Speak now or hold your peace until the next round of revisions!
DESE is collecting feedback on the current English Language Arts and Mathematics curriculum frameworks. This project will support potential revisions to the frameworks in fall 2016 as well as the development of the MCAS 2.0 statewide assessment. The survey is open through March 25, 2016.
This survey is voluntary for educators to complete if they want to provide comment or suggestions on the existing curriculum frameworks. The 2011 ELA and math frameworks, as well as all other Massachusetts frameworks, can be found here.
Take a look at the survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2570879/MCAS-2-0-ELA-and-Math-Standards-Refinement
Concerned about using your name and email to access the survey? DESE has told us:
The identifying details of individuals will not be shared in any summary, report, or posting of the survey input.
The intent in gathering identifying information is to have context to help interpret an individual’s comments and to be able to contact them if there is a need to follow up with that individual to clarify or better understand something they wrote.
These are uses that are only relevant to the work of DESE staff. They will remove identifying information for the review panel members who will be using the survey data most directly. DESE will not include individual’s identifying information in anything for the public. If someone wanted to submit comments under a pseudonym, DESE staff will still read them.
Background
From the DESE March 7, 2016 Press Release
The Department is identifying suggestions for improving the frameworks based on the Commonwealth’s five years of implementing the 2010 learning standards. The review comes after the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted on November 17, 2015 to both create a next-generation MCAS assessment and to convene review panels of K-12 teachers and higher education faculty to review the English language arts and mathematics curriculum frameworks and identify any modifications needed to ensure “a course of study that best prepares students for the 21st century.”
After the review committees have considered all proposed changes to the current frameworks, they will make recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The Board will make any changes it deems appropriate and put its draft proposal out for public comment. After making any additional changes based on that final public review of the proposed frameworks, the Board would then adopt a revised set of Massachusetts curriculum frameworks in English language arts and math