What the heck is happening to DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

PARCC numbers don’t support your premise above. The overwhelming majority of kids are way below grade level in math, as in 1 or 2. Look at the science scores, also abysmal.

If the curriculum was strong in content, above would not be so bad.

I think PP is trying to say the content is good, but DCPS teachers cannot spend enough time on it because they have to focus on math & ELA PARCC scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

What leads you to believe the science curriculum is strong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

PARCC numbers don’t support your premise above. The overwhelming majority of kids are way below grade level in math, as in 1 or 2. Look at the science scores, also abysmal.

If the curriculum was strong in content, above would not be so bad.

I think PP is trying to say the content is good, but DCPS teachers cannot spend enough time on it because they have to focus on math & ELA PARCC scores.

Re-read the above post. She said math and science are good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real equity issue is not providing rigorous academics that meet ALL kids where they are. DCPS continues to focus on lower tier students, which is important, but the curriculum fails to challenge other students. Allowing the teachers to spend more time on rigorous, differentiated instruction would actually be the just and equitable thing to do - in all wards.

Exactly and why parents flee to certain charters where there is a majority higher performing peer group.

Let’s be real here. If the majority of kids are not reading and doing basic math in 2nd and 3rd, there ain’t no science being taught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

PARCC numbers don’t support your premise above. The overwhelming majority of kids are way below grade level in math, as in 1 or 2. Look at the science scores, also abysmal.

If the curriculum was strong in content, above would not be so bad.

I think PP is trying to say the content is good, but DCPS teachers cannot spend enough time on it because they have to focus on math & ELA PARCC scores.

Re-read the above post. She said math and science are good.

The curriculum is what the district purchases that supplies the content, teacher training, workbooks, and lesson plans that are supposed to be taught. Both are solid for math and science. City-wide scores (except for ward 3) look abysmal not because of poor curriculum. When a large percentage of students arrive at school (when they do come) unprepared to learn, no curriculum in the world will make a difference. If a student didn’t sleep the night before due to an all night adult party in the next room, hasn’t eaten anything but skittles and coke for breakfast, reeks of weed, couch surfs among homes with questionable adult behavior, and has no adult involvement or support for their education test scores will be poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

No. Just no.

“No” to what? Flash cards? Time? Curriculum? Knowledge? Elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

PARCC numbers don’t support your premise above. The overwhelming majority of kids are way below grade level in math, as in 1 or 2. Look at the science scores, also abysmal.

If the curriculum was strong in content, above would not be so bad.

— PARCC is a crappy, badly-worded test.
— The challenges for learning in DV begin well before school.

Therefore, making an assessment one way or another of DCPS’s curriculum based on PARCC scores is not feasible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

PARCC numbers don’t support your premise above. The overwhelming majority of kids are way below grade level in math, as in 1 or 2. Look at the science scores, also abysmal.

If the curriculum was strong in content, above would not be so bad.

— PARCC is a crappy, badly-worded test.
— The challenges for learning in DV begin well before school.

Therefore, making an assessment one way or another of DCPS’s curriculum based on PARCC scores is not feasible.

Nice try but a lot of schools use a variant of PARCC (e.g., a third of states use PARCC/Smarter Balanced). All public schools in DC use PARCC. Therefore, you can compare within DC.

This is from DPCS on the 2021-22 results: "In math, 60 percent of students scored a Level 1 or 2 on the PARCC Assessment; 48 percent did so in ELA, indicating they are performing significantly below grade level."

Blaming the test is not going to work to rationalize poor results in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

No. Just no.

“No” to what? Flash cards? Time? Curriculum? Knowledge? Elementary school?

No, the science and math curriculum is not strong in DC public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

I like the math curriculum, and I remember that in 3rd grade, the kids were also expected to memorize the multiplication table to 12s, and still does math facts drills for fluency in multiplication and division. They aren't mutually exclusive. The reading curriculum is also phonics-heavy, and there is explicit writing instruction in 4th and 5th grade (paragraphs, organizing an essay, supporting assertions with evidence, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

What science curriculum are they using? When I taught 5th grade science I was given standards and nothing else. Then we had some online program maybe through Discovery, but it was clunky and we rarely used it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

This matches my experience so well. When the teachers have the opportunity to actually spend time on social studies and science, the kids learn incredibly well and the way it is structured builds upon prior units in past years in a really smart way. I don't know what curriculum they use but I have seen how, for instance, PK units on types of buildings have led to elementary units on architecture, engineering, and government studies. My kid will remember what the learned in prior years and build on that. It works well together.

However, the focus on testing and the pressure on DCPS schools, in particular, to "prove" their worth (as compared to charters) with high test scores really makes it hard for teachers to actually do this. I think this is the worst year I've seen, and I think it's due to the freak out over 2022 test scores and pandemic learning loss. The schedule that my K and 2nd grader are doing this year is bananas. My Ker's day is packed full of ELA and math to a degree that is not realistic, science/social studies get shoehorned into the period of lunch/recess, and it's the first thing to go when schedule disruptions limit available time because the pressure on teachers to get students at or above grade level in tested subjects is so intense. Right now my kids are both technically supposed to get a 20 minute recess daily but it winds up being like 8 minutes because once you've wrangled these kids from their special back to the classroom and to the lunchroom and then tried to get them to eat on a tight schedule, you are out of time and you have to get them back inside for afternoon curriculum. It's awful for the kids and the teachers and it's just not a good learning environment. I am frustrated with the school and with DCPS because it's way more intense than previous years, but when I've raised it, there's a lot of buck passing and then I get told that they have to worry about making sure the kids most impacted by learning loss (FARMS and SpeD kids) "catch up" but I know this isn't serving those kids either.

For these reasons, we're looking at charters and all-city schools for next year. We love our teachers and know what they are capable of, but DCPS is having some kind of melt-down over test scores right now and they've decided the key is to just try to cram all these kids with as much math and phonics as possible before 3rd grade. I know it's a complex problem but it's just not at all what I want for my kids. I am fortunate to have kids who are already at or above grade level in all subjects and I just don't stress about PARCC scores. We're looking for a school where my kids might actually spend some time outside, get more than 8 minutes of free play time during the day, and where there is better balance between tested academics and other subjects so that they get a well rounded education. I wish the teachers were in charge of the curriculum and schedule because I know for a fact they'd make better choices than this. But they aren't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

This matches my experience so well. When the teachers have the opportunity to actually spend time on social studies and science, the kids learn incredibly well and the way it is structured builds upon prior units in past years in a really smart way. I don't know what curriculum they use but I have seen how, for instance, PK units on types of buildings have led to elementary units on architecture, engineering, and government studies. My kid will remember what the learned in prior years and build on that. It works well together.

However, the focus on testing and the pressure on DCPS schools, in particular, to "prove" their worth (as compared to charters) with high test scores really makes it hard for teachers to actually do this. I think this is the worst year I've seen, and I think it's due to the freak out over 2022 test scores and pandemic learning loss. The schedule that my K and 2nd grader are doing this year is bananas. My Ker's day is packed full of ELA and math to a degree that is not realistic, science/social studies get shoehorned into the period of lunch/recess, and it's the first thing to go when schedule disruptions limit available time because the pressure on teachers to get students at or above grade level in tested subjects is so intense. Right now my kids are both technically supposed to get a 20 minute recess daily but it winds up being like 8 minutes because once you've wrangled these kids from their special back to the classroom and to the lunchroom and then tried to get them to eat on a tight schedule, you are out of time and you have to get them back inside for afternoon curriculum. It's awful for the kids and the teachers and it's just not a good learning environment. I am frustrated with the school and with DCPS because it's way more intense than previous years, but when I've raised it, there's a lot of buck passing and then I get told that they have to worry about making sure the kids most impacted by learning loss (FARMS and SpeD kids) "catch up" but I know this isn't serving those kids either.

For these reasons, we're looking at charters and all-city schools for next year. We love our teachers and know what they are capable of, but DCPS is having some kind of melt-down over test scores right now and they've decided the key is to just try to cram all these kids with as much math and phonics as possible before 3rd grade. I know it's a complex problem but it's just not at all what I want for my kids. I am fortunate to have kids who are already at or above grade level in all subjects and I just don't stress about PARCC scores. We're looking for a school where my kids might actually spend some time outside, get more than 8 minutes of free play time during the day, and where there is better balance between tested academics and other subjects so that they get a well rounded education. I wish the teachers were in charge of the curriculum and schedule because I know for a fact they'd make better choices than this. But they aren't.

Wow, this sounds awful PP. it’s not developmental appropriate and will just kill the love of learning.

Definitely play the lottery. There is so much better options out there. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

This matches my experience so well. When the teachers have the opportunity to actually spend time on social studies and science, the kids learn incredibly well and the way it is structured builds upon prior units in past years in a really smart way. I don't know what curriculum they use but I have seen how, for instance, PK units on types of buildings have led to elementary units on architecture, engineering, and government studies. My kid will remember what the learned in prior years and build on that. It works well together.

However, the focus on testing and the pressure on DCPS schools, in particular, to "prove" their worth (as compared to charters) with high test scores really makes it hard for teachers to actually do this. I think this is the worst year I've seen, and I think it's due to the freak out over 2022 test scores and pandemic learning loss. The schedule that my K and 2nd grader are doing this year is bananas. My Ker's day is packed full of ELA and math to a degree that is not realistic, science/social studies get shoehorned into the period of lunch/recess, and it's the first thing to go when schedule disruptions limit available time because the pressure on teachers to get students at or above grade level in tested subjects is so intense. Right now my kids are both technically supposed to get a 20 minute recess daily but it winds up being like 8 minutes because once you've wrangled these kids from their special back to the classroom and to the lunchroom and then tried to get them to eat on a tight schedule, you are out of time and you have to get them back inside for afternoon curriculum. It's awful for the kids and the teachers and it's just not a good learning environment. I am frustrated with the school and with DCPS because it's way more intense than previous years, but when I've raised it, there's a lot of buck passing and then I get told that they have to worry about making sure the kids most impacted by learning loss (FARMS and SpeD kids) "catch up" but I know this isn't serving those kids either.

For these reasons, we're looking at charters and all-city schools for next year. We love our teachers and know what they are capable of, but DCPS is having some kind of melt-down over test scores right now and they've decided the key is to just try to cram all these kids with as much math and phonics as possible before 3rd grade. I know it's a complex problem but it's just not at all what I want for my kids. I am fortunate to have kids who are already at or above grade level in all subjects and I just don't stress about PARCC scores. We're looking for a school where my kids might actually spend some time outside, get more than 8 minutes of free play time during the day, and where there is better balance between tested academics and other subjects so that they get a well rounded education. I wish the teachers were in charge of the curriculum and schedule because I know for a fact they'd make better choices than this. But they aren't.

Wow, this sounds awful PP. it’s not developmental appropriate and will just kill the love of learning.

Definitely play the lottery. There is so much better options out there. Best of luck.

Thank you, but to be honest I'm sad about it. We like our school and we especially like going to the neighborhood school and having school friends nearby and feeling like we are part of a local school community. I'm not actually that enthusiastic about having to commute to a charter instead of walking a few blocks to our current school, and also having to work harder to make school friends and deal with having school friends living in other parts of the city. But I also don't want my kids to spend 7+ hours a day indoors with an intense focus on math/reading (that they don't really need because they were doing fine in these areas before with less intense academics) and less time for specials and other academics, or just socialization and play. I'm pretty frustrated to be in this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader at a charter school just learned a song that helps them to ask people for their pronouns which is great. They've also learned the phonics, continents, multiplication and the basics of plate tectonics (when they learned about the continents, they learned how the continents got their shape - it was apparently a very exciting lesson because they came home and showed me how various mountain ranges around the world were formed).

We are not at the same charter but my 2nd grader, at an immersion charter, last year spent time in similar topic in science where they learned about earth plates, volcanoes, tsunami, etc…and they built some cool volcanoes using paper and clay and wrote stories about above in both English and Spanish. The kids loved it.

DCPS science curriculum is very strong. The problem here is that science and social studies are not tested subjects (except for a couple of times throughout their 13 years, OSSE tests science knowledge). When the testing stakes are high in terms of bonuses for principals and school rankings and federal funding, of course the no -tested subjects are allotted VERY little time. Many elementary teachers can only teach these subjects when time allows as the focus on math and ELA is relentless. The math curriculum is actually quite good, even if unfamiliar to parents. The steady focus on number sense and flexible operations will pay off! But there is also a time for memorizing basic math facts too. I suggest making some simple multiplication flash cards and doing them at dinner each night If your kid isn’t fluent by the end of third grade.

PARCC numbers don’t support your premise above. The overwhelming majority of kids are way below grade level in math, as in 1 or 2. Look at the science scores, also abysmal.

If the curriculum was strong in content, above would not be so bad.

I think PP is trying to say the content is good, but DCPS teachers cannot spend enough time on it because they have to focus on math & ELA PARCC scores.

NP. I think you miss their point. They are saying that the data doesn't support your position. If what you said was accurate then the Math and ELA scores should be excellent at the expense of science. But those scores suck.