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Curriculum & Instruction

The mission of the Teaching, Learning, & Innovation (TLI) Department is to provide leadership, service, and support in all areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional learning so that all students and teachers perform to their highest potential. We work with teachers, administrators, and support staff across all district schools to ensure a guaranteed and viable curriculum is in place at all schools across grade levels and content areas. 

Our Department

Danielle Arnold, Ed.D.

Danielle Arnold, Ed.D.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
Phone: (847) 945 - 1844 x7220
Email: darnold@dps109.org

Jason Jezuit

Jason Jezuit

Director of Learning and Instruction
Phone: (847) 945 - 1844 x7207
Email: jjezuit@dps109.org

Patti Kalaytowicz

Patti Kalaytowicz

Administrative Assistant for Teaching and Learning
Phone: (847) 945 - 1844 x7234
Email: pkalaytowicz@dps109.org

Two students working together in a classroom

 

Our Mission

District 109: Where challenging experiences foster confidence, collaborative relationships build community, and creative environments ignite curiosity.


Our Vision

We will develop each student to be emotionally resilient, socially skilled, and academically prepared by forging connections within, across, and beyond our classrooms, and by embracing each student's uniqueness.


Our Values

In District 109 We Believe that students construct meaning through authentic experiences, imaginative play, and intellectual challenge.

  • Prioritize social-emotional skills as the foundational building block to academic skills.
  • Commit to inclusive practices that ensure equitable outcomes across educational environments for all students.
  • Embrace people of all identities, races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, abilities, orientations, education levels, national origins, or any other distinguishing characteristics or trait.
  • Engage our educators and all other stakeholders in respectful and professional dialogue to make decisions that are best for our students.
two boys rehearse a dramatic scene

Curriculum Review Cycle

It is good practice for a district to be on a formal curriculum review cycle. A review does not need to be synonymous with a program adoption. In some cases, new materials are selected. In other cases, the district may just analyze its curricular resources, data, and teaching models. The goal of a review, no matter the path, is to ensure that instructional practices are maximizing outcomes for students. District 109 curriculum leadership teams, made up of teachers and administrators, are vital to the process. Cycles of review (with corresponding years) are shown in the image below.

English Language Arts 2023-2024; Math STEM & CMA 2024-2025; Art & Music 2025-2026; World Language 2026-2027; Social Studies & Science 2027-2028; Physical Education & Health 2028-2029