English curriculum missing critical pieces

If you have a child enrolled in Douglas County schools, you should be aware of the English curriculum changes that are currently under way. As a retired teacher, I am frustrated not only by what the new curriculum lacks, but also by the way it was forced upon many teachers.

For the last year and a half, middle school English teachers have been asked to implement a new curriculum called SpringBoard that was voted on by a select few people. When questions were raised, hand-picked committees were formed in an attempt to follow the textbook adoption laws that should've been followed a year ago, yet the result was the same - the process was still manipulated, and the vote was not representative of all teachers. Furthermore, teachers I've spoken with still don't have an answer as to why they were not allowed to compare SpringBoard to other textbooks, as this is also a key element of the textbook adoption law. Since not one other school district in the state of Nevada uses SpringBoard in their classrooms, as either a primary text or even as a supplement, it seems prudent to compare it to other textbooks and curriculum available for purchase.

When teachers expressed their fears that students' test scores would drop due to the missing pieces in the mandatory SpringBoard curriculum, they were assured that Douglas County would respect the data. Well, it appears that the eighth grade writing assessments scores dropped in all three middle schools for the second year in a row.

Despite the fact that SpringBoard has been sold as an advanced, AP curriculum, it is quite the opposite. Parents in Douglas County should know that instead of reading challenging texts (the kind that help them score better on college entrance exams and perform better academically) their children are now, in some cases, reading only one classroom novel a year and getting almost no grammar, vocabulary, or real writing instruction.

The teachers who felt that this curriculum was detrimental to their students, and who dared to disagree with harsh directives to teach a curriculum that they never asked for, were (and continue to be) harassed and encouraged to "just do it" and not ask questions. The stress that this has created has caused good teachers, who do their best to inspire students while still maintaining high expectations, to become beat down and exhausted from the fight to maintain standards in their classrooms, and even look for other areas of employment.

But here are the most disturbing questions. Why has money been spent on a textbook that hasn't even been approved by the school board, let alone the State Board of Education? How can all this money have been spent already before the pilot was completed? Why weren't teachers and parents of our community invited to examine this curriculum before committing to it?

If you want to ensure quality education in Douglas County, I urge you to come to the next school board meeting where the final vote for this curriculum will take place. Or you can also contact Superintendent Soderman to voice your concerns. But please take the time to do something. The students of Douglas County are worth it.

Wendy Perra retired in 2007 after teaching for 27 years in Douglas County. She is a Gardnerville resident.