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The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has adopted the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, a roadmap to enhance and unify core literacy instruction efforts statewide. The plan is the result of extensive engagement with educators and stakeholders across the state and a wide range of community members interested in and affected by the final plan.

 Grant Funding: District Literacy Plan Implementation Grant

Illinois public school districts and Regional Offices of Education/ Intermediate Service Centers have been allocated funding to support the creation, revision, and implementation of local literacy plans. This grant helps enhance literacy instruction and expand access to high-quality interventions. Funding use is flexible to meet your district's unique literacy needs.

  • Application Deadline
    • Original applications were due to ISBE by 4/30/2025. No late submissions can be accepted.
  • Allocation Update
    • Applicants who submitted original applications to ISBE by the deadline received an additional allocation of funds. Please check your application in IWAS for more information. 
    • Applicants who did not submit original applications to ISBE by the deadline are no longer eligible for this funding opportunity.
    • Original Allocations:
  • Amendment Deadlines
    • Final amendments must be submitted to ISBE at least 30 days before the end of the grant year.
      • If your grant year ends June 30, 2025, final amendments must be submitted to ISBE by May 30, 2025.
      • If your grant year ends August 31, 2025, your final amendment must be submitted to ISBE by July 30, 2025.
  • District Literacy Plan Survey
    • Grantees are required to submit the District Literacy Plan Survey in IWAS (required) as part of the grant. This survey collects your local literacy plan and must be completed within the grant year.
  • Support and Technical Assistance
    • To provide additional support, we are hosting weekly office hours via Microsoft Teams beginning on Thursday, May 22, 2025 from 11 am to 12 pm.  Please bring questions for real-time answers.
      • Join the meeting now -  Meeting ID: 267 994 462 195 9 | Passcode: Va673Bh6
      • Every Thursdays from 11 a.m. - noon
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

 Professional Learning

New Professional Learning Modules | What the Research Says: Effective Reading Instruction for All Students

We are excited to announce that all 16 modules of this free, 12-15 hour course are now available! Designed to deepen educators' understanding of evidence-based reading instruction, this course aligns with the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and equips teachers, school leaders, and educational stakeholders with actionable strategies to improve equitable literacy outcomes for K-12 students.

Perfect for both elementary and secondary educators, the course covers:

  • Foundational literacy skills
  • Bridging instructional gaps
  • Supporting learning recovery from Covid-19 disruptions
  • Embedded checkpoints to assess understanding and ensure practical application

This course is open to everyone—teachers, administrators, professional development providers, parents, and community members.

While ISBE will not be offering PD hours for course completion, we encourage local districts, ROEs/ISCs, and other approved PD providers to consider offering PD hours for local cohorts of educators.

 Legislation

The Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan is supported by key legislative efforts designed to enhance literacy education across the state.

Key Legislative Acts

  • Public Act 103-0402: Requires the development and implementation of the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan.
  • Legislation Fact SheetPDF Document
  • Public Act 103-0735​: Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code.
    • "The support provided by a vendor or learning partner approved to support a school's continuous improvement plan related to English language arts must be based on the comprehensive literacy plan for the State developed by the State Board of Education under Section 2-3.196, as added by Public Act 03-0402."

 Resources and Tools

Explore key resources from the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, including the Getting Started Toolkit and additional tools to support literacy initiatives across the state.​

Getting Started Toolkit

The Getting Started Toolkit is designed to guide educators, policymakers, and community members through the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, providing essential tools for successful implementation.​

Additional tools and resources

The following additional supports have been designed to assist districts and educators in implementing and enhancing literacy efforts.

Presentations and Professional Learning

The following recorded presentations and resources deepen understanding and support the effective implementation of the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan.

 Capacity Builders: Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan

In partnership with the Regional Offices of Education and representatives from higher education, ISBE is launching the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan Capacity Builders Series. This virtual monthly series will guide participants through key topics designed to build the capacity of school leaders in leading literacy efforts.

Audience: This series is designed for regional and local education leaders committed to enhancing literacy outcomes. The following roles will benefit most from the series:

  • District superintendents
  • Building principals
  • Curriculum directors
  • Instructional coaches
  • ROE/ISC staff
  • University and college faculty/staff in literacy instruction or educator preparation

Session Schedule

Resources & Recordings: Recorded presentations and additional resources will be available after each session. For any questions, please contact us at standards@isbe.net .​​​​

 Community of Practice for Educator Preparation Programs

The Community of Practice (CoP) for Educator Preparation Programs is a collaborative network of higher education leaders, faculty, and staff working to strengthen literacy instruction across teacher preparation programs statewide. Facilitated by the Educator Effectiveness department at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the CoP promotes effective literacy instruction within educator preparation programs and supports the design and refinement of a statewide rubric to evaluate alignment with literacy preparation standards and the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, ensuring future educators are prepared to deliver high-quality literacy instruction.

 Stay Connected

Stay up to date with the latest news and resources regarding the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan.

  • Sign Up for Updates: Join our email list to receive updates about the implementation of the plan, including access to resources and professional learning opportunities.
  • Literacy Landscape Survey: We invite all educators, students, parents, community members, and literacy advocates to complete the Literacy Landscape Survey. Share your valuable insights and experiences on literacy education in Illinois.
  • Office Hours: Join our Office Hours to connect directly with our team for questions and discussions about the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. These open sessions provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions, share insights, and engage in conversations about the literacy plan, related legislation, and literacy initiatives.
    • Join the meeting now: Meeting ID: 248 203 279 202 | Passcode: 6YAv26
    • Schedule:
      • Thu 1/16/25, 3:30-4:30 pm
      • Thu 2/13/25, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
      • Mon 3/10/25, 3:30-4:30 pm
      • Tue 4/8/25, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
      • Mon 5/12/25, 3:30-4:30 pm​

 Development Resources: Plan Drafts and Stakeholder Feedback

This section includes materials from the drafting and creation phase of the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, including draft versions of the plan and feedback reports.

  • Timeline
    • October 2022: Literacy Summit
    • April - June 2023: Initial Plan Development and Drafting
    • June - July 2023:  Listening Tour and Focus Groups
    • Fall 2023: Plan Revision and Public Comment
    • January 2024: Finalized Literacy Plan for Illinois
  • 2022 Literacy Summit
  • First Draft (Archived)
    • Draft Literacy PlanPDF Document
    • First Draft Feedback Summary Report PDF Document
    • Listed below are the first draft writing team members and their associated organizational affiliation(s).
      • Lulia Sarmiento - Belvidere School District #100
      • ​Rochelle Luttrell - Arthur CUSD305 
      • Kimetrice Tate - Teach Plus Illinois
      • Joanna Marek - Spring Avenue Elementary School, LaGrange School District 105 and Association of IL School Library Educators (AISLE)
      • Kellyn Sirach - Teach Plus Policy Fellow, Champaign Unit 4 Jefferson Middle School 
      • Dr. Chris Becker - Highland High School
      • Anne Peiffer  - Rockford Public Schools #205
      • Molly Allen - ROE 17 - DeWitt, Livingston, Logan, McLean
      • Dr. Sarah Epplin - Tri-County Special Education Association
      • Shannon Hammond - National Louis University
      • Dr. David Paige - Northern Illinois University
      • Dr. Lindsay Meeker - Western Illinois University/Bilingual Advisory Council/Latino Policy Forum
      • Verity Sandell - Parent of children in Illinois schools and Hartlieb Horste & Sandell
      • Diane Wendt Uher - IL Early Literacy Coalition, Parent Volunteer Structured Literacy Advocate
      • Tinaya York,PhD - Literacy for Life, LLC
      • Jessica Handy - Stand for Children IL, IL Early Literacy Coalition
      • Laura Beltchenko - IL Advisory Council for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children
      • Cristina Sanchez-Lopez - Illinois Resource Center; National Committee for Effective Literacy; Paridad Education Consulting; Illinois Committee for Effective Literacy
      • Robin Thoma - Specific Learning Disability Project - EIU
      • Shira Raviv Schwartz - Everyone Reading Illinois
  • Second Draft (Archived)
  • Final Approval

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