Literacy enrichment experiences 2025-26

[Anonymous]

My DD is in a title 1 school model 1 class (4th). The class doesn't change - they have the same teacher and all get CKLA plus and compacted math. They are doing math writing and literacy studies. They got to pick their own book (from a controlled amount) and my daughter selected Hatchet. She is a bookworm but I am happy she picked a book that is different from what she normally would have read and I do think it's a little bit above grade level. The kids are supposed to meet in groups to do a book discussion and eventually a project but it seems like they run out of time and haven't really done this. Plus, there are kids in the class that have some behaviors and it also detracts from class time. A little annoying! It seems that there were only 2 kids from her grade that went to the CES program. That seems like a small number and it could be that other families turned the program down? Not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in a title 1 school model 1 class (4th). The class doesn't change - they have the same teacher and all get CKLA plus and compacted math. They are doing math writing and literacy studies. They got to pick their own book (from a controlled amount) and my daughter selected Hatchet. She is a bookworm but I am happy she picked a book that is different from what she normally would have read and I do think it's a little bit above grade level. The kids are supposed to meet in groups to do a book discussion and eventually a project but it seems like they run out of time and haven't really done this. Plus, there are kids in the class that have some behaviors and it also detracts from class time. A little annoying! It seems that there were only 2 kids from her grade that went to the CES program. That seems like a small number and it could be that other families turned the program down? Not sure.

What is math writing?

[Anonymous]

How was your elementary school kid's literacy enrichment experiences in quarter one this school year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How was your elementary school kid's literacy enrichment experiences in quarter one this school year?

Enrichment in name only. The new CKLA is accelerated but not enriched. It’s disappointing. The books for WIN time are terrible and they read like 5 pages a week or something. So disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So so glad we got into the CES. Currently diving deep on writing and Greek Gods.

Really? My kid’s school covered that in grade 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So so glad we got into the CES. Currently diving deep on writing and Greek Gods.

Really? My kid’s school covered that in grade 2.

Do you think what is covered about Greek Gods in grade2 is the same as when you’re in a higher grade? You can study the Greek gods again in HS or college as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No info from my kid or the school. I’m pretty pissed. Their friend at a CES is already reading their first novel.

DS is reading novels for FIT/WIN. On their second novel now. I'm pleasantly surprised bc we're on the forever waitlist for CES

[Anonymous]

My 4th grader in local CES school just finished 2nd books. i don't know what he reads.

[Anonymous]

My 4th grader receives 2 win time for CKLA enrichment, where they read a different article and write down answers to some open questions (some questions require recollection of knowledge from previous chapters). My DC hates it. They have math enrichment for the other 2 win times every week, where they can pick to do some challenge questions or self-study forward using some kind of online app. They have no complaints so far about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child’s group at a Title 1 school is on math writing. Most of the kids from compacted plus a few others make up the class (according to my dd). My daughter, who is a bookworm, was initially disappointed that it was a math focus, but is actually enjoying it because they do a lot of enrichment math to go with the writing plus it is with her favorite teacher. I believe next semester will be about reading.

Ooh, can you say more about this "math writing'' thing? Sounds interesting.

[Anonymous]

I’m a PP way earlier in this thread following up after conferences this week. The ELA teacher couldn’t explain why the school chose the heterogeneous model or why family input was not included as instructed in the MCPS memo. However, she shows me on her computer how she accessed the CKLA enrichment “overlays” for my kid’s class. It was mostly replacement assignments that she gives the whole class even though only a few qualify for enrichment . She said something like “it’s good for all kids”. She didn’t understand that if it’s given to all, it’s not enrichment!

The HR teacher, who just does SS and Science, was the only teacher to understand my frustration about the CES experience being vastly different than the fake enrichment at the home school for kids that didn’t win the lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a PP way earlier in this thread following up after conferences this week. The ELA teacher couldn’t explain why the school chose the heterogeneous model or why family input was not included as instructed in the MCPS memo. However, she shows me on her computer how she accessed the CKLA enrichment “overlays” for my kid’s class. It was mostly replacement assignments that she gives the whole class even though only a few qualify for enrichment . She said something like “it’s good for all kids”. She didn’t understand that if it’s given to all, it’s not enrichment!

The HR teacher, who just does SS and Science, was the only teacher to understand my frustration about the CES experience being vastly different than the fake enrichment at the home school for kids that didn’t win the lottery.

.

Oh interesting. Can you say more about what some of the replacement assignments are? Are they good ones?

My daughter's in the cohorted version which is just regular grade-level CKLA but faster, and finds it really dull and boring so far... I'd honestly rather her be in a mixed -level cass if it would mean she would get to do a decent number of interesting and above-level assignments, rather than just squeezing in an extra unit of grade-level CKLA alongside advanced classmates.

[Anonymous]

Current 5th grade kid- enrichment is a JOKE. They won’t read a whole book the entire year. Literally making the kids stupider.

Last year in 4th in the advanced program they only did for one year they read books almost every week.

MCPS dumbing down our kids.

We are reading lots at home- with MCPS you have to do it all yourself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current 5th grade kid- enrichment is a JOKE. They won’t read a whole book the entire year. Literally making the kids stupider.

Last year in 4th in the advanced program they only did for one year they read books almost every week.

MCPS dumbing down our kids.

We are reading lots at home- with MCPS you have to do it all yourself

What books do your 5th grader read at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current 5th grade kid- enrichment is a JOKE. They won’t read a whole book the entire year. Literally making the kids stupider.

Last year in 4th in the advanced program they only did for one year they read books almost every week.

MCPS dumbing down our kids.

We are reading lots at home- with MCPS you have to do it all yourself

No...

https://amplify.com/pdf/uploads/2021/03/CKLA_G5_Scope_and_Sequence.pdf

Midsummer Night's Dream and Don Quixote