BOSTON – The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed legislation supporting literacy education for students in kindergarten through the third grade on Jan. 29.
The bill, S. 2924, An Act relative to teacher preparation and student literacy, requires that the reading curriculum used in a Massachusetts classroom must feature research-based techniques including five foundational areas: phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness. If passed, this standard set in the bill will replace a current patchwork of teaching methods that vary from district to district.
The House has yet to take action on the bill. Both must pass the bill before it can be presented to the governor to be signed into law.
The bill also allocates $25 million in funds raised through the Fair Share surtax on millionaire households enacted by voters to create an Early Literacy Fund. The fund will support districts to purchase new, evidence-based curricula and provide professional development to teachers.
A summary of the bill published by the Senate says the bill has three main areas of focus.
Leading on Evidence-Based Literacy Learning
- Creates New Standard for Reading and Language Curriculum. Requires school districts to select K-3 reading curricula that meet guidelines set by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) based upon evidence-based literacy instruction and featuring phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness.
- Offers Free Curriculum, List of Options to Districts. Requires DESE to make a free, complete, high-quality K-3 literacy curriculum directly available to Massachusetts school districts. Requires DESE to maintain a list of other evidence-based K-3 literacy curriculum options that is kept up to date with current best practices and new curriculum releases. Sets a deadline—six months after the bill’s enactment—for DESE to develop its list of curricula and to make the free curriculum available to districts.
- Sets Timeline for Implementation. Gives school districts until the start of the 2027-2028 school year to adopt a K-3 literacy curriculum that meets the new framework, or to secure approval from DESE for a waiver.
- Prioritizes Closing Achievement Gaps, Helping Disadvantaged Learners. Tracks how school districts plan to address persistent achievement disparities in literacy among student subgroups. Amends the three-year plans which districts submit to DESE to include details of the evidence-based programs, supports, and interventions districts will implement to address such disparities. Additionally calls on DESE to ensure that literacy curricula meet the needs of all students—including students with disabilities and English language learners—by adopting regulations as needed.
Ensuring Flexibility and Accountability
- Offers Reasonable Local Waivers. Creates a waiver process allowing schools to seek permission from DESE to utilize a K-3 literacy curriculum that does not appear on the agency’s list, as long as it meets the same standards.
- Measures Local Compliance. Tasks DESE’s district accountability office with evaluating local compliance to ensure the reading curricula used at the local level match the state’s evidence-based standards.
- Checks Students’ Progress. Requires school districts to assess students’ reading ability and literacy skill progress at least twice per school year from kindergarten to 3rd grade, while screening for risk of dyslexia. For students whose assessment shows them significantly below literacy benchmarks, the school would have 30 days to bring the matter to a parent or guardian, review the school’s response, and offer an opportunity for follow-up. DESE would be required to issue literacy assessment guidelines to school districts, and the districts would be given an annual deadline to report on how they are screening students.
- Publishes Relevant Data. Helps track district and state progress by requiring DESE to publish aggregate data on its website relevant to the utilization of evidence-based K-3 literacy curricula. Calls on school districts to report data to DESE in response to an annual list of data requirements. Additionally requires DESE to annually publish data on which literacy screening assessments are being used by each school district.
Supporting Educators
- Offers Professional Development Tools. Extends state support to local educators by requiring DESE to offer tools and resources to help districts provide professional development that follows evidence-based reading curricula for K-3 literacy teachers, paraprofessionals, and reading specialists.
- Ensures Qualified Educator Prep. Reflects the new reading curriculum standards in the state’s professional licensure process for educators. Requires the Board of Education’s guidelines for educator preparation programs to align with evidence-based literacy instruction.
