Brockton curriculum panel unanimously approves first-ever 9-12 ELA program

BROCKTON -- February 25, 2025, Brockton's curriculum subcommittee unanimously endorsed Carnegie Learning's Lenses on Literature as the district's first-ever purchased English Language Arts program for grades 9 through 12. The five-member panel voted Tuesday after a roughly 75-minute presentation from Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Michelle Connors, ELA Coordinator Jamie Vatonis, and Instructional Resource Specialist Matt McGee, who demonstrated the program's seven-tier digital scaffolding system using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" as a live example. The six-year program carries an estimated cost of approximately $750,000, with $250,000 in net school spending carryover already earmarked; the full budget breakdown will be presented to the committee next week. Connors said Brockton previously had no purchased 9-12 ELA curriculum, leaving instruction "teacher- and department-driven," and noted that only 14 percent of students met or exceeded expectations on the 2024 ELA assessment. The recommendation now goes to the full School Committee for final approval.