Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 18:49     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:Not J-R, but a Deal teacher told us that DCPS as a whole was moving away from textbooks because the schools would hand them out and then -- in a large majority of cases -- never see them again. It became a significant financial drain. The only hard-copy books used at Deal were the novels that parents were expected to purchase for ELA.


When I first started teaching in DC, the Post used to publish the date that kids got textbooks each year. It was embarrassing to DCPS. The fix- don’t assign them at all. I used to be allowed to assign the old ones anyways. However, I’m not allowed to do so anymore except to those with IEPs.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 15:27     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not J-R, but a Deal teacher told us that DCPS as a whole was moving away from textbooks because the schools would hand them out and then -- in a large majority of cases -- never see them again. It became a significant financial drain. The only hard-copy books used at Deal were the novels that parents were expected to purchase for ELA.


If this is a thread about how other schools manage this, BASIS's strategy is to hand out packets that are half-filled in. The kids then fill them in by hand during class, and then all the packets come home at the end of the week -- they are basically creating their own textbooks. It's a TREMENDOUS amount of paper, but they do learn the material really well. They do get paperbacks to read in English class.


Trying to do work on a screen is REALLY hard for some kids. I like this approach a lot.


pp here. The temptation and distraction is too much for some brains.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 15:27     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not J-R, but a Deal teacher told us that DCPS as a whole was moving away from textbooks because the schools would hand them out and then -- in a large majority of cases -- never see them again. It became a significant financial drain. The only hard-copy books used at Deal were the novels that parents were expected to purchase for ELA.


If this is a thread about how other schools manage this, BASIS's strategy is to hand out packets that are half-filled in. The kids then fill them in by hand during class, and then all the packets come home at the end of the week -- they are basically creating their own textbooks. It's a TREMENDOUS amount of paper, but they do learn the material really well. They do get paperbacks to read in English class.


Trying to do work on a screen is REALLY hard for some kids. I like this approach a lot.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 11:30     Subject: Re:do DCPS high schools use actual books?
I think my senior has brought home a textbook once. She does sometimes have a paperback novel for English or French. And paper handouts for math and chem. But the text is almost all online.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 11:22     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
My Banneker student has a book online for . . . World History (i think it's class title) and for English as to read books. Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet, Nickel Boys, Joy Luck Club...not online. Not excerpts. Not worksheets. There are math exercises online...Science I think is online text....

Good enough for me. I went to school a long time ago and I have the impression that many good high schools and colleges moved to online and licensed texts rather than big bound books years ago. Not too mad about it, as long as kid knows how to work with books as well as online materials.

Times change. Remember learning how to use the card catalog and what microfiche was?
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 09:06     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:Not J-R, but a Deal teacher told us that DCPS as a whole was moving away from textbooks because the schools would hand them out and then -- in a large majority of cases -- never see them again. It became a significant financial drain. The only hard-copy books used at Deal were the novels that parents were expected to purchase for ELA.


If this is a thread about how other schools manage this, BASIS's strategy is to hand out packets that are half-filled in. The kids then fill them in by hand during class, and then all the packets come home at the end of the week -- they are basically creating their own textbooks. It's a TREMENDOUS amount of paper, but they do learn the material really well. They do get paperbacks to read in English class.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 08:09     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Not J-R, but a Deal teacher told us that DCPS as a whole was moving away from textbooks because the schools would hand them out and then -- in a large majority of cases -- never see them again. It became a significant financial drain. The only hard-copy books used at Deal were the novels that parents were expected to purchase for ELA.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 07:18     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is the very rare class that uses a text book. I think my kid (not at J-R) had three text books over the course of high school. I wish they were used more!


This drives me crazy! My kid struggles so much with web-based learning.


I think the answer is a bit more nuanced. If they are only doing online modules without teacher interaction, that is different than if they have engaging lessons during the class day, but their homework is on paper or a link on canvas. Especially in the sciences but also in other subjects. Textbooks are hard because they are expensive and need to be replaced a lot when they're updated with new material.
Also, our Middle School reads paper novels, not chapters or texts online, which I think is important, but I'm not as concerned if he doesn't have a math textbook. They do lessons in class and he has homework either on Delta math or Khan Academy - with occasional paper homework as well.


Which school is this?
Anonymous
Post 03/06/2025 23:18     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
My J-R 9th grader has paperback workbooks for Math and Chinese, but everything else is virtual.
Anonymous
Post 03/06/2025 22:06     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is the very rare class that uses a text book. I think my kid (not at J-R) had three text books over the course of high school. I wish they were used more!


This drives me crazy! My kid struggles so much with web-based learning.


I think the answer is a bit more nuanced. If they are only doing online modules without teacher interaction, that is different than if they have engaging lessons during the class day, but their homework is on paper or a link on canvas. Especially in the sciences but also in other subjects. Textbooks are hard because they are expensive and need to be replaced a lot when they're updated with new material.
Also, our Middle School reads paper novels, not chapters or texts online, which I think is important, but I'm not as concerned if he doesn't have a math textbook. They do lessons in class and he has homework either on Delta math or Khan Academy - with occasional paper homework as well.
Anonymous
Post 03/06/2025 20:23     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Anonymous wrote:It is the very rare class that uses a text book. I think my kid (not at J-R) had three text books over the course of high school. I wish they were used more!


This drives me crazy! My kid struggles so much with web-based learning.
Anonymous
Post 03/06/2025 20:03     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
It is the very rare class that uses a text book. I think my kid (not at J-R) had three text books over the course of high school. I wish they were used more!
Anonymous
Post 03/06/2025 18:14     Subject: do DCPS high schools use actual books?
Feels like a stupid question, but it is real. My kid is transferring to J-R from a private for HS.