Sixth in a series
Re “Earthquake-sized Rumble You Feel Is Common Core on the Way”
[img]2264|right|Dr. Krumpe||no_popup[/img]Transitioning from standard curriculum to the excitingly(?) or intimidatingly (?) new architecture of Common Core, that will debut in September in Culver City and elsewhere, never will be mistaken for an updated version “How much is 1 and 1?”
As supervisor of the changeover, Asst. Supt. Dr. Katie Krumpe is indoctrinating the entire faculty of the School District.
“There is a lot of professional development,” she said. “We are working with all of our teachers to make sure they feel comfortable with any appropriate changes they are making in their grade level.”
When she was asked to identify the central message she is giving to teachers, her first response was two single-syllable words:
“Oh, wow.”
After a pause…
“That is a complex question,” Dr. Krumpe said, “based on the grade level and the subject matter.
“One of the messages in Language Arts is the move into more non-fiction. That has been one of the major changes. When they start in kindergarten, they can have more fiction. By the time they are in the 11th and 12th grades, it is mostly non-fiction.”
Why the change?
“In my opinion,” Dr. Krumpe said, “what has been explained to us is that our students are not ready to read those complex texts needed for their college and career readiness beyond high school. “We have to work to prepare our students to read two different articles about a scientific discovery, and then be able to understand what they are reading, and then pull out both articles and write their perspectives on them.”
(To be continued)
