Chardon schools are taking a new look at teaching. Starting next year, classes are going to be different than they are this year, and it is not just because of age this time. The Ohio Department of Education is changing ways that students will learn by the 2014-2015 school year. Most schools will be sticking with their old plans until then, but in an effort to remain on the cutting edge of education, Chardon teachers have decided to implement the new curriculum next year. English teacher and Athletic Director Mr. Snyder said, “Basically, we’re giving it a test run for next year so we can see how things work out before it becomes mandatory.”
The majority of the changes are in the English, Math, Science and Social Studies curriculums. However, across the board there is one major change: a lot more writing, and exit tests. English classes will be experiencing this the most. Short answers, essays, journals and writing assignments for homework will be more of a norm. One reason why the curriculum is changing next year for English is because of the lack of theme in sophomore English. English teacher Mr. Lichtinger thinks, “The changing curriculum will have a positive impact because it will simplify the teaching of English in Chardon by allowing teachers to group different genres of writing by theme instead of chronological order. This will make the overall theme of the class more cohesive.” Be ready to write next year, because it is going to be big.
The math curriculum will be changing in the same way. No more plug-n-chug answers, at least without an explanation. The math curriculum will not be getting harder in the sense of material, but in the sense of how students will get the answer. There will be a lot more proving why something works or explaining what formula was used. Pre-calculus teacher Mrs. Ricci is sure that this is what we need for math. She said “I’m hopeful that the curriculum changes will lead students to gain a deeper understanding of the math we learn. It will be a good challenge for students to learn advanced topics at earlier ages.”
Our science curriculum is already top quality forOhio, and across the nation. When asked if she thinks there will be changes in the science, Mrs. Rohr said, “It’s unlikely. We already have a lot of writing in our labs and if anything, other schools will be changing to our curriculum.”
Social studies will have a new system of testing. In US History and Government, there will now be an exit exam. This exam is somewhat like the OGT tests, but will occur at the end of the year once you learn all of the information. Also, there will be more writing and more primary source work. Social Studies teacher Mrs. Ptasznik commented on how this will affect the curriculum. She said, “It will have a positive impact since it will test students all on the same national standards.” In the end, all of these changes are making a better student in the long run.