Naperville 203 proposes new K–12 literacy resources, citing science-of-reading alignment and dyslexia supports

Jennifer Donatelli, director of curriculum, and Jane Willard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, presented a k–12 instructional-resources recommendation to the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education on April 7, 2025, asking the board to approve the package for the 2025–26 school year.

Donatelli and Willard said a district literacy teams’ two-year review pointed to new evidence-based resources that better align with the science of reading and the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. The k–5 team recommended HMH InterReading for foundational and comprehension skills (Donatelli and Willard said it includes explicit, structured foundational-skill instruction, embedded phonics and morphology, vocabulary across domains and Spanish materials). The middle-school team recommended CommonLit 360 as a core resource and NoRedInk as a 6–12 writing tool. The presenters said the choices followed classroom field tests involving teachers and students and emphasized the district requirement that any K–12 resource must include both English and Spanish materials for equity across dual-language programs.

District staff described substantial professional learning during the review: the presentation listed sessions with national experts (Dr. Julia Lindsay, Jan Birkins and Carrie Yates, Dr. Doug Fisher and Dr. Nancy Fry) and a K–12 curriculum team of roughly 100 educators involved in evaluation and field-testing. Donatelli said these efforts produced the district's K–12 literacy commitments that guided the resource evaluations.

Board members asked about supports for students with dyslexia. Donatelli said one reason HMH was selected is its structured-literacy design and that the resource includes components used by other districts and principals who provided positive feedback. Donatelli said field-test MAP data looked strong and that professional learning for staff is an essential part of implementation. "We feel very confident, especially with the explicit structured literacy component. It's about 40 minutes daily, especially in K–2," Donatelli said.

Board members also asked about measures and reporting. The administration said student progress will be tracked through the district's school-improvement process using MAP, classroom assessments and the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) as benchmarks; building-level school-improvement plans will include targets and will be presented to the board in the fall.

The administration recommended board approval of the full K–12 instructional-resources package (literacy plus new science, social studies, world languages, CTE and math materials) for 2025–26; staff will continue to refine implementation plans and collect trimester and field-test data during rollout.