CSCOPE (education)
CSCOPE is a K-12 educational curriculum support system that has been widely adopted in Texas. It was created by the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC).
Use
[edit]Nineteen out of twenty education regions in Texas have districts that use CSCOPE,[1] and as of January 2, 2011 there were 747 school districts (out of 1,051 total) using it.[2]
Reactions
[edit]While popular with district administrators, CSCOPE has elicited mixed reactions from teachers,[3] some of whom feel excessively constrained by a set timetable for lessons. Other teachers, however, feel that CSCOPE is appreciated by the students and has improved classroom performance and attendance.[4] Some say that CSCOPE will better help prepare districts for the next generation of standardized tests in Texas, such as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test.[5]
The system is a product of an increased emphasis on accountability in public education over the last two decades.[6]
Upcoming changes
[edit]In 2013, after complaints about parents' inability to access the curriculum as well as about lesson plans, Texas announced significant changes[7] would be made to the system. These changes include:
- Making all meetings of the governing board public, and meeting all the respective notice requirements.
- A joint review process of all CSCOPE lessons, beginning with Social Studies.
- Removing civil or criminal penalties associated with the release of CSCOPE content.
- Allowing teachers to post any and all CSCOPE lessons that they deem necessary.
- Creating a standing curriculum review panel composed of parents, teachers, and school administrators.
References
[edit]- ^ Gulick, Joe. "New curriculum system CSCOPE to bring big changes to schools in Lubbock, across state | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal". Lubbock Online. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "School districts adopting CSCOPE online curriculum | Mom2MomDFW.com". Star-telegram.com. 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "Texas Teachers ~ Do you use C-Scope? - ProTeacher Community". Proteacher.net. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ Campbell, Roger. "News & Photos - The Llano News - Llano, Texas". The Llano News. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "Texas Education Agency - STAAR debuts". Tea.state.tx.us. 2010-01-26. Archived from the original on 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ Work, Ann. "Local schools planning for new CSCOPE curriculum". Times Record News. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "Sen. Patrick, CSCOPE announce sweeping changes". Cyprus Creek Mirror. Feb 8, 2013. Retrieved Feb 8, 2013.