MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor has introduced a new “refrigerator curriculum” to provide families with quarterly updates on classroom topics and reading lists.
Days before the start of classes on Aug. 26, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor has introduced what he’s calling “refrigerator curriculum.”
In a briefing with reporters on Wednesday, Taylor framed the rollout of the new curriculum as a way for parents to get past those one-worded answers they commonly get when asking their kids what they learned in school that day.
“Each nine weeks, we are going to send the topics and the reading list for your child’s classes home to you — both in a digital and a paper format — so that you as a parent know what’s being talked about in your child’s classroom,” Taylor said.
He called it a “refrigerator curriculum” because it could be printed out and stuck on the family’s refrigerator to keep students and their families up to date.
But Taylor added that the strategy to keep parents informed is also part of the school system’s response to the Supreme Court ruling that requires the district to allow families to opt out of lessons based on the family’s religious beliefs. The court made its ruling in June, touching off concerns that teachers would be burdened by having to come up with alternative projects for students.
Taylor explained that with the new approach, “We have a centralized process that when somebody wants to opt out of curriculum based on religious belief, there’s a form they can fill out and it is linked to our refrigerator curriculum.”
Parents can then fill out the form, and “the teacher and the school staff can respond with an alternate assignment,” he added.
While Taylor described the process as a convenient way to address parental concerns, he added, “This was an argument that we made at the Supreme Court, that this is a significant administrative burden.”
Taylor said he’s hoping the updates to families can increase communications and keep parents engaged with what their children are learning in school.
Schools open for “Transition Day” on Monday. The first day of school systemwide will be on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
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