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Curriculum Review

Dear MCPS Community:

I hope your summer is off to a great start. I am writing to provide an update on the evaluation and selection of new curricular and instructional materials for K-8 English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, and high school Algebra 1. As I mentioned in my last message, we are planning to resume the curriculum selection process at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. In preparation for the relaunch of this effort, we have been meeting with and receiving feedback from a wide range of stakeholders to help refine the process and apply key learnings from the initial phase that took place earlier this year.

Over the past month, we have reached out to all employee organizations, the Evaluation Core Team who participated in the initial phase, the Curriculum Advisory Assembly, central services staff and other school staff to solicit detailed feedback on the previous Request for Proposal (RFP). We have also analyzed the responses from the New Curriculum Survey, which received responses from over 1,700 members of the MCPS community—including parents, teachers and students. We will use this feedback to revise the RFP, which is scheduled to be reissued in late August 2018. Following the issuing of the RFP, it is anticipated that curriculum proposals will be evaluated late fall 2018, with options going to the Board of Education for approval in the middle of the 2018-19 school year.

As we prepare for evaluation of the new materials later in the fall of 2018, we will be meeting with additional stakeholder groups to discuss the avenues to full engagement of the MCPS community in the selection process. This will include collaboration with teachers, administrators, parents and the community about the final selection of curricular materials; the time and impact of this initiative; designs of professional learning; and approaches to rolling out the new materials to schools and classrooms. This feedback will be used to develop a specific implementation plan and timeline following Board approval and as we approach the 2019-20 school year.  We will remain in regular communication with you in the coming weeks and months.  I encourage you to visit the Curriculum Review webpage for information and updates.  

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our students and I look forward to our continued collaboration. 
Best Regards,

Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D.
Chief Academic Officer
Montgomery County Public Schools