Your school's English curriculum is something that you may take for granted. You may not think about how the books you read are chosen, or who decides how it is taught, that’s just the way it is. However, other students down the road may have a completely different English class to you, where they read different books, and use different resources. The CHS English Curriculum will be undergoing some major changes, and they are already being piloted in classes.
Your school’s English curriculum is something that you may take for granted. You may not think about how the books you read are chosen, or who decides how it is taught, that’s just the way it is. However, other students down the road may have a completely different English class to you, where they read different books, and use different resources. The CHS English Curriculum will be undergoing some major changes, and they are already being piloted in classes.
As of right now, the curriculum is still in the early stages of development, but some key goals have already been identified. In an interview with Mrs. Boyle, the ELA curriculum coordinator, and head of the English department, the three goals identified were:
- Increase the amount of digitally accessible materials
- Identify materials that will engage and support all students
- Ensure that materials will feature diverse cultural, ethnic, and gender identities
As well as these goals, it is necessary for the curriculum to meet the requirements of R.I. Gen Laws § 16-97-9, which states “The main objective of the study shall be to determine a unified approach for education within and across the state that encompasses the education and development of workforce skills, of our youth and adult learners, from kindergarten through the graduation of college or the entrance into the workforce,” or rather the state would like all schools to have a common, consistent curriculum.
In order to meet the prior goals identified, and to meet the law, a digital tool had to be found that could easily be used by CHS students and teachers alike. “StudySync is the curriculum program that best aligns with these identified goals and allows us some flexibility in terms of implementation,” said Mrs. Boyle.
Studysync was founded in 2009 by Robert Romano and Jay King, with the goal of creating a top of the line online education tool. In 2014 they partnered with McGraw Hill and created a core 6-12 ELA core curriculum as a solution for schools in the United States. Coventry may soon be joining the ranks of school districts utilizing the most recent version (2021) of the program.
“There are decisions still to be made and it is great that CHS English teachers still have a voice and choice about what we will teach, even though this is a state mandate. The goals we identified are good ones. The students’ learning needs are at the heart of the proposed changes, ” siad Mrs. Boyle
As many of you know, and have experienced, the school is currently piloting Study Sync in its English classes. Study Sync has been met with mixed results by students however. Many feel that it creates busy work for them rather than actually helping them to learn the material.
“I don’t really like it. It doesn’t challenge me in the way I want it to. I wish it was more geared towards understanding and analyzing things than just answering hard questions. I think analyzing the content better is more useful because from there you can actually understand where the author is going with the text,” said Senior, Christina Lancellota.
Although there is still much work to be done to ensure that students don’t have “learning curve” angst during the transition to StudySync, students should know that English teachers are currently going through each unit and adapting it in ways that make most sense for CHS students. Stay tuned!
Math is also in the process of adopting a state-approved curriculum.
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