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Board reviews summer-reading recommendations and first reading of additional textbooks, including Algebra pilot and dual-credit course
Summary
Lyons Township staff presented the 2025 summer-reading recommendations and a first reading of additional textbooks, including a pilot for an Algebra 1 Amplify/Desmos curriculum and a dual-credit sustainable urban agriculture text.
Lyons Township High School District 204 staff presented the district’s 2025 summer-reading recommendations and conducted a first reading of additional textbooks and instructional materials, describing the review process, student choice aims and several course-specific pilots.
Scott, the district curriculum presenter, said the summer-reading program’s goal is “the opportunity to just read, not have to worry about doing a project,” and that teachers, librarians and students curated a wide list of options. Staff noted outreach efforts including an Instagram account, book trailers on the district website, posters to associate schools and local-library partnerships; Barnes & Noble in Oak Brook will display the recommended titles.
On the first reading of additional textbooks, staff said most items are being offered as choices rather than required texts and that the district will keep physical copies on public display in the boardroom for two weeks. Key course notes: AP Language and Composition will emphasize nonfiction; Into the Wild will be used as part of AP Language materials for summer reading; the English 3 American Literature class will include a Gothic unit featuring The Crucible; and Between the World and Me was described as a counterpoint text to The Things They Carried for discussions about bias and perspective.
Staff also described three instructional-material items of operational interest: a sustainable urban agriculture textbook required for a new dual-credit arrangement with the College of DuPage (materials expected to arrive for display), Yoga 3 course materials served through the My Vinyasa online platform to support student certification, and an Algebra 1 pilot using Amplify’s Desmos-based curriculum. On the latter, staff said the district will pilot Unit 6 materials soon and that the package includes online, textbook and workbook components; they emphasized the pilot will require teacher professional learning and that the district will not purchase the materials unless teachers endorse them after the pilot.
Board members asked about where the pilot will be used and whether co-teachers and general-education classes are included; staff said the pilot included math teachers, co-teachers and students and that implementation would be supported by professional learning next year. Staff reiterated that the materials on display will return for approval at the April 21 meeting.
Why it matters: The reading list and textbook adoptions shape students’ summer engagement and next-year curriculum, affect AP course preparation and introduce pilots that could change math instruction and dual-credit offerings.
Additional details: Staff provided a summer-reading survey summary showing student input (about 477 survey respondents), encouraged students to choose at least one title and emphasized that students are not required to finish a book they do not like. The board discussed alignments to social-emotional learning, culturally responsive teaching, and English-language development standards as part of the curriculum-review process.
