Burlington School Committee Adopts CommonLit 360 for Middle School English Classes

MIDDLETON -- March 24, 2026, Burlington School Committee unanimously adopted CommonLit 360 as its new middle school English Language Arts curriculum after a two-year review process. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lisa Chen reported that 97 percent of surveyed educators, including English, special education, ESOL, and reading specialist staff, favored the program over rival EL Education, and parent surveys also pointed to CommonLit 360, which happened to be the less expensive option. The committee voted 5-0 on all 11 items on the agenda, including accepting a $35,000 DESE career-technical education planning grant for a new programming and web development pathway at Burlington High School, and approving out-of-state travel for 20 DECA students to the national career development conference in Atlanta at an all-inclusive cost of $1,200 per student. State Representative Ken Gordon, recognized as MASC Legislator of the Year, appeared in person to announce a $100,000 supplemental state earmark for a failed Memorial School generator and to brief the committee on pending bell-to-bell cell phone restriction legislation he chairs in conference committee.