Does anyone like Curriculum 2.0?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Now I'm about to paste in the official summary of Curriculum 2.0. You can all see what it says. It says that our children are being taught to juggle chainsaws. If you don't see it in there, it's just because they are trying to cover it up.

--New internationally driven standards in math, reading, and writing
--Renewed focus on teaching the whole child
--Nurtures skills that build confidence and success
--Engages students beyond reading and math, to spark greater interest
in science, social studies, information literacy, art, music, physical
education, and health
--Integrates thinking, reasoning, and creativity for a lifetime of learning
--Enhances learning by connecting subjects

One critical aspect of curriculum 2.0 that you have excluded (perhaps inadvertently): students that has mastered the content of this curriculum (curriculum 2.0) will no longer be allowed to move up. Even if this mastery is ascertained at the beginning of the school year the child must remain in the assigned classroom and repeat the content. This is particularly germane for any student in mathematics. There are no longer any pathways for advancement even if the child has mastered the math content at the start of the school year.

Yawn.

[Anonymous]

Yawn.

Ignorance is true bliss. Sleep tight, Goldilocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I for one am really relieved that my kids just missed it.

Yep, same here. As my DH said, I feel like we caught the last train out of Dodge before disaster struck.

[Anonymous]

Curriculum 2.0 is essentially the Common Core curriculum being implemented just about nationwide. I dislike it in the early grades, but it's fine IMO after fifth grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Now I'm about to paste in the official summary of Curriculum 2.0. You can all see what it says. It says that our children are being taught to juggle chainsaws. If you don't see it in there, it's just because they are trying to cover it up.

--New internationally driven standards in math, reading, and writing
--Renewed focus on teaching the whole child
--Nurtures skills that build confidence and success
--Engages students beyond reading and math, to spark greater interest
in science, social studies, information literacy, art, music, physical
education, and health
--Integrates thinking, reasoning, and creativity for a lifetime of learning
--Enhances learning by connecting subjects

One critical aspect of curriculum 2.0 that you have excluded (perhaps inadvertently): students that has mastered the content of this curriculum (curriculum 2.0) will no longer be allowed to move up. Even if this mastery is ascertained at the beginning of the school year the child must remain in the assigned classroom and repeat the content. This is particularly germane for any student in mathematics. There are no longer any pathways for advancement even if the child has mastered the math content at the start of the school year.

Not sure what you meant by inadvertently excluding that info, but I seriously did cut and paste from the online brochure thing on Curriculum 2.0 on the MCPS website, and there is no bullet point on what you mention. I didn't write the bullet points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only place I've heard people upset about it is on here.

You clearly didn't attend Starr's Spring Forum on GT education. There was a large room full of very upset parents with legitimate concerns and a pompous and arrogant superintendent who wanted to hear none of them. Instead, he prefered to preach about "social justice".

How about justice for the kids who show up to school everyday, but because they've already met all the benchmarks, are told to read quietly on the rug or to help the other students who are lagging behind. They also have needs, but they are ignored. Where is their "appropriate" education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only place I've heard people upset about it is on here.

You clearly didn't attend Starr's Spring Forum on GT education. There was a large room full of very upset parents with legitimate concerns and a pompous and arrogant superintendent who wanted to hear none of them. Instead, he prefered to preach about "social justice".

How about justice for the kids who show up to school everyday, but because they've already met all the benchmarks, are told to read quietly on the rug or to help the other students who are lagging behind. They also have needs, but they are ignored. Where is their "appropriate" education?

I was there. Nothing was accomplished. I thought it was a waste of my time.

[Anonymous]

I am the pp and I'm only going to say one more thing because the anger on here is making me lose my faith in people. I think people should consider that Montgomery County schools is educating 70,000 elementary school students this year. They need to come up with a curriculum that serves all of them as well as they can. It seems like they may be choosing to make changes that benefit the vast majority of students, not focusing on that small percentage of parents on here whose kids are 2 years ahead in math.

[Anonymous]

It seems like some of you are saying that this new curriculum is due to high achieving immigrants (asians) and wanting to slow them down so that the white kids aren't shown up. While some of you are saying that the new curriculum is to slow down high achieving children (presumably white) so that the "under performers (read: black, hispanic) can catch up. So which is it?

[Anonymous]

Assuming your child has a proven mastery on grade level. What would happen if you pulled your child out of school every day during the math section?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naivete is bliss. It's not the recent immigrants and their children who are the MCPS leadership and teachers in our schools. At least in the schools my kids attend the leadership and teachers do not reflect the race and ethnicity of the students being led and taught. There is a tremendous lag. The traditional leadership of MCPS and her schools are run still run by the old generation. They teach an increasing multi-cultural and diverse student body many of whom out perform their own children and thus get the "entitled" spoils: prizes, awards, magnet slots, Ivy slots and other prize college admissions ...

+100000

Your post doesn't make a whole lot of sense, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the pp and I'm only going to say one more thing because the anger on here is making me lose my faith in people. I think people should consider that Montgomery County schools is educating 70,000 elementary school students this year. They need to come up with a curriculum that serves all of them as well as they can. It seems like they may be choosing to make changes that benefit the vast majority of students, not focusing on that small percentage of parents on here whose kids are 2 years ahead in math.

I don't have an opinion on 2.0, but I agree with you. As parents, if we have that kid who can't thrive in the public sector, whose job it is to serve the masses, maybe we need to find alternatives for our kids. Parents of SN kids who fall on the other end of the curve face this all the time.

[Anonymous]

I am the pp and I'm only going to say one more thing because the anger on here is making me lose my faith in people. I think people should consider that Montgomery County schools is educating 70,000 elementary school students this year. They need to come up with a curriculum that serves all of them as well as they can. It seems like they may be choosing to make changes that benefit the vast majority of students, not focusing on that small percentage of parents on here whose kids are 2 years ahead in math.

You have missed the boat. The curricular emphasis is correctly placed on the vast majority of students but this has absolutely nothing to do with preventing the 10 percent of kids who have mastered the curricular content the opportunity to move up a level to get more challenge. This has nothing to do with extra focus/benefit but common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the pp and I'm only going to say one more thing because the anger on here is making me lose my faith in people. I think people should consider that Montgomery County schools is educating 70,000 elementary school students this year. They need to come up with a curriculum that serves all of them as well as they can. It seems like they may be choosing to make changes that benefit the vast majority of students, not focusing on that small percentage of parents on here whose kids are 2 years ahead in math.

Why does it have to be an either/or proposition? I agree they are aiming for the middle (vast majority of students), but why do so at the expense of others? Why not keep the pathways for those who need it, and still do everything else you are doing for the vast majority? If you had a child in that small minority of students, would you not think that the public school system should also serve your child?

[Anonymous]

Your post doesn't make a whole lot of sense, really.

What don't you understand? It is acceptable, or even preferable, for kids who have demonstrated mastery of math subject matter for the year the opportunity to move up to the next math level instead of repetition for a year.

This is a simple concept MCPS had a few years ago and many children, including my own, benefitted from it. Does the new common core standards mandate such a prohibition? If so, why? What's the rationale to keep a student back for a year with demonstrated subject mastery? Does this make any sense to you?