General Curriculum FAQ

-What were the reasons behind the changes from the old progression to the common core?

First, we need to separate out two things here. Common core is not a course or course progression or text. It is the framework for what topics should be taught with some indication as to how it should be taught. For instance, in the Geometry course you likely took in high school, you probably had never heard of rigid transformations. The common core specifies that this topic should be taught and that various geometric proofs should be completed using transformations. Second, is the issue of using the International Pathway instead of the Traditional sequence (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, etc.). Math is not a compartmentalized subject. Topics in Geometry, Algebra, and Statistics are related. Using a curriculum that integrates these topics helps students make more connections. Also, as the name suggests, our sequence is much more similar to the way many countries teach math. The change allows us to be better aligned with the rest of the world.

Additionally, all small schools within BHS are using the same curriculum and so all of our students are getting the same curriculum not matter which academy they are in.

For a more detailed discussion of the common core and the choice of curricular materials see here.

-Why is Common Core better?

Common core realigned our framework so that we can do a better job teaching fewer topics in depth instead of covering too many topics very superficially.

-How does the department assess the success of the implementation of the new curriculum?

This is a very complicated issue since as each year passes students will have had more experience with common core in their previous years of schooling. So students in the 2019 graduating class had 1 year of experience with common core prior to starting high school. But students in the 2020 graduating class had 2 years prior to starting high school. So we are comparing apples to oranges. However, we can also look back at the passing rates of all the 9th graders in our old progression and compare that to the passing rates of our new progression. In our first year we saw a small increase in passing rates. We are also looking at pre- and post-assessment results each year and from year to year.

-Why are topics being presented in a different order than before?

We are following the International sequence because math is not a compartmentalized subject. Topics in Geometry, Algebra, and Statistics are connected. Using a curriculum that integrates these topics helps students see these relationships. Also as the name suggests, our sequence is much more similar to the way many countries teach math. So the change allows us to be better aligned with the rest of the world.