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PBC schools face change
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Written by Christie Riganati, Online News Editor
Palm Beach County welcomed a new Chief Academic Officer, Jeffrey Hernandez, for the 2009/2010 school year and with that brought many changes to the curriculum for all schools. Jeffrey Hernandez is working to have all schools throughout the county functioning uniformly. Some changes he has incorporated this school year are; departmentalization, frameworks, and embedded assessments.
Departmentalization is having elementary school student’s move from class-to-class and having different teachers for each subject. This is to mold the students and environment more like middle and high schools. In addition to departmentalization, Hernandez has included framework to the county’s new curriculum. Frameworks are lessons that are written by the school board and distributed to all the teachers. These lessons must be taught to all students in every school. The frameworks help maintain a uniform teaching environment between every school in Palm Beach County. The framework lessons are to prepare students for the embedded assessments. An embedded assessment is to be taken by each student about every 3 weeks. These assessments test the students on the material covered in the lesson plans the county issues to teachers. The assessments are designed to see if the student has learned the appropriate material and to make sure they understand the material.
Although Hernandez has made these changes to better the school district some teachers, parents, and students have reacted in uproar. Many parents have had worries about their elementary aged children traveling from classes and to different teachers. Teachers have become alarmed and overwhelmed with the framework curriculum. Teachers feel rushed through lessons because they have a designated schedule and order to follow that is state-mandated. Finally with the embedded assessments many teachers, students, and parents alike feel it is sometimes too much for the students to handle. Also the frequent testing takes away from time that could be used for teaching. With problems such as these arising, Jeffrey Hernandez has addressed such issues at a Union Meeting in West Palm Beach on September 22 and at Spanish River High School on September 29. Hernandez arrived at both locations to sign carrying protesters. Many questions were asked and frustrations have been spoken but nothing has been changed. People aren’t only speaking out about their frustrations at the meetings but on social networking sites as well. So far there have been two Facebook pages made against the reformation of the school district. In addition messages have traveled to students making days when they wear a certain color to show their disapproval of the changes. Seminole Ridge High School students forwarded messages to each other to spread the word of their disapproval by wearing blue shirts.
The Palm Beach Post reported on September 22, 2009 that Boca Raton city leaders along with parents have discussed the approach to secede from Palm Beach County School District, and form their own charter school system. The officials along with parents feel that the Boca Raton A-rated schools are being held back by struggling schools that need the mandated reformation.
Although there is some discontent with the new curriculum Hernandez has introduced to Palm Beach County there have been no major changes to it yet. With the new curriculum in effect this school year, parents, teachers, students, and county officials, will see exactly what this reformation will bring.
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