http://schoolctr.hebisd.edu/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=R3JlYXRfRGVjaXNpb25zXyMyX01pZGVhc3RfUmVhbGlnbm1lbnRfX0phbnVhcnlfMTR0aF9tZWV0aW5nLnBkZjo6Oi93d3c1L3NjaG9vbHMvdHgvaGViaXNkL2ltYWdlcy9hdHRhY2gvNjQ1NjcvMTMyMjkyXzY0NTY3X2F0dGFjaF8xNjAwMy5wZGY=
On Feb 24, 3:35 pm, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > ** ** > PARENTS GAIN ACCESS TO SECRET SCHOOL CURRICULUM**** Lawmaker confirms > immediate changes in controversial operations**** > > Published: 15 hours ago**** > > [image: author-image]*by* JOHN GRIFFING<http://www.wnd.com/author/jgriffing/> > Email <[email protected]>| > Archive<http://www.wnd.com/author/jgriffing/> > **** > > John Griffing <[email protected]> is a frequent contributor to > American Thinker and is published across an array of conservative media, > both in the realm of commentary and research.**** > > AUSTIN, Texas – Parents of school children across Texas now are gaining > access to a previously secret public school curriculum, according to an > announcement from a state lawmaker.**** > > The CSCOPE program, an online offering that until now has prohibited, under > penalty of law, teachers from sharing the lessons with parents, stirred up > controversy because of its various lessons – some that were taken offline > after the questions arose.**** > > Among those issues were that the curriculum at one point taught the Boston > Tea Party was an act of terrorism and Christians were cannibals, and forced > students to draw a socialist flag while imagining a new socialist country.** > ** > > Teachers also would have been exposed to criminal penalties for sharing > CSCOPE lesson content with parents, and educators were required to teach > strictly from the CSCOPE lesson plan, without additions or changes.**** > > But Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, whose Texas Senate Education Committee > held a public hearing last week investigating CSCOPE, said there now have > been “significant changes.”**** > > The Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, which owns > CSCOPE, agreed to the following changes, effectively immediately, he said.** > ** > > Those include:**** > > **· **All future meetings of the TESCCC governing board, beginning > with the February meeting, will be public with all the respective notice > requirements being met.**** > > **· **The TESCCC will begin a joint review process of all CSCOPE > lessons with the SBOE beginning with Social Studies.**** > > **· **Amendment of all Terms of Use Agreements, signed by both > teachers and districts, removing civil or criminal penalties associated > with the release of CSCOPE content.**** > > **· **Clarifying that all teachers and districts may post any and > all CSCOPE lessons that they deem necessary.**** > > In addition to these immediate transparency and quality control changes, > CSCOPE will also undergo structural, governance, and other changes, > including ending the non-profit 501(c)3 arrangement that incorporates > CSCOPE, posting lessons online, and creating a standing curriculum review > panel comprised of parents, teachers, school administrators, members of the > SBOE, and TESCCC board members.**** > > The online courses no longer will be mandatory, either, the senator said.*** > * > > “CSCOPE is notifying all participating school districts that lessons are > not intended to be taught verbatim, and the governing board generally > recommends that local districts utilize CSCOPE lessons solely as a > resource. Until CSCOPE lessons can be reviewed through a collaborative > process with the SBOE and TESCCC, districts are strongly encouraged to > review all lessons at the local level, to ensure that lessons are > appropriate for their students,” the senator’s announcement said.**** > > Among the controversy’s was the curriculum’s treatment of Islam. Some > highlights:**** > > **· **“Non-Muslims in conqueror territory are allowed religious > freedom (for an additional tax).”But in fact, many non-Muslims are > killed<http://frontpagemag.com/2012/raymond-ibrahim/muslim-persecution-of-ch...> > in > Islamic countries for exercising their > faith<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9762745/Christianity-close-t...>. > Almost one million Christians fled Iraq in the wake of the Iraq war because > of the genocide > there<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/world/middleeast/13iraq.html?pagewa...>. > Iran imprisons and executes Christians for sharing their faith.**** > > **· **“Zakat (almsgiving): The duty to give away alms and to help > the needy.”But numerous publications have exposed the “zakat” as a means of > laundering money to terrorist organizations, with charities being > fronts<http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/...> > .**** > > **· **“Allah is the Almighty God…Allah alone is the Creator, He > alone deserves our devout love and worship.”This came from a section under > the heading, “Who is Allah?” Some expressed concern that such verbiage > lacks impartiality.**** > > These and other curriculum content issues have now been placed under the > scrutiny of the elected and bipartisan State Board of Education.**** > > State Board of Education chair Barbara Cargill, who was part of the > negotiations with CSCOPE and testified at last week’s hearing, said, “I > appreciate CSCOPE’s willingness to address concerns brought to light > recently. The State Board of Education looks forward to working with them > to resolve these issues, so CSCOPE can remain a useful tool for > participating school districts.”**** > > Said Patrick, “I’m glad the CSCOPE Board realizes that immediate and long > term changes must be made to address the serious issues raised by our > committee, parents, and teachers. Our committee will be monitoring the > situation closely to ensure they follow through with their commitments. We > will also be looking at legislation to ensure these changes cannot be > reversed in the future and that the SBOE continues in their role of > oversight of CSCOPE content. The future of the program will depend on > CSCOPE keeping the commitments they have made and gaining the trust of the > legislature, teachers, and parents.”**** > > Lawmakers earlier has proposed a change in state law that would rein in the > program.**** > > Most of the state’s classrooms, some 80 percent, are using the CSCOPE > program that also has raised eyebrows because educators had refused to > allow parents and others to see what being taught.**** > > Twenty-five state representatives had signed onto a proposed oversight > statute that would target CSCOPE, <http://www.cscope.us/> the online system > that set up firewalls and passwords so that parents would not be able to > see the curriculum.**** > > WND previously reported the Obama administration’s Department of Education > was expressing interest in CSCOPE.**** > > A source in the Texas education system had told WND that Common Core > operatives in the U.S. Department of Education are actively pursuing CSCOPE > as a way around the Texas legislative process.**** > > Texas is one of the few states still resisting implementation of Common > Core, Obama’s national standards initiative, which many feel is a > transparent attempt to nationalize education and progressively control > classroom content with minimal parental oversight.**** > > Implementation of Common Core is known to have been made a > condition<http://educationviews.org/do-not-let-the-doe-nationalize-the-schools-...> > of > school systems’ receipt of federal dollars under Obama’s “Race to the Top” > program.**** > > Colleen Vera, an educator and researcher, alerted committee members at the > Jan. 31 hearing that another path to CSCOPE acquisition by Common Core > proponents had been identified in TESCCC board minutes obtained by public > information request. TESCCC meeting minutes dated Sept. 12, 2011, (page 5 > -topic #8a), under the heading “CSCOPE Out of State Business Plan,” reveal > a change in incorporation documents to say the federal government could > gain control of CSCOPE if TESCCC is dissolved (Art VI #6). The Texas > Association of School Administrators (TASA) has been lobbying for federal > “Race to the Top” funding, despite the state’s rejection of Common Core, > and will use state tax dollars to attend a conference in California at > which radical activist and documented Bill Ayers-associate Linda > Darling-Hammond will be > speaking<http://www.tasanet.org/association-notes/2012/10/11/aasa-national-con...>. > WND has learned this week that Linda Darling-Hammond is actually writing > CSCOPE lessons, and not merely serving as a spokesperson.**** > > Among other issues that have arisen: Sources within the Texas education > system recently informed WND that Wicca, thought by many to be akin to > witchcraft, was being taught in CSCOPE curriculum alongside Christianity, > but was removed before the news media could access it, a fact which > represents one of the biggest concerns for followers of CSCOPE.**** > > In CSCOPE World History/Social Studies, Lesson 2, Unit 3 under the heading, > “Classical Rome,” students are told that Christianity is a “cult,” and > given a link to a BBC article saying the early Christians were “cannibals,” > i.e. the Eucharist, which students are then led to conclude is the reason > for Roman persecution.**** > > See the lesson. <http://www.wnd.com/files/2013/01/ClassicalRome.pdf>**** > > This lesson has since been removed, but documentation in WND’s possession > confirms that the lesson existed. Critics contend that this ability to > change content on a whim to evade scrutiny or accountability is a > persistent risk with a system like CSCOPE. An organic curriculum – if > regulated – might be advantageous, but without transparency, these types of > occurrences will likely be more frequent, critics say.**** > > Click > here<http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/parents-gain-access-to-secret-school-curri...> > to > print.**** > > John-Griffing_avatar.jpg > 2KViewDownload -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
