District 57 molds curriculum to fit new standards

With new state learning standards on the horizon, teachers and administrators in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 have begun tweaking the district’s curriculum.

Among the changes being discussed: A new emphasis on nonfiction reading in English/language arts classes, and a stronger focus on expository writing.

These and other changes will help the district meet the new standards, which were approved by the state in 2010 in order to make Illinois students more college- and career-ready, said Susan Woodrow, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

“We’ve been looking at the current standards and the new ones and seeing whether there any gaps in our curriculum,” Woodrow said. “We’ve studied whether we have to change things.”

The new standards will call for stronger skills in nonfiction reading and comprehension, Woodrow said, which will require a shift in focus in District 57.

“Right now, the anthologies we use have beautiful selections of literature and poetry in them, and that will still be very important, but we’ll also need to bring in more nonfiction,” Woodrow said.

The same is true for expository writing, as opposed to creative or persuasive writing, Woodrow said.

“These are the kinds of skills that students will need to be college- and career-ready going forward,” she said.

The Illinois State Board of Education approved the new standards, which cover math and English-language arts, in June 2010. New standards for other subject areas will be approved in the future.

In 2015, the standards will be reflected in a new statewide test for elementary students.

District 57 leaders discussed possible curriculum changes during an institute day last month. This summer and next year, officials will look at specific ways to bring the changes about.

In the meantime, Woodrow said, District 57 teachers will continue to get students well-prepared for the existing Illinois Standards Achievement Test. In 2011, 95 percent of District 57 students met or exceeded state standards on the test.