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District outlines progress on ELA rollout; adds Express and Hello English for multilingual learners
Summary
District staff told the board that new ELA resources are in early stages of implementation and described two new multilingual programs—Express and Hello English—for newcomer and English-learner students.
District curriculum staff told the Downers Grove Grade School District 58 Board of Education that implementation of new English language arts (ELA) resources is underway and that two multilingual programs have been added this school year to support English learners.
Staff said the district has used professional learning time, coaching support and “unit previews” to help teachers adopt new core materials. The district also reported use of a data platform aligned to benchmark assessments to help teachers analyze item- and standard-level results more quickly for small-group instruction.
For multilingual learners, staff described two new programs: Express, delivered by ESL teachers and tied to the Benchmark assessment, which focuses on phonics and vocabulary and provides targeted, flexible lessons; and Hello English, a newcomer curriculum for students new to the country three years or less that combines academic vocabulary, “survival English,” cultural orientation and weekly projects to support language acquisition and social-emotional needs.
Staff said Express gives students a preview of upcoming grade-level content so they can better participate in homeroom instruction. Hello English was described as a scaffolded curriculum designed to accelerate newcomers toward successful participation in general education classes.
The board was told the ELA committee has gathered teacher feedback via a rubric and midyear surveys; staff said remaining work this year includes finalizing scope-and-sequence adjustments and planning professional learning for next year. Staff noted next year is expected to be “quieter” for new ELA adoptions while the district launches a science curriculum review.
District staff invited board members to attend classroom rotation presentations where Benchmark Advance, Hello/Express, UFLI and CommonLit are showcased; staff said the rotations were designed so all board members could see the same presentations in smaller groups.
