I was contacted by Becca Bell from Region 12 about the following statements. There seems to have been an error in the original article from Region 12. Ms. Bell asked that the article URL be added and the incorrect quote be removed. This information is listed at the bottom of this page.
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CSCOPE directors have not used CSCOPE in a classroom. Thus, they do not know how it works from first hand experience. It would be a good idea for them to demonstrate this for educators. The educator could be the walk-through monitor.
Following are Quotes from Becca Bell from Region 12.
1. Becca says, “CSCOPE allows teachers to work smarter, not harder.”
2. Becca says, “The teachers no longer have to focus on writing curriculum and instead can focus on designing instruction to meet the needs of their students. They also have the option to use sample lesson plans as a model of instruction or to combine with other resources.”
Following are characteristics of CSCOPE presented by Region 12.
Please read these and add comments. In other words, are the descriptions of the CSCOPE product being made by the vendor accurate?
1. CSCOPE provides guidance through a comprehensive schedule called the Year at a Glance. This document shows the materials students are required to learn throughout the year to reach the readiness standard.
2. Becca says, “Because CSCOPE curriculum is aligned with the state learning standards (TEKS), it assists in preparing students for the concepts that will be covered on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test for their grade level by providing their teachers with an organized method in which to cover each of those concepts.”
3. Successful and smooth implementation of CSCOPE is vital to a district or school’s ability to use the program successfully. In order to ensure that implementation occurs smoothly, ESC Region 12 continually offers leadership training for administrators, and shares tips and best practices with educators through ongoing meetings and trainings, including the regional conference.
4. CSCOPE includes assessments integrated in the system to determine whether students have mastered the material teachers have covered, so they can either move forward in instruction or focus on the material with which students are still struggling.
http://www.esc12.net/announcements/html/2012/cscopeconf.html
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CSCOPE is the reason for my early retirement from central office in what was once a solid 4A school district – after 30 years of service. I have a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction and the way the “canned” lessons are forced upon students (meeting their learning needs or not) is the opposite of what needs to occur in a classroom with practice based on research. The honor of the profession of teaching is being destroyed by demanding the lock step presentation of skills. This curriculum has been designed by those believing that all teachers do not know what they are doing, so the easy answer is to spend lots of tax dollars for a “system” instead of taking on the continual task of mentoring and supporting teachers.
As with ANY curriculum product, the quality of the lesson planning varies with the teams writing the curriculum and where they are in the profession. Many participate for the additional money they can make for being on a writing team – again some very good teachers are drafted, but the vetting process is not perfect. This is a money making scheme started by a few and sold as a packaged solution to busy, unknowing district leaders. This will take years for some districts to rebound from the implementation of CSCOPE. Many have simply left the profession – often the steadfast, intelligent, caring teachers that have a moral dilemma with knowing they must teach using strategies that they know are not the best for their students. This impacts the future of education in Texas.
I find it interesting as well. My whole problem with the CSCOPE program is that many schools embrace it as THE curriculum when clearly it was meant to be a supplement to other things. I have talked with a teacher who used to teach at a school and was told that CSCOPE was to be the curriculum. Interestingly, that year the students scored low on TAKS and the school became unacceptable. So, the admin office blamed the teachers and called in CSCOPE to come and “train” them. When CSCOPE got there at the school, they said “This is not supposed to be the curriculum, it’s a supplement:.” The school started using other resources as well as CSCOPE and their scores went up.
Why would any school district force their teachers to use one program only and exclude other programs that could also be beneficial to students?
As a parent of a student, I don’t like not having any resources to help my child if something is not explained well. CSCOPE parent portal is a joke.
I have had several teachers tell me the lessons don’t make sense. For example, one of the lessons told the teacher to let the students break off into groups and they had to discuss the lesson without the teacher teaching any of the concepts. WHAT? I thought that a teacher was supposed to be the most important asset in a classroom.
So, it seems like school districts bought into the idea of a “magic” program that would solve all of their problems. If a teacher questions the validity of CSCOPE, you get told that “you will do it”. If a parent challenges it, then you get told “You can come to the school to see the assessment, but you can’t have a copy of it”.
Then, you get told FERPA rulings, etc. I get copies of my child’s TAKS scores with a breakdown of the scores. So, CSCOPE tests are more important than a State based Standardized Test? Really?
Anyway, I hope the CSCOPE situation gets dealt with. Our kids who are having to endure this program and not seeing any other programs will truly be the losers in this. And the teachers? They are forced to teach a program that they know is not working either.
Truly, a sad day for Texas education!
Do you want me to remove your email and name from your comments?
I find nothing about CSCOPE that reduces the workload for teachers. In fact the opposite is true if school mandate that the CSCOPE schedule called the YAG be adhered to.
I want to know who decided on the YAG schedules? CSCOPE has never been evaluated, so why are superintendents embracing CSCOPE. Why do superintendents hire teachers they cannot trust to evaluate CSCOPE?