District advances structured-literacy plan and elementary ELA resource review

District officials said the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is advancing a two-track plan this school year: (1) K–12 professional development on structured literacy and (2) a review of elementary ELA core materials with a goal to recommend a new resource for 2025–26 implementation.

The presenter defined structured literacy as explicit instruction across six components — phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, listening/reading comprehension and written expression — and said the approach is supported by science-of-reading research. The district emphasized the approach is consistent with state requirements (Act 55) and that it has not abandoned a phonics-based approach.

Staff said Reading Wonders has been the elementary core since 2014–15 and that a committee will evaluate newer programs that align more explicitly with structured-literacy practices. The district plans teacher pilots and hands-on exploration between November and February, a professional development day on Nov. 1, and publisher presentations and peer-district consultations as part of the review.

Board members asked whether the district will pilot materials as it did with math; presenters confirmed teacher pilots and student feedback will inform the selection. The district also said it has built internal capacity (train‑the‑trainer model with Chester County Intermediate Unit support) and expects to manage much of the PD in-house.

Next steps: The district will continue PD this year, run teacher pilots, gather feedback and bring a resource recommendation to the board in late spring for possible rollout in 2025–26.