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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As a veteran MCPS teacher, I can assure you that the writing process has been given the short end of the stick since C2.0. My colleagues and I do our best to emphasize the importance of clear, well-organized writing, with proper spelling and grammar. But the writing process--from deciding on a topic through a final draft--is very time-consuming, if done right, and time is the one thing we do not have in our poorly written, jam-packed curriculum.

I agree wholeheartedly with the poster who proposed that MCPS stop writing curriculum and instead use something off-athe-shelf, but proven. Writing curriculum is an art. It can be done well, but the people who wrote C2.0 failed miserably. Want proof? Just ask yourself how many school systems have bought C2.0. As far as I know, the answer is near, or at, zero.[/quote]

http://does.pasco.k12.fl.us/?page_id=365
At least one system is using it.  It's now called Pearson Forward.

I have no experience with elementary.  However, I have one kid in ES who writes every single day (grade 1) and another who's in 6th grade reading at an 11th grade level according to MAPr.  My 9th graders' levels were much lower when we tested them in the fall.  Sadly, even many of my honors' students fell below the typical average.

With math, my son asked about negative numbers and could write and solve equations with negatives.  My daughter is doing algebraic equations.  Math, however, is not my area! But I am impressed by what I see.

I know that writing is developmental.  The goal is for all students to eventually develop their own voice - and that's only possible after they master the concepts of author's style.  Many don't have that abstract knowledge in high school, but my career experiences ARE limited to very challenging schools with high FARMs, high truancy rates, and a very large ESOL population.  So my perspective is skewed.  My children's schools, however, don't face the same obstacles.  So they are indeed learning from 2.0 materials.

The idea is to develop critical thinking skills in students.  At one point, the system was driven by AP courses, which are highly technical.  Now, with the growth of IB, the level of thinking becomes both global and technical and thus, helps students develop an appreciation for different perspectives.

So there is more than one way to analyze a text.  There is more than one way to solve a math problem.  There is more than one way to write an argument paper.

However, those skills take time to development, and with PARCC driving the system, teachers are constantly working within a crunched timeline. Some kids will always do well b/c they're fast learners with supportive parents.  Others, however, will fall behind.

I feel for my ES colleagues b/c those are the formative years.  And when we - as a system - fail to appreciate that abstract thinking kicks in at different times, we tend to play catch up quite a bit, thus becoming reactive instead of proactive.
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