Private school teachers - Do you have to teach specific topics?

[Anonymous]

I'm a public school teacher, and I'm curious as to whether at most private schools, teachers have to teach specific topics. For example if you teach pre-algebra, are all the pre-algebra teachers at your school expected to teach the same topics, or are you given freedom as to what you want to cover? Say for example similar figures. Are there some teachers who might choose to cover that, but others that don't, and that's ok? If you are required to teach specific topics, how does the school ensure that the topics are actually being taught?

[Anonymous]

Well, I teach my subject at both AP and IB level, and there are specific concepts I need to teach to ensure that my students pass the external exams. I haven't ever been closely monitored by admin, so I suppose it is possible I could have decided not to teach essential items, but this would have shown up in exam results. As long as my IB and AP exam scores are strong, the school knows that whatever and however I am teaching is appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I teach my subject at both AP and IB level, and there are specific concepts I need to teach to ensure that my students pass the external exams. I haven't ever been closely monitored by admin, so I suppose it is possible I could have decided not to teach essential items, but this would have shown up in exam results. As long as my IB and AP exam scores are strong, the school knows that whatever and however I am teaching is appropriate.

AP classes are different because they take a test, and if you haven't taught the specific topics they will do poorly and that will reflect negatively on you. But what about other topics that don't have a standardized test? Do 7th grade math teachers have specific topics that they are required to teach? If so, how does the school ensure it's actually being taught? As a public school teacher, as much as I hate standardized testing, I can actually see the benefit. There are definitely some topics I would skimp on if not completely skip if I knew my students wouldn't be tested on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I teach my subject at both AP and IB level, and there are specific concepts I need to teach to ensure that my students pass the external exams. I haven't ever been closely monitored by admin, so I suppose it is possible I could have decided not to teach essential items, but this would have shown up in exam results. As long as my IB and AP exam scores are strong, the school knows that whatever and however I am teaching is appropriate.

AP classes are different because they take a test, and if you haven't taught the specific topics they will do poorly and that will reflect negatively on you. But what about other topics that don't have a standardized test? Do 7th grade math teachers have specific topics that they are required to teach? If so, how does the school ensure it's actually being taught? As a public school teacher, as much as I hate standardized testing, I can actually see the benefit. There are definitely some topics I would skimp on if not completely skip if I knew my students wouldn't be tested on them.

Also, even if private schools don't give state standardized test, do they still do their own in school common assessments? In my public school, all teachers of the same subject give the same computerized end of unit tests, so it's easy to compare the kids' performances in different classes. Teachers can't choose not to teach certain topics because it would be revealed on the testing Do most private schools have teachers give any sort of common tests or are they just responsible for coming up with the tests themselves and choosing what content to test?

[Anonymous]

My kids go to a private school. The teachers follow the textbook and go through all of almost all the chapters. It is a traditional school where from early elementary there are textbooks and workbooks in every subject. Teachers can supplement but in general by following the textbooks parents know what their kids are learning, the following years teachers know what was taught, you can have a change of teachers and the content of the class stays consistent.