Choosing the right curriculum is one of the most important decisions a school makes. Teachers and leaders want to know how materials support real classroom instruction, how students respond to texts and writing tasks, and how a curriculum fits with existing instructional goals.
One effective way to explore those questions is through a pilot. When you pilot our full program, your school can experience implementing CommonLit 360, our full-year ELA curriculum, with fidelity. This includes attending a professional learning session and receiving ongoing support from our curriculum specialists, who provide expert guidance on how to use the curriculum and on how to have conversations about adoption. Our team’s goal is to provide the insight and support you need to make a confident, informed decision before adopting your new Tier 1 curriculum.
What Is CommonLit 360?
CommonLit 360 is a full-year English Language Arts curriculum for grades 6-12, rated all green by EdReports for middle school, designed to support rigorous reading, writing, discussion, and vocabulary development. The curriculum consists of six complete thematic units per grade built around an essential question. Each unit centers engaging texts and guiding questions, complete with structured lesson plans to help teachers facilitate close reading, collaborative discussion, and analytical writing.
Curious what a year of instruction looks like in a CommonLit 360 classroom? You can check out the full Scope and Sequence for CommonLit 360, or explore our grade level overviews: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, & 12th Grade.
What’s included in a CommonLit 360 Pilot?
When you hear your school is looking to adopt a new curriculum, we know the questions that come to mind for all teachers: Will this support my instruction? Will my students engage? Will it be manageable?
A CommonLit 360 pilot is designed to answer these questions through real classroom experience. Instead of reviewing isolated lessons on your own, a pilot requires you and your administrators to gather members of your ELA department to test out a full CommonLit 360 unit. This will give you and your peers the chance to see how everything fits together, from lesson flow to discussions to assessments.
During the pilot, teachers and administrators are supported every step of the way. Teachers who participate in a CommonLit 360 pilot with their ELA department will:
- See CommonLit 360 in action: You experience how the unit builds over time, with texts, skills, and assessments working together to support student learning.
- Participate in practical professional learning: You are introduced to key routines and strategies in a way that is immediately usable, so you can walk into each lesson feeling prepared.
- Use built-in instructional supports: From guided reading questions to discussion prompts and writing scaffolds, the curriculum provides tools that help you support all learners.
- Reflect and share feedback: Through short surveys and reflection points, you can share what is working in your classroom and what could be improved.
- Receive ongoing support from the CommonLit team: Whether you have a quick question or need help adjusting, there is a team ready to support you throughout the process.
- Collaborate with colleagues: Many teachers use the pilot as a chance to plan, reflect, and problem-solve together, building alignment and shared understanding across classrooms.
By the end of the pilot, you are not guessing whether CommonLit 360 will work because you and your colleagues have experienced it with your own students. We want you to have a clear sense of how it supports your teaching and their learning.
Schools interested in learning more about the process can explore the details on the CommonLit 360 pilot page.
Hear about a pilot in action
In Battle Ground School District in Washington, teachers played a key role in bringing CommonLit into the district’s curriculum adoption process. As the district began reviewing options to replace its existing ELA curriculum, a middle school teacher reached out to district leaders with a suggestion: “Have you heard about CommonLit?”
The district later included CommonLit in a head-to-head pilot between top contenders. During the pilot, ELA teachers taught a full CommonLit 360 unit, participated in professional development sessions, and received teaching tips and support from the CommonLit team throughout implementation.
Reflecting on the experience, Amy Fredericks, the district’s Curriculum/Curriculum Adoption Teacher on Special Assignment, shared, “You all were incredibly friendly, professional, and responsive,” noting that the team’s openness to practitioner feedback stood out.
Why Teacher Voice Matters
A curriculum pilot works best when teachers are at the center of the experience.
Teaching a full unit allows educators to observe how students engage with texts, respond to writing prompts, and participate in classroom discussion. It also gives teachers the opportunity to reflect together and elevates their insights grounded in real classroom practice.
In districts like Battle Ground, teacher feedback and classroom experiences are an essential part of the pilot process. When teacher perspectives are valued, curriculum conversations become more informed and more connected to student learning.
Take the First Step
If you believe CommonLit 360 could support your students and colleagues, starting a conversation about a pilot is a great place to begin. A pilot allows your team to experience the curriculum in real classrooms while receiving guidance and support along the way.
The CommonLit team is ready and excited to work closely with your school to plan and support a pilot.
To learn more about how a pilot works, visit the CommonLit 360 pilot page. When you’re ready, you can connect directly with our team to talk through what a pilot could look like for your school.
