Before I continue my tirade about the sub-standard curriculum RUSD is using at the middle school level, I like to take this opportunity to state this is no reflection on the staff at my son’s middle school. They did not choose the curriculum, and I do not have a “beef” with any of his teachers, especially his “core” teachers.
One of his core teachers (the one he has for 3 subjects) has done everything in her power to make my son’s transition into the “real world” much easier. She is very open to discussing him and often communicates with me outside of her “normal” working time.
I only wish every teacher in RUSD was as dedicated as she …
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Do the teachers have any say in the curriculum that they teach?
Years ago, teachers were part of the textbook selection but that had been discontinued.
I have heard rumors (from board members, admin, etc) that we will be returning to having teachers help pick the curriculum. They may even be different curricula for different schools.
The curriculum for the "new" 4-year old kindergarten program WAS selected by a group of 4-year old teachers.
I am cautiously optimistic that this will be a good thing.
There will not be different curricula for different schools. I recently spoke with Dr. Hicks and he indicates that the District is going to have 1 curricula and 1 teaching style for all elementary schools so that a student can more easily transition if he/she moves during the school year. The District is also moving towards targetting of resources to where they are needed and doing multiple in year assessments of students to make sure that they are progressing on achievement---extra help going to those who need it. Each school will have a set goal to meet on improvement each year with staff and administration responsible for meeting the goals.
That (having one curricula) for elementary schools makes sense, in theory. I still think that the schools should have some leeway in deciding how the curriculum is being delivered. What works for one child may not work for another!
Some children thrive on repitition and direct instruction, some do not.
With that said, hopefully soon that district will get a new curriculum, AND the teachers that teach it will have some say in what it will be.
I find the current multi-disciplinary text we use in the upper elementary and middle schools to be disjointed, lacking in basic facts, and entirely subjective.
I understand that we are trying to produce a generation of "critical thinkers" and I agree that this is a good thing to do - but most 9-13 year olds in this district are lacking in basic concepts so asking them "what they think or predict" about a math problem is moot if the child cannot even do the original problem.
The individual schools will set their own goals, and the teachers and administration of that school will be held accountable for not achieving these goals? Gee, that sounds familiar. Does CARE ring a bell? Its a good thing that that guy didn't get on the school board. We wouldn't want any freethinkers impeding progress. Yet, we'll just steal their ideas. Is Dr. Hicks even capable of having one original idea? I guess that I should be glad that they are doing something. I can't help but to feel that we are overpaying for someone when it is obvious that if we just looked to the community we could not only get the wonderfully progressive ideas that we need to move forward, but we'd save ourselves a ton of money too.
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