The 2024-2027 Illinois Strategic Plan built upon the agency’s commitment to continuous improvement and responsiveness to the evolving needs of the nearly 2 million school-aged children in Illinois that ISBE serves. Literacy instruction for schools and higher education in Illinois is addressed in the Strategic Plan. Goal 3.1 of the Strategic Plan calls for the following regarding institutions of higher education (IHEs): “ISBE will work with institutions of higher education to develop professional learning communities of practice to promote the use of resources for literacy instruction.”

Two external objectives were identified:

Goal 3.1.1: “By the end of FY 2025, in collaboration with institutions of higher education, ISBE will develop Communities of Practice promoting effective literacy instruction in educator preparation programs.”
Goal 3.1.2: “By the end of FY 2027, ISBE will conduct a program evaluation to determine the extent to which instruction in educator preparation programs aligns to literacy preparation standards and the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan.”

Additional resources have been created as part of the ISBE’s efforts to make the plan easily accessible. They are available on the ISBE Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan webpage. The Educator Preparation Reader’s Guide was instrumental in identifying key areas of the plan and informed the creation of this Self-Assessment Tool for Aligning Illinois Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) to the literacy plan.

Timeline:

September 2025 The self-assessment tool is available to pilot EPPs.
January 2026 The self-assessment tool is available to all EPPs. The next step document is available to pilot EPPs.
May 2026 The next step document is available to all EPPs.
September 2026 ISBE releases information on the upcoming evaluation.
April 2027 Documentation due for evaluation.

September 2025: The self-assessment tool is available to pilot EPPs.
January 2026: The self-assessment tool is available to all EPPs. The next step document is available to pilot EPPs.
May 2026: The next step document is available to pilot EPPs.
September 2026: ISBE releases information on the upcoming evaluation.
April 2027: Documentation due for evaluation.

Self-Assessment Tool for EPPs

ISBE decided to assist IHEs in preparing for the evaluation called for in the Strategic Plan by creating a self-assessment tool. The tool identifies the key content of the literacy plan that EPPs should provide teacher candidates during their enrollment in the program as part of coursework and field practicum. This tool aids in identifying areas of alignment and areas needing improvement to ensure that teacher candidates are well-prepared to deliver evidence-based literacy instruction.

Webinars and other Resources

Launch of the Literacy Self-Assessment to EPPs

Guidance and Resources for Alignment

Guidance and additional resources for alignment planning and next steps are forthcoming (see above timeline). EPPs should prioritize using the self-assessment tool to identify "Development Focus Points" and "Key Success Areas" in the meantime.

ISBE Evaluation for alignment to the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan

The Illinois Strategic Plan states that, “By the end of FY 2027, ISBE will conduct a program evaluation to determine the extent to which instruction in educator preparation programs aligns to literacy preparation standards and the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan.” Information on the program evaluation will be added to this section when it becomes available.

Resources