Related Pages

For a complete set of Maryland Content Standards and indicators go to School Improvement in Maryland

INTRODUCTION -> FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Frequently Asked Questions: February 2002

These questions represent inquiries made by parents, teachers, students, and community members. As new questions are asked, we will update the collection.

• General
• Parent and Stakeholder Involvement
• Standards
• Instruction
• Assessment
• Differentiation
• Staff Development

General

Q: What are the goals of the Curriculum Revision?
A: One goal is to establish a coherent, precise, and measurable curriculum at each grade level with organization and expectations that are consistent from grade to grade and across the subject areas. Another goal is to provide a means for students, teachers, parents, and administrators to monitor student progress toward meeting curriculum standards. A third goal is to make sure that the MCPS curriculum is aligned with that of the state of Maryland and the state assessment measures as well as other assessments.

Q: What is the most basic difference between the revised curriculum and the old curriculum?
A: The revised curriculum framework differs in that it is carefully aligned with the Maryland Content Standards. These state standards have been rated as the best in the nation by Education Week, and the previous curriculum was created prior to their development. Some of the previous curriculum had not been changed since 1978.

Q: What products are planned as part of the curriculum revision process?
A: The process began with the development of a Curriculum Framework that specifies core expectations for what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade level. Units of instruction, student assessment measures, and a computerized instructional management system all based on the curriculum framework will be developed and put into place in all schools over the next two years. The purpose of the instructional management system is to monitor student progress and to allow teachers to share best practices.

Q: How will the curriculum revision impact instruction?
A: The revised curriculum will improve teaching and learning by helping teachers, students, and parents to have a clear understanding of what all students should know and be able to do in the major academic areas, pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. Teachers see this as an important benefit because the revision of the MCPS curriculum brings clarity to the curriculum and brings instruction and assessment into alignment with the Maryland State Content Standards. The blueprint content is not different from the curriculum content already being taught. The blueprint document connects that content to the revised curriculum framework and organizes it into units of instruction.

Q: What criteria have been established to evaluate the K-8 revised curriculum?
A: The curriculum has been developed to meet the requirements of the Board of Education’s curriculum policy. According to that policy, the curriculum will be evaluated to determine if it has met the following desired outcomes:
Well balanced and meets the needs of all learners.
Conforms to state mandates regarding course offerings and essential knowledge and skills.
Reflects current research, best practices, data, and technological advancements within the disciplines and promotes congruence among written, taught, and assessed content.
Provides strategies for differentiation in instructional methodologies, pacing, and resources for special populations and diverse learners.
The policy also specifies regular updates to the Board of Education on the curriculum revision and how it is meeting the desired outcomes, as well as periodic reports regarding assessments and assessment outcomes.

Q: Is the K-8 revised curriculum final (i.e., etched in stone)?
A: The implementation and use of the revised curriculum calls for regular monitoring and adjustment to meet the needs of a constantly growing and changing student population. The Board of Education, as monitor of the curriculum, will provide leadership in this direction. The Instructional Planning Team will continue to meet and solicit feedback from teachers, administrators, students, parents, central office specialists, and the general community as to how the curriculum framework, blueprints, and instructional guides might be improved to enhance the learning opportunities for all children.

Q: What provisions are being made to ensure that adequate funding will be available to purchase all the necessary books and instructional materials necessary for the successful implementation of this revised curriculum?
A: The mathematics audit conducted in MCPS last year found an abundance of instructional materials in schools. The concern that surfaced was that teachers had little guidance as to how textbooks are to be selected and little direction on how to best use the materials. As the curriculum revisions proceed, content supervisors will use the MCPS evaluation and selection process to identify a more limited number of textbooks and instructional materials. All instructional materials are evaluated and selected by professional staff using specified procedures to assure that they support the curriculum and meet the diverse needs of students in MCPS. By limiting the number of approved materials to those of the highest-quality and those that are best aligned with the MCPS curriculum, funds can be spent more efficiently. Special purpose funds, schools' instructional materials, and resources from grants will be focused on helping to ensure every school has the materials needed to implement the new curriculum.

Q: When are schools expected to begin teaching the revised curriculum?
A: The implementation of the initial curriculum revision is expected to take three years. The current school year is a transition year. Teachers, students, and parents will be taking this year to become familiar with the revised curriculum. Some schools and classrooms will be trying out some or all of the revised standards, depending on the school's readiness and their focus for the year. Starting in September 2002, schools will begin implementing the revised curriculum using materials, including instructional guides and assessments, that are being developed and field tested this year.

Q: What is the time frame for getting the new framework out to all schools?
A: Curriculum Frameworks have been delivered to all elementary and middle schools.

Q: How can I study specific aspects of the revised curriculum?
A: Refer to the MCPS Curriculum Revision web site.

Q: Not all parents have the personal computer resources to access the curriculum revision. What other options are available?
A: MCPS is certainly aware of the diversity present in the county. While the number of families with Internet and e-mail access is increasing, not all households are able to afford these capabilities. Hard copies of all curriculum materials are available for review in school media centers and public libraries. To this extent, local school, area office, and central office staff are always willing to respond to requests for information made by parents and other interested citizens, whether the request is made via the mail, by telephone, in person, or by e-mail. In addition, public libraries make Internet access available to all citizens. Library staff will be happy to provide instruction in accessing the MCPS website.

Q: How can I find information about the curriculum frameworks in other Maryland counties?
A: The Maryland State Department of Education website provides links to the school systems of all 23 counties and Baltimore City. Each provides curriculum information.

Parent and Other Stakeholder Involvement in the Process

The hard copy Curriculum Frameworks consist of two notebooks and are available for review in your school's media center or at any public library in Montgomery County. A hardcopy of the "What Will Your Student Learn?" documents can be requested by calling 301-517-5007. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to provide multiple copies of these documents.

Q: How will principals, teachers, and parents have an opportunity to provide input into the Curriculum Revision process?
A: An instructional planning team made up of Central Office Staff, principals, teachers, parents, and community partners provide oversight for the system wide planning and curriculum revision process. Opportunities for input occur at regularly scheduled meetings with principals, through Montgomery County Education Association's Councils on Teaching and Learning, Montgomery County Association of Administrative and Supervisory Personnel, the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations, and through curriculum advisory committees consisting of teachers, parents, community members and content experts.

The school system continues to solicit input from the general public on all parts of the curriculum revision. Included on the website are feedback forms for continued input: Framework Feedback, Blueprints Feedback, and other Feedback Opportunities.

Q: How are Latino parents informed about the curriculum framework?
A: Latino parents are being informed about the Curriculum Framework through the leadership training classes, cluster meetings for Hispanic parents, and through the ESOL newsletter. The leadership training classes are formed each semester in the Blair, Kennedy, and Quince Orchard clusters and parents meet on a regular basis over the course of a semester. The Curriculum Framework is being introduced to all the groups this fall and will continue to be a featured topic each semester. The Kennedy cluster group includes parents from the Einstein and Wheaton clusters. The Quince Orchard group includes parents from the Seneca Valley cluster. In addition, the “Student Outcomes” section of the Curriculum Revision link on the MCPS website provides a Spanish translation.

Q: Although parents had an opportunity for input regarding the formulation of the framework, some critics felt there was not enough time to comment on the framework itself before the BOE voted to adopt it. What was the process used prior to board adoption?
A: Input on the curriculum framework took place over a two-month period. This began with the curriculum advisory committees which reviewed the document during May and early June, 2001. Parents and the general public were solicited for input over a 17-day period, from June 11 through June 28. The draft documents were made available on the school system web pages along with an opportunity to provide input directly on the web page itself. Copies were distributed to all school media centers and all branches of the public library with multiple copies of feedback forms included. Notice was sent out through schools inviting parents to review freely the draft document. Input was received up to 5:00 p.m. on June 28. All comments and suggestions were carefully logged and a copy of the log along with a record of the action taken in response to each comment or suggestion by subject supervisors was provided to the Board of Education

Q: Have students been involved in the process of curriculum review and revision?
A: Students were involved in the review of the Curriculum Framework and are represented on the Council on Instruction (COI) which meets monthly to review curriculum developments, including the current curriculum revision.

Q: How will the schools promote student involvement in this new curriculum model and how will schools advance their expectations for student achievement?
A: One of the main reasons for the development of this curriculum framework was to set consistent, rigorous expectations for all students across the school system. Teachers are to hold all students to these expectations. Parents need to be informed about what it means for a student to demonstrate mastery of any particular indicator. At the present, the indicators from the curriculum framework have been posted by subject and grade level (see "Student Outcomes: What Will Your Student Learn?) and copies have been distributed to each school. (Please note that in this transition year, schools will be implementing the curriculum gradually.) In the future, the web site will be made interactive with explanations for parents and students provided for each indicator statement along with related information and links to other web sites where appropriate.

Q: How will the required assessments be shared with parents who want to keep track of their children's progress?
A: All teachers will be required to use on-going assessment as a regular part of instruction. Parents will be kept abreast of their students' progress by the parent report cards which will indicate whether students are on, below, or above grade level. The reports to parents will be sent home at specific intervals and will indicate if the student is on, below, or above grade level. Student report cards may need to be changed to reflect the new assessment program.

Standards

Mathematics

• MCPS Grade 3 indicator (2.3.1.2): Identify, describe, and classify three dimensional geometric objects (including cube, rectangular prism, pyramid, prism, cone, cylinder) and relate them to their two-dimensional counterparts (square, rectangle, circle).
• Singapore curriculum in Grade 3 limits geometric shape identification to two-dimensional figures. Three dimensional figures are introduced in Grade 4.

• MCPS: Methods of scientific inquiry beginning in early elementary school involve asking testable questions, making critical observations, conducting controlled experiments, and forming summaries and analyses that often lead to further questions. The concepts of science are continually modified and expanded based upon new information.
• Singapore: Use the following process skills:
  • observe, classify, communicate
  • interpret information in tables, graphs, diagrams, etc.
  • formulate hypotheses
  • plan investigations
• California: In grades K-5 students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.

Q: Did you benchmark the top school districts in the country?
A: Yes, however, this differs from subject area to subject area. For example, the curriculum from First in the World, a consortium of school districts in Illinois and Wisconsin, was used for comparison in mathematics and science. This is due to their high achievement on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study and on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Q: Some experts have recommended that local curriculum standards should be broader and higher than the state standard. If MCPS curriculum framework is 100% back mapping the state standards, we cannot claim that the MCPS standards exceed the state's. Please explain and clarify.
A: Maryland Content Standards (see the School Improvement in Maryland web site) are considered to be high standards by most educators. Education Week, the weekly national professional journal for educators, gave the Maryland standards its highest rating, A+, in Spring 2001. The Maryland Content Standards are based upon national standards in every subject area, all of which were developed and/or endorsed by content and university experts in the thousands. Second, MCPS used the Maryland Content Standards as a base from which to begin the development of the curriculum framework. While the framework maintains the organization and much of the content of the state standards, comparisons were made with other state and international standards and the content was adjusted where a higher standard was found. It is important to note that this comparison was focused on curricula from school systems where achievement results supported the claim that their higher standards resulted in success for students.

Q. How does the national education bill that was just passed affect the proposed curriculum?
A: The recently passed national education bill calls for many of the changes that the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has already begun. The bill calls for specific and rigorous standards in all curriculum areas, regular monitoring of student progress through assessment, adjustment of instructional program based on assessment results, and multiple measures of student progress. It calls for regular monitoring of schools and their progress and for interventions if problems arise. It also calls for improved teacher recruitment and professional development. The school system is in the forefront of this reform. Besides the curriculum revision and an Office of School Performance that directly monitors school progress, MCPS teacher recruitment efforts and attractive salaries and benefits have made MCPS an attractive place to teach. In this year’s competitive climate, MCPS was one of the only systems in the region to have filled its teaching vacancies by the start of the school year.

The education bill will have an effect on the state’s assessment program. However, the Maryland State Content Standards, to which the MCPS curriculum is aligned, will not be affected. In fact, Maryland’s standards and its methods of monitoring how well schools are progressing were recently cited by Education Week for the second year in a row as the best in the nation. What will likely happen as a result of the bill is that the state will make adjustments in its annual assessment measures so that individual student progress can be reported each year. The exact nature of these adjustments is yet to be determined.

Funding specified in the education bill changes the method by which states distribute money to school systems. Each state is freer to expend money as they see fit, but must justify the expenditure through progress reports. School systems, in turn, will also be held more responsible for their use of the money. No specific money was set aside for mathematics and science teacher training for the first time in almost twenty years, and individual states and school systems will need to weigh carefully how much to provide for this purpose as opposed to other training needs.

Q: Comments have been made that our curriculum is not preparing students for high school and college. For example, our science curriculum does not mention neutrons or electrons. Caroline County requires students to know these topics and even balance chemical equations in 8th grade. Why do other counties seem to have higher standards than ours?
A: The MCPS Science Frameworks are built upon the research-based international standards, the National Science Content Standards and the Maryland Learning Outcomes. This includes the collaborative work of scientist, mathematicians, engineers, historians, cognitive psychologists and science educators. Caroline County's work is based upon the Core Knowledge lists of E.D. Hirsch and others that have no research base or record of improving student achievement. In addition our work provides a back-mapped approach from high school AP courses to provide students with a rigorous and challenging science program. The record of outstanding student achievement, as reflected in MSPAP, TIMSS and TIMSS-R, International Science and Engineering Science Fair, NIH Internships, numbers of merit scholars and more, further indicate a high standards-based program.

Q: Why do we read articles in the newspapers about Assistant Professor Terry Dancis' comment that the math standards won't prepare our kids for college? Also, why would a Nobel Prize winner who looked at the MCPS standards say that the science standards are weak? Do we have a high standard curriculum or not?
A: Francis Fennell professor at Western Maryland College and Brian Hunt, professor from the mathematics department at the University of Maryland College Park as members of the Mathematics advisory committee gave their input and advice in the development of the curriculum framework. In addition, James Fey, who holds full professorships in both mathematics and mathematics education, from the University of Maryland College Park wrote letters in support of the curriculum revision. These professors concur that the curriculum framework will prepare students for Algebra, Geometry, and higher level mathematics courses so that they will be successful in college.

Dr. Glashow's critique of the science materials suggests he is speaking outside his area of expertise. We appreciate his thoroughness about the detailed differences between the terms "amplify" and "make louder" and will make use of that suggestion. However his comments about the nonsense of "dichotomous keys" indicates a lack of content knowledge outside of physics. Dichotomous keys are identification guides used extensively in biology. His suggestion that the internet is not an appropriate source of information for students lacks insight into the valuable richness of primary sources of information available on the web. But more importantly, he frequently quotes from the clarifying examples as though these were achievement benchmarks when they are only illustrative of some applications of the material. We welcome constructive input to the documents and their "living document" spirit.

Q: It has been said by some that other indicators, e.g., TIMSS, show that our students are falling behind relative to schools in other states in the U.S. and other countries. Please explain.
A: The recent results of the TIMSS-R (Third International Mathematics and Science Study - Repeat) do not support the contention that MCPS students are falling behind. On the contrary, MCPS produced the third highest mathematics score in the United States, the nation's twelfth highest score in science, and the highest overall score for large and diverse school districts. The county's achievement was significantly above the international averages in both math and science and far above the scores for both Maryland and the United States in each subject. The top scores for a large portion of Montgomery County students in both subjects exceeded or matched the average scores for the highest performing nations. In mathematics, 27 percent of county students scored at or above the average scores for the top-performing countries of Singapore, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Japan. In science, 40 percent of county eighth-graders scored at or above the averages for the top-performing countries of Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Hungary, Japan, and Republic of Korea.

Q: There are claims that basic mathematics skills have been left out of the curriculum framework. Are students expected to learn the multiplication tables or the standard way to do long division?
A: Immediate recall (automaticity) of basic mathematics facts is an expectation for all students in MCPS. It is considered to be part of the goal of mathematics proficiency that includes not only automaticity, but a deep understanding of numbers and number operations. This definition of proficiency is found on page 2 of the curriculum framework for mathematics. In the mathematics scope and sequence, the following indicators make this requirement: Grade 2: 6.2.4.2 Demonstrate proficiency and use basic addition and subtraction facts. Grade 4: 6.4.4.1 Demonstrate proficiency with multiplication and division facts.

From the curriculum framework for mathematics: "Students with mathematical proficiency understand basic concepts, are fluent in performing basic operations, reason clearly, formulate, represent, and solve mathematical problems, and maintain a positive outlook toward mathematics. (Kilpatrick, 2001) These components of mathematical proficiency are interwoven and interdependent. Instruction must help students develop increasingly efficient strategies for producing basic facts or single digit number combinations rapidly and accurately. This development leads to proficiency with basic facts. Students' proficiency with multi-digit numerical operations develops through understanding and reasoning, as well as meaningful practice. Students' understanding of operations serves as a foundation for reasoning about mathematics."

Q: Isn't a great deal of MCPS instruction dictated by the MSPAP?
A: The Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) assessments are based on the Maryland Learning Outcomes. These outcomes are a subset of the Maryland Content Standards, making each item on the MSPAP directly linked to at least one content indicator. The MSPAP requires students to provide correct responses, most of them in full sentences or paragraphs, and to support each response with reasoning. These expectations represent very rigorous standards and the need for students to demonstrate higher level thinking skills. The MSPAP is designed to be instructional in nature: that is, students are learning new information as they take the assessment through reading, listening, and investigating. The MSPAP itself uses an instructional model based on sound educational research. The instruction in the MSPAP follows the same best instructional practices that MCPS has independently determined are advantageous for our students.

Q: Isn't the new curriculum very similar to the previous math standards?
A: The mathematics curriculum has been revised. It is not a new curriculum. The revision effort has focused on incorporating the most current research and best practices in mathematics instruction into MCPS curriculum. The revised curriculum is based on the content and processes in the Maryland Content Standards, which did not exist when ISM was designed and written. The revised curriculum promotes student mastery of the skills, knowledge, and applications that students will need to be prepared for rigorous mathematics study throughout their academic careers and for life in an information-rich society.

Q: How does ISM fit into the revision?
A: The Instructional Systems of Mathematics (ISM) is an assessment, monitoring, and reporting system, not a curriculum. It is based on the curriculum that has been in place in MCPS for many years. ISM assessments are used to assess student achievement using that curriculum. On July 2, 2001, a revised curriculum for mathematics was adopted by the Board of Education. A revised assessment system will be developed to assess what students know and are able to do using the indicators in the revised Curriculum Framework for Mathematics.

Q: What will replace the ISM system so that parents can track their children's progress in math?
A: Current plans are for the ISM to be replaced with end of the unit assessments as early as the next school year. Individual student reports on these assessments will be sent home to parents.

Q: It’s been claimed that the California Mathematics Standards and the mathematics program in California are superior to those of Maryland. Most recently Dr. Martha Schwartz, who helped to found the group, Mathematically Correct, which was instrumental in the development and adoption of the California Mathematics Standards, shared with parents some data from the Stanford 9 assessment to demonstrate California’s progress in mathematics over the last six years. How is Maryland doing in mathematics compared to California?
A: The California Standards were aligned with the Stanford 9 assessments, just as the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program is aligned with it’s own state content standards. The Stanford 9 is not taken by Maryland students, so there is no easy way to compare results based on that assessment. However, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is being considered by the Bush Administration as the front-runner for a national assessment measure, is taken by both California and Maryland students. Scores over the last six years in both mathematics and science indicate that Maryland students are outperforming their counterparts in California. The NAEP Comparison Charts show mathematics and science scale scores for the national average, California, and Maryland. More information is available at the NAEP Data web site.

Instruction

Q: How will the new curriculum framework be aligned with instruction in the use of modern technology?
A: Meaningful use of technology is integrated naturally throughout the curriculum in grades PreK through 12. Two courses are currently available at the middle school level: Computer Applications and Introduction to Computers. These courses are not required and are not currently offered in every middle school. Both courses will be aligned with the new Curriculum Framework for Grade 4 through Grade 8 and then be updated for content.

Q: The total focus of curriculum and teaching in MCPS seems to be on testing (teaching to tests). What has been lost from the curriculum and from the classroom in this focus on testing?
A: The focus of instruction in MCPS is the curriculum, not standardized assessments. While it is important that our curriculum be aligned with what will be tested, knowledge and skills required by the tests themselves do not comprise the entire curriculum. Because state performance assessments require students to write extended responses and to explain their reasoning in writing, increased attention is being given to writing as a means of communication. However, the content about which students write continues to be based on MCPS curriculum in each subject area. The level of writing expected of students, in terms of mechanics, language useage, and composition, is highly rigorous and meets or exceeds that which the state expects.

Q: Will the use of the William and Mary Language Arts Program continue to be a part of the curriculum?
A: Yes. The William and Mary Language Arts Program is aligned with the Maryland Content Standards, from which the revised curriculum framework has been derived. Training provided for elementary and middle school teachers will help them coordinate its use with the revised English/language arts curriculum, blueprints, and instructional guides. You may review the Curriculum Alignment of the Maryland English Language Arts Content Standards with the William and Mary Program Content Goals (64K PDF).

Q: What is being done to improve the science curriculum at the elementary level?
A: Elementary Science Curriculum is an active part of the curriculum revision process. In addition to a science curriculum community advisory committe that critiques the materials, it is being reviewed by other stakeholders at the local, state and national level. These reviews, along with others sent to us by concerned individuals, are explored and used to revise our documents as appropriate. In addition there are several elementary science curriculum teams looking at specific aspects of the material for revision. This includes astronomy, chemistry and energy. Other important aspects of the elementary science curriculum include an ongoing process of updating staff training to align with the new material. We have set up more accessable communication about these curriculum issues including a newly expanded website, feedback forms, a process for framework and blueprint review, and extensive instructional support materials. Partnerships with community resources such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NASA, NIST, NIH and American Physical Society are actively involved in the process. 27 scientists worked directly with elementary teachers in this summer's training events to develop rigorous and challenging lessons.

Q: How do you expect to be able to accomplish all of this given the large class sizes in elementary school?
A: Instruction, what is called the "taught curriculum," is based on models that take into account classes of this size. Grouping practices and methods for organizing instruction are part of the professional development program that is being phased into schools over a three year period, beginning last year.

Q: Will textbooks be a part of the revised curriculum and will they be standardized countywide? Books can give parents the best ideas about the learning goals.
A: Textbooks are and will continue to be used at all grade levels. While disciplines such as mathematics usually assign textbooks directly to students for use throughout the school year, other disciplines incorporate many textbooks and other print resources into daily lessons and long-term units of study. An important Maryland state expectation is that students read for information. This requires the extensive use of multiple reading materials. Students read from a variety of textbooks and other materials, and are often encouraged (or required) to check out reading materials for study at home.

Materials have been produced to ensure consistency from school to school throughout the county as to what students need to know and be able to do in the four content areas. How the teacher achieves the goal of student learning in still the teachers’ prerogative. MCPS will, therefore, approve and recommend a variety of textbooks and instructional materials. Administrators and teachers will then select the textbooks and materials which they feel will best advance the teaching and learning addressed in the revised curriculum. Textbooks will be used in mathematics and some other subjects. The school system will also be developing a website and materials to help parents help their students.

It is true that textbooks can help parents follow and understand what their children are learning in class. Another future support for parents is the Instructional Management System, a web-based part of the curriculum. Eventually the system is envisioned to have the capability for parents to review what their student is expected to do at a grade level, and connect to resources they can use to help their student at home.

Q: Will students be taught basic facts in social studies (such as the names of states, state capitals, presidents, etc.)? How will students be expected to use these basic facts?
A: Students are exposed to basic facts throughout the K-8 social studies curriculum. However, rather than memorizing various facts and lists as rote memory exercises, most national and international educational experts agree that learning basic facts through the greater historical, cultural, economic, and social context is far more valuable in creating students who are both knowledgeable and creative thinkers. In addition, there is no evidence that memorization of facts alone guarantees understanding on the part of students. Quite the contrary, most educational research indicates that children can easily memorize facts without making connections or being able to apply what they have learned to problem solving or real life. Therefore, the new MCPS social studies curriculum is designed to teach material that is both factual and useful in real life situations.

Q: How much time will the teachers have to explore and teach outside the core curriculum?
A: Instructional guides being developed will be designed to direct instruction for approximately 160 of the 180 instructional days. (MCPS adds 5 days to the state mandated 180-day instructional year to cover possible emergencies.) Thus teachers will have between twenty and twenty-five instructional days to use either extending the learning time on the core curriculum or teaching outside the core curriculum.

Q: Are skills such as coping with today's social and political issues and distractions being considered, especially in the elementary and middle schools?
A: Instruction on coping skills, stress management, and on how to deal with peer pressure are addressed in the MCPS health education curriculum and in the comprehensive guidance and counseling program. This instruction occurs at every grade level from Pre-K through high school. Both of these programs developed and provided schools with specific guidelines for addressing the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Decision-making, personal responsibility, and appreciation of cultural, religious, and racial differences are topics that are included in both programs and taught to students in an age-appropriate manner at each grade level. The Program of Studies for both health education and guidance and counseling are available upon request.

Q: Does the curriculum include skills such as personal organization, personal responsibility and personal motivation? Too many kids in middle school lack these skills and begin to fail.
A: The Maryland School Performance Program is anchored in the Content Standards that provide the structure for the revised MCPS Curriculum Framework and Blueprints, and the Skills For Success that define the learning, thinking, communication, technology, and interpersonal skills students must acquire to succeed in an information-rich and diverse world. Though not specifically delineated in the Framework or Blueprints, the Skills for Success are embedded in the instruction in all content areas. They may be embedded, for example, in grouping practices, higher order questioning, problem-solving activities, and project planning. Information about Maryland's Skills for Success can be found on the School Improvement in Maryland web site under Core Learning Goals, Skills for Success, High School Assessment.

Q: What are the "proper curriculum materials" that Dr. Weast has indicated will be available in each classroom?
A: "Proper curriculum materials" refers to those that are aligned to the revised curriculum and that provide students with opportunities to achieve at the highest possible levels. All approved materials will be thoroughly examined to ensure alignment and rigor. Some current grade level materials will be retained, some may be eliminated, and others will be new. All materials meeting the established criteria will be listed in the new instructional guides being developed over the next two years. Content supervisors continue to meet with their established evaluation and selection committees to review materials and determine their appropriateness and rigor.

Assessment

Q: What is the Instructional Management System (IMS)?
A: The Instructional Management System (IMS) is being field tested in a small number of schools this year and will be expanded in future years. The IMS will enable schools to monitor student performance and progress, to analyze data for instructional planning purposes, and to share ideas and best practices among teachers. Also anticipated for the IMS is a feature that would allow parents secure access to their child's records and electronic portfolio.

Q: How will the new K-8 revised curriculum fit into the school improvement plan process?
A: Currently, schools are using existing data and the curriculum frameworks to determine school academic priorities, specific academic performance targets, and how they will know if those targets have been reached. As other parts of the revised curriculum are developed and put into place, schools will be able to use instructional guides to better plan the instructional program and select resources, use formative and summative assessments to assess student progress, and use the instructional management system (IMS) to monitor and report student progress. Analysis of the student progress data collected by the instructional management system will contribute to determining if the school improvement plan has been fulfilled.

Q: Given the amount of required assessment of students (pre, post, and otherwise), how will teachers have time to do anything other than teach the information needed for the tests?
A: The pre-assessments and formative assessments are done during the normal course of instruction. The purpose of these assessments is to check for students' understanding so that the instruction can be adjusted to ensure all students are learning. The summative or post-assessments are similar to end-of-unit tests, which are a traditional component of instruction.

Q: As the new Curriculum Framework and CAI Blueprints are implemented, how will lower performing schools be evaluated in efforts to bring them up to the standards of higher performing schools? What changes from previous years are planned?
A: The Curriculum Framework, CAI Blueprints, and new instructional guides/assessments are tools for restructuring schools to improve student achievement. All schools are not expected to reach the established standards immediately. Research indicates that it takes an average of 3-5 years to restructure an elementary school. Since not all schools are demonstrating the same levels of achievement now, not all of them will reach the achievement goals at the same time. What is expected is evidence of continuous improvement toward the achievement of the learning standards every year in every school. Schools with the lowest levels of student achievement will continue to receive support from central services staff to ensure continuous improvement. The implementation of a new countywide assessments program to monitor student progress and to adjust instruction will be a key to improved achievement in every school.

Q: Doesn't the increased reliance on the assessments require teachers to constantly develop, implement and monitor progress for multiple groups throughout the year? And if so, don't the enhanced "groupings" deprive students of time for interaction between heterogeneous groups, especially in problem solving and social standard areas?
A: The purpose of the new assessments is to monitor student progress and determine if students have learned the taught material. Students with similar learning needs are grouped together to address their particular learning needs. All groupings should be flexible, allowing students to move from group to group as their needs change. Students should experience a variety of grouping types during the course of the school day Grouping decisions should promote learning and facilitate social interactions.

Q: How will MCPS provide regular updates on students’ performance on assessments?
A: Reports to parents explaining their student’s progress on the on-going student assessments will be sent home at specific intervals and will indicate if the student is on, below, or above grade level. Student report cards may need to be changed to reflect the new assessment program. In the future, an anticipated feature of the Instructional Management System will allow parents secure access to their child's records and electronic portfolio.

Q: Are teachers responsible for developing assessments? If so, won't this task take time away from teaching?
A: The CAI Blueprint contains suggested assessments and the instructional guides will provide sample assessments. The end of the unit assessments in mathematics, and the quarterly assessments for reading and writing will be crafted by central services staff so that teachers will not have to create these assessments.

Q: What happens if children fail to meet the minimum standards? Should MCPS rely more on summer school instruction?
A: We anticipate that the number of students who do not meet the standard will decline steadily as the revised curriculum and new assessment program are implemented. The new assessment program will give teachers the information they need to adjust instruction so that no student fails to meet the minimum standard. But since not all students learn new information and concepts at the same time or in the same way, options for providing students with additional opportunities to learn are being discussed. Extended day and year programs to accelerate learning are one option.

Differentiation Across the Prek-12 Continuum

Both high school curriculum guides and K-8 Blueprints provide specific opportunities for differentiation between the standard curriculum and that necessary to challenge honors/GT students. Rather than being diluted, honors/GT classes benefit from the enhanced opportunities for teaching and learning provided by the Curriculum Framework, Blueprints, and Subject Curriculum Guides.

Q: It seems that all students are seen as college-bound. Some students will eventually fill jobs that do not require a college education. How many of these students will be able to pass high stakes testing and end up with a high school diploma?
A: Regardless of the career path a student eventually takes, basic knowledge and skills are essential for success in today's workplace. Every student should have the prerogative to make the decision to pursue a path toward college at any point in their preK-12 experience. A separate curriculum that is not aimed toward college readiness would deny some students that opportunity. The intent of the Curriculum Framework and Blueprints is to ensure that every teacher and parent knows what is expected to be taught and learned by each student at each grade level. Students' progress will continue to be monitored at their schools. As is presently the practice, if a student is not progressing, an educational intervention plan will be developed.

Q: Will special education students be addressed by the revised curriculum?
A: Teachers of school-based Special Education students follow the same curriculum as those in regular classrooms. They will receive the training provided in the use of the framework standards and indicators, CAI Blueprints, assessments, and new instructional guides. The forthcoming instructional guides will further detail strategies to assist all teachers to meet the needs of students at many levels, including those receiving Special Education services. For students who have programs outside of the regular classroom, Staff Development Teachers and Special Education specialists will provide additional training to help Special Education teachers adapt the revised curriculum to the needs of their students. In addition, for students with Individualized Education Plans, the goals and objectives, as well as the type of special education services and supplementary aids provided, should support access to the general curriculum.

Q: This is a Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 curriculum revision. What's happening at the high school?
A: Because high school curriculum is developed by course, not grade level, the decision was made to revise pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 separately. Curriculum frameworks are currently under development for each of the high school courses that will be assessed in Phase I of the MSDE High School Assessment program. These courses are: Algebra 1; Geometry; English 9; Biology; and National, State, and Local Government. After advisory group reviews, public comments and feedback, the Frameworks for these five courses will be distributed to schools during the summer of 2002. Instructional guides for these five courses will be developed and distributed to schools during the 2002-2003 school year.

Q: Can the new curriculum framework alone carry our kids to 100% participation in AP/Honors courses?
A: The HS Framework are being back-mapped from the relevant AP exams in the four content areas as well as the MSDE Core Learning Goals and will provide the core curriculum to ensure that all students learn the skills, processes and concepts they will need to be successful in all upper level and advanced courses. The companion Blueprints and Instructional Guides will provide specific examples of units of instruction, a suggested instructional sequence, and guidelines for acceleration and enrichment. The alignment of curriculum preK-12 provided by the Revised Curriculum Framework ensures that all students will have the opportunity to enroll and be successful in advanced courses

Q: How does the curriculum take into account the growing number of non-English speaking students?
A: In elementary schools, the Grades 3-5 revised ESOL curriculum for intermediate and advanced students is being used throughout MCPS. This is the second year of implementation. The beginner curriculum for those grades is presently being piloted at approximately 30 schools. The ESOL curriculum at all levels is aligned with the MCPS reading/language arts and social studies curricula and uses a thematic approach and essential questions for each unit. It is an accelerated curriculum designed to meet the rigor of MSPAP and CTBS. Other ESOL curriculum pilots are being conducted this year for Grades 1 and 2. ESOL students in those grades may also receive balanced literacy instruction with an ESOL emphasis. The Division of ESOL/Bilingual is in the process of coordinating with the Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services to revise the kindergarten ESOL curriculum.

The ESOL middle school curriculum has undergone a revision over the past four years. Presently all three levels of the revised curriculum are being implemented in all middle schools in the county. The ESOL curriculum is thematic and uses essential questions and enduring understandings to guide students in their investigation and use of English. The instructional goals are aligned with the English content standards, the MCPS English curriculum, MSPAP, and CTBS. It also uses science and social studies content where appropriate.

The ESOL high school curriculum has also undergone a revision. All 5 levels of revised ESOL curriculum are being used in the county's ESOL centers at this time. Like the middle school curriculum, the high school curriculum is thematic and uses essential questions and enduring understandings. It is aligned with the English Core Learning Goals, High School Assessments (HSA), and functional exams. It is a language-based curriculum that uses different genres of literature as a vehicle for language instruction.

Q: What is being done to inform pre-school teachers of the indicators?
A: The Curriculum Framework has been introduced to Head Start and EEEP teachers at in service training sessions. Pre-K teachers have been encouraged to use the curriculum outcomes in their weekly and long term planning. In addition, these teachers are involved in vertical teaming with K-5 teachers at their schools.

Q: If the Curriculum Framework and Blueprints put every school on the same page, will this eliminate magnet schools?
A: The middle and high school magnet programs are part of a continuum of services required by the MCPS Policy on Gifted and Talented Education. The programs serve students who are working well above grade level in mathematics, science, and computer science. Students complete an application process and are invited to attend. The magnets are one of many instructional programs within these comprehensive middle and high school buildings. At the elementary level, magnet programs will continue to provide innovative instruction in their focus areas: foreign language immersion, communication arts, mathematics, science, and computer science. Like all schools within MCPS, magnet schools are required to meet and exceed the requirements within the curriculum frameworks; however, they organize their instruction around and within the magnet focus. About Magnet programs.

Q: How does the reorganized curriculum help bridge the disparity between different learning levels of students? What strategies are in place to meet these needs now as we continue to work toward such things as smaller class sizes?
A: The revised curriculum sets the same core of knowledge and skills for learning for all students, but in no way limits how far students may go beyond the standards. Achievement will be measured and schools held accountable for ensuring students meet the standards. The scope and sequence of the curriculum framework is organized so that concepts and processes grow more complex and sophisticated as the grade levels increase. Teachers are being provided with Blueprints for the grade level above and the grade level below in the areas of mathematics and English/language arts, so that they can use those assessment and instructional suggestions to plan, deliver, and assess instruction. In addition, the CAI Blueprints have a differentiation section for each unit with recommendations for working with students at different grade and ability levels. Therefore, the revised curriculum will provide teachers with blueprints and instructional guides that offer instructional strategies aimed at various ability and skill levels. Teachers can access these tools quickly and will not need to spend precious time developing differentiation techniques from scratch.

Instruction, what is called the “taught curriculum,” is based on models that take into account classes of different sizes. True, teachers cannot directly teach each child individually; however, the assessment and monitoring program in the revised curriculum will improve teachers’ ability to group and regroup students according to their needs throughout the course of instruction. Grouping practices and methods for organizing instruction are part of the professional development program that is being phased into schools over a three year period, beginning last year.

Staff Development and Training

Q: Will the training on the revised curriculum take away from teachers' instructional time with children?
A: Professional development in Montgomery County Public Schools is now being structured so that the vast majority is taking place within the school itself. Staff development teachers are assigned to each school and these individuals work directly with teachers to provide training as part of teachers' regular professional schedule. While some centrally based training may still need to occur, it will primarily be scheduled outside of instructional hours.

NEXT: PLANNING AND PROCESS