From Plan to Practice: The Illinois School Leader’s Guide to Sustainable, Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction

Your teachers have been to the professional development sessions. You have updated the literacy plan. You have done what the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan asked of you. Still, not every classroom looks the way it should. Some teachers are implementing with confidence; others are still relying on approaches the science of reading has left behind. You do not have unlimited time, and you cannot be in every room at once. Addressing the gap between policy adoption and daily classroom practice is exactly what this guide is for. 

This solution guide was written specifically for Illinois school leaders like you who are navigating the next stage of implementation. Inside, you’ll find practical guidance on:

• How to build the systems, shared language, and data infrastructure that keep a science of reading program alive through leadership transitions, budget cycles, and shifting institutional priorities

• What coherent, evidence-based literacy instruction looks like at the classroom level, and how to identify it during walkthroughs so implementation stays consistent across every classroom, not just during observation cycles

• How to solve the professional preparedness problem with science of reading professional development that builds deep, durable teacher knowledge, not just surface-level exposure to strategies

• How to close opportunity gaps for multilingual students and students in grades 6-12 who need a Structured Literacy intervention program, without adding to teacher workload

Download the guide and connect with your Illinois Lexia literacy specialist today.