Even if you’re a school board member for the Wichita Falls ISD, it’s still difficult — if not impossible — to put your hands on a full CSCOPE lesson to see what teachers use every day.
Most WFISD board members said Wednesday they had not seen or read a complete copy of a CSCOPE lesson from the controversial curriculum.
They are anticipating learning more about CSCOPE in a work session Tuesday when WFISD administration will present information about how the curriculum management system is working locally.
CSCOPE has made headlines in state and national news and instigated a flood of emails for board members.
Critics statewide have said the online CSCOPE lessons appear pro-Islamic and anti-Christian, that they push communist ideology, and that they are unavailable to parents or board members who want to see them.
Statewide, teachers say that the student-focused lessons take too much time and relegate the teacher to the role of facilitator or group leader.
WFISD board member Kirk Wolfe, who has done intensive study of CSCOPE, said he recently requested from Region 9 a copy of the original 2008 Boston Tea Party lesson that sparked controversy because it characterized the patriotic event as a terrorist attack.
But when he read through the lesson that he was given and found nothing controversial about it, he noticed that he had been given a revised version dated 2010.
When he requested again the original 2008 lesson, Region 9 officials told him that it did not exist anymore and was no longer available, although Wolfe soon tracked down the lesson himself.
Wolfe said the Islamic and communist leanings of the curriculum that he had observed and the secretive way it has been shielded from parental view caused him to wonder if he wanted to do business with such a group.
He also took a look at the lengthy nondisclosure document that teachers were required to sign. “I’d want a lawyer if someone made me sign this,” he said.
Parents’ opinions of the curriculum will weigh heavily with him, he said.
“If parents object, we need to take that under consideration,” he said.
Board member Dale Harvey said he’s gotten more email and questions on CSCOPE than anything else.
“It’s a concern that crosses a lot of lines. I think (parents) want an explanation of what’s going on. I don’t think they’re advocating us discontinuing our relationship with CSCOPE. ... It raises a lot of eyebrows. It raises mine, too. I’m telling you, it’s a big deal. I share their concern.”
Harvey said he hadn’t talked to teachers about CSCOPE but if he had questions, he would go through the administration.
CSCOPE is a business that must be responsive to its customers like WFISD, he said.
“It is a business first and foremost, not just from our side but from their side,” he said. “If 80 percent use CSCOPE, you’ve got to keep those people happy. ... That’s a big, big business,” he said.
Media reports that call for transparency to parents are good, he said.
“Obviously, we have to hold up the flag of transparency no matter what we do. I don’t think it’s asking too much for them to divulge that information. I know they say their curriculum is proprietary, and I respect that, but it just makes you wonder what’s going on. Do we really want to do business with people like that?”
Board member Bob Payton sat in on a presentation about CSCOPE made by Jeanine McGregor when she spoke to the Wichita County Republican Women’s group Feb. 18.
He said CSCOPE needed more transparency and applauded Sen. Dan Patrick’s efforts to open the curriculum to parents.
CSCOPE’s Marxist leanings concerned him.
“It might have come from sources that I would rather not have included in the curriculum,” he said. “I’ve never thought a school curriculum is a bastion of conservative thought anyway. Educational material has typically been a little bit more liberal leaning.”
CSCOPE hasn’t been the first to stray from Christian principles, he said.
“I’m sorry, but Christians lost that fight a long time ago when evolution was introduced in science.”
Payton said he hoped the way CSCOPE was used in WFISD did not require teachers to use every line of it.
He’s heard comments from several teachers but has had trouble discerning if problems center around not liking change or the curriculum itself. “I couldn’t say it’s definitely one way or the other.”
Board member Allyson Flack said she’d heard comments from concerned parents and grandparents. “I heard the slant it puts on things. Part of it is, I have not seen the curriculum to know if there’s a lot. It’s hard to judge before I’ve seen some stuff myself.”
When she questioned Assistant Superintendent Tim Powers about CSCOPE, he told her the district would always have some kind of managed curriculum.
“I think it started out the right way. I’m not sure which way we’ve gone with it,” she said. “I’m anxious for the meeting to get it out in the open and see where we are right now with it.”
She also planned to learn more about CSCOPE before the meeting by talking to several friends who have been longtime teachers.
Board President Kevin Goldstein said he could guarantee the question would be asked, “What else is out there?”
He expected that the district could tap Superintendent John Frossard’s expertise in curriculum when deciding how to move forward. The district’s contract with CSCOPE ends in June.
“I want to hear what our district’s response is, how we’re doing, then I’ll formulate questions,” he said.
He had not seen a CSCOPE lesson, he said.
WFISD board members the Rev. Reginald Blow and Trey Sralla did not return calls to be interviewed for this article.
Follow Ann Work on Twitter @AnnWork1.
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Comments » 16
Citizen1 writes:
So a board member who has never seen a CSCOPE lesson is concerned about its "Marxist" leanings? School board-discuss the merits of CSCOPE educationally, but leave the right wing paranoia (Marxist, Indoctrination, etc. )to radio hosts and other who are so easily influenced.
wofum1947 writes:
Board work session for discussing CSCOPE and other curriculum ideas is Tuesday, March 5 beginning at noon in the board room at the district office on Broad Street. I encourage all concerned parents and other citizens to attend. I will. Failing in that, please e-mail your school board representative regarding your questions, problems with CSCOPE and concerns about it and the possibility of finding something else after June; I have.
Wichita_Willie writes:
Eye openers...
Don't you just love the fact that we have people elected to the house and senate that have never once looked at the budget before voting on it?
And don't you just love the fact that we have school board members who don't even take the time to read and investigate something like CSCOPE before forcing it on our teachers and students?
This is embarrassing.
wofum1947 writes:
While I applaud the research done by members of the board, I must opine on Mr. Harvey's statement about not going to teachers but to the administration with questions and so on. It would seem to me that the teachers would be THE source to go to with questions and concerns and they would be the ones to listen to about these questions and concerns since they are the ones using the lessons on a day-to-day basis - not the administration or curriculum specialist, one of which actually had a hand in writing some of the CSCOPE lessons. At least one person in the administration has an extremely vested interest in maintaing that nothing is wrong with CSCOPE, that it is the saviour for all our teaching and learning woes and keeping it since hewas instrumental in selling it to the district. Anyone out there really think he will admit he made a mistake or that his idea was in any way flawed? The messsage he sent to the teachers in the district after his "meeting" about CSCOPE recently, in essence said continue on with no changes.
strlcuckoo22 writes:
I wonder if, when talking to "teachers" they will be given a "cloak of invisibility"? As educators of each upcoming generation we need to be concerned about everything that is being presented in our classrooms.
Trapper writes:
What bothers me is Mr. Wolfe not being able to find a copy of the 2008 "Boston Tea Party" lesson plan. Back in Nov.2012, the Houston Paper found that as late as Jan. 2012, the 2008 lesson was still being taught in some schools in Texas.
The lesson was presented as a news story happening now:
" News report: New Act of Terrorism
A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port. Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise, considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities. It is believed that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens."
Now here are the Instructional Procedures
(direct screen capture from CSCOPE Jan. 2012)
*Does this event in the news report meet the criteria of a terrorist attack? Why or why not?
*Does anyone know if this act is from a previou time in our history?
(it is the Boston Tea Party)
*Do you think that in the eyes of the British that the Boston Tea Party was a terrorist activity? Why or why not? is anyone ever justified in committing these types of activities? What drives people to do this type of activity? These are things that we will explore further.
Of course the teacher who made the direct screen copy would be fired if found.
Trapper writes:
Yes, C1 that portion of my post in quotes is cut and paste, for total accuracy. I had to print the Instructional Procedures from the screen capture, and then type in my self. Anyone interested in CSCOPE can read this lesson at
http://www.txcscopereview.com/2012/cs...
jetjocky writes:
I cannot believe we, the people (aka taxpayers) are not allowed to review that which we are paying for. I am not saying each of us needs to do so, but our elected representatives, either at the state level where this was funded, the School Board who agreed to use this and pay for it, have not seen fit or been allowed to review this program prior to use. And the teachers are forbidden from discussing it with parents for fear of being fired. This is unconscionable in its entirety. Either we, or the school board gets full access to the entire program or it should be cancelled. The nerve of the developers to put such a level of secrecy on a publically purchased product is not to be allowed. Either open up or shut down!
I will add a big shame on you to the school board for buying this program without full investigation and vetting. CSCOPE may be a good program, although I do not like the way history is being taught per Trapper's post above. If that is an example of CSCOPE then I submit it should be scrapped totally.
MSUFan1 writes:
To me the worst things about politicians is grandstanding and pandering.
CSCOPE has been in place for years, suddenly, someone comes out against it using buzzwords like Marxism and secularism. Now the reactionary race is on.
Who can pander the quickest? Who can beat his chest and protect us from something he helped to install? Who will cease the momentum and outrage over CSPOPE to ingratiate himself to the voter and show himself as a defender of our values? Who will publically demonize others for his own personal gain, when in fact, he voted to continue and fund the current system. Who will exploit a wedge issue? Kirk Wolfe…who else?
It needs to be fixed, fix it. But if has been in place for 5 years, then take your fair share of accountability School Board.
Footofclay writes:
"Cope" is an ecclesiastical garment intended to cover a person from shoulder to floor so he could keep warm in drafty, cold stone churches back when the candles were the chief source of heat. It covers a multitude of sins and sinners.
Think of "C" as shorthand for "Chicken". Now consider the chickens running lose around the place and think about the white stuff the chickens drop on the porch.
That white stuff is represented by "S".
It doesn't take a great leap to see CSCOPE as a coverup for educationist "CS".
Tangential Question for February: Why have churches so often used candles?
Answer: For light to see by.
Trapper writes:
I have been told several times on this site that I am not very bright. That being said, I wish someone would compare the TAKS scores for WFISD students with those of school systems that do not use CSCOPE. Being an "idiot", I will leave it to each to do their own research.
p.s.I already know, but you have to look for yourself.
JimD writes:
In response to MSUFan1
You hit the nail right on the head.
WFFL writes:
I think that a lot of people are missing the point. Every curriculum has flaws or holes that keep them from being the be-all end-all in the classroom. There isn't a public school science book written that a fundamentalist Christian won't have issues with. CSCOPE just has a few more issues than most and a lot less accountability.
The biggest issue is when teachers are required to use a resource without any regard to whether or not it is effective. Placing prescriptive mandates on classroom instruction is like putting handcuffs on a surgeon. every child is different and teachers need to have the freedom to build lessons that work from whatever means are available.
You wouldn't tell a doctor that he has to treat every single infection with penicillin, so why tell a teacher that you have to educate every child with CSCOPE.
wofum1947 writes:
WFFL: Amen! Teachers should be able to use each and every resource available to them in whatever combination they find most effective in teaching the different learning styles and levels in each classroom. They should also have the flexibility to give more time for re-teaching as required - my opinion of course.
bobert writes:
I have grandchildren in both types of curriculum. They are all good students. However, the ones that are not under CSCOPE are considerably ahead of those that are under the program. That was never true until CSCOPE came along. The parents were never even aware of such a situation until recently. To say they are upset is putting it mildly. Their own research since becoming aware of it has not yielded anything to contradict the negatives now being made known.
jetjocky writes:
To me the basic problem is that there is no accountability. Why has the government allowed this program to essentially be covered up. What are they afraid of? If it is such a good program it should be open to the public for evaluation and discussion, and maybe even suggested improvement. To force teachers to conceal what is in it on threat of losing their job smacks of totalitarianism. To prevent school board members from seeing it also has a very bad connotation as in fear of review and cancellation.
But the worst of all is a school board (state or local) that would allow this program to be used without complete outside review. Something smells here!!!!
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