District 97 curriculum team recommends Amplify CKLA and Caminos for K–5 ELA

Oak Park Elementary School District 97's core instruction team recommended on April 8 that the board adopt Amplify CKLA (English) and Amplify Caminos (Spanish) as the district’s K–5 ELA core curriculum.

The recommendation follows a two‑year review and a three‑program pilot in which teachers, students and families participated. Dr. Shaw, the district superintendent, framed the presentation as part of a broader instructional plan and said the proposal will return to the board for formal adoption at a later meeting. The district’s K–5 committee used seven evaluation criteria and a program decision matrix to select the recommendation.

Why it matters: the recommended program is explicitly aligned to the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan (released January 2024) and the district’s equity policy. Presenters said the program couples systematic foundational‑skills instruction (phonics, phonemic awareness, spelling) with knowledge‑building units in history, science and the arts, and offers a Spanish counterpart intended for multilingual and dual‑language students.

What the district reviewed: curriculum committee members visited vendor demonstrations, applied structured‑literacy evaluation tools, piloted three candidate programs during SY 24–25 and collected multiple data sources (teacher and family surveys, student preference rankings, pre‑/post‑assessments). Presenters said Amplify scored highest on the committee’s weighted program criteria and that a majority of students and a plurality of pilot teachers preferred it.

Classroom evidence presented included videos and teacher testimonials showing knowledge‑building lessons and a novel‑study unit. Staff said the pilot produced higher student engagement in the CKLA units and that pilot schools logged more than 500 combined professional learning hours tied to the review and pilot work.

Next steps and budget: if the board approves adoption at a future meeting, the district staff proposed purchasing teacher and student materials for a six‑year cycle and budgeting for a three‑item annual digital subscription (Boost Reading, Boost Lectura and Language Studio). Presenters said some existing subscriptions would not be renewed if the adoption proceeds; a full professional‑learning rollout would begin May–August and continue into SY 26 to support non‑pilot schools.

The board did not vote on adoption on April 8; staff presented the recommendation and answered questions about writing instruction, assessment alignment and family outreach. In discussion, board members asked for more detail about how writing skills will be taught and assessed, and whether the district had reviewed revised versions of materials that responded to statewide critiques. Staff said they piloted the vendor’s most current (beta/updated) materials and that the district would continue to examine cultural‑responsiveness and alignment with local equity and learning‑for‑justice standards.

The presentation included teacher and family testimonials and pilot survey results; staff emphasized that the recommended program is intended as district core instruction (Tier 1) and not to replace supplemental instruction or district standards and equity work.