Time for a mutiny yet? MCPS = crummy math, no grammar, poor writing

[Anonymous]

^ It's just not part of the official curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And many parents and teachers continue teaching cursive, for the hand/brain connection, free-flowing thought, and ability to take notes on paper as well as outline/organize thoughts.

I haven't seen any evidence that these benefits are exclusively for cursive handwriting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree won hundred percent, spelling is quiet overrated because spellcheck works grate. Reeding is also knot all its maid out too bee, hoo kneads books when you can watch tv on you're PC.

Oh, man, this was awesome. Keep them coming

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child told me the other day when another child asked how to spell something that they were in 3rd and should know how to spell already. Funny, as MCPS does not teach spelling. We were in a private for a few years until our child aged out and the quality of education which was a more traditional approach was much better. They did spelling, grammar and things like fractions in first grade. MCPS does fractions in 3rd. There are some positives that they do encourage a lot of writing but there is very little history or science. There is very little teaching and everything is structured around centers.

MCPS does teach spelling.

I am blown away by some of these posters. I have a first grader at MCPS. They have a spelling test every week and use those words to make a cumulative word wall of all the words they have learned thus far this year. MCPS does not teach spelling? So now we are basically just stating complete untruths I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach older students and the grammatical and spelling errors that occur early in the writing process are often a part of the struggle writers experience as they try to figure out exactly what they want to say and how to say it. As they go through prewriting and drafting, often these issues are cleared up.

It's important NOT to focus on editing until the very end of the writing process. If a writer feels writing is all about good grammar and spelling s/he will fixate on writing correct and safe and boring sentences because sentences with complex and new ideas are HARDER to write, and s/he will avoid that out of the fear of making mistakes. You will set your child up to be a very average writer if this is what you obsess over.

Elementary students should be taught spelling and grammar, but it should not be their primary focus.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 6th and 8th grader. They went to an ES in the Einstein cluster. They both drilled math facts and the now-8th grader absolutely had spelling tests (some years, but it was never a consistent thing). The older one also got one week of cursive instruction in 3rd grade.

The younger had spelling tests inconsistently in two grades and never learned cursive.

Despite the highly centralized system, there are differences between schools and teachers. I know for the older kid there were other third grade classes who had more cursive instruction.

Both my kids drilled math facts in school, a lot. My older one did not do compacted math, and still had to drill them in 5th grade. It was ridiculous, but that's what you get, when you don't differentiate education within the classroom.

My kids never had spelling bees, geography bees, etc. I asked about spelling bee a couple of times and principal said it would never happen. Did not fit in with curriculum.

You can't put a spelling bee in the curriculum. If you want a spelling bee in the school, bring it up in a PTA meeting. If you find additional support for the idea, your PTA may become interested in sponsoring a spelling bee. Our ES school has a Science Expo. Not because the principal put it in the curriculum, but because the PTA keeps organizing it every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My daughter is in 3rd and has yet to have any test except for MAPs. My older child used to have math facts quizzes, spelling tests, vocabulary match quizzes, spelling bees, geography bees..... Now they just play games on chromebooks

From which you can conclude that there are no longer any spelling tests in the lower grades that your daughter has been in, at your daughter's school. But it would be an absurd generalization to conclude from this that there are no longer any spelling tests in any lower grade at any school in MCPS.

I remember reading "MCPS doesn't teach cursive anymore!" on DCUM the year my kid was in third grade in MCPS being taught cursive.

But you are the outlier. Most schools do not teach cursive. Many classes don't formally teach spelling. My pre-2.0 kid learned phonics and had weekly spelling tests with homework using the words. He's the best speller out of my kids.

You know this, how?

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

DCUM as the basis of information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

DCUM as the basis of information.

If numerous posters comment that their children aren't receiving spelling or handwriting instruction while only a few report their children are, then that's useful info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child told me the other day when another child asked how to spell something that they were in 3rd and should know how to spell already. Funny, as MCPS does not teach spelling. We were in a private for a few years until our child aged out and the quality of education which was a more traditional approach was much better. They did spelling, grammar and things like fractions in first grade. MCPS does fractions in 3rd. There are some positives that they do encourage a lot of writing but there is very little history or science. There is very little teaching and everything is structured around centers.

MCPS does teach spelling.

I am blown away by some of these posters. I have a first grader at MCPS. They have a spelling test every week and use those words to make a cumulative word wall of all the words they have learned thus far this year. MCPS does not teach spelling? So now we are basically just stating complete untruths I guess.

whose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

DCUM as the basis of information.

If numerous posters comment that their children aren't receiving spelling or handwriting instruction while only a few report their children are, then that's useful info.

Even if the posters who claim their kids don’t have spelling or cursive are being truthful, they are all W cluster parents. So it’s only instructive insomuch as it shows what W schools are like. It doesn’t represent mcps as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So when shall we rise up and launch a mutiny? None of us were subjected to a subpar education, so why are we politely going along with the mcps crazy train to mediocrity instead of demanding change?

We shouldn't have to supplement. The schools should be able to equip students for success.

I think there will be major tweaks done to the ES and MS curricula. There are just too many complaints, too constant, and too many poor results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have four children in mcps elementary, and I've compared notes with parents from dozens of schools. Plus, DCUM had a recent thread lamenting the lack of cursive and the random approach to spelling "instruction."

DCUM as the basis of information.

If numerous posters comment that their children aren't receiving spelling or handwriting instruction while only a few report their children are, then that's useful info.

Even if the posters who claim their kids don’t have spelling or cursive are being truthful, they are all W cluster parents. So it’s only instructive insomuch as it shows what W schools are like. It doesn’t represent mcps as a whole.

What makes you think that they are all W parents??

We’re at a FOCUS school in Silver Spring and there has not beeen any cursive Writing instruction at school. Do you think lower-income parents lie us don’t care? We do. We taught our kids at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child told me the other day when another child asked how to spell something that they were in 3rd and should know how to spell already. Funny, as MCPS does not teach spelling. We were in a private for a few years until our child aged out and the quality of education which was a more traditional approach was much better. They did spelling, grammar and things like fractions in first grade. MCPS does fractions in 3rd. There are some positives that they do encourage a lot of writing but there is very little history or science. There is very little teaching and everything is structured around centers.

MCPS does teach spelling.

I am blown away by some of these posters. I have a first grader at MCPS. They have a spelling test every week and use those words to make a cumulative word wall of all the words they have learned thus far this year. MCPS does not teach spelling? So now we are basically just stating complete untruths I guess.

whose?

Untruths don't exist anymore. They are now called alternative facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach older students and the grammatical and spelling errors that occur early in the writing process are often a part of the struggle writers experience as they try to figure out exactly what they want to say and how to say it. As they go through prewriting and drafting, often these issues are cleared up.

It's important NOT to focus on editing until the very end of the writing process. If a writer feels writing is all about good grammar and spelling s/he will fixate on writing correct and safe and boring sentences because sentences with complex and new ideas are HARDER to write, and s/he will avoid that out of the fear of making mistakes. You will set your child up to be a very average writer if this is what you obsess over.

Elementary students should be taught spelling and grammar, but it should not be their primary focus.

I don't know where you teach, but many of the 9th graders I've had in the past in my SS schools couldn't identify parts of speech, nor did they know the difference between a fragment and a sentence.

but when you're reading below level . . .

So I disagree with your philosophy. As someone who's seen the pendulum swing back and forth over the past two decades, you can't substitute one thing for another. There is the need to both MEMORIZE and free write w/o being "burdened" by errors. But drafts riddled with errors of which students are UNAWARE are drafts that remain drafts.