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Academic kindergarten pressures continue to puzzle teachers and parents
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As U.S. schools add pressure down to younger grades, Finland's youngsters remain "joyfully illiterate." - photo by Eric Schulzke
Finnish kindergarten students don't even try to learn to read, noted Tim Walker, an American who lives and teaches fifth grade in Finland, in The Atlantic. Kindergarten in Walker's adopted country is largely devoted to play, discovery and socialization.

"Just before lunch, a kindergarten teacher took out a basket brimming with childrens books," Walker wrote. "But for these 5- and 6-year-olds, 'reading' looked just like how my two toddlers approach their books: The kindergartners, sitting in different corners of the room, flipped through pages, savoring the pictures but, for the most part, not actually deciphering the words.

Anni-Kaisa Osei Ntiamoah, one of the teachers, told Walker only 1 in 15 of her students could read. "We dont push them but they learn just because they are ready for it. If the child is willing and interested, we will help the child, she told him.

The notion that Finnish schools might understand something about childhood that we have lost is not new. Deseret News National noted last year how seriously Finnish educators take recess time, reinforcing Walker's experience.

"Finnish school days are short and there is plenty of free time for deep play in after-school programs," the Deseret News reported. "The fifth-graders Walker teaches endure just five hours of school, including breaks, and they are not given homework. A normal day for a first-grader in Finland is like a half day for American kids just three hours long."

The frequent breaks keep kids fresh, and the shorter school days give kids lots of opportunity for deep play, Walker said.

Walker's take on Finland reflects a growing challenge to academic pressure at younger grades that has evolved in the U.S. over the past decade.

A 2009 report by the Alliance for Childhood, called Crisis in the Kindergarten, warned of growing academic pressure squeezing out developmentally appropriate learning practices of play and socialization, calling for a reversal of the pushing down of the curriculum that has transformed kindergarten into de facto first grade.

And in a new working paper, three researchers at the University of Virginia have collected hard data on these changes over time, finding that in recent years academic pressure has grown considerably.

"Kindergarten teachers in the later (recent) period held far higher academic expectations for children both prior to kindergarten entry and during the kindergarten year," the report concluded. "They devote more time to advanced literacy and math content, teacher-directed instruction and assessment, and substantially less time to art, music, science and child-selected activities. Changes were most pronounced for schools serving high proportions of low-income and non-white children."
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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