A Message from our Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability Dr. Kris Webster
School districts constantly evaluate data, resources and curriculum to ensure we are providing the very best education for all of our students. This is my first year in District 41 and I have been heavily engaged in learning about what our students are learning and how they are being taught. I have had my nose in all of the data (which I love) and am impressed with our talented teaching staff as well as the achievement and growth of our students. As with any school district, there is always room for improvement and we are currently working through a process to evaluate both our literacy and math curriculum.
Below I have provided more details and links to information about how we evaluate curriculum, specifically literacy and math. We are currently working with staff to select a new literacy curriculum and staff have already piloted an update of our current math curriculum. I am excited to share that we will complete the math pilot this school year and we will start the literacy pilot next school year.
Literacy Review and Future Pilot
The district literacy instructional review is in full swing. The literacy committees have been meeting twice a month since January. These committees consist of teachers that represent each of the grade bands (K-2, 3-5, and 6-8), literacy coaches, a building administrator, as well as special programs such as special education, language programs and technology. Each building has a representative on the committees. During this time we have collected essential standards from each grade level, reviewed district data, analyzed feedback from teachers, vetted literacy curriculums, and identified two curriculum resources to pilot. The committee used both EdReports and WIDA Prime to ensure the resources we considered were research based and high quality. The district will be piloting Into Reading and Wonders at elementary. Both were highly rated by both EdReports and WIDA Prime. The district will be piloting Into Literature and Amplify ELA at Hadley Junior High School. Both were highly rated by EdReports. We are currently working on the pilot structures so stay tuned for more information on that. The committee members have been working very hard on this instructional review.
Math Curriculum Update
District 41 has used a math curriculum called Eureka Math for seven years. Great Minds, the company that publishes Eureka, has released an updated edition of Eureka, called Eureka Math2 (Eureka Squared). An elementary pilot of Eureka Squared was conducted this year and concluded at the end of February. Pilot teachers were asked to complete a rubric evaluating the curriculum and were also asked to provide a recommendation as to whether or not the district should move to Eureka Squared for the elementary math curriculum. 87% recommended that the district move to Eureka Squared beginning with the 23-24 school year. While the changes aren’t significantly different, there are some key differences. The district is in the process of ordering the updated teacher materials so that teachers have access to them before the end of the school year. We will also have a Eureka Math Parent Information Night at the beginning of next year.
Glen Ellyn School District 41
Website: www.d41.org
Location: 793 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA
Phone: 630.790.6400
Facebook: facebook.com/glenellynd41
Twitter: @glenellynd41