Pearson Education Curriculum Prompts New Concerns in L.A. iPad Plan October 30, 2013 By Benjamin Herold, Education Week, Bethesda, Md. Oct. 30--LOS ANGELES -- Education officials here tout the new digital curriculum embedded on iPads being distributed to tens of thousands of students as a key piece of their half-billion-dollar effort to transform teaching and learning in the nations second-largest district. But the new software from the publishing giant Pearson that has been rolled out in dozens of schools is nowhere near complete, the Los Angeles Unified School District is unable to say how much it costs, and the district will lose access to content updates, software upgrades, and technical support from Pearson after just three years. The situation is prompting a new round of questions about an initiative already under withering scrutiny following a series of logistical and security snags. The Common Core Technology Project, as Los Angeles Unifieds iPad initiative is formally known, is among the first attempts in the country to marry digital devices with a comprehensive digital curriculum from a single vendor. The ambitious effort makes the 650,000-student school system a bellwether for districts seeking a soup-to-nuts solution that implements the new Common Core State Standards, increases students access to technology, and moves away from paper textbooks. I think its the front end of a wave, said Karen Cator, the CEO of the Washington-based nonprofit Digital Promise and a former director of the U.S. Department of Educations school technology office. But just weeks before the Los Angeles school board decides whether to authorize the initiatives second phase--expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars--implementation problems related to the new digital curriculum are rearing their head. Pearsons Common Core System of Courses, meant to eventually become the districts primary instructional resource in both math and English/language arts for kindergarten through 12th grade, currently consists of just a few sample lessons per grade, resulting in widespread frustration and confusion among classroom teachers. In addition, the amount the district is paying to Pearson remains a mystery, leading to increasingly pointed questions from the school systems divided school board, which called a special meeting to discuss the overall iPad initiative next week. I think theres going to be a lot of scrutiny on how we came to Pearson and what we think of Pearsons quality, board member Steve Zimmer said. For their part, LAUSD officials are frustrated, too. Jaime R. Aquino, the districts deputy superintendent for instruction, who is stepping down at the end of this year, said in an interview that the districts plan to roll out the new digital instructional materials gradually was spelled out in clear terms months ago. He emphasized the importance of getting original, rather than repurposed, content and argued that the district will have unprecedented input into the development of a publishers curriculum. The future of Superintendent John Deasy, who has championed the technology initiative, also appears uncertain. The Los Angeles Times reported late this week that Mr. Deasy may resign this winter, although nothing formal has been announced. For more stories covering the world of technology, please see HispanicBusiness Tech Channel
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 08:35:00 +0000
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