MCPS Curriculum 2.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is zero math acceleration in my child's elem. school under 2.0.

It is supposed to start next year.

[Anonymous]

Acceleration in math starts next year but only for grades 4 and 5.

[Anonymous]

Acceleration in math starts next year but only for grades 4 and 5.

Not really. There will be a compacted 4th/5th grade math available to a very small number of students. This is a far cry from allowing any student who has mastered skills to move forward when they are ready and have instruction at the next level available.

One of the worst aspects of 2.0 is the report card. It takes very little to get a P and there isn't any way for a child to know what to do to get an ES. My child didn't understand why he got ES grades in some subjects and Ps in other grades. He was disappointed that he didn't get an ES in areas that he is much better in. When I talked to the teacher, it just drove home how this new system is horrible. He received ES grades in areas where he spontaneously demonstrated something beyond what was taught or asked for on the assignments. In two cases, this was actually because he didn't pay attention to the instructions. Even the teacher noted that these weren't reflections of understanding deep concepts. In the areas where he didn't receive an ES she said that he was much stronger, one of the best in the class, and his work is better in those subjects. However..get this..he follows the instructions and these subjects they really do not give ES grades out.

What the hell is this point of this system?? The grade report did not provide me the parent with any indication on how he is actually doing, it actually presented a false view based on the teacher's explanation. It provides zero motivation for my son. Frankly, the grade report looks much more like something for the county that has value to them (how many students are hitting our P bar) in collecting the data en masse that they rate themselves on and has nothing to do with educating the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Acceleration in math starts next year but only for grades 4 and 5.

Not really. There will be a compacted 4th/5th grade math available to a very small number of students. This is a far cry from allowing any student who has mastered skills to move forward when they are ready and have instruction at the next level available.

What elementary school are you at? Because "allowing any student who has mastered skills to move forward when they are ready and have instruction at the next level available" is absolutely not what was happening at my elementary school, before 2.0. '

What was happening at my elementary school, before 2.0, was that about half of the students were put in "above grade level math" and the other half were put in "on grade level math", starting in second grade, and that's where they stayed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It provides zero motivation for my son.

My opinion is that if it's grades that are motivating elementary school students to learn, there is something seriously, seriously wrong with the education system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I honestly think the problem is not 2.0, but with change in general and the haphazard way it seems to be rolling out.

I think that another problem is that the report card no longer allows competitive parents to believe that their child is performing better than the other children in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I honestly think the problem is not 2.0, but with change in general and the haphazard way it seems to be rolling out.

I think that another problem is that the report card no longer allows competitive parents to believe that their child is performing better than the other children in the class.

True. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around thinking that grades in elementary school mean anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I honestly think the problem is not 2.0, but with change in general and the haphazard way it seems to be rolling out.

I think that another problem is that the report card no longer allows competitive parents to believe that their child is performing better than the other children in the class.

True. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around thinking that grades in elementary school mean anything.

I agree - think back on when grades started to really matter when you were in school. I think it is more in MS and HS when you have college apps coming up.

[Anonymous]

Really? Then why keep scores for the soccer game, let both team win. Why even give a grade?

Good grades is one of the most positive reinforcement for studying I can think of. You want your child to care. Not just about grades of course, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to get good grades.

[Anonymous]

Good grades is one of the most positive reinforcement for studying I can think of. You want your child to care. Not just about grades of course, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to get good grades.

This +1000 elementary school grades don't "count" toward college but they do mean something to the kids.

Young kids want to please teachers and they are proud when they do well. Let's face it, the school work isn't that exciting even for the kids. They need positive reinforcement. Grades can be this incentive and reinforcement. Bad grading systems that are arbitrary or inconsistent can create disincentives.

The kids know that if they write 1 sentence they will get a P. If the kid tries to get an ES by writing 4 sentences, still gets a P and isn't told what he should do differently next time to get an ES he will not write 4 sentences again. He'll go back to 1. In is mind, there is no point or value in writing more. He won't get an ES anyway so why bother since the goal is P.

[Anonymous]

Soccer is a competitive sport; the point is to be better than the other team. School is not a competitive sport; the point is not to be better than the other students; the point is to learn.

I don't think that anybody has said that there is something wrong with wanting to get good grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This +1000 elementary school grades don't "count" toward college but they do mean something to the kids.

Young kids want to please teachers and they are proud when they do well. Let's face it, the school work isn't that exciting even for the kids. They need positive reinforcement. Grades can be this incentive and reinforcement. Bad grading systems that are arbitrary or inconsistent can create disincentives.

The kids know that if they write 1 sentence they will get a P. If the kid tries to get an ES by writing 4 sentences, still gets a P and isn't told what he should do differently next time to get an ES he will not write 4 sentences again. He'll go back to 1. In is mind, there is no point or value in writing more. He won't get an ES anyway so why bother since the goal is P.

When I was in elementary school, we didn't get grades. None. No grades. Nothing from kindergarten all the way through sixth grade. Somehow, nonetheless, the teachers provided positive reinforcement, most students generally tried to do good work, and parents knew how their children were doing.

(I like to shock my children by telling them that at my elementary school, there were no grades and three recesses a day.)

[Anonymous]

I have an older child and a younger one that has been in 2.0. The previous curriculum and report card was so much better. The previous curriculum also included more written assessments and tests. Now, the grades come from teacher observations so you really have no way of knowing how your child is doing even if you don't care about not getting grades anymore.

I've attended a few parent education sessions and these are REALLY bad.

First, it comes off as complete bull shit.

Second, its just not credible as the same administrators who were raving about their previous curriculum and report card are now trashing it saying 'it was never any good and now 2.0 is here to save the day'. Trust me, if you ever raised a question or issue before the party line was "we have the best curriculum, there are no problems" and amazingly within one year that all changed.

Third, the parents are being ignored. The third grade parents were very upset this year when 2.0 rolled out. Rather than do anything substantive, our principal actually made the statement that the parents who experienced the older system will age out of the system and eventually no one will no what it used to be like and everyone will just accept 2.0. Great plan...screw up the curriculum and hope that eventually people will not know any better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I honestly think the problem is not 2.0, but with change in general and the haphazard way it seems to be rolling out.

I think that another problem is that the report card no longer allows competitive parents to believe that their child is performing better than the other children in the class.

THIS!THIS!THIS!
Only thing I miss are the notes -- the written evaluations...so we meet with the teacher and send emails...to get the info we want...it so happens we have a very plugged in teacher who is good with providing info...we are fortunate
Truth of the matter is...even before 2.0 ..we could have had a good teacher or a bad one...and that makes all the difference in the world

[Anonymous]

You know I never once heard any parents comparing grades. I miss the old report card and I never told anyone what grades my daughter received and never knew what anyone else had either.

I don't think this anything to do with people being competitive with each other. I do think that parents are worried about their kids learning enough in elementary school to do well enough in high school and compete for college spots.