Advice on the Teaching of Standard Algorithms Before Common Core Says it is Safe to Do So Dept.

EdReports.org is an organization that rates textbooks/curricula with respect to how well they align with the Common Core standards. There are no ratings on the effectiveness of a curriculum or textbook–just whether it adheres/aligns to the standards.

They published a guideline for how to use EdReports’ reviews of texts.  Of interest is that under “Focus” for K-8, the key criterion to be assessed via their gradated ratings is: “Major work of the grade and no concepts assessed before appropriate grade level”

What captures my attention about this is the “no concepts assessed before appropriate grade level”.  Sounds similar to “no wine before its time” but it has more sinister implications in my opinion.

In my investigations and writing about Common Core standards, I have heard from both Jason Zimba and Bill McCallum, the two lead writers of the math standards. They have assured me that a standard that appears in a particular…