Anonymous
Post 01/25/2025 18:35     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every student should have access to ELC.

Raise the bar. Aim higher. Challenge students.

The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator has ruined mcps. We used to be an enviable school district and we have fallen so far.


I went to a good public school that did this. The only way it works is if there are well-behaved students/classroom discipline that does not tolerate disruption for any student, and the school values academic achievement. This does not describe many schools in our district.


DP.

I) A larger number of teachers to make class sizes manageable

II) A willingness to hold them to a more consistently high standard

III) Recognition of the different ways they might best achieve that standard

IV) Time-protected mentoring/training (meaningful training)

I and IV won't happen without significantly greater County Council funding.

II would require flexibility from MCEA.

III would require better focused middle management from principals and those 1 to 3 levels down from the superintendent at central.

I'm not optimistic, but I can dream...
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2025 09:53     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:Every student should have access to ELC.

Raise the bar. Aim higher. Challenge students.

The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator has ruined mcps. We used to be an enviable school district and we have fallen so far.


I went to a good public school that did this. The only way it works is if there are well-behaved students/classroom discipline that does not tolerate disruption for any student, and the school values academic achievement. This does not describe many schools in our district.
Anonymous
Post 01/25/2025 07:27     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What this thread sounds like is speculation and someone stirring the pot. CO has not said that ELC is going away. All they ever said last year was that they would evaluate this year IF CKLA could be used as a replacement or supplement for advanced learners in ES. They acknowledged that it was an on-grade level curriculum.

So before folks get up in arms that ELC is going away, first speak with your school staff (Principal and Reading Specialist) about what they are hearing and thinking for next year? Explicitly ask what they are doing currently with ELC (especially if you’re a 3rd grade parent), vs CKLA 4th&5th. If your school is doing the CKLA+ pilot, ask what that entails and looks like implementation wise and ask what differences (positive and negative) have been noticed for students with setup vs ELC.

Be willing to wait for feedback in February as teachers and staff are trying to complete Winter testing and get through missed content and things in order to wrap up the quarter and semester. In fact that is another question to ask for CKLA+ pilot schools: Has anyone compare midterm progress of last years ELC students to midterm progress of the CKLA+ pilot students? Do we have teacher, student, parent feedback thus far with regards to CKLa+?


Spoken like a central office staffer who does not want parents to advocate to keep ELC.

Central office won’t announce anything until it’s a done deal, and it’s too late for parents to do anything about it.


Where did anyone say don’t advocate for ELC??? In fact the entire post was about figuring out what your ES school knows and are thinking in regards to the program/curriculum. If you’re going to make a case to keep ELC you should be armed with accurate information about its implementation and benefits over the CKLA+ curriculum and implementation. Speculating on DCUM is unhelpful. Talking to you ES school staff show interest and raises questions and attention.



I did talk to my school. They said “what are you talking about?” But I have no faith there won’t be a switch around later.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 19:33     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every student should have access to ELC.

Raise the bar. Aim higher. Challenge students.

The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator has ruined mcps. We used to be an enviable school district and we have fallen so far.



Umm, no. It’s okay for kids to need different things. The on level curriculum is appropriately challenging. That some kids need something different is fine.


DP. Only fine if those needs are met.

In a way, I agree with the PP that anyone should have access. That doesn't mean everyone should be pushed into it, and families should be seen as partners with teachers/schools in making the decision to pursue it for a student.

Some might be on the fence. If they determine the challenge is too much, there should be a relatively no-harm/no-foul way to move back to on-level/standard curriculum. But the challenge, if not too overwhelming, can allow the kind of stretching that yields many benefits down the road, and that is not exclusive to the tippy-top of the ability scale (which varies over time/developmental years, anyway, but can get reinforced in a combination virtuous/vicious cycle if stretching opportunities are limited only to those previously identified).

To reiterate, though, it would be a failure to make curricular & implementation decisions that either fail to offer robust enrichment/acceleration in the first place or that water down such by encouraging undifferentiated teaching that aims to hit only the capability levels of those who might struggle with more rigorous application.


This is already done at the school level with ELC. But there is always folks trying to push their kid into it or other advance classes. I’m it’s like being On-Level is a dirty word.


I think this is the point of the concern.

If ELC, which took so long to arrange/roll out, goes away in favor of CKLA, and if the latter doesn't offer similar means of addressing the need, then it can't get done at the school level.

Separately, the different ways schools select for/degrees to which schools provide ELC (or CKLA) means that students at one school might have an excellent experience with it while similar students at another school might not.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 18:34     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
It would be great to keep ELC as a separate class, using Amplify CKLA as the base, moving more quickly because the advanced learners don’t need the scaffolding, and adding challenging novel studies and writing projects. Then it would stay an accelerated and enriched class.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 15:46     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
I have a 3rd grader who is doing CKLA with WIN time, 20 (maybe 30) minutes 4 times a week. It consists of her and a small group doing amplify/blast on the computer, and working on the 4th grade packet. She is doing the same packet as her on grade level friends in 4th grade. No writing comes home. She scored high on the MAP R so something is working. She also is a big reader and maybe that contributed. I haven't inquired yet about what her school is going to be doing next year but will post when I find out. I would much rather her do more writing and projects than worksheets and packets. That being said, she likes CKLA way more than Benchmark and doesn't complain about being bored at school anymore.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 12:32     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every student should have access to ELC.

Raise the bar. Aim higher. Challenge students.

The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator has ruined mcps. We used to be an enviable school district and we have fallen so far.



Umm, no. It’s okay for kids to need different things. The on level curriculum is appropriately challenging. That some kids need something different is fine.


DP. Only fine if those needs are met.

In a way, I agree with the PP that anyone should have access. That doesn't mean everyone should be pushed into it, and families should be seen as partners with teachers/schools in making the decision to pursue it for a student.

Some might be on the fence. If they determine the challenge is too much, there should be a relatively no-harm/no-foul way to move back to on-level/standard curriculum. But the challenge, if not too overwhelming, can allow the kind of stretching that yields many benefits down the road, and that is not exclusive to the tippy-top of the ability scale (which varies over time/developmental years, anyway, but can get reinforced in a combination virtuous/vicious cycle if stretching opportunities are limited only to those previously identified).

To reiterate, though, it would be a failure to make curricular & implementation decisions that either fail to offer robust enrichment/acceleration in the first place or that water down such by encouraging undifferentiated teaching that aims to hit only the capability levels of those who might struggle with more rigorous application.


This is already done at the school level with ELC. But there is always folks trying to push their kid into it or other advance classes. I’m it’s like being On-Level is a dirty word.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 11:07     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every student should have access to ELC.

Raise the bar. Aim higher. Challenge students.

The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator has ruined mcps. We used to be an enviable school district and we have fallen so far.



Umm, no. It’s okay for kids to need different things. The on level curriculum is appropriately challenging. That some kids need something different is fine.


DP. Only fine if those needs are met.

In a way, I agree with the PP that anyone should have access. That doesn't mean everyone should be pushed into it, and families should be seen as partners with teachers/schools in making the decision to pursue it for a student.

Some might be on the fence. If they determine the challenge is too much, there should be a relatively no-harm/no-foul way to move back to on-level/standard curriculum. But the challenge, if not too overwhelming, can allow the kind of stretching that yields many benefits down the road, and that is not exclusive to the tippy-top of the ability scale (which varies over time/developmental years, anyway, but can get reinforced in a combination virtuous/vicious cycle if stretching opportunities are limited only to those previously identified).

To reiterate, though, it would be a failure to make curricular & implementation decisions that either fail to offer robust enrichment/acceleration in the first place or that water down such by encouraging undifferentiated teaching that aims to hit only the capability levels of those who might struggle with more rigorous application.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 11:05     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What this thread sounds like is speculation and someone stirring the pot. CO has not said that ELC is going away. All they ever said last year was that they would evaluate this year IF CKLA could be used as a replacement or supplement for advanced learners in ES. They acknowledged that it was an on-grade level curriculum.

So before folks get up in arms that ELC is going away, first speak with your school staff (Principal and Reading Specialist) about what they are hearing and thinking for next year? Explicitly ask what they are doing currently with ELC (especially if you’re a 3rd grade parent), vs CKLA 4th&5th. If your school is doing the CKLA+ pilot, ask what that entails and looks like implementation wise and ask what differences (positive and negative) have been noticed for students with setup vs ELC.

Be willing to wait for feedback in February as teachers and staff are trying to complete Winter testing and get through missed content and things in order to wrap up the quarter and semester. In fact that is another question to ask for CKLA+ pilot schools: Has anyone compare midterm progress of last years ELC students to midterm progress of the CKLA+ pilot students? Do we have teacher, student, parent feedback thus far with regards to CKLa+?


Spoken like a central office staffer who does not want parents to advocate to keep ELC.

Central office won’t announce anything until it’s a done deal, and it’s too late for parents to do anything about it.


Where did anyone say don’t advocate for ELC??? In fact the entire post was about figuring out what your ES school knows and are thinking in regards to the program/curriculum. If you’re going to make a case to keep ELC you should be armed with accurate information about its implementation and benefits over the CKLA+ curriculum and implementation. Speculating on DCUM is unhelpful. Talking to you ES school staff show interest and raises questions and attention.



Why should parents have to go on an extensive fact finding research mission to know what the plan is for next year if it’s going to be a big curriculum change?


DP. "It's going to be a big curriculum change" = speculation.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 09:54     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What this thread sounds like is speculation and someone stirring the pot. CO has not said that ELC is going away. All they ever said last year was that they would evaluate this year IF CKLA could be used as a replacement or supplement for advanced learners in ES. They acknowledged that it was an on-grade level curriculum.

So before folks get up in arms that ELC is going away, first speak with your school staff (Principal and Reading Specialist) about what they are hearing and thinking for next year? Explicitly ask what they are doing currently with ELC (especially if you’re a 3rd grade parent), vs CKLA 4th&5th. If your school is doing the CKLA+ pilot, ask what that entails and looks like implementation wise and ask what differences (positive and negative) have been noticed for students with setup vs ELC.

Be willing to wait for feedback in February as teachers and staff are trying to complete Winter testing and get through missed content and things in order to wrap up the quarter and semester. In fact that is another question to ask for CKLA+ pilot schools: Has anyone compare midterm progress of last years ELC students to midterm progress of the CKLA+ pilot students? Do we have teacher, student, parent feedback thus far with regards to CKLa+?


Spoken like a central office staffer who does not want parents to advocate to keep ELC.

Central office won’t announce anything until it’s a done deal, and it’s too late for parents to do anything about it.


Where did anyone say don’t advocate for ELC??? In fact the entire post was about figuring out what your ES school knows and are thinking in regards to the program/curriculum. If you’re going to make a case to keep ELC you should be armed with accurate information about its implementation and benefits over the CKLA+ curriculum and implementation. Speculating on DCUM is unhelpful. Talking to you ES school staff show interest and raises questions and attention.



Why should parents have to go on an extensive fact finding research mission to know what the plan is for next year if it’s going to be a big curriculum change?
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 09:48     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What this thread sounds like is speculation and someone stirring the pot. CO has not said that ELC is going away. All they ever said last year was that they would evaluate this year IF CKLA could be used as a replacement or supplement for advanced learners in ES. They acknowledged that it was an on-grade level curriculum.

So before folks get up in arms that ELC is going away, first speak with your school staff (Principal and Reading Specialist) about what they are hearing and thinking for next year? Explicitly ask what they are doing currently with ELC (especially if you’re a 3rd grade parent), vs CKLA 4th&5th. If your school is doing the CKLA+ pilot, ask what that entails and looks like implementation wise and ask what differences (positive and negative) have been noticed for students with setup vs ELC.

Be willing to wait for feedback in February as teachers and staff are trying to complete Winter testing and get through missed content and things in order to wrap up the quarter and semester. In fact that is another question to ask for CKLA+ pilot schools: Has anyone compare midterm progress of last years ELC students to midterm progress of the CKLA+ pilot students? Do we have teacher, student, parent feedback thus far with regards to CKLa+?


Spoken like a central office staffer who does not want parents to advocate to keep ELC.

Central office won’t announce anything until it’s a done deal, and it’s too late for parents to do anything about it.


Where did anyone say don’t advocate for ELC??? In fact the entire post was about figuring out what your ES school knows and are thinking in regards to the program/curriculum. If you’re going to make a case to keep ELC you should be armed with accurate information about its implementation and benefits over the CKLA+ curriculum and implementation. Speculating on DCUM is unhelpful. Talking to you ES school staff show interest and raises questions and attention.

Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 09:27     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:What this thread sounds like is speculation and someone stirring the pot. CO has not said that ELC is going away. All they ever said last year was that they would evaluate this year IF CKLA could be used as a replacement or supplement for advanced learners in ES. They acknowledged that it was an on-grade level curriculum.

So before folks get up in arms that ELC is going away, first speak with your school staff (Principal and Reading Specialist) about what they are hearing and thinking for next year? Explicitly ask what they are doing currently with ELC (especially if you’re a 3rd grade parent), vs CKLA 4th&5th. If your school is doing the CKLA+ pilot, ask what that entails and looks like implementation wise and ask what differences (positive and negative) have been noticed for students with setup vs ELC.

Be willing to wait for feedback in February as teachers and staff are trying to complete Winter testing and get through missed content and things in order to wrap up the quarter and semester. In fact that is another question to ask for CKLA+ pilot schools: Has anyone compare midterm progress of last years ELC students to midterm progress of the CKLA+ pilot students? Do we have teacher, student, parent feedback thus far with regards to CKLa+?


Spoken like a central office staffer who does not want parents to advocate to keep ELC.

Central office won’t announce anything until it’s a done deal, and it’s too late for parents to do anything about it.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 08:36     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
What this thread sounds like is speculation and someone stirring the pot. CO has not said that ELC is going away. All they ever said last year was that they would evaluate this year IF CKLA could be used as a replacement or supplement for advanced learners in ES. They acknowledged that it was an on-grade level curriculum.

So before folks get up in arms that ELC is going away, first speak with your school staff (Principal and Reading Specialist) about what they are hearing and thinking for next year? Explicitly ask what they are doing currently with ELC (especially if you’re a 3rd grade parent), vs CKLA 4th&5th. If your school is doing the CKLA+ pilot, ask what that entails and looks like implementation wise and ask what differences (positive and negative) have been noticed for students with setup vs ELC.

Be willing to wait for feedback in February as teachers and staff are trying to complete Winter testing and get through missed content and things in order to wrap up the quarter and semester. In fact that is another question to ask for CKLA+ pilot schools: Has anyone compare midterm progress of last years ELC students to midterm progress of the CKLA+ pilot students? Do we have teacher, student, parent feedback thus far with regards to CKLa+?
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2025 08:21     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Anonymous wrote:Every student should have access to ELC.

Raise the bar. Aim higher. Challenge students.

The dumbing down to the lowest common denominator has ruined mcps. We used to be an enviable school district and we have fallen so far.



Umm, no. It’s okay for kids to need different things. The on level curriculum is appropriately challenging. That some kids need something different is fine.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 22:08     Subject: Looks like ELC is gone
Do we think it's likely that schools will be told they cannot/should not use ELC? Or is it just that the previous mandate that all schools use ELC is lifted, but schools can still do so if they choose?