Benchmark is awful - what can be done

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended a joint webinar hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MoCo chapter and the MCPS ELA Elem Director. MCPS has several more years left on their contract with Benchmark. So no matter how terrible it is, it can’t go away. It’s sad how far behind the science of reading we are. Even the ELA director said MCPS had been teaching kids to read incorrectly for “at least 15 years”. States like Mississippi and Texas are light years ahead of Maryland. And in Maryland, MCPS is using Frederick and PG counties as models for how to switch from balanced literacy to structured literacy.

There needs to be more accountable at the state level. The Ready to Read Act isn’t enough. So much of our tax dollars are funding these terrible curriculums.

OP I also attended this joint webinar. I can confirm what the PP said. The new MCPS ELA director is clearly familiar with reading research. She was a breath of fresh air. She is very aware of the challenges of making such a major shift. MCPS will start a small number of teachers on LETRS training next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a joint webinar hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MoCo chapter and the MCPS ELA Elem Director. MCPS has several more years left on their contract with Benchmark. So no matter how terrible it is, it can’t go away. It’s sad how far behind the science of reading we are. Even the ELA director said MCPS had been teaching kids to read incorrectly for “at least 15 years”. States like Mississippi and Texas are light years ahead of Maryland. And in Maryland, MCPS is using Frederick and PG counties as models for how to switch from balanced literacy to structured literacy.

There needs to be more accountable at the state level. The Ready to Read Act isn’t enough. So much of our tax dollars are funding these terrible curriculums.

Op here. This is just awful and the kind of crap that really bothers me. I have the resources, support and education level to work one on one with my child to ensure he will learn to read at home when the school curriculum is failing. But what about the thousands of other kids who do not have this privilege? They are being punished by a badly selected curriculum. The teachers using phonics are doing so because they are working outside of the Benchmark curriculum. But new and inexperienced teachers will not have the experience or background to feel comfortable doing this and we are literally failing kids. Children who don’t learn to read are being set up for educational failure and it makes my blood boil. If the district is concerned with equity and serving all children they need a better quality curriculum and they need it now. I find it unacceptable to keep using a curriculum not based on science and evidence because of a contract. What can we do to advocate on behalf of all our kids for better curriculum? Talk to the BOE? I really would like to do something about this.

Certainly bring it up to the BOR as well as your school AP/Principal. Note that the BOE is already in the process of working with Benchmark to bring in more phonics based instruction, LETRS training for teachers, and ensuring that every ES has a full-time reading specialist. I’d also advocate for greater para support in the lower ES grades where small grouo and 1:1 time is important in helping kids learn to read.

It's crazy to me that they are going back to Benchmark to ask them to make changes when they should have just picked a curriculum that included these things to begin with. Why are they so incompetent at this? It really makes me wonder if someone got some money/incentives to pick Benchmark.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a joint webinar hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MoCo chapter and the MCPS ELA Elem Director. MCPS has several more years left on their contract with Benchmark. So no matter how terrible it is, it can’t go away. It’s sad how far behind the science of reading we are. Even the ELA director said MCPS had been teaching kids to read incorrectly for “at least 15 years”. States like Mississippi and Texas are light years ahead of Maryland. And in Maryland, MCPS is using Frederick and PG counties as models for how to switch from balanced literacy to structured literacy.

There needs to be more accountable at the state level. The Ready to Read Act isn’t enough. So much of our tax dollars are funding these terrible curriculums.

Op here. This is just awful and the kind of crap that really bothers me. I have the resources, support and education level to work one on one with my child to ensure he will learn to read at home when the school curriculum is failing. But what about the thousands of other kids who do not have this privilege? They are being punished by a badly selected curriculum. The teachers using phonics are doing so because they are working outside of the Benchmark curriculum. But new and inexperienced teachers will not have the experience or background to feel comfortable doing this and we are literally failing kids. Children who don’t learn to read are being set up for educational failure and it makes my blood boil. If the district is concerned with equity and serving all children they need a better quality curriculum and they need it now. I find it unacceptable to keep using a curriculum not based on science and evidence because of a contract. What can we do to advocate on behalf of all our kids for better curriculum? Talk to the BOE? I really would like to do something about this.

I think the report on Curriculum 2.0 said that the ELA curriculum completely failed students. That was put into place around 2011/2012? Then they chose benchmark? This county has a $3 billion budget. A lot of the Curriculum 2.0 cronies somehow ended up on staff at Discovery Ed. Who owns Benchmark?

This. Start with the oldest advice in the book: Follow the money.

[Anonymous]

This guy owns Benchmark - Tom Reycraft.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-reycraft-59a53b6
Does he have any relatives/connections at MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended a joint webinar hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MoCo chapter and the MCPS ELA Elem Director. MCPS has several more years left on their contract with Benchmark. So no matter how terrible it is, it can’t go away. It’s sad how far behind the science of reading we are. Even the ELA director said MCPS had been teaching kids to read incorrectly for “at least 15 years”. States like Mississippi and Texas are light years ahead of Maryland. And in Maryland, MCPS is using Frederick and PG counties as models for how to switch from balanced literacy to structured literacy.

There needs to be more accountable at the state level. The Ready to Read Act isn’t enough. So much of our tax dollars are funding these terrible curriculums.

We have used Fundations for phonics in Baltimore City for years. Not perfect but much better than looking at pictures and guessing the word. We also use Heggerty for phonemic awareness which is great. Now if we could only get rid of the truly awful Wit & Wisdom in K-2, all would be right with the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a joint webinar hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MoCo chapter and the MCPS ELA Elem Director. MCPS has several more years left on their contract with Benchmark. So no matter how terrible it is, it can’t go away. It’s sad how far behind the science of reading we are. Even the ELA director said MCPS had been teaching kids to read incorrectly for “at least 15 years”. States like Mississippi and Texas are light years ahead of Maryland. And in Maryland, MCPS is using Frederick and PG counties as models for how to switch from balanced literacy to structured literacy.

There needs to be more accountable at the state level. The Ready to Read Act isn’t enough. So much of our tax dollars are funding these terrible curriculums.

Op here. This is just awful and the kind of crap that really bothers me. I have the resources, support and education level to work one on one with my child to ensure he will learn to read at home when the school curriculum is failing. But what about the thousands of other kids who do not have this privilege? They are being punished by a badly selected curriculum. The teachers using phonics are doing so because they are working outside of the Benchmark curriculum. But new and inexperienced teachers will not have the experience or background to feel comfortable doing this and we are literally failing kids. Children who don’t learn to read are being set up for educational failure and it makes my blood boil. If the district is concerned with equity and serving all children they need a better quality curriculum and they need it now. I find it unacceptable to keep using a curriculum not based on science and evidence because of a contract. What can we do to advocate on behalf of all our kids for better curriculum? Talk to the BOE? I really would like to do something about this.

I think the report on Curriculum 2.0 said that the ELA curriculum completely failed students. That was put into place around 2011/2012? Then they chose benchmark? This county has a $3 billion budget. A lot of the Curriculum 2.0 cronies somehow ended up on staff at Discovery Ed. Who owns Benchmark?

This. Start with the oldest advice in the book: Follow the money.

+1. Although it’s genuinely believable that central office and the BOE would be swayed by a slinky salesman. They are not terribly bright/competent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a joint webinar hosted by Decoding Dyslexia MoCo chapter and the MCPS ELA Elem Director. MCPS has several more years left on their contract with Benchmark. So no matter how terrible it is, it can’t go away. It’s sad how far behind the science of reading we are. Even the ELA director said MCPS had been teaching kids to read incorrectly for “at least 15 years”. States like Mississippi and Texas are light years ahead of Maryland. And in Maryland, MCPS is using Frederick and PG counties as models for how to switch from balanced literacy to structured literacy.

There needs to be more accountable at the state level. The Ready to Read Act isn’t enough. So much of our tax dollars are funding these terrible curriculums.

Op here. This is just awful and the kind of crap that really bothers me. I have the resources, support and education level to work one on one with my child to ensure he will learn to read at home when the school curriculum is failing. But what about the thousands of other kids who do not have this privilege? They are being punished by a badly selected curriculum. The teachers using phonics are doing so because they are working outside of the Benchmark curriculum. But new and inexperienced teachers will not have the experience or background to feel comfortable doing this and we are literally failing kids. Children who don’t learn to read are being set up for educational failure and it makes my blood boil. If the district is concerned with equity and serving all children they need a better quality curriculum and they need it now. I find it unacceptable to keep using a curriculum not based on science and evidence because of a contract. What can we do to advocate on behalf of all our kids for better curriculum? Talk to the BOE? I really would like to do something about this.

I think the report on Curriculum 2.0 said that the ELA curriculum completely failed students. That was put into place around 2011/2012? Then they chose benchmark? This county has a $3 billion budget. A lot of the Curriculum 2.0 cronies somehow ended up on staff at Discovery Ed. Who owns Benchmark?

No. The report said C2.0 was lacking especially for some group of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

Same main topic or same content? Because those are two very different things. The first could be very helpful and provide both foundation, depth and appropriate spiraling. The second would be very boring. I also thought with the new 2022 version there was going to be more novel study?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

Same main topic or same content? Because those are two very different things. The first could be very helpful and provide both foundation, depth and appropriate spiraling. The second would be very boring. I also thought with the new 2022 version there was going to be more novel study?

The units all cover the same topics and just have different readings. So for example, every year they will do a unit on westward expansion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

Same main topic or same content? Because those are two very different things. The first could be very helpful and provide both foundation, depth and appropriate spiraling. The second would be very boring. I also thought with the new 2022 version there was going to be more novel study?

The units all cover the same topics and just have different readings. So for example, every year they will do a unit on westward expansion.

My 6th grade students complained about benchmark to me and told me they just had to keep reading about corn...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

Same main topic or same content? Because those are two very different things. The first could be very helpful and provide both foundation, depth and appropriate spiraling. The second would be very boring. I also thought with the new 2022 version there was going to be more novel study?

The units all cover the same topics and just have different readings. So for example, every year they will do a unit on westward expansion.

I could be okay with this because this is a very broad topic are there are some lots of topics under Westward expansion that could be covered. Especially if we consider Westward expansion most expansion beyond the 13 Colonies.



Settling of the MidWest
Settling of the West
Trail of Tears
Settlement building

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

Same main topic or same content? Because those are two very different things. The first could be very helpful and provide both foundation, depth and appropriate spiraling. The second would be very boring. I also thought with the new 2022 version there was going to be more novel study?

The units all cover the same topics and just have different readings. So for example, every year they will do a unit on westward expansion.

I could be okay with this because this is a very broad topic are there are some lots of topics under Westward expansion that could be covered. Especially if we consider Westward expansion most expansion beyond the 13 Colonies.



Settling of the MidWest
Settling of the West
Trail of Tears
Settlement building

My daughter keeps saying that she has read all this before. I checked and it is technically different texts, but it's all making the same points, so I understand why she is bored. The bigger problems are the structural ones--not following the science of reading, not offering above grade-level texts--but it would be nice to have content that actually engages the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like Benchmark is a mess in the lower grades. How about for grades 4 & 5? How much better is the newer Benchmark Advance 2022 better for upper grades?

It's just as bad. It repeats the same topics year after year, so kids are bored. Plus readings are all at or below grade level, so anyone who is above grade level is extra bored and unchallenged.

Same main topic or same content? Because those are two very different things. The first could be very helpful and provide both foundation, depth and appropriate spiraling. The second would be very boring. I also thought with the new 2022 version there was going to be more novel study?

The units all cover the same topics and just have different readings. So for example, every year they will do a unit on westward expansion.

I could be okay with this because this is a very broad topic are there are some lots of topics under Westward expansion that could be covered. Especially if we consider Westward expansion most expansion beyond the 13 Colonies.


Settling of the MidWest
Settling of the West
Trail of Tears
Settlement building

My daughter keeps saying that she has read all this before. I checked and it is technically different texts, but it's all making the same points, so I understand why she is bored. The bigger problems are the structural ones--not following the science of reading, not offering above grade-level texts--but it would be nice to have content that actually engages the students.

This. The not-well-done spiral curriculum is a problem too, but secondary.

For examples of Benchmark's upper grade materials, 5th graders read a chapter from Call of the Wild and a chapter from Tom Sawyer. The nonfiction materials are generated by Benchmark and are very dull. At our school the students and teachers found the unit on corn so awful that they now skip it.