New Novels Proposed For District 308 High School English Courses

OSWEGO, IL — The contemporary books Oswego high school students will be required — and some they can choose — to read in English classes will likely change come February.

The change to the reading material comes after the College Board decided to gradually discontinue its SpringBoard program starting in October 2023. Oswego Community Unit School District 308 has used the program's curriculum resources for several years and had to determine what to switch to moving forward, according to a news release.

The Board of Education will vote on seven proposed novels. Here's a look at them:

• English 1
  • "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman (Choice text)
  • "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds (Choice text)
  • "We Are Not Free" by Traci Chee (Choice text)
• Honors English 2
  • "American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures" by America Ferrera (Core text)
• English 3
  • "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henriquez (Choice text)
• English 4: Perspectives in Literature and Composition
  • "Home is Not a Country" by Safia Elhillo (Choice text)
  • "Patron Saints of Nothing" by Randy Ribay (Choice text)

The books were selected by the High School English Curriculum Team, comprised of educators from Oswego High School, Oswego East High School and Thompson Junior High School, which offers Honors English 1. The group was tasked with identifying books to propose to the BOE after teachers "thoroughly investigated prospective texts, taking literary merit into consideration and ensuring these proposed novels aligned with a number of curriculum and standards."

"You can see how much, not just individual thoughtfulness, but how much collaboration went into this process," Kurt Laakso, Oswego East High School assistant principal of curriculum and instruction said at the Jan. 13 BOE meeting.

The proposed books will be on public display at the district's administration center, 4175 Route 71, for 30 days before the Board votes on them in February. Only core books will be required reading for all students in a course.

If approved, the contemporary books will complement the classics still included in many of the schools' English courses.

The "discernment" that began in fall 2023 will continue through the current school year and be completed in time for the 2025-26 academic year, Theresa Komitas, executive director of communications and public relations, wrote in the release.

"SD 308 has been intentional in including many voices at the table, ensuring our district’s other two foundational practices, effective systems and teams, and equity and rightful presence, have also been at the forefront of these recent discussions," Komitas wrote. "For instance, the High School English Curriculum Team not only contains teachers from various English courses but also has representation from the Multilingual Learners Department and Special Education Department."

The process of updating schools' curriculum centers on the district's values, according to Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Innovation Kristen Paul.

"We know that our work is grounded in our foundational practices, and we want to focus on our priority this year of rigorous and ambitious instruction," she said.