The D97 Core Instruction Team is excited to share that our K-5 English Language Arts (ELA) pilot is officially underway in several District 97 schools!
Teachers from Beye, Hatch, Irving and Whittier, along with representatives from Holmes, Lincoln, Longfellow, and Mann, have begun working with our first pilot resource: SAVVAS myView/miVision. Pilot teachers have engaged in training sessions with SAVVAS specialists and are eager to see how this new tool enhances literacy learning for our students. Throughout the year, they’ll also explore two additional resources: HMH Into Reading/Arriba la Lectura and Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA)/Caminos.
We are excited to gather feedback from our staff, students, and families throughout this pilot process to help us understand how these resources are working in our classrooms. At the conclusion of the pilot, our ELA Curriculum Committee will carefully analyze all the data and recommend the best resources for district-wide adoption during the 2025-26 school year.
Our Commitment to Literacy
District 97 is committed to ensuring that every student in pre-kindergarten through second grade is in love with literacy and able to read, write, speak and listen at grade level by third grade. This year, we’re continuing to explore new ways to help students become confident readers and writers, while focusing on what matters most:
- Valuing the expertise of practitioners closest to student experience so we engage them in the national debate around literacy instruction.
- Expecting all students to demonstrate competency in the foundational skills of reading while recognizing that instruction and collective teacher efficacy are primary and resources are secondary.
- Providing ongoing professional learning opportunities to expand teachers’ knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices for supporting emergent readers.
- Acknowledging that strong adult practices in core instruction which support students in our focal cohort will result in positive outcomes for all students.
- Utilizing the school improvement logic model process to engage teacher leaders and literacy teachers in identifying resources and professional learning opportunities for future curriculum review decisions.
Thank You, Families!
We’re so grateful to the families who have already shown interest in our approach to K-5 literacy. We can’t wait to hear feedback from the families of students in our pilot classrooms as the year progresses.
For more details about our literacy pilot and curriculum review process, you can check out our Frequently Asked Questions. Keep an eye on the District 97 Weekly Wrap-Up for future updates!