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District outlines K–5 literacy program and a new elementary daily schedule requiring more contiguous literacy time
Summary
Administration proposed a schedule to implement a comprehensive literacy program (K–5) that requires 120 minutes of literacy in grades K–3 and 90 minutes in grades 4–5; staff said the schedule can accommodate special-education services and embedded science/social studies, but will need sustained professional development.
Burlington School Committee members were shown a draft elementary daily schedule the district says is required for a faithful rollout of a proposed comprehensive literacy program for grades K–5.
District leaders explained the program requires a 120-minute literacy block in grades K–3 and a 90-minute block in grades 4–5. The model presented uses a skills-plus-knowledge approach: a skills-focused portion (phonics/decoding) followed by a knowledge-rich block that integrates science and social studies content into literacy instruction. District staff said the 120 minutes need not be contiguous, but the program’s recommended time allocation is non-negotiable for fidelity.
Assistant administrators and curriculum leaders said the schedule also preserves a 60-minute daily math block, specials, lunch/recess and proposes a 30-minute weekly social-emotional learning (SEL) block that could be embedded or delivered during a specialized period. Dr. Chen and other leaders said staff are working to ensure students receiving significant special-education services can receive necessary pullouts without losing required literacy instruction.
Sean Musselman, speaking as BEA president and a curriculum specialist, said the district’s existing investments—such as the Burlington Science Center—should help the district bring richer science and social-studies content into literacy lessons. He and other presenters emphasized the need for sustained, “just-in-time” professional development and some regular early-release or planning time for teachers during the year to implement the program successfully.
Administration stressed this schedule does not lengthen the student day; rather, it redistributes existing minutes so bus tiers and start/end times remain stable. Staff asked the committee to consider how professional development time will be scheduled and said the curriculum adoption should be paired with clear implementation supports.
What the committee heard: Committee members asked whether embedding SEL and science content would reduce time for other subjects and whether the transition to middle-school curriculum alignment might be affected. District leaders said math instructional minutes remain intact and that alignment work is ongoing with middle-school staff.
Next steps: Staff will continue to refine schedules, present implementation plans for professional development, and return to the committee with timelines for curriculum adoption and supports if the committee moves forward with the literacy program.
