MCPS: New ELA curriculum for 2023-2024 school year

[Anonymous]

OP here. I looked at the slides from curriculum night, and it looks like they will be re-bidding it next year, not putting it in place next year. So we are stuck with Benchmark for at least one more year.

[Anonymous]

Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

Here's a link to the transcript - https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/11/10/sold-a-story-e5-the-company

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

Not the same Benchmark. MCPS a is using Benchmark Advanced. Totally different thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

Not the same Benchmark. MCPS a is using Benchmark Advanced. Totally different thing.

Sounds like the podcast findings do apply to Benchmark Advance’s crappy curriculum, though. -DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

Not the same Benchmark. MCPS a is using Benchmark Advanced. Totally different thing.

Sounds like the podcast findings do apply to Benchmark Advance’s crappy curriculum, though. -DP

Thanks for clarifying. I had assumed it was the same, since MCPS was mentioned in the prior episode.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

Not the same Benchmark. MCPS a is using Benchmark Advanced. Totally different thing.

Sounds like the podcast findings do apply to Benchmark Advance’s crappy curriculum, though. -DP

Thanks for clarifying. I had assumed it was the same, since MCPS was mentioned in the prior episode.

I think it is the same. Benchmark Advance is often referred to as Benchmark. I don't see a curriculum called Benchmark other than Benchmark Advance.

[Anonymous]

It looks like Really Great Reading also is not recommended by Ed Report. https://www.edreports.org/reports/overview/really-great-reading-2021

"The materials have a sequence for explicitly teaching all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters. However, there is no explicit instruction in letter formation. The materials contain explicit instruction in phonological awareness and have multimodal/multisensory opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness skills frequently."

Likewise, Ed Reports doens't recommend Benchmark.

I don't understand why MCPS would choose not one but two curricula that aren't recommended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

Not the same Benchmark. MCPS a is using Benchmark Advanced. Totally different thing.

Sounds like the podcast findings do apply to Benchmark Advance’s crappy curriculum, though. -DP

Thanks for clarifying. I had assumed it was the same, since MCPS was mentioned in the prior episode.

I think it is the same. Benchmark Advance is often referred to as Benchmark. I don't see a curriculum called Benchmark other than Benchmark Advance.

It is not the same. The podcast is referring to a component of a Fountas and Pinnel tool called Benchmark.
Benchmark Advance is a completely different product that is currently being used as the Reading curriculum in MCPS.
I am a veteran teacher in mcps and just listened to the podcast. It is interesting. I am still processing it but may start a thread to discuss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And then teachers, who have spent endless hours in Benchmark training, get to spend even more time in training on a new curriculum due to MCPS' bad decision making. No wonder teachers are leaving MCPS in droves.

Yeah it's just extremely and honestly in education it's just seems like there's always some new initiative that the school district is chasing after and then we'll be abandoning in two or three years. In retrospect it's kind of amazing that they actually stuck with curriculum 2.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My jaw just dropped when I read this. I can't believe they're switching again. I'm not an MCPS employee, but I've been a teacher and administrator in other school districts, and curriculum selection is normally a long process (over a year), followed by a 3+ year implementation process, with extensive PD for teachers, as well as training for coaches and admin to monitor implementation and support teachers as needed. How will any schools and teachers, and therefore students (!), ever see success if they don't commit to anything for longer than a couple years??

Yeah originally benchmark and Eureka was supposed to be I think a two or three year adoption and then with the pandemic that was abandoned in everybody had to adopt benchmark right away

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Benchmark, has anyone been listening to the Sold a Story podcast?

No. What is it about?

It's about how the "newer" reading programs (aka, not phonics) are actively harming kids' ability to learn how to read. Benchmark was mentioned on the most recent episode.

Not the same Benchmark. MCPS a is using Benchmark Advanced. Totally different thing.

Sounds like the podcast findings do apply to Benchmark Advance’s crappy curriculum, though. -DP

Thanks for clarifying. I had assumed it was the same, since MCPS was mentioned in the prior episode.

I think it is the same. Benchmark Advance is often referred to as Benchmark. I don't see a curriculum called Benchmark other than Benchmark Advance.

It is not the same. The podcast is referring to a component of a Fountas and Pinnel tool called Benchmark.
Benchmark Advance is a completely different product that is currently being used as the Reading curriculum in MCPS.
I am a veteran teacher in mcps and just listened to the podcast. It is interesting. I am still processing it but may start a thread to discuss.

NP here, please do PP. There's a Sold a Story thread currently in the FCPS forum but I'd like to see one that is MCPS-focused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My jaw just dropped when I read this. I can't believe they're switching again. I'm not an MCPS employee, but I've been a teacher and administrator in other school districts, and curriculum selection is normally a long process (over a year), followed by a 3+ year implementation process, with extensive PD for teachers, as well as training for coaches and admin to monitor implementation and support teachers as needed. How will any schools and teachers, and therefore students (!), ever see success if they don't commit to anything for longer than a couple years??

Yeah originally benchmark and Eureka was supposed to be I think a two or three year adoption and then with the pandemic that was abandoned in everybody had to adopt benchmark right away

My youngest learned to read with Benchmark much faster than older one with C2.0. Don't really see the problem here. Not sure I'd take a podcast sponsored by Pearson all that seriously either.