grade curriculum 1997
 Ill curr. 1897 fourth grade.part1
Illinois 4th grade curriculum part 2
 Illinois 5th grade curriculum 

%%Science

ILLINOIS STANDARDS DON'T HAVE ANY CONTENT WORDS
\doc\web\99\05\illsci.txt
The official Illinois standards for science are online at:

        http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/lscience.html

or download the PDF version at:

        http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/science.pdf

@@Japan

Japan has a national standardized curriculum, but does not set
specific skills

A Study of Three Cultures: Germany, Japan, and the United States An
Overview of the TIMSS Case Study Project
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kste9803.htm
\clip\98\08\timss\timss.htm Phi Delta Kappan Magazine March 1998
Japanese do not set exact content standards for each grade except for
Chinese characters.

TRANSLATIONS OF JAPANESE TEXT BOOKS
Available are English translations of Japanese math texts: "Japanese
Grade 7 (8 or 9) Mathematics" from 

UCSMP
5835 S. Kimbark
Chicago, IL  60637
(773) 702-1130
ucsmp@cicero.uchicago.edu


From:             ucsmp@uchicago.edu
Date sent:        Mon, 9 Mar 1998 15:05:56 -0600
To:               arthurhu @ hufamily.com (no space)
Subject:          Re: Japananse math texts

Mr. Hu:

Yes, we do have translations of Japanese texts.  Grades 7, 8, and 9 are
$19.00 each and are available from our office.  If you would like to order
any of these, please send a check or money order made payable to the
University of Chicago and a letter specifying which texts you would like.

Other UCSMP translations of Japanese texts which are available through the 
                            American Mathematical Society are:
        Mathematics 1: Japanese Grade 10
        Mathematics 2: Japanese Grade 11
        Algebra and Geometry: Japanese Grade 11
        Basic Analysis: Japanese Grade 11
You can get information about ordering these texts by contacting the AMS
directly at (800) 556-7774.

If you would like more in-depth information about the content of any of
these textbooks, please email me your postal address and I can mail you an
order form which includes content headings.


@@Kentucky

Kentucky Core Content for Asssessment


@@Kindergarten

Traditional kindergarten was an introduction to school, and
structured play not academics.

Now with the call for reform and "higher standards" some
kindergarteners are expected to know how to read, pick out the author
from the title and table of contents, write letters and stories, and
read sheet music rests and eighth notes, abaa patterns, know
trapezoids from parallelograms.

What Kindergarteners can actually do based on surveys:
98%  K recognize numbers shapes spring
94%  K count to 10 US
94%  K pick out shapes US
88%  K Understand relative sizes spring
84%  K write own name
78%  K count to 20 US
66%  K know abcs age 5 US
57%  4yr know most letters
<50% K Utah know letters, words
37%  3yr count to 20
27%  3yr recognize most or all letters
22%  3yr write own name
18%  K add subtract spring
 4%  K add subtract start


Newswire Parent Child June 2002 p. 6
Natl Center for Ed Statistics study 20,000 children, 8,000
teachers

What kinbsergarteners can do start / spring
Add Subtract     4 / 18
Sequencing      23 / 58
Relative sizes  58 / 88
Recog Num Shape 94 / 98
(approx from chart)

%%Advanced

KINDERGARTEN FROM HELL NOW STANDARD IN CA
z40\clipim\2000\03\27\kinder\kinder.htm
http://www.ocregister.com/education/kind026w.shtml
Kindergarten is no longer kids' play 
EDUCATION: State standards have students learning math and reading. 
March 26, 2000  
Story by MARIA SACCHETTI 
The Orange County Register en class
expecting finger painting, nap time and alphabet letters. Instead,
she got computers, geometry and writing in journals.  "I was
stunned," said Vitarelli, a kindergarten teacher for the past four
years at Eastshore Elementary in Irvine.
Following are some questions kindergartners face at Eastshore Elementary School:
• 1. Show a clock face at 3 o'clock. Do you recognize the time to the
hour?
• 2. Give the child three different colored blocks such as red, blue
and yellow. Show six different ways to arrange them from top to
bottom.
• 3. Can you recognize the sounds in this word? What is the vowel?
Hat (h/a/t)

CA-K NEED TO SPOT TABLE OF CONTENTS, AUTHOR, WRITE ABOUT EXPERIENCES
z50\priv\2001\07\cakind.txt
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000056812jul11.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dcalifornia
July 11, 2001 Legislation Seeking Compulsory Kindergarten Faces
Budget Obstacle Jul 11, 2001 MARTHA GROVES, TIMES EDUCATION WRITER
Kindergarten is no longer child's play.  By the end of their
kindergarten year, California pupils are now expected to be able to
locate a book's title, table of contents, author and illustrator.
They are expected to be able to write about experiences and people,
recognize when an estimate is reasonable and use information to make
a graph. But kindergarten is not required.


%%Average

Don Crawford says: all kindergarteners ought to finish the year being
able to name and write all the letters of the alphabet, know the
sounds of most of the consonants, be able to read a few CVC words, be
able to write their name, be able to count by wrote to 20, recognize
and write the numbers to ten, count objects to ten, recognize and
name a few basic geometric shapes, etc.

www.educationnews.org 2/9/2000 Salt Lake Tribune Pupils Not Primed to
Read BY KATHERINE KAPOS SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Most Utah children enter
kindergarten unable to identify letters, recognize alphabet sounds or
grasp the concept of a word -- and many graduate nine months later
without having learned those skills.  Two new reports show many
kindergartners lack these basic reading fundamentals and underscore
the need for better teacher training, Utah State Office of Education
officials say. The results also point out the need for more parental
involvement.  

z39\clip\2000\02\kinder.txt
94% OF KINDERGARTENERS COUNT TO 10, KNOW SHAPES Published Friday,
February 18, 2000 Contra Costa Times Government to track 22,000 tots
The six-year [ed department] study will try to determine how best to
help poor youngsters catch up to their classmates
Nearly all, 94 percent, can count to 10 and pick out shapes when they
start kindergarten. Two in three know their ABC's. 

KIDS ENTER SCHOOL WITH ACADEMIC GAP
z48\clip\2001\03\kindskil.txt
http://washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44324-2001Mar8?language=printer
Poorer Children Least Ready for School By Manuel Perez-Rivas
Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 9, 2001; Page B01 The
achievement gap that vexes Montgomery County schools begins even
before students start kindergarten One-third of the children living
in poverty -- and more than half of those with limited English skills
-- could recognize no more than 11 capital or lower-case letters of
the alphabet, the county report found. By contrast, only one in 10 of
all other students scored at such a low level.


%%Lake Washington 

z39\clipim\2000\01\31\kmusic.efx Quarter notes, eigth notes and
quarter rests in Kindergarten????
(this was written out in notation!)
q = quarter note r = quarter rest e = eighth note
1) qqqq 2) qqqr 3) (wrong) qrqrq right is qrqr
4) qqrr 4) qqeeq
I just dug this up from old papers from last year, I thought quarter rests were crazy in first grade but KINDERGARTEN?? I kid 
you not, this is what my kindergartender brought back home last
year. He got 1 wrong out of five, they were expected to write quarter
notes (dark ball with line) eighth notes (dark ball, one flag) and 
quarter rests (funny z's)

Anybody else get this insanity??

Linda half day Kinder has 2nd grade
level reading, no pictures, open response comprehension questions
require searching 9 sentences. Ratio. AAB patterns

Peter Share Sheet 20 looks like 
2nd grade reading level to be read "with fair fluency"

Peter's impossible homework assignment

%%Reading

IS AGE FOUR TOO EARLY TO START READING FUNDAMENTALS
http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000859662412044&rtmo=qss9bLp9&atmo=YYYYYYYp&pg=/et/99/6/23/nrrr23.html
\clip\99\12\read4.txt Electronic Telegraph ISSUE 1489 Wednesday 23
June 1999 Four-year-olds 'are not too young to be taught three Rs' By
Liz Lightfoot, Education Correspondent FEARS that children are being
harmed by being taught to read and count too early were dismissed by
school inspectors and the Government yesterday.  Ofsted had found no
evidence that four-year-olds in primary school reception classes were
being damaged emotionally or educationally, ...  "[opponents] have
pointed to high educational standards in several European countries
where children attend kindergartens and do not start school until the
age of six or seven."

Comment - how about Lake Washington experiment where all
kindergarteners get 45 min reading homework and phonics flashcards
every night and 80% read at 80th percentile or better by end of year?

%%Russia

Traditional Russians start school at age 7, now starting at 5 or 6
as in the west.

%%Seattle 

2000 Standards include
- tell parallelogram from a trapezoid
- write stories and letters
- write a page of gibberish about the number of cats next to a house

%%Skills

ONLY 7% OF TEACHERS VS 59% OF PARENTS BELIEVE COUNT TO 20 ESSENTIAL FOR PRE-K
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/93257.html October 1995 READINESS FOR
KINDERGARTEN: PARENT AND TEACHER BELIEFS For a free single copy of
this report, contact The National Data Resource Center either at
ndrc@pcci.com or by phone at (703) 845-3151. Refer to publication
number: NCES 93-257 
\DOC\WEB\2000\03\kindbel.htm

TABLE 1.--PERCENTAGE OF PRESCHOOLERS' PARENTS AND PUBLIC SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS WHO RATE SELECTED CHILD CHARACTERISTICS AS "ESSENTIAL" OR "VERY IMPORTANT" TO BEING READY TO START KINDERGARTEN: 1993 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                |    Preschoolers'      |    Kindergarten
                                |      parents          |      teachers
Child characteristic            |----------------------------------------------
                                |  Estimate |  Standard |  Estimate |  Standard
                                |           |    error  |           |    error
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated number (thousands)....|   8,441   |    44     |    119    |    19
Communicates needs, wants, and  |           |           |           |
  thoughts verbally.............|    92%    |   0.5%    |    84%    |   1.1%
Takes turns and shares..........|    92     |   0.5     |    56     |   1.4
Is enthusiastic and curious in  |           |           |           |
  approaching new activities....|    84     |   0.7     |    76     |   1.7
Sits still and pays attention...|    80     |   0.9     |    42     |   1.1
Is able to use pencils or paint |           |           |           |
  brushes.......................|    65     |   1.0     |    21     |   1.3
Can count to 20 or more.........|    59     |   0.9     |     7     |   0.8
Knows the letters of the        |           |           |           |
  alphabet......................|    58     |   0.8     |    10     |   0.8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE:  The unit of analysis in the NHES:  93 is the child.  The base for the
percentages is the number of preschoolers, not the number of parents.  The FRSS
is based on an independent sample of public school kindergarten teachers.

SOURCE:  U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics, FRSS Kindergarten Teacher Survey of Student Readiness and National
Household Education Survey (parents), spring 1993.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS Statistical Analysis Report February 2000 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 1998- 99,...
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000070.pdf - size 391.5K 
As children enter kindergarten for the first time, 66 percent pass
reading proficiency level one (recognizing their letters); 29 percent
pass level two (beginning sounds); 17 percent pass level three
(ending sounds); 2 percent pass level four (sight words); and 1
percent pass level five (words in context) (table 5).

When they enter kindergarten, 94 percent of first-time kindergartners
pass mathematics proficiency level one (reading numerals, recognizing
shapes and counting to 10); 58 percent pass level two (reading
numerals, counting beyond 10, sequencing patterns and using
nonstandard units of length to compare objects); 20 percent pass
level three (number sequence, reading two digit numerals,
identification of the ordinal position of an object and solving a
word problem); 4 percent pass level four (includes calculating sums
up to 10 and relationships of numbers in sequence); and under 1
percent pass level five (problemsolving using multiplication and
division and number patterns) (table 6).

page 35
Table 2.—Mean reading t-scores of first-time kindergartners, and
percentage distribution of quartile scores, by child and family
characteristics: Fall 1998

Characteristic
Mean
t-score
0-25
percent
26-50
percent
51-75
percent
76-100
percent
Total 50 25 25 25 25
Child's sex
Male 49 29 25 24 22
Female 51 21 25 26 28
Child's age at entry
Born Jan. – Aug. 1992 53 15 25 26 34
Born Sep. – Dec. 1992 52 19 22 27 32
Born Jan. – Apr. 1993 51 24 24 25 27
Born May – Aug. 1993 48 30 27 23 20
Born Sep. – Dec. 1993 47 33 28 23 16
Mother's education
Less than high school 43 52 26 16 6
High school diploma or equivalent 48 32 28 24 16
Some college, including vocational/technical 51 21 27 26 26
Bachelor’s degree or higher 56 8 18 28 46
Family type
Single mother 47 36 29 21 14
Single father 48 31 31 22 16
Two parent 51 22 24 26 28
Welfare receipt
Utilized AFDC 44 49 27 16 8
Never utilized AFDC 50 22 25 26 27
Primary language spoken in home
Non-English 46 44 22 18 16
English 50 25 25 25 25
Child's race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 52 18 24 28 30
Black, non-Hispanic 47 34 30 21 15
Asian 55 13 24 24 39
Hispanic 46 42 24 19 15
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander 48 33 28 17 22
American Indian/Alaska Native 42 57 23 11 9
More than one race, non-Hispanic 49 31 23 23 23

Child’s race/ethnicity by maternal education
Maternal education:
High school diploma/equivalent or more
White, non-Hispanic   53 16 24 29 31
Black, non-Hispanic   48 30 30 22 18
Asian                 56 11 21 25 43
Hispanic              48 35 24 22 19
Maternal education:
Less than high school diploma or equivalent
White, non-Hispanic   45 43 28 21 8
Black, non-Hispanic   43 52 28 16 4
Asian                 48 28 41 19 12
Hispanic              41 64 22 10 4

NOTE: Estimates based on first-time kindergartners who were assessed
in English (approximately 19 percent of Asian children and
approximately 30 percent of Hispanic children were not assessed).
Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.  SOURCE: U.S.
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99,
Fall 1998.


p. 36
math scores
Table 3.—Mean mathematics t-scores of first-time kindergartners, and percentage distribution of quartile scores, by
child and family characteristics: Fall 1998

Ranked by % in top 25%
Child's race/ethnicity           To q1 q2 q3 q4
Asian                            54 13 25 24 38  1.2
White, non-Hispanic              52 18 23 27 32  1.0 
More than one race, non-Hispanic 49 31 24 25 20 -1.6
Hispanic                         47 40 26 20 14 -2.2
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander 47 34 27 27 12 -2.6
Black, non-Hispanic              46 39 30 21 10 -3.2 
American Indian/Alaska Native    43 50 26 15  9 -3.5

Characteristic
Mean
t-score
0-25
percent
26-50
percent
51-75
percent
76-100
percent
Total 50 25 25 25 25
Child's sex
Male 50 26 24 24 26
Female 50 24 26 26 24
Child's age at entry
Born Jan. – Aug. 1992 55 13 18 23 46
Born Sep. – Dec. 1992 53 17 22 26 35
Born Jan. – Apr. 1993 51 22 26 26 26
Born May – Aug. 1993 48 32 27 24 17
Born Sep. – Dec. 1993 46 41 27 20 12
Mother's education
Less than high school 43 53 25 15 7
High school diploma or equivalent 48 32 28 23 17
Some college, including vocational/technical 51 21 27 28 24
Bachelor’s degree or higher 56 18 18 19 45
Family type
Single mother 46 37 28 21 14
Single father 48 31 29 19 21
Two parent 51 21 24 26 29
Welfare receipt
Utilized AFDC 44 50 27 16 7
Never utilized AFDC 51 22 25 26 27
Primary language spoken in home
Non-English 47 38 26 19 17
English 50 25 25 25 25


Child’s race/ethnicity by maternal education
Maternal education:
High school diploma/equivalent or more
White, non-Hispanic 53 16 23 28 33
Black, non-Hispanic 47 36 30 22 12
Asian 55 12 24 23 41
Hispanic 48 32 27 24 17
Maternal education:
Less than high school diploma or equivalent
White, non-Hispanic 45 45 25 19 11
Black, non-Hispanic 42 56 27 13 4
Asian 50 18 36 28 18
Hispanic 42 60 24 11 5
NOTE: Estimates based on first-time kindergartners who were assessed in English (approximately 19 percent of Asian children and
approximately 30 percent of Hispanic children were not assessed). Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of
1998–99, Fall 1998.

KINDERGARTEN FROM PLAY TO ACADEMIC BOOT CAMP 
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed293630.html
ED293630 87 The Shifting Kindergarten Curriculum.
Author: Egertson, Harriet A.	
The shift from play- and group adjustment-oriented settings to
kindergarten classrooms characterized by direct teaching of discrete
skills and specific expectations for achievement is being reinforced
by recent calls for reform of public education (Elksind, 1986).
Many preschools and child care centers try to teach content
identified by kindergarten teachers as prerequisite to kindergarten
success. It is not uncommon now to find child care and preschool
settings in which children spend prolonged periods sitting at tables
trying to complete pencil and paper tasks which would be
inappropriate even for substantially older children. 

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed291514.html
ED291514 87 Readiness for Kindergarten. ERIC Digest.
Author: Nurss, Joanne R.
Kindergarten was usually a half-day program whose curriculum and
activities were separate from the rest of the school, and whose
purpose was to prepare the child for first grade. Now kindergarten is
an integral part of the elementary school's curriculum and the focus
has shifted from social to cognitive or academic (Nurss and Hodges,
1982). 


%%Writing


Kindergarteners are now expected to write sentences independently.


AG Bell 1999 kirkland
write sentences with flah cards
teacher writes for student

Holy Family Kirkland March 2000
Hall: Kindergarten writers
I like to play jump rope
I like to play soccer
I like to play with my cousin's dog
I like to play baseball


@@Laboratory Science

"Sun sets, and brains expand" Seattle Times Sept 28, 1998 p. B3 Mike
Lindblom 90% of Issaquah School District high schoolers take
laboratory science. Nationally, 24 percent of 1994 graduates studied
physics, 2.4 percent reached advanced-placement physics according to
the National Center for Education Statistics


@@Lafayette Parish School Board Standards Links
http://www.lft.k12.la.us/sites/pdev/standards.htm
\clip\97\25\lafay.htm


@@Logo

By age 2, most toddlers can ask by brand name, they learn 200 brands
/ logos by grade 1 - James McNeal Author The Kids Market (Paramount)
scholastic Parent and Child June Aug 2002

@@Los Angeles

Los Angeles
vs. CA math standards
\clip\98\09\lausdstd.htm Sample - La makes no mention of triangle, CA has triangles
at every grade.

@@Louisiana

Louisiana Contents Standards

@@Massachusetts

Standards
http://www.doe.mass.edu/edreform/standards/
parent thinks they are a joke

Frameworks
http://www.doe.mass.edu/doedocs/frameworks/

Really awful fuzzy math standards:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/doedocs/frameworks/Mathtoc.html

@@McRel Standards Database

http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/

@@Minneapolis

http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/currstandards.html


@@Minnesota


The High Standards define what students should know and be able to do. 
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/highstandards.htm#math

%%bad

Minnesota "High" Standards omits
multiplication and division almost completely, only introduces
addition at grade 4.

number sense
K-3   counting
K-3   place value
G4-5  addition (normally 1st grade)
G4-5  multiplication 1 digit (normally 2/3rd grade)
G4-5  simple fractions
G6-8  fractions
G6-8  exponents
G6-8  prime numbers
G6-8  factors
G6-8  scientific notation
G6-8  ratio
G6-8  proportion
G6-8  percent
G6-8  transform algebraic expressions
High  triginometry

*** NOT EXPECTED OF MINNESOTA STUDENTS ***
NA    multiplication multiple digit
NA    division, any digits
NA    square roots 

TEACHER SAYS LANGUAGE STANDARDS ARE EVEN WORSE
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 98 15:36:51 -060 Hey!  I'm a Minnesota person - a
teacher, even - and I can't make head nor tail of any of it.  Our
school had been involved with these "high" standards for 5 years now,
and all it does is get worse.  If you think the math standards are
bad, take a look at the Read Write Listen stuff - it's incredible.
And it's the LAW.  Mary Olson


@@Music

AG Bell start instruments 4th grade, participate in orchestra
starting after 1st year on instrument, 1st graders learn what a
quarter rest is.

Federal Way 2nd grade 
sing so do mi la, orchestrate orf instruments in 2 
First piano lesson more on 
accelerated music.

Nebraska 1940s
To teach all children to sing and to love music
To teach the child to read simple music at sight.


@@National


National Science Education Standards

@@Modern Red Schoolhouse

http://www.mrsh.org/pub2.html $10 for standards document


List of state science frameworks

@@NAEP

NAEP Mathematics
Framework clip/97/25/naep/mathcont.html Skills to be assessesd by
grade level.  Says you should not assess conversions even within the
same system in the 4th grade, let alone between systems.

@@NCTM

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Curriculum and
Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989.

@@Nebraska

http://nde4.nde.state.ne.us/IPS/Issu/mathSTAND.html
\clip\98\19\nvmath.htm

Nebraska math standards from
1940s. Decimal math left for middle school, now introduced at grade
4/5. Ratio at grade 8 now introduced grade 5 or 6 (or kindergarten!)


@@Nevada

"essential if students are to become successful citizens, life-long
learners, and competitive workers in a global market place."

Math
\clip\98\19\nvmath.htm
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/interim/nonlegcom/academicstandards/Misc/Standards/Math.htm

Language Arts
\clip\98\19\nvlang.htm
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/interim/nonlegcom/academicstandards/Misc/Standards/ELA.htm

Comment - very detailed and ambitious, includes memorization of
addition / subtraction / multiplication tables to 12 x 12.


@@New Jersey

New Jersey Mathematics Curriculum Framework
http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/nj_math_coalition/framework.html


@@New Standards

ALL SHOULD BE ABLE TO DESIGN, BUILD ELECTRIC CAR Tucker Coxxing
Standards for our schools - like the 4th frade bikr trailer project,
there is a high school level project to design and build an
environmentally correct electric car with no plans and donated motor
and batteries. This is absurd, not even MIT students are required to
construct a device this complex as a class project, where do you find
an automotive enginner to design such aa thing?  Student claims to
already be an expert in shop. Clearly a fantasy, not "standard
setting" example of what all should klink Kansas, once upon a time: The
following is from a note by one Avis Carlson, recalling the
eigth-grade "final exam" she had to pass in order to graduate from
her (one-room) rural Kansas grade school, ca. 1910.  "Recently I ran
into the questions which qualified me for my eigth grade diploma.
The questions on that examination in that primitive, one-room school,
taught be a person who had never attended a high school, positively
daze me. The orthography quiz asked us to spell 20 words, including
"abbreviated," "obscene," "elucidation," "assassination," and
"animosity." ... Two of arithmetics ten questions asked us to find
the interest on an 8 percent note for $900 running for two years, two
months, six days; also to reduce three pecks, five quarts, one pint
to bushels.


@@Pennsylvania
PA district has very low math
expectations The school district where my children attend school
is Cumberland Valley School District in Mechanicsburg, PA.  This
district is supposed to be one of the best in the area.  Gloria
Hoffman

@@Peninsula Gig Harbor WA

http://www.peninsula.wednet.edu/purple.htm#12345

@@PUMAS

Based on United States national content guidelines, the entire
subject matter of K-12 mathematics and science has been divided into
broad curriculum areas, called Science and Math "Standards."

file: \clip\99\02\mathskill.htm
http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov/math_skills.html
http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov/SC_std_search.html


@@Reading Standards

\clip\99\10\edclip01.txt Los Angeles Times Sunday, March 21, 1999
READING BY 9 What Your Child Should Know and When 

@@Renton 

http://www.renton.wednet.edu/doi/default.htm#Mathematics
Still has traditional high school math series:
but adopted Quest 2000 fuzzy math for K-5
                           Mathematics
                      Elementary Mathematics K-5
                     Middle School Mathematics 6-8
                           Algebra 1,2s,3,4s
                          Algebra 1a1b.2a2b
                         Applied Mathematics
                           Basic Geometry
                             Calculus 1,2
                        Computer Programming
                         Consumer Education 
                         Consumer Mathematics
                            Geometry 1,2
                        Intermediate Algebra 3,4
                     Math Analysis / Trigonometry 1,2
                        Math Foundations 1,2,3,4
                          Math Maintenance 1
WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT 1


@@Russia

z41\clipim\2000\04\28\russ\russ.htm
http://www-personal.uiowa.edu/~wharte/rustext.html
Translation of 6th grade russian text about circles, PI

558.  Draw angles measuring 35º and 80º such that their vertices are
the same and they have a common side.  Provide two examples.
559.  On a 6th-grade math test 25% of the class earned an A, 35% a B,
30% a C, and 10% a D.  Draw a bar graph depicting the grade
distribution.
560.  Calculate:
1) 0.75 ÷ 5/6 + 2.5 · 2/5 - 1 ÷ 11/9
2) ((45/12 - 313/24) · 4/7 + 110/17 (31/18 - 27/12)) ÷ 31/3
561.  The famous Greek mathematician Archimedes determined that
310/71< p < 31/7. Compare the circumference of a circle using 310/71
and 31/7 as p if the circle's radius is 497 cm..

From: ucsmp@uchicago.edu we also publish a series of Russian
translations for grades 1-3 (our grades 2-4).  >> You can get
information about ordering these texts by contacting the AMS >>
directly at (800) 556-7774.

\clip\98\04\euclid.txt Los Angeles Times Friday, February 6, 1998 A
PLEA IN DEFENSE OF EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY Math education: Fewer classes
require proofs--more whittling away of exposure to logic and critical
thinking.  By BARRY SIMON Russian 5th grade = us middle school.

Russian programmer told me algebra is in middle school and calculus
towards start of high school.


@@Physical Education

Incredibly detailed PE standards for grade 3 and 4

z52\doc\web\2001\09\grade4.txt
z52\clipim\2001\09\24\grade4.gif
4th Grade Level Physical Education Skills
Juggle 2 beanbags in one hand or 3 scarves
Dribble and pass puck with control
Shoot to 7-8 ft basket

z52\doc\web\2001\09\grade3.txt
z52\clipim\2001\09\24\grade3.gif
3rd Grade Level Physical Education Skills
Denying space, defensive "ready position" frog stands, tripods


@@Physics
Maine expects 8th graders to know
Newton's 3 laws of motion.

CA: PERIODIC TABLE = 3RD GRADE??  \clip\98\14\scica.txt Subject:
[k-12science] Columinist Joanne Jacobs on Calif. Science Standards
Published Thursday, October 15, 1998, in the San Jose Mercury News
OVER my 11-year-old nephew's bed hangs the poster that first went up
when he was sleeping in a crib: the periodic table of elements.  I
first encountered the periodic table in high school chemistry.
Seaborg's scientists insisted that third-graders be told that,
``Science experiments show that all matter is made of the elements
that are displayed on the periodic table of the elements.''

NSES - ENVIRONMENT YES, GRAVITY NO.
\clip\98\13\science.txt Science Snoots Wage War On Real Standards
DEBRA J. SAUNDERS Friday, October 2, 1998 ©1998 San Francisco
Chronicle URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/10
/02/ED34782.DTL 1996 National Science Education Standards (NSES),
which, Alberts helped draft and prefers. Unlike California's
standards, which make grade-specific recommendations from grades K-8,
the NSES ``standards'' -- if you can call them that -- come in blocks
of grades: K-4, 5-8, 9-12. They provide no standards as to when
children should learn what.  K-4 kids ``have little understanding of
gravity,'' ``do not understand that water exists as a gas when it
boils or evaporates,'' and Nonetheless, the document asserted that
most K-4 kids ``recognize pollution as an environmental issue,
scarcity as a resource issue, and crowded classrooms or schools as
population problems.''

AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy are flawed, lax
\doc\web\98\06\scistan.txt Message:
http://mathematicallycorrect.com/stanmetz.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Testimony of Stan Metzenberg, Ph.D.  Assistant Professor of Biology
California State University Northridge

Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on
Science, Subcommittee on Basic Research July 23, 1998


@@Preschool

z40\clipim\2000\03\13\prekind.pdf
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/95280.html Approaching Kindergarten: A Look
at Preschoolers in the United States October 1995 (NCES 95-280)
Executive Summary Kindergarten is now a nearly universal experience
for children in the United States: 98 percent of children attend
kindergarten prior to entering first grade. However, the population
of children that comes to kindergarten is increasingly diverse
p. 29
Characteristic
                                  All preschoolers 3-year-olds 4-year-olds 5-year-olds
Estimate s.e. Estimate s.e. Estimate s.e. Estimate s.e.
(In thousands)                                  All   3yr    4yr    5yr
Literacy-numeracy indicators (Percent)
Identifies primary colors . . . . . . . . . . . 78 .8 69 1.3 84 1.1 89 1.8
Recognizes most or all letters. . . . . . . . . 44 .7 27 1.3 57 1.2 66 2.7
Counts to 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  52 .8 37 1.3 62 1.3 78 2.4
Pretends to read or reads stories . . . . . . . 70 .9 65 1.3 73 1.4 79 2.0
Writes own name, even if some backwards         50 .7 22 1.1 70 1.2 84 2.5
Small motor indicators
Can button his/her clothes . . . . . . . . .. . 89 .5 83 .9 93 .6 94 1.6
Holds pencil properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 .5 87 1.0 94 .6 94 1.5
Writes/draws rather than scribbles . . . . .. . 66 .8 50 1.3 78 1.0 84 1.7
Health status
Excellent, very good . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 88 .7 88 .8 88 1.0 87 1.6
Good, fair or poor . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 12 .7 12 .8 12 1.0 13 1.6
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1993.

Table 3.— Percentage of 4-year-old preschoolers with reported signs of emerging literacy and numeracy
1
and average number of these accomplishments reported, by child and family characteristics:
1993
Characteristic
Estimated
number of
children
(thousands)
A Identifies
primary colors
B Recognizes
most or all
letters
C Counts to 20
D Pretends to
read or reads
stories
E Writes own
name
F Mean number
of accomp's
Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Mean s.e.
                                       Color  Letter Count  Read   Name   total
Total . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 3,713 84 1.1 57 1.2 62 1.3 73 1.4 70 1.2 3.5 .04
Child's sex
Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,954 82 1.4 52 1.8 59 2.0 70 1.7 66 1.7 3.3 .06
Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,760 87 1.4 63 1.6 66 1.9 76 1.8 75 1.6 3.7 .06
Child's race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic. . . .     . 2,507 91 .9  61 1.4 66 1.4 77 1.4 74 1.4 3.7 .04
Black, non-Hispanic . . . . .      572 73 3.0 58 3.3 67 3.0 65 2.7 63 3.4 3.3 .10
Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 61 3.4 31 3.3 39 3.6 58 3.6 59 3.6 2.5 .12
Other races . . . . . . . . . .  . 154 85 4.4 70 5.4 60 5.3 74 4.8 79 4.4 3.7 .15
Parents in household
Two parents . . . . . . . . . .  2,678 88 1.1 59 1.5 63 1.7 76 1.4 72 1.3 3.6 .05
Other . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 1,035 75 2.2 53 2.5 59 2.7 65 2.2 66 2.8 3.2 .07
Mother married at child's
birth
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 2,781 87 1.1 59 1.5 64 1.5 75 1.5 73 1.2 3.6 .05
No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 932 74 2.6 52 2.8 56 2.6 67 2.9 62 3.2 3.1 .09
Mother's primary language
2
English . . . . . . . . . . .  . 3,412 87 1.1 60 1.2 65 1.4 74 1.4 72 1.3 3.6 .04
Other language . . . . . . . .     302 55 4.3 25 3.8 28 4.1 54 4.6 54 4.4 2.2 .15
Mother's highest education
2
Less than high school . . .        470 56 3.6 33 3.5 36 3.5 55 4.3 51 3.1 2.3 .09
High school diploma or
higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,243 88 1.1 61 1.3 66 1.5 75 1.3 73 1.2 3.6 .05
Poverty Status
Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994 69 2.8 43 2.7 48 2.8 63 3.1 54 2.7 2.8 .10
Non-Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,720 90 1.0 62 1.2 68 1.4 76 1.3 76 1.2 3.7 .04
Risk factors
3
None . . . . . . . . . . . .   . 1,813 93 1.0 66 1.4 71 1.7 78 1.4 78 1.4 3.9 .05
One factor . . . . . . . . . . . . 757 87 2.1 54 2.8 60 2.4 75 2.8 72 2.3 3.5 .08
Two factors . . . . . . . . .  . . 603 76 3.3 49 3.9 56 3.4 71 3.1 61 3.3 3.1 .12
Three or more factors . . .        539 59 3.4 40 3.4 43 3.3 53 3.8 53 3.6 2.5 .11
Child ever attended center-based
program
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 2,718 89 1.0 63 1.3 69 1.4 77 1.4 77 1.3 3.7 .04
No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995 71 2.5 41 2.5 44 2.9 62 2.7 53 2.5 2.7 .09

1
As reported by parents.
2
If the mother or female guardian is not a member of the household, the father or male guardian's education or primary language is given.
3

Risk factors include single parenthood, unmarried motherhood, minority-language status, low maternal education, and poverty.
NOTE: s.e. is standard error. Four-year-old preschoolers are those who have not yet entered kindergarten or primary school.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1993.

Table 4.— Percentage of 4-year-old preschoolers with reported small
motor accomplishments 1 and average number of accomplishments
reported, by child and family characteristics: 1993

Note - 97% blacks vs 92% of whites can button their clothes. Blacks
are ahead in small motor accomplishments, but behind in academic.

Characteristic
Estimated
number of
children
(thousands)
Can button clothes 
Holds pencil properly 
Writes/draws rather
than scribble
Mean number
of accomplishments

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Mean s.e.
Total . . . . .    . . . . . . . 3,713 93 .6 94 .6 78 1.0 2.7 .02
Child's sex
Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,954 91 .9 92 .9 74 1.6 2.6 .02
Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,760 96 .8 96 .7 82 1.4 2.7 .02
Child's race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic .  . . . . . 2,507 92  .8 93  .7 79 1.3 2.7 .02
Black, non-Hispanic .  . . . . . . 572 97  .8 96 1.2 79 3.0 2.7 .03
Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 94 1.4 94 1.6 67 2.9 2.5 .04
Other races . . . . . .. . . . . . 154 90 4.0 92 3.2 86 4.7 2.7 .09
Parents in household
Two parents . . . . . .. . . . . 2,678 93 .8 94 .6 79 1.1 2.7 .02
Other . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 1,035 94 .9 92 1.6 76 2.7 2.6 .04
Mother married at child's birth
Yes . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 2,781 93 .7 93 .7 78 1.1 2.6 .02
No . . . . . . . . . .   . . . . . 932 94 1.2 95 1.1 77 2.4 2.7 .03
Mother's primary language
2
English . . . . . . . .  . . . . 3,412 93 .6 94 .6 79 1.1 2.7 .02
Other language . . . . . . . . . . 302 93 2.0 95 1.8 67 4.1 2.5 .05
Mother's highest education
2
Less than high school . .    . . . 470 95 1.4 95 1.3 71 3.6 2.6 .04
High school diploma or
higher . . . . . . . . . . .     3,243 93 .6 94 .6 79 1.0 2.7 .02
Poverty Status
Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . .   . 994 95 1.1 94 1.2 72 2.4 2.6 .03
Non-Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,720 92 .7 94 .6 80 1.1 2.7 .02
Risk factors
3
None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,813 92 .9 94 .8 81 1.3 2.7 .02
One factor . . . . . . . . . .   . 757 94 1.5 94 1.1 79 3.0 2.7 .04
Two factors . . . . . . . . . .  . 603 94 1.5 93 1.8 71 2.8 2.6 .04
Three or more factors . . . . .  . 539 95 1.5 95 1.4 74 3.3 2.7 .04

Child ever attended center-based program
Yes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,718 93 .7 94 .6 80 1.4 2.7 .02
No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995 94 1.1 93 1.1 71 2.4 2.6 .03
1
As reported by parents.
2
If the mother or female guardian is not a member of the household, the father or male guardian's education or primary language is given.
3
Risk factors include single parenthood, unmarried motherhood, minority-language status, low maternal education, and poverty.
NOTE: s.e. is standard error. Four-year-old preschoolers are those who have not yet entered kindergarten or primary school.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1993.

"The differences by race and Hispanic origin that were observed for
literacy-numeracy accomplishments are not observed, in general, for
the selected small motor skills. Black children are slightly more
likely than white children to be able to button their clothes, but
are very similar to white children in the percentages that hold a
pencil properly or write or draw rather than scribble."

Table 5.— Percentage of 4-year-old preschoolers with reported physical activity-attention difficulties
1
and
average number of these difficulties reported, by child and family characteristics: 1993
Characteristic
Estimated
number of
children
(thousands)
Restless/fidgets 
Short attention
span
Has temper
tantrums
Trips or falls
easily
Mean no. of
difficulties
Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Mean s.e.
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,713 29 1.1 23 1.1 23 1.2 13 .8 .9 .03
Child's sex
Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,954 34 1.8 26 1.7 24 1.5 14 1.2 1.0 .05
Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,760 23 1.5 20 1.3 22 1.6 11 .9 .8 .03
Child's race/ethnicity
                                                        restl  attn   temper trips   mean
White, non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,507 25 1.2 20 1.2 20 1.3 11  .9  .8 .03
Black, non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572 31 3.5 24 3.3 24 2.6 15 2.6  .9 .08
Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . 480 45 3.4 41 3.5 37 3.5 18 2.4 1.4 .09
Other races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 30 5.9 21 5.6 25 5.2 19 5.7 1.0 .15

Parents in household
Two parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,678 27 1.1 20 1.1 20 1.2 11 .9 .8 .03
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,035 35 2.7 30 2.5 32 2.6 17 1.8 1.1 .07




@@Science



@@Seattle

Seattle unveils new standards,
kindergarteners are supposed to write stories, 7th graders solve
algebra problems.

z39\clipim\99\12\12\seastan.efx Images of kindergartener writing
gibberish as standard setting.

Jane Goetz explains about the 
cat exercise.

@@Standards Setting

SETTING STANDARDS BY LYNCH MOB \doc\web\98\08\stanset.txt Why it's a
bad idea to even have a commmittee set curriculum standards

@@Survey

http://www.edweek.org/ew/current/31stand.h17 \clip\98\08\statstan.txt
An 'A' or a 'D': State Rankings Differ Widely By Lynn Olson The way
the American Federation of Teachers figures it, Michigan earns a C
for the quality of its math and English standards. [intermediate] By
the Council for Basic Education's reckoning, the grade rises to a
B-plus. [favors easy academics, progressive values] But on the Thomas
B. Fordham Foundation's report card, Michigan plummets to an F.
[favors tough academic, spurns progressive values like "relate to
everyday life", performance based tests]

http://www.edweek.org/ew/current/31stans1.h17
\clip\98\08\stan\stan.htm
Grading the Standards
Sample:
          Math
          AFT  CBE Fordham
Florida    A    C+   D


@@Texas

%%TEKS

Performance based standards -make presentations, ads

Donna Gardner
"Create media products to include a billboard, cereal box, short editorial,
agand a three-minute documentary or print ad to engage specific audiences." 

"Create, present, test, and revise a project and analyze a response,
using data-gathering techniques such as questionnaires, group
discussions, and feedback forms." 


@@Vermont

Vermont's Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/stand/page3.htm

Math Standards
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/stand/smtstand.htm
\clip\98\10\smtstand.htm



@@Virginia
Virginia
Standards of Learning Very highly regarded back to basic skills.
Does not include difficult 4th grade WA skills such as conditional
probability, proportional geometry, frequency histograms.

@@Washington State

Washington State's published benchmarks are relatively low and easy,
but the 1997 assessment at the 4th grade level includes tasks found
only at the 8th and 10th grade levels.

Washington
State Essential Learning Requirements Manual (.pdf file)
\clip\97\25\waessn.pdf Math page 43

Washington State
Essential Academic Learning Requirements/Benchmarks (EALR) .html
files

Math benchmarks
side by side
zip37\clip\99\17\math.htm

http://www.k12.wa.us/reform/ealr/standards/math.html

Math Benchmarks 1=G4,2=G8,3=G10 .txt

@@Wisconsin

Wisconsin
Standards are a joke WRITING WISCONSIN'S EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
Little Room for Dissent by Leah Vukmir

State of Wisconsin, Office of the Governor
"Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards"
[developed by the Governor's Council on Model Academic
Standards]

English / Language Arts:
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/MSEng.htm

Mathematics:  http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/MSMath.htm

\clip\97\29\wisc\msmath.htm
Science: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/MSSci.htm

Social Studies: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/MSSocial.htm

San Marino School District 5th grade
http://www.san-marino.k12.ca.us/~valentine/fifth/fifthcu.html

Marie Murphy School 6th grade \clip\97\21\murphy6.htm Wilmette Illinois
http://www.avoca.k12.il.us/murphy/academics/sixth/math/index.html
Sixth grade students are in a seventh grade HBJ Mathematics Plus
textbook. In Chapter 2, Data and Statistics, students will create and
analyze a variety of graphs including bar graphs, box and whisker
graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, line plots, and histograms. In
the culminating activity students will form a survey, administer it,
and then graph the results.

In 1996, the Illinois Tax Foundation cited our students as being the
top performers in the state over the past three years as measured by
the Illinois Goal Assessment program. 

Elk Grove Curriculum schedule, by grade
http://www.elk-grove.k12.il.us/bookshelf/curr/

@@Writing


%%Grade 4

(intrusive?) nightly 4th grade writing
assignments