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Hey, I have no idea what CSCOPE is (and after reading this story in the Star-Telegram yesterday I might need to use it to increase my own comprehension), but the story mentioned "Region XI Education Service Center" (which services Wise County) had "began supporting" the program. This was actually called to my attention by a former Wise County teacher who called it "the worst thing to ever hit the classroom."
Hey, it's not field turf, but you guys seem to get bent out of shape over local school issues.
33 comments:
I have no idea what it is either, but I have had to sit and listen to many of my "teacher friends" rant about how awful it is, and they all seem to agree, so I tend to believe them.
This story in the Lubbock paper explains it better than the S-T. It's apparently a standardized curriculum along with a timeline, so that a student who moves from one school to another won't miss out. The article says that newer teachers will like it better than veteran teachers because it gives them closer direction.
From what I could find, Texas ranks very low in preparing students for success in college (49th or so on SAT scores; only 19% "college ready" according to ACT,) so although I don't know enough about CSCOPE to have a credible opinion on it, apparently what we've been doing hasn't been working.
We started using CScope at our school 3 years ago.
It is a research-based, teacher-created curriculum package that leaves lots of options for the individual teacher.
All the teachers griped for about the first 6 months. (Teachers tend to be conversative types who don't like change we initiate.) But, when everyone finally quit complaining and implemented the curriculum, guess what?
LEARNING and scores increased!!
Good teachers take CScope and do amazing things with it. Middle-of-the-line teachers learn some new strategies to reach today's kids. Bad teachers are still bad.
3:13-did you copy or paraphrase that from your mid management handbook?
3:13- so now Texas is 49th?!? Great job!!!!! I say go back to surfin' the net and using that school district credit card for your personal use......you've earned it! I need to tell my teacher wife that school administrators actually do do something........I'm sure she will be pleased.
More sports and less classroom time is what DHS needs. new coach and a turf field what else do we need?
That is pretty much it!
The bad teachers do not like CSCOPE but the good teachers do!
3:13, worded exactly like a school administrator. Take a failed product, blame its failure on the teachers. Well done.
does it really matter? Unless parents are involved it is difficult to motivate many students. Besides in 25-30 years students will just sit in front of a computer doing lessons while someone from Asia or Eastern Europe monitors at 10% of the salary, Most business are doing this today with all the outsourceing.
3:13. I don't actually use CSCOPE, but I know many who do, and although I believe you mean well, the phrase :
"that leaves lots of options for the individual teacher"
couldn't be farther from what actually is happening. Some teachers feel like they are robots and don't even teach anymore- yet just follow the scripted guides.
I believe it is probably great for new teachers, but probably restricts those really, really good veteran teachers.
Does it really matter, without parent involvement it's difficult to motivate most students to do anything but pass. Besides in 25-30 years students will just sit in front of a computer doing "common" lesson while being monitored by an Asian, East European, or Latin American at 10% of the cost of a certified teacher. Afterall that's what big business has been doing with it's out-sourceing for years.
C-scope is the next step toward sitting the kids down in front of the bigscreen and hitting the "teach" button on the computer. There is no individuality, no creativity, no room for presentation presented with personality. It is SCRIPT! Here's the TRUTH (3:13 was a BIT off the mark):
GREAT TEACHERS hate C-scope.
Good teachers hate C-scope.
So-So teachers just usually do whatever will keep the kids busy.
Teachers, who really do not need to be in the classroom, LOVE C-scope because it tells them what to say and do.
Administrators LOVE C-scope because when a parent complains that their little Johnny isn't being taught anything, then the administrator can whip out C-scope, show it to the parent to appease them, then call in the teacher to find out why they aren't following the lesson plans C-scope lays out!!!
C-scope does not CREATE good teaching, and anyone who thinks it does shouldn't even be in education!
The average years of experience of teachers with Decatur is 7.3 years. There are very few veteran teachers left in this district. I bet if you narrowed down the turnover statistics to elementary and core subject teachers, the numbers would be shocking.
I'm 3:13 - classroom teacher, daughter of a teacher, wife of a teacher, sister-in-law of a teacher
But, mainly, MOM of two kids who who are learning every day in classrooms where C-Scope is the guiding curriculum.
If your administrators or C-Scope trainers are saying that you have to do scripted lessons, that is completely different from how we use C-Scope at our school.
For every TEK that I'm supposed to teach, C-Scope has several options for ways to teach it. The more we "get into it" the more freedom we realize we have.
C-Scope (and actually state law)does require that we actually teach the TEKS for our subjects and grade level. Following the C-Scope sequence helps us get to everything we need to get to. Pet projects like Frogs and Toads that do fit because they are not age appropriate and/or do not teach TEKS did have to be adapted or dumpted. But, for the most part,we choose lessons and activities that fit our personal style.
Texas is not 49th because of C-Scope. It is 49th because we spend too much time worrying about how kids do on tests.
3:13, what kind of "learning and scores increased?" By the way, what does it mean when "learning increases?" If you are referring to TAKS scores increasing, that's not impressive. Talk to me about PSAT, SAT, ACT, ASVAB, AP, IB scores increasing. Tell me about Decatur's Gifted and Talented program fostering National Merit Scholar semi-finalists from kindergarten through 12th grade. When the college ready graduate rates in ELA and math are above 55% (and that is just for the white sub group,the largest sub-population), I might listen. Keep sitting behind your desk and crunching those numbers; however you want to look at it, the problem isn't the curriculum or getting the teachers to latch onto the latest business model. The problem is that Decatur doesn't use their greatest resources to guide instruction: teachers and the students. The morale among them all is awful and students are receiving a dumbed down curriculum. You'll get that feather in your hat eventually and teachers will continue to burn out taking students' inspiration with them.
Again, without knowing the merits of CScope, I have to ask -- has what we've been doing in Texas schools been successful? I understand that great/good teachers hate being hamstrung by a programmed curriculum. But with the questionable results of the Texas school system (I know these are a bit dated,) how many great/good teachers can there be? Can CScope raise the level of teaching by the so-so teachers (or more accurately, the level of learning by students in classes run by so-so teachers?)
I am a former teacher in DISD and I have subbed in some classes where I was left the script of what to say to elementary students. I think this is a slap in the face at teachers to think that they can't even come up with their own words to teach an elementary lesson.
Every teacher that has a personality hates this. It is tobotic style teaching, a generic plan, with no thought as to what is best in each individual classroom or educator.
DISD needs to dump this now.
9:25, I'm 7:27 and I couldn't agree with you more. I'm so tired of teachers being treated as though they know nothing. Teachers ARE professionals who DO have credentials and degrees from colleges. Maybe Cscope came along because so many school districts choose to hire "teachers" that are emergency "certified" to teach the kids. Parents need to be INFORMED about what emergency certification means!
Of course, when parents call to ask, "Is my child's teacher a certified teacher?" The answer they are given is "YES, they are certified!" But.... they don't give the full truth..... they are EMERGENCY certified......not professionally certified and degreed! BIG DIFFERENCE!! Pay atttention parents!
Lots of good comments have been made here.
It takes motivated teachers, well fed and rested students, administrators with some semblance of leadership and MOST importantly, parental participation, awareness and involvement in their own childrens' education.
It sounds like CSOPE is not much more than a movie script. Sad.
If everyone would do their job, the results would be better than 49th.
From a corporate trainer and University adjunct Prof:
FW Star-Telegram, Wed. Dec 8, pg 2:"US Students Trail top nations on test"
University prof. to science student in lab: "Why do you think your results will be different if you keep doing the same thing over and over?"
The bottom line is, when many of these veteran educators (admin & teacher alike)started teaching, the US was at or near the the top of every professional category. Today we are #25 on PISA, (one indicator of how we measure up against the rest of the world) and it has happened on the "Boomers" watch, these same veteran educators. Many professional educators still believe you can adequately teach with nothing more than an overhead projector, blackboard and piece of chalk. The "model" (both calender and daily class schedule) used today is outdated and not conducive to teaching "generation y'ers" in the 21st Century. The majority of the blame in my opinion lies with leadreship (campus, district, and state) that functions with the belief that the baby boomer mentality, 19th century agrarian model still works; it doesn't. Until universities train teachers to teach as the students they teach think, the 19th century instructionally corrupt baby boomers get out of education, and every west Texas football coach who gets an administrators certificate is allowed to be a principal or supt., nothing will change. And maybe next time the PISA is administered we will only slip to #30. As an observation of what is happening, with absolutely no racial intent, look at the names of the pharmicist next time you are in Wal-Mart in little backwater Decatur. I do not know if CSCOPE works or not, if it is a model that just needs tweeking, or if it is version 1.x of what is to come. But I do know this: when something is not working, dont just sit and wring your freekin' hands; DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THE FREEKIN' RESULTS!!!!!
CScope has sample lessons online. Is this what you're talking about when you say "script?" It's pretty comprehensive, but not sure I'd describe it as a script. Aren't many of the actions the teacher's choice? (I suspect school administration determines much of how these things are to be used.) They also say the curriculum is "customizable." True or not true?
Everyone keeps mentioning parental involvement, but when the parent takes complete charge (home schooling) then all of a sudden parents are not qualified. You can't have it both ways.
Effective teachers (those core subject teachers who have 90% passing TAKS..or soon to be end of course and 75% scoring commended) are not threatened by CSCOPE as it only affirms what they have been covering/doing all along. By the way, effective teachers know that good standardized scores are only the floor/baseline of what they are about. They teach well beyond.
The less-than effective teachers want to deflect the conversation from their failings/shortcomings toward "creativity, personality, feedom, yada yada yada" All excuses.
Parental involvement is key. Parents, do you know what the TAKS, TPRI scores of your kid's teachers (core subjects) for the last three years? Do you know their actual certification? Do they have a degree in teaching?
If they don't have the above percentages, or have a degree in teaching.......raise hell until your kid is moved. Keep in mind most of the schools in the county no longer charge tuition if you live out of the district. You don't have to put up with ineffective teachers?
June Cleaver -
When I say learning increased, I am not talking about test scores - not TAKS, SAT, ESL, or AP. And, I'm not talking about the almighty DISD. Believe it or not, the world extends beyond the borders of your city.
When I say learning increased:
I'm talking about both of my children, learning to write (finally, in high school). And I'm not referring to TAKS or AP formula writing, but meaningful writing with depth, structure and correct grammar.
I'm talking about my kids understanding history, geography, and government well enough that they are able to intelligently discuss current events in relation to what they've studied.
I'm talking about my son using what he learned in his math class to help me make some calculations over Christmas.
I'm talking about my daughter (who hated science previously)explaining science concepts that I never heard in college, much less high school.
Now, at our school, C-Scope is as wordkyle said, "customizable." So, maybe it is not being implemented as it is in the Little D?
CScope is like being micromanaged and we certainly have and have had some principals that love to do this. It is a control and any teacher who strays from their "formula" is watched. I do know they have scripts because I subbed for a teacher that left me the script to be followed! To be sure I want to teach correctly, but if I were the regular teacher, I would be insulted to think that I couldn't figure this out after going to college, seminars, etc...It makes me wonder how I was ever taught back in the dark ages when teachers could really teach, not perform according to the script.
Actually 5:32, it is very scripted.
9:06 AM
Please share the name of your district. I'd like to turn in my child's laptop and transfer them to your school.
In my classroom I use (insert my name)-Scope. I take the district "musts" blend in what I know works and then look at my current students in order to progress their learning.
I know from friends in the district that they (the district) has been open to alterations and revisions to the CScope curriculum. Having previously worked in the district, I also know that there are a lot of seemingly unhappy teachers...unhappy about whatever happens. They will bitch and moan about anything and everything that comes their way. The comments above about effective teachers are true, they will be effective no matter what. A lot of the profession is about relationships and trust with the students. There are many teachers in Decatur that seem to hate their jobs and hate kids in general (well, except for the perfect little white children)...these are the ineffective teachers, and the teachers that just just quit and get the hell out.
8:24, you are correct, there are many teachers that begin to hate their job after coming to Decatur. That is why many of your "effective" teachers go to other districts. And then there are those that stay because they have children in the district and try to make things better while going up on their anti-depressants every six months.
As for CSCOPE, why do alterations and revisions need to be made to a curriculum that costs over 20,000 dollars PER YEAR? I'm assuming you weren't a teacher when you were employed with the district. If you were, you would know of the poor sequencing and errors in CSCOPE and all of the time teachers spend correcting it (during the school year and the summer)...time that should be spent on our students. You would know that when we try to speak up, we start getting more "walk throughs" that go on our PDAS evaluations. You would know why it's so frustrating as a teacher to have your hands tied while you are trying to inspire children to think for themselves...beyond a multiple choice test.
This conversation is really about the difference between Dallas Cowboys Coach Wade's and Coach Johnson's philosophy and leadership of the cowboys. Wade let the professionals run the team. Johnson ran the team. Should school districts let teachers run the curriculum or should the curriculum drive the instruction.
Frankly, most don't understand the difference!
Lest we not forget that elementary teachers and core subject teachers are college educated experts in their field with a required certification-none of which the Decatur curriculum specialist has under her belt.
Hold on 3:00 Many are certified and teaching in their field. Way too many are alternatively certified, in the process of getting certified, teaching as a long term sub etc, etc.
There are exceptions to every generalization, but I would want my child taught by a teacher who first was educated in the teaching profession,(particularly in the subject taught) second had a proved/documented track record.
That isn't the case in Decatur and is the reason there are countless retired teachers tutoring on the side, and Sylvan is doing a booming business.......all an example of parents trying to make up what isn't or hasn't happened in the classroom.
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