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Curriculum 2.0 August 2011
I am excited to tell you about some important upgrades to
the curriculum in our kindergarten and first grade classes this fall, and in
second grade classes at several elementary schools. For the past two years, Montgomery County Public Schools
(MCPS) has been testing some significant enhancements to the elementary
school curriculum. You may have heard
about this upgraded curriculum-The Elementary Integrated Curriculum or EIC.
There are so many improvements to the curriculum that we are simplifying the
name and calling it MCPS Curriculum 2.0, reflecting the way upgrades in
technology changes often are described. Although our existing MCPS curriculum has been strong and
effective, we believe Curriculum 2.0 will be even better at engaging students
and teachers. Curriculum 2.0 upgrades
are based on a strong body of research and intensify the focus on teaching
the whole child and on the critical and creative thinking skills that are so
important to being successful both in school and in life. Parents have been asking for more instruction in the arts,
sciences, and social studies. These topics have been crowded out at times
over the past decade because more attention has been given to reading and
math due to federal accountability mandates. Curriculum 2.0 will provide more
instructional focus on the arts, information literacy, science, social
studies and physical education. By
blending these subjects with the core content areas of reading, writing, and
mathematics, students will receive instruction across all subjects in the
early grades. In addition, research has shown that well-rounded students are
more successful students. At the same time, math, reading and writing will be strengthened significantly by being based
upon new internationally driven standards, also called the Common Core State
Standards. These standards, adopted by Maryland last year, describe the
content that students must learn at each grade level and are structured to
help students in the United States compete favorably with students around the
world. MCPS incorporated these new internationally driven standards into
Curriculum 2.0 to ensure that all subject areas are taught and to ensure a
renewed focus on teaching the whole child. In short, Curriculum 2.0 is designed to do an even better
job of teaching MCPS students the academic, creative and critical thinking skills
that build confidence and success and prepare children for a lifetime of
learning. After implementation of the curriculum in kindergarten and
first grade this year, we will roll out Curriculum 2.0 to each new elementary
grade one year at a time. As you learn more about our improved curriculum,
I’m sure you will have some questions. There will be a number of
opportunities to discuss the new curriculum and learn more about it when
school opens this fall. We also will have regular updates on our website to
keep parents informed. Please visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/
often and give us your feedback. If you have immediate questions about how it
is working in your child’s school, please contact the principal at your
child’s school. Sincerely, Joshua P. Starr, Ed. D. |
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