Any rumors on new curriculum vendor finalists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the presentations by the vendor finalists with opportunity to provide comments to the curriculum selection team:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/presentations.aspx

Nice!

I'm a middle school teacher and took a quick glance through Pearson and McGraw Hill and I'm already in favor of McGraw Hill. Pearson is giving a marketing piece of bs with handwaving about how fantastic their stuff is and thinks I'm going to buy it? McGraw Hill is giving me an hour long narrated tour through their actual stuff and I can see all the resources for both teachers and students and can actually visualize how I would teach with this material? Sign me up for McGraw Hill. They seem to actually care about their customers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the presentations by the vendor finalists with opportunity to provide comments to the curriculum selection team:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/presentations.aspx

Nice!

I'm a middle school teacher and took a quick glance through Pearson and McGraw Hill and I'm already in favor of McGraw Hill. Pearson is giving a marketing piece of bs with handwaving about how fantastic their stuff is and thinks I'm going to buy it? McGraw Hill is giving me an hour long narrated tour through their actual stuff and I can see all the resources for both teachers and students and can actually visualize how I would teach with this material? Sign me up for McGraw Hill. They seem to actually care about their customers.

I don't have access to the presentations on Drive. It looks like only mcps accounts can see the files.

[Anonymous]

I was able to see the presentation by just using my personal Google account

[Anonymous]

I second being able to see the files via my personal Google account. I suggest setting up a dummy Google account if you don’t want to use your personal account.

People please make sure the links to provide feedback and comments are going on your neighborhood listservs and PTA email blasts.

[Anonymous]

I’m really excited to see the ReadyGen (K - 5) - Pearson. Pearson is a very good curriculum and their reading curriculum looks phenomenally written to put MCPS back at the top of the state and region. I do hope MCPS chooses ReadyGen for the reading. My school currently uses ReadyMath for math as a supplement and let me tell it is a A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. However, it looks like only the Ready Gen for grades 6-8 is available though.

-MCPS Teacher

[Anonymous]

Since it’s a rainy day I just filled out my feedback for each curriculum presentation. I’m hoping for the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m really excited to see the ReadyGen (K - 5) - Pearson. Pearson is a very good curriculum and their reading curriculum looks phenomenally written to put MCPS back at the top of the state and region. I do hope MCPS chooses ReadyGen for the reading. My school currently uses ReadyMath for math as a supplement and let me tell it is a A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. However, it looks like only the Ready Gen for grades 6-8 is available though.

-MCPS Teacher

I’m a little worried about seeing Pearson there. Weren’t they the ones responsible for helping McPS create the failed 2.0? If so I’m guessing that they’ll have an in during the selection process given the familiarity MCPS staff and the curriculum office have with them.

[Anonymous]

Bummer! No Singapore math! My friends in New York said it’s been really good for their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m really excited to see the ReadyGen (K - 5) - Pearson. Pearson is a very good curriculum and their reading curriculum looks phenomenally written to put MCPS back at the top of the state and region. I do hope MCPS chooses ReadyGen for the reading. My school currently uses ReadyMath for math as a supplement and let me tell it is a A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. However, it looks like only the Ready Gen for grades 6-8 is available though.

-MCPS Teacher

I’m a little worried about seeing Pearson there. Weren’t they the ones responsible for helping McPS create the failed 2.0? If so I’m guessing that they’ll have an in during the selection process given the familiarity MCPS staff and the curriculum office have with them.

No MCPS was reapeocnaible for that debacle because it’s central office staff insisted on writing the curriculum instead of using a reliable company with people who have PhD’s and years of experience writing curricula. Instead of being worried I’d suggest you actual look through the presentations. Many of them are very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bummer! No Singapore math! My friends in New York said it’s been really good for their kids.

Yes, this is the course driven parents use to supplement their kids education. Pearson on the list in inexcusable. What were the consequences for their poor performance on 2.0?

[Anonymous]

PP, I wouldn’t be so quick to think Singapore Math is great. See links below:

https://www.verywellfamily.com/singapore-math-pros-and-cons-620953

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-Singaporean-educational-system

https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/151551-singapore-math-pros-and-cons/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m really excited to see the ReadyGen (K - 5) - Pearson. Pearson is a very good curriculum and their reading curriculum looks phenomenally written to put MCPS back at the top of the state and region. I do hope MCPS chooses ReadyGen for the reading. My school currently uses ReadyMath for math as a supplement and let me tell it is a A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. However, it looks like only the Ready Gen for grades 6-8 is available though.

-MCPS Teacher

I’m a little worried about seeing Pearson there. Weren’t they the ones responsible for helping McPS create the failed 2.0? If so I’m guessing that they’ll have an in during the selection process given the familiarity MCPS staff and the curriculum office have with them.

No MCPS was reapeocnaible for that debacle because it’s central office staff insisted on writing the curriculum instead of using a reliable company with people who have PhD’s and years of experience writing curricula. Instead of being worried I’d suggest you actual look through the presentations. Many of them are very good.

Looks like Pearson and MCPS share responsibility for the 2.0 mess. Why would Pearson try to market the 2.0 curriculum to other schools if they weren’t satisfied with it? Let’s hope MCPS makes a new start.

MCPS was recently awarded a $5 million federal grant by the U.S. Department of Education to help develop an integrated curriculum. MCPS was one of only 49 winners of the federal grant, out of a pool of 1,698 applicants.

One requirement of the federal grant competition was to enlist a partner willing to contribute at least 20% in matching funds. MCPS established a partnership with Pearson, a major educational publisher, to use their expertise to help develop assessments and to expand online professional development for teachers. However, this curriculum is being developed by MCPS educators for use in MCPS classrooms. MCPS always retains final authority over what is taught in its classrooms.

The federal grant and partnership with Pearson will accelerate the timeline for development, provide MCPS with additional expertise to strengthen the curriculum, and ultimately improve the quality of resources for students and teachers.

Pearson plans to market this curriculum nationally to other school districts. MCPS will receive royalties from the sale of the curriculum, which will be invested back into the school system. In this era of deep budget cuts, funds from the MCPS partnership with Pearson are providing teachers implementing Curriculum 2.0 substitute days for planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, I wouldn’t be so quick to think Singapore Math is great. See links below:

https://www.verywellfamily.com/singapore-math-pros-and-cons-620953

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-Singaporean-educational-system

https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/151551-singapore-math-pros-and-cons/

Mcps piloted Singapore math in the early 2000s...my ES was one of the schools. It did not produce test scores better than the curriculum the rest of mcps was using so was dropped. Some of it had to do with the fact that there was another more support available on the regular curriculum.

[Anonymous]

I think it's funny how everyone relies on canned curriculum to save the day.

I will include having to apply ($$$ and hoop jumping) to be an IB school into this mess.

I can guarantee that if you respected teachers' experience by providing them time to examine the standards in a PRACTICAL way, you'd end up with better instructional guides that would meet the needs of kids.

But why respect those we place on the front lines? I guess it's better to use the "work" of the PhDs (as one PP mentioned) who have never spent a day in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Dear MCPS Community:

Over the past several weeks, a team of 118 staff members reviewed the proposals received to our Request for Proposal for English Language Arts and Mathematics Curricular and Instructional Materials for Elementary and Middle School. Based on their recommendations, three elementary and two middle school English Language Arts curricular products, as well as two elementary and three middle school Mathematics curricular products, are being considered for implementation in Montgomery County Public Schools.

For each product, vendors have been asked to create a presentation for teachers, staff, parents and the community to view. Each presentation is available in English and Spanish and can be accessed from the MCPS Curriculum Review – Vendor Presentations webpage until Sunday, December 9, 2018. In addition to the presentation, there is a feedback form that asks your opinion on the following areas:

Student Experience: Does the product actively engage students and differentiate instruction to address the learning needs of all students?
Teacher Experience: Does the product support all teachers to plan and deliver high quality instruction to meet the learning needs of all students?
Parent Experience: Does the product provide parents/guardians with information about the curriculum and enable parents/guardians to support student learning outside the classroom?
To be included in the curriculum selection process, all feedback forms should be submitted by December 9, 2018. Instructions for completing the forms can be found on the MCPS Curriculum Review – Vendor Presentations webpage.

We look forward to receiving your input on this very important endeavor.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D.
Chief Academic Officer
Montgomery County Public Schools