Anonymous
Post 08/27/2025 10:57     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is an abomination! I know this may be difficult for some, but parents need to take a more active role in their child’s education because we cannot rely on the schools anymore. For example, we had our son read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc. …All the books were read when we were in school!


This is of course true, but reading in school includes character and plot analysis, annotating, being tested on details... Etc. there is only so much we can do at home without full-on homeschooling.

What exactly can parents do here? Talk to our SBOE... What else?


Worse, i have a child who wont read "sad" books on her own (books with a death or about racism). In school she'll read them. So now she's going to read exclusively baby-sitters club. Thanks dcps 😡


DCPS parents need to fight this, and the general dumbing down of the curriculum.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2025 10:11     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is an abomination! I know this may be difficult for some, but parents need to take a more active role in their child’s education because we cannot rely on the schools anymore. For example, we had our son read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc. …All the books were read when we were in school!


This is of course true, but reading in school includes character and plot analysis, annotating, being tested on details... Etc. there is only so much we can do at home without full-on homeschooling.

What exactly can parents do here? Talk to our SBOE... What else?


Worse, i have a child who wont read "sad" books on her own (books with a death or about racism). In school she'll read them. So now she's going to read exclusively baby-sitters club. Thanks dcps 😡
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2025 08:41     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is an abomination! I know this may be difficult for some, but parents need to take a more active role in their child’s education because we cannot rely on the schools anymore. For example, we had our son read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc. …All the books were read when we were in school!


Things Fall Apart is legit literature. It's more of an 11th/12th grade than 10th book and should be taught concurrently with Yeats but make no mistake, it's a high level and important novel.

The Namesake is the only book on that list that doesn't belong. The real problem is that there are very few books assigned and that the thematic progression is identity based and dumbed down


You’re missing the point of my statement. The assigned books are just fine, but these were all books we had him read to augment our DC’s DCPS education.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2025 07:19     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:This is an abomination! I know this may be difficult for some, but parents need to take a more active role in their child’s education because we cannot rely on the schools anymore. For example, we had our son read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc. …All the books were read when we were in school!


This is of course true, but reading in school includes character and plot analysis, annotating, being tested on details... Etc. there is only so much we can do at home without full-on homeschooling.

What exactly can parents do here? Talk to our SBOE... What else?
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2025 06:46     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:This CommonLit plan has one novel/year all the way through 10th grade. Then suddenly they read 4-5 in 11th and 12th? That makes no sense.

And their 9th grade novel is Animal Farm. Hardy just added Animal Farm for 6th grade.


I hate to burst your bubble, but Animal
Farm is best suited for high school. Most 6th graders can understand it on a surface level, but it’s better for grades 9-10 to fully comprehend the gravity of the text.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2025 06:41     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
I’m an ELA teacher in DCPS and the people in charge of our curriculum are ill suited for the role, have no knowledge of ELA or 6-12 curriculum, and simply incompetent. We’ve been complaining for years.

They obviously know where the bodies are buried. Your turn parents. Give them hell!
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 23:18     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:This is an abomination! I know this may be difficult for some, but parents need to take a more active role in their child’s education because we cannot rely on the schools anymore. For example, we had our son read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc. …All the books were read when we were in school!


Things Fall Apart is legit literature. It's more of an 11th/12th grade than 10th book and should be taught concurrently with Yeats but make no mistake, it's a high level and important novel.

The Namesake is the only book on that list that doesn't belong. The real problem is that there are very few books assigned and that the thematic progression is identity based and dumbed down
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 23:03     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
This is an abomination! I know this may be difficult for some, but parents need to take a more active role in their child’s education because we cannot rely on the schools anymore. For example, we had our son read Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, etc. …All the books were read when we were in school!
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 18:04     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
This CommonLit plan has one novel/year all the way through 10th grade. Then suddenly they read 4-5 in 11th and 12th? That makes no sense.

And their 9th grade novel is Animal Farm. Hardy just added Animal Farm for 6th grade.
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 17:57     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:Former English teacher here and this is absolutely terrible. Reading whole books with a class provides binding glue. Getting kids to care about one article after another is a losing battle. Plus, kids need to develop their skills with retention and watching characters develop over time and searching in longer texts for evidence and getting used to an author's style.... I can't even enumerate all the reasons, but this is devastating.


That makes so much sense.

Why does DCPS do this stuff?!
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 16:48     Subject: Dcps new ELA curriculum
Former English teacher here and this is absolutely terrible. Reading whole books with a class provides binding glue. Getting kids to care about one article after another is a losing battle. Plus, kids need to develop their skills with retention and watching characters develop over time and searching in longer texts for evidence and getting used to an author's style.... I can't even enumerate all the reasons, but this is devastating.
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 11:05     Subject: Re:Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:6th grade parents at Deal were just told that a new ELA curriculum was implemented over the summer (Deal is one of 9 dcps schools to pilot it) and that parents could return the books they had previously been told to buy (tuck everlasting, roll of thunder and inside out and back again) because they’re no longer needed and the kids will be reading more short stories. SMH.


WOW! And those are great books for MS. Can Deal parents organize? I would be furious.
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 11:04     Subject: Re:Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:6th grade parents at Deal were just told that a new ELA curriculum was implemented over the summer (Deal is one of 9 dcps schools to pilot it) and that parents could return the books they had previously been told to buy (tuck everlasting, roll of thunder and inside out and back again) because they’re no longer needed and the kids will be reading more short stories. SMH.


I do not understand what central office is thinking. Do they not want DC kids to be able to compete? Or is this is larger trend impacting all public schools?

I know Latin and BASIS students still have to read and discuss books, as do private school students. The gulf is going to keep widening.


Please contact your SBOE rep too and ask them to reject the proposed changes to the graduation requirements. Superintendent Mitchell straight up says they are weakening the graduation requirements so more students can graduate. In particular, they are cutting math and science requirements.

There are some good aspects to the proposal, particularly for students with IEPs and other abilities, but on the whole it's terrible.


Our family did/does DCPS for elementary (which we love) and opted out for middle. We would have loved to stay bc I really love all the DCPS teachers we've had an interacted with, but everything I hear about the standards makes it feel irresponsible to stay for middle. Parents should absolutely bring this up with their SBOEs.
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 11:00     Subject: Re:Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:6th grade parents at Deal were just told that a new ELA curriculum was implemented over the summer (Deal is one of 9 dcps schools to pilot it) and that parents could return the books they had previously been told to buy (tuck everlasting, roll of thunder and inside out and back again) because they’re no longer needed and the kids will be reading more short stories. SMH.


I do not understand what central office is thinking. Do they not want DC kids to be able to compete? Or is this is larger trend impacting all public schools?

I know Latin and BASIS students still have to read and discuss books, as do private school students. The gulf is going to keep widening.



We just started DCI middle so can’t comment yet but they have summer reading lists and it’s a lot of books. Not required to read all but even for incoming 6th graders.

Yes, the gulf will get a lot wider. No good comes when you continue to lower standards and have poor curriculums.

Anonymous
Post 08/26/2025 10:39     Subject: Re:Dcps new ELA curriculum
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:6th grade parents at Deal were just told that a new ELA curriculum was implemented over the summer (Deal is one of 9 dcps schools to pilot it) and that parents could return the books they had previously been told to buy (tuck everlasting, roll of thunder and inside out and back again) because they’re no longer needed and the kids will be reading more short stories. SMH.


I do not understand what central office is thinking. Do they not want DC kids to be able to compete? Or is this is larger trend impacting all public schools?

I know Latin and BASIS students still have to read and discuss books, as do private school students. The gulf is going to keep widening. [/quote

Latin requires students to read a book over the summer, before the year starts.