My primary mission is to help San Antonio parents find quality schools for their children. But sometimes I touch on another hot topic in education, such as standardized testing (earlier post) or the textbook wars (earlier post).
The latest battleground in the culture wars is CSCOPE (wikipedia), an online curriculum support system. It was created by a group of Education Service Centers (including ESC Region 20, which covers San Antonio) and has been used in hundreds of districts across Texas. (The Texas CSCOPE Review website has a listing as of Fall 2012.)
So, what is CSCOPE? A handy resource for school districts, including many rural districts and charter schools? Or a sneaky, destructive, anti-American influence in our classrooms?
Veteran journalist Rick Casey, delivering his “Last Word” on KLRN‘s Texas Week, has this take on it:
“Views on Who Is a Terrorist”, Rick Casey, Texas Week, July 26, 2013; “Attempts to block CSCOPE hit rock”, Rick Casey, San Antonio Express-News, July 27, 2013 (at Mysa.com). Casey is referring to a news release from Marisa B. Perez, a rookie member of the State Board of Education from San Antonio’s district 3.
With CSCOPE materials now in the public domain, it appears that individual school districts will be able to decide whether or not to use it in 2013-14. Read more recent CSCOPE coverage:
- “Lawmaker: Let school boards decide on curriculums”, Will Weissert (AP), San Antonio Express-News, July 19, 2013.
- “Dewhurst, Patrick Continue Push to End CSCOPE”, Morgan Smith, Texas Tribune, July 24, 2013.
- “Senate education chair files bill to bar use of lesson plans in Texas schools”, Terrence Stutz, Trail Blazers Blog (Dallas Morning News), July 24, 2013.
- “CSCOPE Witch Hunt: Patrick, Dewhurst Compete for the Loony Vote While Throwing Local Control Out the Window”, Texas Freedom Network, July 25, 2013.
- “Angelina’s educators supportive of CSCOPE”, Rhonda Oaks, Lufkin News, July 28, 2013.
My opinion? CSCOPE doesn’t seem all that bad. But, faithful readers know that I am all about parent empowerment. If you’re concerned about CSCOPE use, then I encourage you to learn more about it, find out whether your district is using it, and take action. Texas CSCOPE Review has useful resources, including an action guide. The San Antonio Tea Party is also active on CSCOPE issues.
How do you feel about CSCOPE? Do you know if your school district or charter school is using it?
