District 62 advances structured literacy and phases in full‑day kindergarten
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Summary
District 62 officials said teachers have begun a districtwide shift to structured, evidence‑based literacy and that new instructional materials piloted in grades 1–8 will be adopted next fall; full‑day kindergarten planning and phased construction are under way.
Community Consolidated School District 62 (District 62) reported progress on its strategic plan Friday, citing a districtwide shift to structured, evidence‑based literacy and active planning for full‑day kindergarten.
"Since our last update, significant progress has been made toward goal 1 of the strategic plan with focused efforts in 2 key areas, the transition to evidence based literacy instruction and preparation for full day kindergarten," Speaker 1 said, describing professional learning begun last spring for teachers in preschool through eighth grade.
The update said professional learning for pre‑K through second grade emphasizes word recognition, foundational skills and phonological awareness, while grades 3–8 focus on language comprehension and vocabulary—"which accounts for over 50% of the variance in reading comprehension," Speaker 1 said. New instructional materials were described as "high quality, evidence based" and are being piloted in grades 1–8 with districtwide implementation planned for next fall.
District leaders also outlined plans to expand full‑day kindergarten. A full‑day kindergarten committee is reviewing schedules and classroom configurations and has been supporting development of an intentional‑play model. "This model will be a key component of full day kindergarten, designed to support language development and essential social emotional skills," Speaker 1 said. Separately, district staff later reported that construction for full‑day kindergarten classrooms has begun at Iroquois, with additional phases planned for January 2026 and the following summer.
Why it matters: Literacy instruction and the rollout of full‑day kindergarten affect curriculum, classroom space and staffing across elementary schools and signal a multi‑year implementation schedule from professional learning to construction.
Next steps: Pilots of the new literacy resources will continue this school year; the district will proceed with phased construction for full‑day kindergarten and continue committee work on scheduling and classroom configurations.