Centennial Elementary School

I completely agree with the review posted Nov 9, 2005. We moved from California thinking the schools here were so much better. Well, they're not. My daughter had a much better grasp on math when we moved here and now it's a struggle on very simple equations. There is no clear direction on teaching. The "grading" system is a joke. They grade on the entire year even if it's only the first grading period, and then say Partially Proficient is fine because they haven't learned XYZ yet. Well, how about grading them on what they should have learned to this point? The fourth grade spelling words are a joke as well. I supplement words at home to challenge my daughter. But really we are failing our children with this teaching method of "Let's just do what it takes to pass the state tests" - which doesn't seem to be working either. I enjoy Fargo and the people, I'm just really disappointed in the Fargo School District.
—Submitted by a parent

The curriculum and the teaching methods are questionable. They are not teaching math, they are simply exposing students to many different approaches in the hopes that they catch on to one. It is not even an objective that they master one, which means many students go all the way through grade school without a basic ability for multiplication and division. They are not giving our kids a foundation. They are also using a grading system that is vague and inconsistent. They are ranked on proficiency, yet teachers are using the terms differently. In one subject my child was only partially proficient. The teacher explained that this is all fine - all the kids are just partially proficient (since they haven't learned or been taught that yet.) By the end of the year they should be proficient. What if they are not? I won't know until year end - too late!
—Submitted by a parent