MCPS is cutting ELC.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it really tells us anything we don't know, but there's now a description of the literacy enrichment changes up on the AEI page (scroll down to announcements and click on the link): https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/enriched

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it really tells us anything we don't know, but there's now a description of the literacy enrichment changes up on the AEI page (scroll down to announcements and click on the link): https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/enriched

Cool now maybe they can phase out the CES too because fair is fair. Why should my kid qualify for CES and get jack because of the lottery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:📢 ACTION NEEDED: Protect ES Literacy Enrichment for Advanced Learners!
MCPS is ending the Enriched Literacy Curriculum (ELC) that served gifted 4th and 5th graders in cohorted classes. Instead, schools can now choose between:

➡️ Model 1 – Enriched CKLA curriculum taught in cohorted advanced classes
➡️ Model 2 – Enrichment as an add-on in mixed-ability classes

🚨 Model 1 is the best way to ensure advanced learners get the consistent, enriched instruction they need. Past experience shows that when enrichment is optional or unmonitored, it often doesn’t happen—and MCPS is not requiring training or conducting oversight this time either.

🧠 CKLA is a new curriculum aligned to grade-level standards, and teachers are still adjusting. Now is not the time to expect every teacher to layer in enrichment in mixed-ability classrooms—especially when many students haven’t had CKLA in grades K–3. Model 1 makes it easier to implement enrichment well, by training a smaller number of teachers to deliver a fully enriched curriculum to a cohorted group of advanced learners.

🎯 We need YOUR voice. Principals are choosing between these models NOW. Email your principal today and urge them to choose Model 1!

📧 CC central office and Board of Education members so they know this matters to families.

✅ EMAIL YOUR PRINCIPAL AND COPY AND PASTE THIS EMAIL LIST TO THE CC LINE:
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

✉️ Let’s make sure our advanced students don’t lose the enrichment they need to thrive!
#GTeducation #MCPS #CKLA #EnrichmentMatters #Model1Now

[Anonymous]

I have 2 kids, once who was in ELC bc it was available and one who didn’t bc it was t offered at the time and instead suffered through benchmark.

Both are good readers/writers with remarkably similar test scores.

I’m really not sure this is something to be outraged about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 kids, once who was in ELC bc it was available and one who didn’t bc it was t offered at the time and instead suffered through benchmark.

Both are good readers/writers with remarkably similar test scores.

I’m really not sure this is something to be outraged about.

Any other highly individualized experiences related to a sample of size of 2 that you would like to apply to everyone else generally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:📢 ACTION NEEDED: Protect ES Literacy Enrichment for Advanced Learners!
MCPS is ending the Enriched Literacy Curriculum (ELC) that served gifted 4th and 5th graders in cohorted classes. Instead, schools can now choose between:

➡️ Model 1 – Enriched CKLA curriculum taught in cohorted advanced classes
➡️ Model 2 – Enrichment as an add-on in mixed-ability classes

🚨 Model 1 is the best way to ensure advanced learners get the consistent, enriched instruction they need. Past experience shows that when enrichment is optional or unmonitored, it often doesn’t happen—and MCPS is not requiring training or conducting oversight this time either.

🧠 CKLA is a new curriculum aligned to grade-level standards, and teachers are still adjusting. Now is not the time to expect every teacher to layer in enrichment in mixed-ability classrooms—especially when many students haven’t had CKLA in grades K–3. Model 1 makes it easier to implement enrichment well, by training a smaller number of teachers to deliver a fully enriched curriculum to a cohorted group of advanced learners.

🎯 We need YOUR voice. Principals are choosing between these models NOW. Email your principal today and urge them to choose Model 1!

📧 CC central office and Board of Education members so they know this matters to families.

✅ EMAIL YOUR PRINCIPAL AND COPY AND PASTE THIS EMAIL LIST TO THE CC LINE:
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

✉️ Let’s make sure our advanced students don’t lose the enrichment they need to thrive!
#GTeducation #MCPS #CKLA #EnrichmentMatters #Model1Now

MCPS no longer values differentiating classes for advanced students.

Look at how MCPS is dismantling its magnet programs for highly able students as a point of reference.

[Anonymous]

They should get rid of it. it is bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should get rid of it. it is bad.

ELC is bad? What do you think is bad about it?

[Anonymous]

If I saw ELC listed on the parent square app… what does that mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I saw ELC listed on the parent square app… what does that mean?

Some schools are offering it to 5th graders who took it last year (although it's the last year they can do that.)

Also it's possible some schools are calling it "ELC" out of habit when they really mean the new version of enriched literacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I saw ELC listed on the parent square app… what does that mean?

What is Parent Square? Does this mean I no longer need to use ParentVue, Canvas, Remind or email?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should get rid of it. it is bad.

ELC is bad? What do you think is bad about it?

Because it is proven pulling the few smartest kids regular class lowers learning for rest of students.

It also diverts funds from lower performing students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should get rid of it. it is bad.

ELC is bad? What do you think is bad about it?

Because it is proven pulling the few smartest kids regular class lowers learning for rest of students.

It also diverts funds from lower performing students.

It actually isn't proven. The evidence is mixed (i.e. sone studies show positive or neutral effects), the effect sizes are small (i.e when they do show negative effects they're not very big ones), and it's likely that a lot of the negative effects are based on having worse teachers with lower expectations teaching the kids who are behind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. The ELC curriculum itself is gone. Best message is to keep an advanced class, rather than asking teachers to offer enrichment to just some students in an all-levels class.

i mean it’s worth a try?

Some schools are retaining cohorted classes, but most are not. The time to advocate is now -- this will be a done deal after school ends.

So there's two things people can advocate for:
1) At individual schools, advocating for cohorted classes (will be finalized this month)
2) At the MCPS level, advocating for what they should include in the "extras" added onto the CKLA curriculum for students receiving enrichment (for either model.). I believe the AEI office staff are the ones designing this, and I believe it will be sent out to schools in August.

For #2, if there are things you particularly loved and/or valued about ELC, you could contact AEI to urge them to include some of that in the enrichment materials and resources they are developing and asking schools to layer onto the CKLA curriculum.

The thing I valued about ELC was having it as a separate class. That's going away.

They can put whatever they want as an enrichment resource--we all know that teachers will be focused on struggling students in their class. Kids who need enrichment won't receive it.

So was the value of the ELC only ever just the cohort? The curriculum wasn't that good and there's nothing to worry about losing from it? If all schools did the cohorted model with CKLA, would that be just as good as the ELC and that's the only thing we need to advocate for?

The ELC class, like the CES program, had a completely separate curriculum. It was not using Benchmark nor CKLA.

Yes, exactly. What I'm trying to figure out from folks with familiarity with the ELC is what the most valuable and positive aspects of it were as far as the curriculum/assignments?

The shift to CKLA will also include some extra assignments and components for kids who qualify for enrichment, sent out by AEI. If there are certain things that were very valuable (the number of novels read? incorporation of creative writing? specific major assignments?) that we can build consensus around advocating for, then I think we have a decent shot at getting AEI to include at least some of those things in the enrichment materials they provide to schools.

But what are those "most important aspects" of ELC we should be asking for them to preserve? What are the things folks thought worked best and we're most valuable about it? (Curriculum/assignment-wise-- obviously the cohorting is a big deal but everyone knows that already and It is a fight that has to happen at the school level at this point, so if we want to make asks of AEI we should focus on the enrichment overlay they're working on before that gets permanently set in stone.)

My child is a 3rd grader so I have no experience with ELC. Our school is doing model 1 next year so she will get the cohort, but I have no idea what kind of positive aspects of the ELC curriculum she will be missing out on. I am glad to advocate with AEI for those changes if folks can say what they are! (I will also advocate for those things to be included for the Model 2 kids to the maximum amount possible as well, of course, but hopefully you all can get your schools back to Model 1 next year even if it's too late for this year )

My 4th grader is in ELC this year. We have NOT seen the CKLA + Enrichment curriculum so we don't know what it's missing.

Things that work in ELC:
1. actual chapter books, not excerpts from books.
2. advanced writing reports
3. literature circles - small group work
4. reading homework
5. weekly spelling tests

Very interesting, thanks! There were weekly spelling tests in CKLA in 3rd so I assume that will continue in 4th and 5th, but I don't know about the other things you listed.

Would love to hear more about the "advanced writing reports", from PPs or anyone. And was the writing mostly academic/non-fiction writing, or was there creative writing mixed in there too?

Also, curious about what folks think your kids would say they liked the most about ELC or that you thought they seemed most engaged and excited by?

I'm PP. Off the top of my head, in 4th grade ELC they wrote: a fiction, non-fiction, a book reports, informational reports based on research. They also had weekly short essays based on in-class reading prompts, as well as individual literature circle prompts (each student in the small group was given a different assignment each week).

spelling tests were on some very challenging words that I'm sure were different from the general class.

My son's teacher was awesome. He was most engaged by working with other students on his level and was really pushed by seeing how hard everyone worked. Maybe this is why MCPS is pushing for Model 2, but I am very curious to know how that works at schools like ours with such vast learning needs.

Oh I alsi liked that they read an autobiography of an author and then read a novel by the author and wrote a report about it. My kid chose Jerry Spinneli and couldn’t wait to tell us about the authors life and how that compared to the book the author wrote.

This was such a cool assignment for my DD as well. There is some actual literary analysis built in that is a whole lot easier if everyone in the room is reading fluently, which was not the case for the general 4th grade classes at our school. The longer form writing assignments will also not be given in a standard classroom I would have to guess. My child’s autobiographical text was one the best things she’s ever brought home, and the teacher gave meaningful comments as well. I guess that’s too much to ask from public schools, apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I saw ELC listed on the parent square app… what does that mean?

My 4th grader is in enriched literacy at one of the schools who is doing it as a cohort. On her schedule in ParentVue and Parent Square she is labeled as ELC despite the fact that it is not the right name anymore. Not sure if non-cohorted enriched literacy kids also have that notation?