What should kids be learning in K and 1st Grade in MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Parent trying to decide between public and private here.

The curriculum is standard across MCPS, but I haven't been able to get any specifics from our local ES principal on the curriculum besides "We use Eureka math" or "We teach to CKLA" for language arts and "the kids to art, music, and PE each once a week with a social-emotional health class every other week" or "they can start compacted math in 4th grade." That's not helpful!

When I tour private schools, I hear about how they start with Orff instruments and simple movement/simple songs in K, then begin chorus in first grade with themes aligned to what they're learning in Spanish class, then how science in 2nd will be including weekly robotics classes given by a specialist they hire, they share the list of field trips with me as an example...

The specificity I'm getting from the private schools is just SO much higher than I get from the principal at our local ES, and I feel well informed about it to make a decision. The curriculum in private schools even in just K-3 also seems richer, with more varied specials (e.g. robotics, 2 foreign language options) and well-roundedness (e.g. a class about social justice, a weekly class about both physical health & social-emotional wellness).

That said, our local ES is one of the top ranked in MCPS, and our neighbors say it's great. So I must be missing something very special about it!

How can I find out what my kids would actually learning our public in K-2/3, so we try to figure out where to send them for school? Our local ES principal said tours during the school day were not possible, so I'm not sure how to even observe a class to try to figure this out.

[Anonymous]

You can look up details of the curricula for each grade for each subject on the MCPS website. It is hard to get info as a prospective parent and this probably won't help you but I was pretty impressed with the PE, music and art teachers at my kid's MCPS elementary school during back to school night.

[Anonymous]

I don't know the current curriculum, but the curriculum for first grade when my kids were little can be found here:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/elementary-schools/t-w/woodacreses/grade1web/parent-guide-curriculum2.0-grade1-en.pdf

[Anonymous]

Private schools have to be all specific and use flowery words because they are all different and all are selling you something and trying to indice you to spend money

Public schools is offered to everyone in bound. The standards for Maryland public schools is the same. You only need search the MCPS or school website to figure out the curriculum. What you are wanting to know is what makes this particular school unique and special for students, which is a totally separate question from curriculum. Stop expecting private and public schools to operate or interact the same.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/info/enroll/kindergarten/2024-25/handbooks/0553.24_kindergartenhandbook_english_web.pdf

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/

https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DCIPL/index_FW.aspx

[Anonymous]

OP sounds like you're looking at Norwood. I had 2 kids at ES at the same time, we put our quiet son in Norwood because we felt the smaller classes would suit him better and we put our daughter in Bradley hills because she had thrived in a larger environment previously (they each went into these schools in 3rd grade).

The contrast between the schools and curricula could not have been more pronounced. Especially in Math. Norwood was way behind BH, so after just a couple of months we swapped our son into BH where he thrived. By contrast he hated the slow pace and the mundanity of the Norwood classroom.

But everyone is going to be different.

[Anonymous]

Private schools have a sales pitch. Public does not. However there is no foreign language in MCPS elementary unless you lottery in to an imnersion program. Robotics would likely be an after school activity.

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard the same about privates including Norwood using “flowery” language and fancy facilities to get you in but they tend to be far behind in academics especially in math.

[Anonymous]

Just search for Eureka and CKLA online, you can find lots about them (the open source CKLA materials may be a bit different than the private Amplify CKLA materials but they're pretty close.). Searching for the curriculum name plus "scope and sequence" plus the grade level will get you overviews but in many cases you can view the actual workbooks and teachers guides.

[Anonymous]

You can also get some overview info via the MCPS refrigerator curriculum documents: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/refrigerator/ and the sites of the specific departments (for example: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/science/es/ )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools have a sales pitch. Public does not. However there is no foreign language in MCPS elementary unless you lottery in to an imnersion program. Robotics would likely be an after school activity.

At some schools the PTAs organize after school foreign language classes.

And, not relevant to OP but some MCPS elementaries have Spanish immersion for all students (TWI).

[Anonymous]

They learn how to color inside of the lines.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thank you to the poster who shared about Norwood vs Bradley Hills!

We’re a family in the BCC area trying to evaluate public v private. Not zoned for BH but looking at all the non-parochial privates within 20 minutes of our home, including Norwood. Your comment is helpful.

Are there any other families here who put their kids in private for elementary and then moved back to public school for reasons of academics or social life?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can also get some overview info via the MCPS refrigerator curriculum documents: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/refrigerator/ and the sites of the specific departments (for example: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/science/es/ )

This is what you want to look at, OP.

And yes, the key here is that private schools have marketing departments and are trying to sell you something in a way that public schools are not.

[Anonymous]

If your kids go to private they will miss out on being part of the neighborhood community, building neighborhood friends, and feeling connected to the community the way they would if they were in public. They may get a better education, but your failure to invest in your local school weakens public education for everyone. Engaged parents who are actively involved in public schools and invest in them with advocacy, time, resources, and volunteerism make them better for all children. Also, your 30 grand each year is a sunk cost. I promise your kids will want that money later for a down payment for a house, grad school, or to pay for their wedding.

I don’t love MCPS and as a former teacher at a local independent school I can tell you Norwood is a great school, but I will keep my kids in public schools because I believe in public education. If you are someone who says they want strong public education, you have to send your kids there and invest in the local schools.

[Anonymous]

I will add that the local privates here are all pressure cookers. You will be amongst the most affluent families of the region, with levels of power and influence that are staggering. Your kids, even if they are from a privileged family, will likely feel inadequate compared to peers, develop a skewed sense of what is normal (since they won’t be exposed to kids from lower SES status), and will feel extreme pressure.