A handful of Morgan Hill Unified School District teachers are working with district officials to create so-called classroom "scripts" for a math program, but it is not clear just how inclusive written texts will be or if they cover only basics, such as math terminology.
School board trustee Bart Fisher said he did not know the level of flexibility related to the scripts, but was aware that most curriculum is becoming more structured due to state and federal education measurements.
"Concern has been expressed around the structure of curriculum," he said.
"We have some pretty structured expectations coming down from the state and the federal government that have motivated more of a push towards the structure, things like scripts for teachers. Teachers and others have raised the issue of having too much scripting and structure in how to run their day. We need to continue to discuss these things and work it out."
Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson, who heads the educational services department for the district, was out of the office and unavailable for comment by presstime.
Teachers have filed a formal complaint that they are being left out of curriculum decisions, based on nearly two years of non-consultation, according to Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Donna Foster.
Union and district representatives are scheduled to meet for an informal conference in Oakland with the Public Employment Relations Board Feb. 5.
School board Trustee Shelle Thomas said the fact that the teachers are the ones creating the "scripts" does not mean that they had a choice about using or not using scripts.
"I'm not sure exactly what the situation is, where the process stands at this point, we haven't received any updates, but I do know a few teachers who were working on this," she said.
Fisher said the local district is not the only one struggling with curriculum decisions.
"The issue of how much flexibility and creativity we give our teachers is not just an issue here in Morgan Hill, it's an issue around the U.S," he said.
"They are issues because of the emphasis on testing student performance and by implication, school performance. I don't like it, it places too much of a burden on our teachers to teach to the test and not enough burden on our teachers to teach to the student."
Johnson has told trustees during school board meetings that the district wants to make sure the same terminology or language is used by each teacher when teaching certain educational concepts. For example, using the term "subtracting," versus "reducing" when teaching math.
"The point is that we need to be sure that language is not getting in the way of a student getting up to speed when they move up a grade or change schools," Fisher said. "That's important. And I believe we all agree there needs to be a balance between teacher flexibility and creativity and structure, but the question to be asked is are we balancing it at the right point?"
Marilyn Dubil Marilyn Dubil covered education and law enforcement for The Times.
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