Curricula: Educators Share the Potential Impact of Scripted Curriculum

As scripted curriculum continues to be implemented in schools across the country, educators are sharing their opinions on how it impacts their teaching. Common critiques include the focus on test scores, drilling content, negative implications on students’ critical thinking and comprehension skills, and removing opportunities for educators to build interest in topics and engage students. Additionally, the educator-led #sunchat Twitter chat used the trending topic as the focus area for their virtual chat on 9/17. This demonstrates the opportunity to use online chats as an avenue for gaining real-time insights on trending topics in the education space.

  • “There’s a growing backlash against teaching inferencing, synthesizing & other cognitive skills. I’m deeply concerned that this + rise of scripted curriculum will negatively impact students’ ability to absorb, process, & produce critical thought.” —Elementary Teacher in New York
    • “I don’t doubt this, but I am wondering what evidence there is of this shift away from cognitive skills. Where is it coming from?” —Social Studies Teacher in New York
      • “My admin only cares about ‘data’ and ‘closing performance gaps.’ The best way to close ‘gaps’ has been to only drill basic skills. I would love to blame a party here, but it’s [No Child Left Behind]. Reaching metrics makes only the measurable matter. Numbers/letters to the exclusion of everything.” —Teacher, N/A
    • “I was actually talking to my husband about something similar this morning. I told him I feel like the aim is to eliminate those skills in public school. They don’t want students to synthesize, create, analyze, etc. I’m also concerned.” —STEM Teacher in Ohio
    • “I feel very rushed, like they want us to hurry through the curriculum so we can test, test, test without giving teachers and students time to really dig in to what the students might really be interested in. And some of these internal assessments don’t even make sense.” —Teacher, N/A
    • “The scripted curriculum is killing me. Almost my entire day is scripted now.” —Teacher, N/A
    • “The generous version of their ‘take,’ I feel, is that sometimes the leap to inferencing/synthesizing/etc. happens too quickly or without making sure the foundation of supporting skills/knowledge is strong enough. I don’t necessarily agree with this but I also try to reflect on my own High school ELA classroom and where I could improve in this area. That said, I do very much fear that scripted curriculum will stifle critical thinking/nuance that is needed more than ever.” —High School ELA Teacher in Oregon
    • “I think in K-2 there’s a lot being lost on the comprehension side (I think newer/teachers without a strong literacy background are getting very black and white recommendations from meh PD that’s super popular)” —Early Education Teacher in Washington
    • “I’ve had quite a few debates with people who believe that learning = memorization. They discount any learning that’s not strict memorization based on a rigid interpretation of cognitive load theory. But students can actually conduct inquiry and learn skills sans memorizing a bunch of facts.” —High School Social Studies Teacher, N/A
    • “It is a pendulum. We are swinging toward the ‘Science of Reading’ and will help some students but not all. Eventually, we will swing back the other way toward literacy love/cognitive tool use, then back again. The answer is that there is no silver bullet.” —Educator in Texas
  • “It’s wild watching curricula that could be responsive & flexible be tossed out for everything scripted. Our old Kinder science kits had kids observing real worms, fish, potato bugs and snails. Now we have Google slideshows. (And we wonder why many kids think school is boring).” —Early Elementary Teacher in Washington
    • “All of that, taking the engaging stuff out in favor of scripted paced garbage. So many ways that education gets ruined for kids and it’s all preventable, but Ed is too often determined by those with money and power: lobbyists, the rich, loud parents.” —Teacher, N/A
      • “And standardized testing. This is all being put in to “raise test scores’” —Early Elementary Teacher in Washington
    • “The scripted stuff is designed so anyone can teach it. That’s necessary because there are so many districts hiring folks without the training. It’s a mess.” —Middle School Teacher in New York
    • “Sadly, it makes it easier for school districts to hire uncertified long term subs for a fraction of the cost of a certified teacher. Scripted curriculum can be carried out by those who aren’t well versed in teaching.” —Teacher in Alaska
  • “My thoughts on scripted curriculum. Having certain scripts we are relaying to the students in different classes is huge, but the delivery might look and feel different in each class. Let each teacher be dynamic in their unique way, but make sure the topic is the same. #sunchat” —High School Math Teacher in Texas
    • “We have curriculum maps to follow as a pacing guide so we are pretty much on the same topics throughout the year. However, many elementary schools are moving to day-to-day scripting, which means everyone is saying the same thing in the same way. #sunchat” —ELA Teacher in New Jersey
  • “As a science teacher, my job is to bring interest to the subject and drive controlled conversation with students. Those small group and large group discussions are the driving factor of science. There is only so much a ‘scripted curriculum’ brings. #sunchat” —Middle School Science Teacher in New Jersey
  • “So from what I gathered from another convo on X, teachers read a script from a page to explain the concept, model the concept, and then the students do the concept. Each teacher, in each room, does the same on the same day. The activities produce data they can track. #sunchat” —ELA Teacher in New Jersey
    • “When I taught math, scripted curriculum was important in my classroom because of the importance of topics and how to solve certain problems. I was able to add outside learning projects to support the day lessons, but it was important to have daily concepts ready. #sunchat” —Middle School Science Teacher in New Jersey
  • “As a whole, I am not a fan of scripted curriculum. I see more negatives than positives while using this type of learning. I am that ‘funny,’ ‘creative’ teacher who goes off the rails to make sure students really connect with materials. With scripts, that takes away my creativity.#sunchat” —Middle School Science Teacher in New Jersey