Benchmark, almost one year done. How are people feeling about it?

[Anonymous]

If you like Ancient Greece, you’d like CKLA better. That curriculum does better on ancient civs for background knowledge in earlier grades. Benchmark doesn’t touch on it till grade 5 or 6. If you look at the scope sequence, some of the units are very disjointed while others are more cohesive.

[Anonymous]

Benchmark sucks. The teachers know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Critical thinking - this has been proven time and time again - comes best after knowledge acquisition. You can't think deeply about what you know nothing about. Cram little brains full of facts then teach them logic. People knew this was how to teach kids literally millenia ago.

This, but at least one vocal poster here has not gotten the memo.

I would prefer CKLA, but Benchmark is wildly better than what it replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Every student gets a “workbook” for each unit that you should see. That can’t be done online.

[Anonymous]

Benchmark is good for one thing . . . Showing central office that they are not capable of producing anything worth a damn.

As bad as benchmark is, it is 1000x better than the crap FCPS put together.

Replacing FCPS curriculum guides (for all subjects) with anything is a huge step in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like Ancient Greece, you’d like CKLA better. That curriculum does better on ancient civs for background knowledge in earlier grades. Benchmark doesn’t touch on it till grade 5 or 6. If you look at the scope sequence, some of the units are very disjointed while others are more cohesive.

See, this is why I think the person here that is bashing Benchmark over and over again works for a competitor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Liar. They are required to use the workbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Liar. They are required to use the workbooks.

Teacher here. There are two workbooks. One is the consumable that has the readings and some questions. There is also an online workbook as well. I did not use that at all this year, but some teachers may have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Liar. They are required to use the workbooks.

Teacher here. There are two workbooks. One is the consumable that has the readings and some questions. There is also an online workbook as well. I did not use that at all this year, but some teachers may have.

Oh gosh, thank goodness our school is requiring the paper workbook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like Ancient Greece, you’d like CKLA better. That curriculum does better on ancient civs for background knowledge in earlier grades. Benchmark doesn’t touch on it till grade 5 or 6. If you look at the scope sequence, some of the units are very disjointed while others are more cohesive.

Hm, my child learning about Ancient Greece is in 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Liar. They are required to use the workbooks.

Teacher here. There are two workbooks. One is the consumable that has the readings and some questions. There is also an online workbook as well. I did not use that at all this year, but some teachers may have.

Oh gosh, thank goodness our school is requiring the paper workbook.

Honestly the consumable isn’t really a workbook. It has the blueprint that they fill out and each week has questions but no space to do them in. The additional workbook activities are online. I didn’t use it at all this year because Benchmark includes so many possible assignments. If I do use it next year, I will be printing pages out. No online workbook for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Liar. They are required to use the workbooks.

Teacher here. There are two workbooks. One is the consumable that has the readings and some questions. There is also an online workbook as well. I did not use that at all this year, but some teachers may have.

Oh gosh, thank goodness our school is requiring the paper workbook.

It’s required across the county. PP says online is extra. But the consumable is expected to be used and worked in by all students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Ancient Greece, you’d like CKLA better. That curriculum does better on ancient civs for background knowledge in earlier grades. Benchmark doesn’t touch on it till grade 5 or 6. If you look at the scope sequence, some of the units are very disjointed while others are more cohesive.

See, this is why I think the person here that is bashing Benchmark over and over again works for a competitor.

Not PP. MCPS switched from Benchmark to CKLA and the posters over on the MCPS board seemed thrilled. APS uses CKLA. There are other knowledge based curricula that FCPS could have picked that are allowed under the new VA law (Wit & Wisdom comes to mind), but I don't think you have to work for CKLA - which is based on a free curriculum by the way! - to think that what's working elsewhere might work here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Ancient Greece, you’d like CKLA better. That curriculum does better on ancient civs for background knowledge in earlier grades. Benchmark doesn’t touch on it till grade 5 or 6. If you look at the scope sequence, some of the units are very disjointed while others are more cohesive.

Hm, my child learning about Ancient Greece is in 3rd grade.

In social studies probably. That's a VDOE standard. And then they cover other ancient civs in 5th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our teacher has converted all the benchmark stuff to online stuff. We never see anything on paper returned.

Liar. They are required to use the workbooks.

Teacher here. There are two workbooks. One is the consumable that has the readings and some questions. There is also an online workbook as well. I did not use that at all this year, but some teachers may have.

Oh gosh, thank goodness our school is requiring the paper workbook.

It’s required across the county. PP says online is extra. But the consumable is expected to be used and worked in by all students.

Another reason to believe that there is a troll on here trying to convince parents how horrible Benchmark is and we should all demand CKAL or whatever.

I have three kids in ES and I've talked to their teachers and their friends' parents. The teachers are frustrated by the script but have all said their teams are working together to make things a little more flexible for next year. The families are all really happy with Benchmark. I haven't heard any of the complaints that I've heard here from actual people that I know.