by Sudha Sudhacker ’21

MCPS will make changes to the English 10 curriculum for the 2019-2020 school year and the English 9 curriculum for the 2020-2021 school year. The MCPS Board of Reading/ English Language Arts’ goal for the revised English 9 and 10 curriculum, according to Leading for Equity through Curriculum Revision Presentation, is to foster the joy of reading in students, as researchers find that reading is the best way to help students increase critical thinking skills, grow into a more well-informed citizen, and become better writers.

The Board of Reading/ELA will achieve these goals through student-choice reading, which more frequently will allow students to select from a range of texts to read and discuss. The discussion roles in the classroom will shift from being teacher-led to student-led as well. For example, in addition to teachers grading student comprehension, students will reflect on their own reading.
English 10 teacher Kelly Schlutz believes that allowing students to choose from a range of books is an innovative way to get students to enjoy reading; however, she wonders about whether MCPS realistically could implement this into the curriculum. “Book choice in the new curriculum is a great idea as long as schools and departments can afford the financial demand,” said Schlutz.