MCPS: New ELA curriculum for 2023-2024 school year

[Anonymous]

We are piloting the 2022 benchmark at my school and I wish we had stayed with regular benchmark so we could have used RGR.
RGR gets great results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are piloting the 2022 benchmark at my school and I wish we had stayed with regular benchmark so we could have used RGR.
RGR gets great results.

When is the pilot over? Can you do RGR next year?

[Anonymous]

My DD is in 1st grade and it looks like they just started RGR. I like what they have sent home so far.

[Anonymous]

Bringing RGR to all primary students has been one of the smartest moves I've ever seen in MCPS. Students respond very well to the curriculum. I can't help but think how many kids we missed over the years because we weren't teaching the science of reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this Really Great Reading? My kids' ES introduced it during ELO this past summer, and it's phonics-based. From what I can tell it's, well, really great (for K and 2nd, at least, since that's what I've seen). My 2nd grader's spelling has gotten so much better and both of them are blossoming as readers. I hope this is the program, or they ho with something very similar.

I know most schools are using RGR for phonics but I'm not sure if RGR also teaches literacy structures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how they could have a new curriculum in place by next year. Are they going to be putting an RFP out now?

They have about 12 elementary schools piloting the Benchmark 2022 edition this year. I think they're hoping it solves all of the problems we have with the 2018/19(?) version of Benchmark most of us are stuck teaching right now. I absolutely HATE Benchmark!

I don’t want to burst your bubble but we are doing the “new” benchmark at my school. It is just as terrible as the previous version.

What's the difference between old and updated version?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how they could have a new curriculum in place by next year. Are they going to be putting an RFP out now?

They have about 12 elementary schools piloting the Benchmark 2022 edition this year. I think they're hoping it solves all of the problems we have with the 2018/19(?) version of Benchmark most of us are stuck teaching right now. I absolutely HATE Benchmark!

I don’t want to burst your bubble but we are doing the “new” benchmark at my school. It is just as terrible as the previous version.

What's the difference between old and updated version?

the new one is supposed to also teach phonics. But it sounds like it is not nearly as good as RGR. I really hope that MCPS uses RGR at all schools next year. It sounds like they may have an altogether new curriculum though, and maybe there will be no Benchmark at all. (That would be great; it sounds like teachers, students, and parents alike dislike Benchmark.)

[Anonymous]

What about grades 3-5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about grades 3-5?

Grades 3-5 stick to the Benchmark curriculum for foundational skills rather than Really Great Reading. Students in 3rd - 5th grades only get RGR if they're in an intervention group. It's unfortunate because given the data, there are many, many students who could benefit from RGR in the upper grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about grades 3-5?

Grades 3-5 stick to the Benchmark curriculum for foundational skills rather than Really Great Reading. Students in 3rd - 5th grades only get RGR if they're in an intervention group. It's unfortunate because given the data, there are many, many students who could benefit from RGR in the upper grades.

Except it sounds like they are getting ready to rebid ELA and have a brand new curriculum. That’s how bad Benchmark is.

[Anonymous]

And then teachers, who have spent endless hours in Benchmark training, get to spend even more time in training on a new curriculum due to MCPS' bad decision making. No wonder teachers are leaving MCPS in droves.

[Anonymous]

Why cant they adopt a good quality curriculum that has already proven to be effective. Why do our kids need to be guinea pigs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And then teachers, who have spent endless hours in Benchmark training, get to spend even more time in training on a new curriculum due to MCPS' bad decision making. No wonder teachers are leaving MCPS in droves.

So glad that Dr. McKnight is addressing these issues and helping make MCPS great again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 1st grade and it looks like they just started RGR. I like what they have sent home so far.

What do you get sent home? I know they are doing RGR but it is like a black box, I have no idea what phonics skills they are working on unless I ask the teacher (and I don't want to bug the teacher all the time!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bringing RGR to all primary students has been one of the smartest moves I've ever seen in MCPS. Students respond very well to the curriculum. I can't help but think how many kids we missed over the years because we weren't teaching the science of reading.

While I agree, I think it's temporary until they adopt yet another curriculum. I hope not but I have such little faith in MCPS.