Anonymous wrote:We can write to our principal.
We can write to our state board rep (for whatever that’s worth)
We can write to our city council member.

But who do we write to at DCPS central office? They are the epicenter of the decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe there are people on here seriously trying to argue that independent reading is inappropriate. Y’all are hopeless.

Not inappropriate, just not sufficient.

Kids needs to read full novels in school, not just a stack of excerpts.

With an accompanying video clip.

Are you saying there is an accompanying video clip for the excerpts so the kids don’t even have to read the excerpts???

The bar is so low... Are there other DCPS schools who are also changing their ELA program?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe there are people on here seriously trying to argue that independent reading is inappropriate. Y’all are hopeless.

Not inappropriate, just not sufficient.

Kids needs to read full novels in school, not just a stack of excerpts.

With an accompanying video clip.

Are you saying there is an accompanying video clip for the excerpts so the kids don’t even have to read the excerpts???

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe there are people on here seriously trying to argue that independent reading is inappropriate. Y’all are hopeless.

Not inappropriate, just not sufficient.

Kids needs to read full novels in school, not just a stack of excerpts.

With an accompanying video clip.

Anonymous wrote:Where is dcps central on this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe there are people on here seriously trying to argue that independent reading is inappropriate. Y’all are hopeless.

Not inappropriate, just not sufficient.

Kids needs to read full novels in school, not just a stack of excerpts.

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe there are people on here seriously trying to argue that independent reading is inappropriate. Y’all are hopeless.

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe there are people on here seriously trying to argue that independent reading is inappropriate. Y’all are hopeless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the best way to get the word out about this change in curriculum to the Deal parent population?

It needs to come from the ADCA. Admin won’t let teachers write about it in the weekly newsletters.

That's troubling.

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Anonymous wrote:Hmm.. just looked at Hardy’s lists from the AP’s… I can see 6th just has one book: “a long walk to water” and 8th has “to kill a mockingbird”, “a raisin in the sun” and then they pick another book from a provided list and have something like a book club with kids who pick the same book from the list. So looks like 8th grade at Hardy will be doing at least 3 (plus a book of their choice for the start of the year to write a book report on). Looks like 6th is only one book.

Hardy 7th graders are reading: Call of the Wild, Warriors Don’t Cry, and Animal Farm.

DCPS ELA standards are exactly why I moved mine to private for HS. Math is more objective and it’s easier to find additional support/tutoring to supplement the DCPS curriculum…but if students aren’t challenged and/or miss milestones in reading, writing and critical thinking - difficult to overcome the gaps as they progress in HS

Interesting take. I would have said English is the easiest subject to supplement. All you have to do is let your kid grab your books off the shelf, and then discuss! It’s free, it’s flexible, and obviously you’d be having conversations with your kids anyway.

English class should be much more than "read and discuss." My non-DCPS middle school kid also learns grammar, how to annotate, how to write all different forms of writing, as well as analysis.

We did DCPS for elementary but I couldn't do it for middle. Though we would consider it again for high school.

+1 I teach in VA and they did not have a writing component to the state assessment until 8th grade. Teachers basically didn't teach writing. It was absolutely horrible. Now 5th graders have to take the writing assessment, but they are all so behind. Good writing instruction is crucial in late elementary grades and up.

They teach writing in DCPS and there’s a writing assessment on the CAPE exam starting in third grade. The PP who said “English class should be more than reading and discussion” was not describing ELA classes. They were responding to my earlier assertion that reading novels (which is the one thing being reduced with the introduction with this otherwise strong curriculum) is the easiest possible thing to supplement. I stand by that position. If the main flaw in the school’s curriculum is that, in your eyes, it doesn’t include enough novels, simply let your kids take yours off your shelf and read them.

Unlike you, I actually value and believe in the (potential) expertise of schools and teachers. I don’t want to have to homeschool what should be basic age appropriate skills- reading long books (novels or otherwise) and analyzing them cogently.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm.. just looked at Hardy’s lists from the AP’s… I can see 6th just has one book: “a long walk to water” and 8th has “to kill a mockingbird”, “a raisin in the sun” and then they pick another book from a provided list and have something like a book club with kids who pick the same book from the list. So looks like 8th grade at Hardy will be doing at least 3 (plus a book of their choice for the start of the year to write a book report on). Looks like 6th is only one book.

Hardy 7th graders are reading: Call of the Wild, Warriors Don’t Cry, and Animal Farm.

DCPS ELA standards are exactly why I moved mine to private for HS. Math is more objective and it’s easier to find additional support/tutoring to supplement the DCPS curriculum…but if students aren’t challenged and/or miss milestones in reading, writing and critical thinking - difficult to overcome the gaps as they progress in HS

Interesting take. I would have said English is the easiest subject to supplement. All you have to do is let your kid grab your books off the shelf, and then discuss! It’s free, it’s flexible, and obviously you’d be having conversations with your kids anyway.

English class should be much more than "read and discuss." My non-DCPS middle school kid also learns grammar, how to annotate, how to write all different forms of writing, as well as analysis.

We did DCPS for elementary but I couldn't do it for middle. Though we would consider it again for high school.

+1 I teach in VA and they did not have a writing component to the state assessment until 8th grade. Teachers basically didn't teach writing. It was absolutely horrible. Now 5th graders have to take the writing assessment, but they are all so behind. Good writing instruction is crucial in late elementary grades and up.

They teach writing in DCPS and there’s a writing assessment on the CAPE exam starting in third grade. The PP who said “English class should be more than reading and discussion” was not describing ELA classes. They were responding to my earlier assertion that reading novels (which is the one thing being reduced with the introduction with this otherwise strong curriculum) is the easiest possible thing to supplement. I stand by that position. If the main flaw in the school’s curriculum is that, in your eyes, it doesn’t include enough novels, simply let your kids take yours off your shelf and read them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm.. just looked at Hardy’s lists from the AP’s… I can see 6th just has one book: “a long walk to water” and 8th has “to kill a mockingbird”, “a raisin in the sun” and then they pick another book from a provided list and have something like a book club with kids who pick the same book from the list. So looks like 8th grade at Hardy will be doing at least 3 (plus a book of their choice for the start of the year to write a book report on). Looks like 6th is only one book.

Hardy 7th graders are reading: Call of the Wild, Warriors Don’t Cry, and Animal Farm.

DCPS ELA standards are exactly why I moved mine to private for HS. Math is more objective and it’s easier to find additional support/tutoring to supplement the DCPS curriculum…but if students aren’t challenged and/or miss milestones in reading, writing and critical thinking - difficult to overcome the gaps as they progress in HS

Interesting take. I would have said English is the easiest subject to supplement. All you have to do is let your kid grab your books off the shelf, and then discuss! It’s free, it’s flexible, and obviously you’d be having conversations with your kids anyway.

English class should be much more than "read and discuss." My non-DCPS middle school kid also learns grammar, how to annotate, how to write all different forms of writing, as well as analysis.

We did DCPS for elementary but I couldn't do it for middle. Though we would consider it again for high school.

+1 I teach in VA and they did not have a writing component to the state assessment until 8th grade. Teachers basically didn't teach writing. It was absolutely horrible. Now 5th graders have to take the writing assessment, but they are all so behind. Good writing instruction is crucial in late elementary grades and up.

They teach writing in DCPS and there’s a writing assessment on the CAPE exam starting in third grade. The PP who said “English class should be more than reading and discussion” was not describing ELA classes. They were responding to my earlier assertion that reading novels (which is the one thing being reduced with the introduction with this otherwise strong curriculum) is the easiest possible thing to supplement. I stand by that position. If the main flaw in the school’s curriculum is that, in your eyes, it doesn’t include enough novels, simply let your kids take yours off your shelf and read them.