Chris Philp, a science teacher at Kings Park High School in Kings Park, NY spoke at his district’s school board meeting thanking them for their resolution indicating that the Common Core State Standards need change.
From Kings Park Patch:
“Its a long time coming and I think it’s important that the district stands strong on some things that are troublesome and all the reforms that are being pushed through, some being shoved down our throats,” Philp said.
Philp offered board members feedback on the state’s Common Core changes to the seventh and eighth-grade science curriculum, given he previously taught for 8 1/2 years at William T. Rogers Middle School.
Students are frequently spending up to 80-minute periods working straight from workbooks, according to Philp, many of the state’s Common Core modules have errors, ranging from a character chart based on a book not read by students to illegibly printed articles leaving teachers and librarians to hunt down the intended source material.
“A workbook is by definition test prep,” he said. “It’s a lot of test prep, that is concerning.”
He suggested the Board of Education could have more strongly worded their resolution to better reflect some of the concerns expressed by community members in recent months.
In the classroom, Philp said he’s faced questions from students asking if they will have the opportunity to perform hands-on science experiments, indicating the heavy emphasis the new Common Core placed on reading and writing may be limiting the teacher’s ability to engage with students.
“I’m afraid we are losing that love of learning and that’s more important than an individual content,” Philp said.