Reply to MCPS: New ELA curriculum for 2023-2024 school year

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "MCPS: New ELA curriculum for 2023-2024 school year"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]MCPS has made it clear that they now want to make sure it goes with their equity lens. They do not care if it teaches reading as long as the main focus of the program is equity.

My guess is that when the final programs were reviewed, the focus was on literacy instruction and how well they did in the classroom (which makes sense). Hence, they need to review all again and add in others with a new focus lens.

This of course costs more time and money. I wish I was joking. [/quote]

So basically you need to teach your kid phonics and reading at home if you want them to learn anything.[/quote]

The decision-makers at the Central Office are so far removed from students that it hasn't been about education for a long time now. If this continues, MCPS will be reduced to a jobs program that serves no function aside from promoting equality for its own sake and parents will become increasingly irate.[/quote]

There´s nothing wrong with using an equity lens, but delaying the correction of a poor curriculum will actually exacerbate inequality.  [/quote]

I will push back on this... yes, there is something wrong with using an equity lens.  Our country is based on the idea that the government treats each citizen equally.  Does it fail to do this sometimes?  Sure, but that is the premise.  I can't get behind taking a system that left some kids behind to creating a new system that leaves different kids behind.[/quote]

Equity is not about leaving anyone behind.  It’s about provide the supports that each person needs in order to be able to achieve their highest potential.[/quote]

Of course it is not designed to leave others behind, but that's what it has done in practice during the last ten years in MCPS.  Designing policies, dedicating resources and choosing curricula designed for the lowest achievers leaves behind both average and above average students.  If you are serious about providing the supports that each person needs to reach their highest potential, we would all support that.  But that would involve radically different policies than those that have been adopted, including tracking, use of magnet curricula in all schools, separate classes for English Language Learners, a required "Pre-K" year for kids who arrive not knowing how to hold a book, disciplinary policies that allow kids to learn, etc.  Somehow, I doubt that is what you mean.[/quote]

I don’t disagree with all you said just some of it.  You don’t need tracking to provide equity, because kids should be allowed to live up and down a level based on skill, ability, and will to succeed.  The kindergarten evaluation should definitely determine whether kids are at the Pre-K level or K and then kids be placed accordingly.  If they catch on quickly they can move into K.  We should absolutely stop pretending that one teacher can be all things to all learners when there are 20+ learners in the class, particularly at the ES level.  All those classes need a full-time Para or Assistant teacher. ELL should definitely be separate with push-in to regular classes for things like recess/specials/etc.  Ot should also be understood that these kids need after school enrichment in order to get then up to speed in the language quickly.

I would greatly support reimagining education in ways that actually supported equity.[/quote]

It's always fascinating to see how people who have never stepped foot in a classroom think they know how to run a school.

Wouldn't children who don't speak a lick of English really benefit from peers who model speaking English?

What happens to a classroom if you are just constantly having kids test out of preschool, would that make sense for the ELL "preschool" teacher to start the year with 20 kids, and the general education kindergarten teacher starts with 20 but then over time funneling kids over to the general Ed kindergarten teacher so teacher A has 5 kids and teacher b has 35

So what happens when you have kids who are newcomers who are not in kindergarten does this hypothetical preschool class also have 10 year olds in it or do they get to be learning with their same age peers?

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics