Burlington State Rep At Forefront of New Education Initiatives

The Massachusetts House of Representatives last week passed a bill that would change the way the state's schools teach literacy.

While the state has standards for literacy instruction (what students need to know), it has historically stayed out of the curriculum and methodology (how they learn it), said Dr. Eric Conti last week on BCAT's Superintendent Update. However, he said, "Massachusetts reading scores have been relatively flat" in recent years compared with states that are more prescriptive with respect to how teachers go about teaching literacy.

There has been a recent push at the state level to ensure that evidence- and research-based literacy practices are employed in instructing the students of the Commonwealth, and last week's legislative success marks another step forward in that process.

In 2024, Governor Healy announced Literacy Launch, which aims to "accelerate the timeline for school districts and early education programs to adopt high-quality literacy materials and provide technical support, coaching, and professional development to educators." To support this effort, the administration awarded $9.3 million in grant funding to 30 school districts to support their efforts in the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years of which Burlington received $456,617.

These funds will support adoption and implementation of the evidence-based CKLA literacy curriculum through third grade. This curriculum was chosen last year, and implementation began in grades K-5 this year.

Burlington is ahead of the curve in adopting an evidence-based early literacy curriculum. "However," says a press release from State Representative and Chair of the Joint Committee on Education Ken Gordon, "some school districts have yet to fully adopt proven literacy curricula, despite being the most effective ways to improve reading outcomes."

This bill, which passed the House 155-0 on October 29, "provides a framework for DESE to identify and approve a list of high-quality curricula that school districts will select from for kindergarten through third grade literacy," of which the state has already identified six. It also requires the state to provide resources and professional development for teachers and ensure educator preparation programs are educating tomorrow's teachers in evidence-based literacy instruction.

“As House Chair of Education," said Rep. Gordon, "I was proud to lead the fight for our young readers. Massachusetts is taking a stand against its declining reading scores and requiring that all our literacy curricula be evidence-based and high-quality.”

Also passing the House with a unanimous vote were a bill to require financial literacy instruction in high school and another updating the criteria for awarding the Seal of Biliteracy to students in the Commonwealth. The bills now go to the state Senate for consideration.

If you're interested in more information about the history of reading instruction in the United States and the push for evidence-based curriculum, we recommend the Sold a Story podcast.