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Board hears progress report on CKLA science-of-reading rollout, state and TNTP partnerships
Summary
District staff reported continued rollout of the CKLA literacy program K–5, a TNTP partnership and state center support; early implementation remains in phase 1 and the district set a December 2025 goal to reach 80% agreement on a common walkthrough tool.
District curriculum staff told the Board of Education on Oct. 22 that full implementation of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) literacy program has expanded to all K–5 classrooms and is being supported by two external partnerships: the State Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success and a consulting relationship with TNTP (The New Teacher Project).
"Last year was the first full year of implementation for the CKLA Core Knowledge Language Arts program kindergarten through fourth grade," Oliver Barton said during the special report. "We have we're 2 students more than last year" (enrollment reference in the same report), and staff are tracking implementation rather than immediate test-score effects.
Erin Grosso, the district lead on CKLA implementation, described the program structure in early grades: "For K to 2 classrooms, there's two strands. For 60 minutes a day, the students are in the skills strand. The skills strand is very explicit, direct instruction for foundational skills. This is where students are taught phonics, grammar, basic writing skills. But then there's another 60 minutes that is spent on knowledge." She added that the knowledge strand builds content vocabulary and discourse through social studies and science topics.
District staff said they are using the state center's Read Con and master-class offerings and accepted a two-year Read Con commitment to extend the science-of-reading approach beyond third grade. The TNTP relationship includes 10 hours of strategic advising, school site visits (Center School and Crystal Lake completed so far and Windermere planned for Dec. 1) and five online professional-learning sessions. TNTP used a five-phase implementation rubric and helped the district conclude it is still in phase 1 and needs targeted change-management supports.
The district set a measurable implementation goal with TNTP: "By December 2025, instructional leaders in the district will use a common walkthrough tool, reaching 80% agreement during monthly calibrated implementation of CKLA," Grosso said. Staff reported teachers have been receptive to external observers and that site-visit feedback focused on bright spots and recommended next steps to protect fidelity while allowing locally appropriate adaptations.
Board members asked for follow-up after Windermere's site visit; staff committed to report back. The district framed the work as part of the larger district improvement plan, linking literacy, mathematics and instructional feedback as priorities for 2025–26.
Ending: Staff emphasized that one year of CKLA implementation is not expected to yield definitive test-score changes; the board will receive further implementation reports and the district expects to use the common walkthrough tool monthly to calibrate feedback and monitor fidelity.
