Does anyone like Curriculum 2.0?

[Anonymous]

13:17, the expectation from MCPS for teachers is exactly the same regarding small group instruction for both math and reading. If your child's teacher is not pulling small groups based on ability level in math, that's a teacher problem, not a curriculum problem. Different math classes entirely? That's not supposed to be happening-but different small groups, absolutely. If planning for differentiated small group instruction can be managed for reading (and it is, every day-I know because I do it), it is possible for math as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an education professional, and my child started kindergarten this year at a school with a large FARMS population. Though i have no pre- Curriculum 2.0 experience, I have nothing but positive experiences to report. Within one week of starting school they had assessed his reading skills twice. He was placed in a reading group within his class and quickly put in an enriched reading group in another room twice a week. His reading skills have advanced 1 grade. By October the teacher set him up for math enrichment twice a week with the math specialist. They give him more advanced homework, which he sometimes will choose to do. I supplement his homework with workbooks, which he sometimes chooses to do. We are all happy!

Can you please keep your down to earth, practical, real world experiences to yourself? It totally detracts from my manufactured outrage and paranoia over my slightly above average kid not being lauded as a genius.

I hope I know you in real life

[Anonymous]

Common Core 2.0 will affect middle and high school....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/wake-education_n_1556315.html?ref=topbar

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/12/07/americas-next-education-crisis-and-who-benefits/


more on the new core curriculum

[Anonymous]

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/how-does-your-childs-school-rank-against-the-rest-of-the-world/266057/


How does Montgomery County (MCPS) stack up with the rest of the world?
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/how-does-your-childs-school-rank-against-the-rest-of-the-world/266057/

[Anonymous]

The following is NOT TRUE:
The Math Pathways have been promoted by a single person on the Gifted and Talented Association email list. Coinciding with postings on DCUM a poster with an anonymous email address was allowed to post on the Gifted and Talented Association email list. That means the moderator, the Gifted and Talented Association president approved the anonymous poster. It means the anonymous poster is known to the Gifted and Talented Association. So, this is a stealth campaign to promote one man's agenda. Check out the Gifted and Talented Association email list before signing the petition.

It always only takes one or two action individuals to take the lead, which means writing and posting a petition. The almost 1500 individuals who signed it have their own reasons for signing it, and they vary. Many of us know the person who started the petition, many do not. It does not matter. We are making a difference, Dr. Starr is starting to listen, and having the press cover the mounting parental concerns helps to shine a bright light on the devaluing of accelerated bright students.

[Anonymous]

U.S. Schoolchildren Lag Asian Peers on Academic Tests
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-11/u-dot-...-asian-peers-on-academic-tests

Math, science scores for some US students improving, but lag behind many in Asia, Europe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/math-scienc...2-8c8f-fbebf7ccab4e_story.html

The U.S. must start learning from Asia
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/12/07/school.resul...esai/index.html?iref=allsearch

U.S. students continue to trail Asian students in math, reading, science
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-s...2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html

US 8th graders fail to score in global top 10 for math and science
http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/11/3753992/us-math-science-performance

Study: Asian countries outpace U.S. in science, math
http://www.ocregister.com/news/science-380278-students-math.html

International Tests Show East Asian Students Outperform World As U.S. Holds Steady
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/internati...nal-tests-show-_n_2273134.html


Curriculum 2.0 attempts to artificially close this expanding gap in MCPS between Asians and everyone else!

[Anonymous]

Starr's advocacy of a moratorium on standardized testing for 3 years is political and self-serving. Most in the know recognize we are about to witness the plummet of test scores in the County in direct response to the incompetent roll out of curriculum 2.0 and the elimination of math pathways.

This stance as stated in the Post is not innovative or intellectual risk taking but self-serving cowardice.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing. However, I am not sure that your materials support your conclusion well.

What I've seen is that Asian families are firmly behind their kids in learning. There seems no concept of closing achievement gap in Asian countries even though some countries (India/China) do voice for improving the quality of education in rural areas.

Honestly, I think that this curriculum 2.0 is a political product instead of any serious research. It may close achievement gap within this great nation. However, it is unfortunate that countries ahead in math education have no interest in closing global achievement gap at all.

Well, I really hope that you could show that I am totally wrong and show that this country is still hopeful.

Anonymous wrote:U.S. Schoolchildren Lag Asian Peers on Academic Tests
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-11/u-dot-...-asian-peers-on-academic-tests

Math, science scores for some US students improving, but lag behind many in Asia, Europe
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/math-scienc...2-8c8f-fbebf7ccab4e_story.html

The U.S. must start learning from Asia
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/12/07/school.resul...esai/index.html?iref=allsearch

U.S. students continue to trail Asian students in math, reading, science
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-s...2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html

US 8th graders fail to score in global top 10 for math and science
http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/11/3753992/us-math-science-performance

Study: Asian countries outpace U.S. in science, math
http://www.ocregister.com/news/science-380278-students-math.html

International Tests Show East Asian Students Outperform World As U.S. Holds Steady
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/internati...nal-tests-show-_n_2273134.html


Curriculum 2.0 attempts to artificially close this expanding gap in MCPS between Asians and everyone else!

[Anonymous]

As a third grade teacher, I can tell you parents should be concerned. This is one of the worst curriculums I have seen in 17 years. It is full of critical thinking jiberish that defies any level of common sense. Once this confusing language is removed and we try to tease out content, one finds little to teach. The ramifications of this will be seen, unfortunately not for a few years. This curriculum is poorly thought out, void of content, and is doing little to arm children with the knowledge they need to function in the world.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the post, third grade teacher. Can you tell us the best place to look for what content a third grader should master? As a third grade parent, I am concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is a first-grader and thus we've always had 2.0, and it seems totally fine to me. She's doing great. I think change is difficult for people, and I certainly sympathize with kids who had to start in one program and then switch -- it seems like it should have been rolled out year by year to avoid that difficult year or two where kids have to transition. But the sense of the first grade parents I talk to is, what's all this fuss about?

I have said this before, but I will repeat. You can't judge C2.0 based on how your kid is doing. For many kids, it is fine. I will even say that I have no problem with the material per se. My problem is that all kids have to learn at the same pace. As I said before, I have a kid that is progressing nicely with 2.0 and another kid who is way too advanced for this stuff. If you have an outlier kid who is either SN or HG, you just don't know what it is like to put them through school. If not handled properly, these kids will get completely turned off and lose all their natural curiosity. They will also disrupt other kids. Schools need to be able to handle different learning styles and diferent learning levels. Any parent with multiple kids can tell you that all kids are different, even if they have the same parents. It just seems like common sense to let kids learn at their own pace. My sense is that there is an ideology in the reform movement and in education that says we have to hold back some kids so they don't get too far ahead of disadvantaged kids. I am ok with spending extra money and resources on disadvantaged kids, but I am not ok with holding kids back.

I've only just seen this response to my post and wanted to reply. It's not been my child's experience at all that "all kids have to learn at the same pace." Her class has several different spelling, reading, and math groups. At the parent-teacher conference this fall, her teacher discussed with us which groups she was in and why, and asked for feedback on what we thought about her placement. It seems VERY personalized. Additionally, since she is a fairly advanced reader, she is encouraged to visit the library daily to get a new book of her choice to read during reading periods and at home. I love this.

Again, the original question was "Does ANYONE like Curriculum 2.0" -- I'm not insisting that you DO like it, I'm telling you the simple truth that *I* do, and the other first grade parents I know do too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curriculum 2.0 is not encouraging to the kids who are able to read and do math at a higher level as they are not able to receive accelerated learning.

Anonymous wrote:
I find it illogical that MCPS has no problem with differential groups for reading but does not allow differential groups for math.

This must be different at different schools. Again, my daughter is in first grade in an ES in Silver Spring (not Highland View, that's another PP), and there are different math groups (as well as spelling and reading groups). I know this for a fact, because her teacher discussed with us whether we wanted her to remain in the accelerated math group where she would be challenged more and get some things wrong, or in the regular math group, where things would be easier and she would get almost everything right. My daughter also comes home grumbling occasionally about how her math group has to add THREE sets of two-digit number and the other math groups only had to add TWO sets (for example).

Maybe the parents who are upset about their child's experience should be addressing this with their principals and teachers, if the things they are concerned about are not county-wide.

[Anonymous]

I don't think first graders haVe started two digit addition yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to know if the 13 pages of complaints in this topic are from a variety of people or just a a few people posting over and over.

great question

Almost 1500 people have signed a petition on change.org complaining about the curriculum. It is absolutely terrible and implementation is confusing and inconsistent and very very slowed doen..there is no depth whatsoever.