As a home-school parent, a former student and a QCUSD school board member, I know that the curriculum used is critical to the quality and effectiveness of a student's education. With QCUSD’s consistently declining assessment scores, I have been asking many questions regarding the district's curriculum. Any parent reading this should be very concerned with what I have found out but let me also say there is a relatively easy solution to implement.
QCUSD does not have a consistent curriculum, or the material (textbooks) used within the curriculum. The two subjects that have “recommended” material are math and Spanish, but it is not required. How can you expect a consistent quality product (graduate) without consistent quality input? If I were to ask 30 people to bake a cake but provided no recipe, no ingredients or no source for quality ingredients, how could I ever expect a fantastic cake from even 80% who baked one? The saying “garbage in equals garbage out” applies.
Imagine you are a new teacher, and we annually have large numbers of new teachers. This is your first time in front of a class, and you have to find the material to present, build lesson plans on top of all the other things our teachers are expected to do. Would you feel you are being set up for success? I would not. However, if we gave them the textbook, the core to the curriculum, to use, we would begin to bring consistency into the education process and lead our teachers down a path of success.
I have spoken to multiple teachers in the district, different grades and subjects, and all say the same thing. The lack of curriculum and inconsistencies result in poor outcomes. Several have tried to create consistency in the material presented, only to be told by the administration to follow what is in Beyond Textbooks ( https://www.beyondtextbooks.org), the sequencing tool used by QCUSD.
When I asked these teachers why they do not say anything, all said the district does not want to hear anything, and those teachers who do speak out are placed on performance improvement plans and eventually removed from being employed.
I met with Dr. Perry Berry, Erica Copeland and Jennfier Revolt on (July 17, 2024) to discuss this, well, they wanted to show me the evidence of the curriculum deployed in QCUSD. It would probably be prudent to say they first wanted to define curriculum and it was the exact copy of Google’s AI response when you search for what is curriculum:
“Curriculum is a planned sequence of learning experiences that help students develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes. It's a central guide for educators that helps ensure all students have access to rigorous academic experiences. Curriculum is made up of content, methods, resources, and assessments, and it's designed to enhance student learning and facilitate instruction.”
During this meeting, they provided a look into Beyond Textbooks. Other teachers upload much of the supporting material. I asked Dr. Berry if the material is verified as good and quality. Is there any research basis for the submitted material? The response was, “it is guaranteed and viable,” so I will take this as a no. Several teachers confided in me that the material is all over the place and inconsistent.
How do we solve this problem? How do we ensure our students receive the high-quality education the community and taxpayers are funding? Well in short, we create committees for each content and ask them to research, go through a prescribed process and make recommendations to the board with regard to rigorous, appropriate and research-based curricular resources whether it be a textbook or resource we currently use. Now, how the teacher presents it allows the teacher to apply their skills, which is what we should expect of them.
Only then can we measure the effectiveness of QCUSD’s education and make changes to improve our assessment scores continually. This simple concept is exactly what any successful business does; they manage the supply chain of their materials and the assembly of the end product, so when the consumer purchases their widget, it is a great widget.
Heidi Lee, Dave Dehority, Nick Tulley, and I are committed to our students, and it will be our goal once they are elected and sworn in to ensure every core subject has consistent material by the 2025-2026 school year. If you desire the best education in QCUSD then I ask you to vote for them and help us take back our education system and support the success of our teachers.
