CommonLit 360 The On-Site Professional Development That Prepared an Entire District From Day One
Adopting a new curriculum is a big decision. For teachers, it means learning new routines and a new way of doing things they've spent years perfecting. For district leaders, it means making sure that investment actually pays off in classrooms.
Michelle Gottleber, Director of Language Acquisition and Literacy K-12 at Sunnyside Unified School District in Arizona, put it plainly: "When you adopt a new curriculum, it's scary, right? It's scary at a district level, and it's scary for our classroom teachers." That's exactly why, before launching CommonLit 360 this year, Sunnyside chose to invest in two days of CommonLit on-site professional development. And by all accounts, it made all the difference.
What CommonLit On-Site Professional Development Includes
CommonLit's on-site professional development brings curriculum-based learning directly to your teaching teams. Facilitators guide teachers through actual CommonLit 360 lessons, focusing on the instructional decisions behind them. Teachers experience lessons from the student perspective, then use structured protocols to plan how they would deliver the same lessons in their own classrooms. Both days close with dedicated planning time, and before the sessions even begin, CommonLit facilitators meet with district leadership to tailor the experience to your goals.
Teachers love our professional development because it’s actionable. Over 90% of participants rate it useful or very useful.
For Teachers: Understanding the Why and Feeling Ready
One of the most common frustrations with professional development is that it tells you what to do without explaining why. CommonLit's on-site approach is built differently. Facilitators don't just walk teachers through features and logistics. They take teachers inside real CommonLit 360 lessons, unpacking the reasoning behind pacing decisions, facilitation moves, and lesson design.
For Kimberly Rothlisberger, a 7th grade ELA teacher with 14 years experience at Sunnyside, that distinction was clear: "You took us through a lesson, you really showed the why behind it, and the teacher moves, or the options that you could move through."
That kind of grounding matters when teachers return to their own classrooms. Instead of following a script, they understand the intent behind each lesson well enough to make decisions in the moment, whether that means adjusting pacing, choosing a discussion question, or supporting a student who needs something different.
The structured planning time built into both days was equally important. Sitting with colleagues to map out Unit 1, anticipate challenges, and talk through the curriculum together meant teachers didn't just leave informed, they left prepared.
For Administrators: A Clean Launch Across Every Campus
A new curriculum adoption often comes with a painful reality: even after professional development, some teachers drift back to familiar materials and old habits. It takes months before a school is truly implementing something new with fidelity.
That's what makes Sunnyside's story worth paying attention to. Their Director of Language Acquisition, Michelle, visited all 15 campuses implementing CommonLit 360 for their first year, and what she saw from the very beginning was different: "We saw teachers from day one using the curriculum. There was no backsliding into old practices or old curriculum."
That kind of clean launch doesn't happen without intentional preparation. When teachers arrive to professional development, experience the curriculum firsthand, and leave with a real plan, they are ready to teach from day one.
Seeing the Impact on Students
Implementation fidelity matters because it ultimately shows up in students.
Months into the school year, one of Sharreen Mortensen's 8th grade students came to her excited about a TikTok she'd seen that referenced "Lamb to the Slaughter," a story they had read together in their very first unit. The student had recognized it, engaged with it, and wanted to talk about it.
Sharreen connected that moment directly to the professional development: "I think the PD really helped me better understand how to deliver it to kids so that it was engaging, so that it did stay with them."
That’s the goal. Not just covering content, but teaching it in a way that sticks. When teachers are confident in the curriculum, understand why each lesson is designed the way it is, and have had time to plan thoughtfully before the year begins, students feel it. They engage more deeply, remember more, and carry what they learn beyond the classroom walls.
Ready to Set Your Teachers Up for a Strong Start?
If you're planning a CommonLit 360 implementation, on-site professional development is one of the most powerful investments you can make to ensure your teachers feel confident, prepared, and ready to teach from day one. Connect with the CommonLit team to learn more about Jumpstart and other on-site professional development options.
