NYC tweaks reading curriculum mandate after teacher pushback. Educators: Tell us what you think.

New York City is rolling out tweaks to its sweeping reading curriculum overhaul after facing concerns from teachers and union officials, according to a message sent this week to school staffers.

“In response to feedback, we are updating key policies to address concerns related to pacing flexibility, assessment processes, and professional learning,” schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos wrote in a Wednesday letter co-signed by Michael Mulgrew and Henry Rubio, the leaders of the teachers and principals unions, respectively.

The changes come as union officials raised concerns in recent weeks about the implementation of the city’s reading instruction mandate, which requires that schools use city-approved curriculums — a major shift from previous years when schools were largely free to pick their own. The rollout began last school year and expanded to all elementary schools in September.

Purchasing new curriculums, training thousands of teachers, and building support in school communities has been a difficult task. The city’s teachers union has been a major supporter of the curriculum change while the union representing principals has been more resistant, criticizing the mandate as hastily implemented without buy-in from school leaders or community input.

The new policies represent the latest effort to respond to educators’ concerns about the instructional shifts. Some teachers have warned that the materials are densely packed, making it difficult to make it through the lessons as quickly as expected. Others have complained of being asked to adhere to each lesson as if it were a “script” instead of having the freedom to implement it more creatively with their students’ needs in mind.

Read the full article here: https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2024/12/05/nyc-reads-curriculum-mandate-changes-in-response-to-union-concerns/