OUTCOMES
• Receive a general overview of
Curriculum 2.0
• Hear how your child will learn the new
Thinking and Academic Success Skills
• Hear about math upgrades in Curriculum
2.0
• Learn more about Standards Based
Grading & Reporting (new Report Cards)
CONSENSOGRAM
PLEASE PLACE THE DOT (FOUND IN YOUR
FOLDER) ON THE CONSENSOGRAM
INDICATING YOUR LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT CURRICULUM 2.0.
Also, in your folder you will find several notecards.
Please use these to write down any questions you have
during the presentation. We will collect and address
them throughout the meeting.
Schools in our Past
TEACHER CENTERED
SHIFT TO STUDENT CENTERED
WHY CHANGE THE CURRICULUM?
Many students have excelled in reading and
math since 2001. We noticed that students
who had the most success in advanced
reading and math had certain characteristics
as students –
• Successful students are
critical thinkers.
• Successful students are
creative.
• Successful students know
how to learn.
What is MCPS Curriculum 2.0?
 New Internationally-driven standards
in math, reading, and writing.
 Renewed focus on teaching the whole
child.
 Integrates thinking, reasoning, and
creativity for a lifetime of learning.
What is better in Curriculum 2.0?
Staying The Same
Strong focus on reading and math
• Separate times for art, music, and
physical education and other
specials
• Classroom teachers providing
instruction in science and social
studies
Thinking skills included in content
areas
Upgrade
Internationally-driven standards in
math, reading, and writing
Integration of content areas through
Thinking and Academic Success
Skills
• Specific instruction on Thinking
and Academic Success skills across
content areas
• Clearly defined critical thinking,
creative thinking, and academic
success skills
550
2003 PISA - Math
OECD Average
U.S.A.
500
450
400
350
300
Slide Credit: EdTrust.org
Data Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2006 Results, http://www.oecd.org/
Differences Among Assessments
Most U.S. standardized tests are designed to assess
whether students learned what they were taught in
school, focusing on recall and recognition of facts.
Assessments in high-achieving nations increasingly
emphasize learning designed to assess if students
can apply what they’ve learned to new problems and
situations, focusing on inquiry and explanations of
ideas.
(U.S. Assessment) National Assessment
of Educational Progress 8th- and 12thGrade Science
1. What two gases make up most of the Earth's
atmosphere?
A) Hydrogen and oxygen
B) Hydrogen and nitrogen
C) Oxygen and carbon dioxide
D) Oxygen and nitrogen
2. Is a hamburger an example of stored energy?
Explain why, or why not.
______________________________________
______________________________________
(International Assessment)
A PISA Task: Science
FLIES
Read the following information and answer the questions which follow.
A farmer was working with dairy cattle at an agricultural experiment station. The
population of flies in the barn where the cattle lived was so large that the animals' health
was affected. So the farmer sprayed the barn and the cattle with a solution of insecticide A.
The insecticide killed nearly all the flies. Some time later, however, the number of flies was
again large. The farmer again sprayed with the insecticide. The result was similar to that of
the first spraying. Most, but not all, of the flies were killed. Again, within a short time the
population of flies increased, and they were again sprayed with the insecticide. This
sequence of events was repeated five times: then it became apparent that insecticide A was
becoming less and less effective in killing the flies. The farmer noted that one large batch of
the insecticide solution had been made and used in all the sprayings. Therefore he suggested
the possibility that the insecticide solution decomposed with age.
Source: Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1998, p. 75.
1. The farmer's suggestion is that the insecticide decomposed with age.
Briefly explain how this suggestion could be tested.
2. The farmer's suggestion is that the insecticide decomposed with age.
Give two alternative explanations as to why "insecticide A was
becoming less and less effective ..."
How the Demand for Skills Has Changed
Mean task input as percentiles
of the 1960 task distribution
Economy-wide measures of routine and nonroutine task input
(U.S.)
Routine manual
65
Nonroutine manual
60
55
Routine cognitive
50
Nonroutine analytic
45
Nonroutine interactive
40
1960
1970
1980
1990
2002
The dilemma of schools:
(Frank Levy and Richard Murnane,
2005)that are easiest to teach and
The skills
test are also the ones that are easiest to
digitize, automate, and outsource
Art
Math
Music
Health
Information
Literacy
Reading
Science
Social Studies
Writing
Renewed focus on teaching the whole
The Thinking and Academic Success Skills
are the common thread that integrate
content areas.
 Content areas still maintain their
separate goals and objectives.
 Students learn more when making
connections across content areas –
natural areas for connections are
provided.
Thinking and Academic Success Skills
(TASS)
Each grade level will focus on 2 TASS for each quarter.
Quarter One
Analysis
Collaboration
Grade 1
X
X
Grade 2
Grade 3
X
X
Fluency
X
X
Students will be evaluated on each TASS across all content
areas.
Report cards will indicate student progress on each TASS as
Demonstrating, Progressing or Not Yet Evident.
What is Analysis?
Breaking a whole into parts that may not be
immediately obvious and examining the parts
so that the structure of the whole is understood.
What will Analysis look like in a
3rd grade classroom?
Science: Find the relationship between
a surface and the motion of an object.
Math: Describe patterns on a
multiplication table to understand
multiplication facts with 0 and 1.
Writing: Understand how different verb
tenses change writing.
What is Collaboration?
Working together to achieve a shared goal
or carry out a plan of action.
What will Collaboration look like in a
1st grade classroom?
Reading: Participating in a discussion
with a guided reading group.
Math: Working together to determine how
to measure given objects in non-standard
units.
Science: Working with a group to design
and carry out a plan to demonstrate how
humans impact plants in the environment.
HOW DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF?
 Do you consider yourself a reader?
 Do you consider yourself a “math
person?”
Building a Stronger Foundation
What Makes The Curriculum 2.0 Foundation Stronger?
MCPS 2001 Curriculum
Framework
Curriculum 2.0 /
Internationally-driven
standards
“Spiral” Curriculum – concepts
introduced and mastered over several
grade levels
Concept introduced and mastered in one
grade level
Grade level standards not sufficiently
challenging for most students
Many standards are “pulled down” from
upper grades.
Language of standards was general and
not specific – resulting in teaching to
test.
Fewer, higher, clearer standards provide
direction for teaching and learning – not
testing.
Curriculum developed independently
of all other subjects
Curriculum integrated with other content
areas and thinking and academic skills
see it as sensible and useful to solving
problems and making sense of the
world.
 All students will reach proficiency in
math – Understanding, Computing,
Applying, Reasoning, and Engaging
(UCARE).
Goals of the MCPS
Mathematics Program
 Develop students who love math and
What is going deeper in math?
Understanding
Engaging
Comprehending
Concepts, Operations,
& Relations
Seeing math as
sensible, useful, and
doable
Reasoning
Computing
Carrying out
procedures
Using logic to explain a solution
Applying
Formulating and solving mathematical problems
Building a stronger foundation
Understanding
Engaging
Comprehending
Concepts, Operations,
& Relations
Seeing math as
sensible, useful, and
doable
Reasoning
Computing
Carrying out
procedures
Using logic to explain a solution
Applying
Formulating and solving mathematical problems
1½ ÷ ½ =
a.
b.
c.
d.
½
¾
3
1
Write this problem
as a question
using words and not
symbols.
3
2

3
2
1
How many halves are in
one and one half?
1½ ÷ ½ = 3
Describe a situation
requiring use of this
concept.
You have a yard and
a half of ribbon to
make bows. Each
bow requires ½ yard.
How many bows can
you make?
Understanding the Relationship
Between Multiplication and
Division
2  ?
1
2
1
4
How would you solve or interpret
this division problem?
2  ?
1
2
4
1
29
Why does the algorithm work?

2  ?
1
2
1
4
How many fourths are in 2 12 ?
1
4
1
of what number is 2 2?
2  ?
1
2
4
1
30
Complete the number sentence with <, >, or =
352 <
360
114 >
113
What does going deeper mean?
“I understand not only how and
when to use an algorithm; I
know why the algorithm is the
most efficient way to solve a
problem – and I can explain
why!”
32
GRADING & REPORTING
 Standards-based grading involves
measuring students' proficiency on welldefined standards.
 Standards-based grading reports tell us how
students are performing on a set of clearly
defined learning outcomes.
EXAMPLE
CONTENT: GRADE 3 – MATH
MEASUREMENT TOPIC: OPERATIONS AND
ALGEBRAIC THINKING
PROFICIENCY STATEMENT:
A student has demonstrated proficiency by:
(Understanding) Representing and interpreting multiplication and
division problems. Understanding the relationship between
multiplication and division;
(Computing) Fluently multiplying and dividing within 100;
(Applying) Using multiplication and division within 100 to solve word
problems. Applying properties of operations as strategies to multiply
and divide. Applying strategies to solve two-step word problems
using the four operations;
(Reasoning) Explaining patterns in an addition or multiplication table.
Explaining and justifying a solution to a problem or extending from
something known to something not yet known;
(Engaging) Seeing mathematics as sensible, useful, and doable-if you
work at it-and being willing to do the work.
How will students be assessed?
Reading
• Anecdotal Records
from reading groups
• Graphic Organizers
• During Reading
Assignment Tasks
(post-its, organizers, questions)
• Written responses
Math
• Anecdotal records
within small group
instruction
• MCPS created
formatives
• Interactive Tasks
• Open-ended word
problems
Where can I learn more?
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/
2.0/
 Definitions and examples of Thinking and
Academic Success Skills
 Parent Guides for the content in each grade level –
K-2 (what will my student learn?); National PTA
Parent guides - http://www.pta.org/5307.htm
 Video examples of integration
 Video on Math changes
 Share your feedback with MCPS
 Detailed curriculum framework (philosophy,
research, content area learning objectives)
Questions To Ask Your Child’s
Teacher





Is my child reading at grade level? Can you show me
books that are the right level for my child?
How is my child doing in math? How can I help my
child at home?
How will you determine my child’s grade?
How much time should my child be spending on
homework?
Aside from report cards, what are the best ways to
keep up to date on my child’s progress?