BALTIMORE — Addressing the need for literacy proficiency in the state, review and updates of the draft literacy policy were presented to the Maryland State Department of Education July 23.
The MSDE passed a resolution at the beginning of the year to task State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright and her team with drafting a comprehensive literacy policy aligned with the science of reading. Considerations of the working policy include aspects such as curriculum adoption, assessment data, analysis, early warning systems, intervention and accountability.
The proposed policy aims to help the State Board of Education clarify and develop the more rigorous requirements already embedded in state statutes, according to Deann Collins, deputy state superintendent, and Tenette Smith, executive director of literacy programs and initiatives.
The proposed policy emphasizes the importance of economic issues and addressing literacy at a young age, Collins said.
The drafters welcomed feedback from a multitude of stakeholders, as well as reviewed other state policies, Smith said.
Another important aspect was ensuring the policy could articulate goals and align with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future’s goals for improving literacy outcomes, she said.
Achievement gaps in literacy persist across state demographics, according to Collins. Research suggests “reading is an economic issue as well as an education issue,” Smith said.
Many Maryland students are not meeting reading grade level expectations “and this gap has profound implications for the overall academic success and future and their future opportunities,” she said.
According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 31% of Maryland students scored at proficiency levels or advanced, “Which means a staggering 69 percent of our students did not reach proficiency,” Smith said.
These findings underscore the urgent need for a unified comprehensive approach to ensure that all students develop strong reading skills early in their education to support their long-term academic success and high school graduation, she said. Research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation emphasized the critical importance of early reading proficiency.
“88% of students who failed to earn a diploma were struggling readers in third grade,” Collins said.
The stakes are even higher for children living in poverty and are from a minority, according to Smith, who face a eight times more likelihood of not graduating on time if they lack reading proficiency by third grade.
Four major components of the comprehensive literacy policy draft spotlight teacher support, assessment and parent notification, instruction and intervention, and retention and intervention.
“By improving literacy outcomes we can enhance the economic and social wellbeing of our communities,” she said.
Areas for additional consideration include addressing staffing models and class sizes, strategic training as well as how to hold students accountable, Collins said.
The draft policy is still in its early stages, and the department was grateful for stakeholders and partner collaboration to spotlight where work needs to be focused, she said.
With over 900 responses collected already, the office of the superintendent continues to receive input and feedback can be submitted at the MSDE website.
No final decision has been made regarding the policy and additional work is needed to finalize a timeline. Another revisited policy is expected to be presented for board action at a later date.
“This is just the beginning,” Wright said.
Public comment about the literacy policy is expected, and the MSBOE will next meet Aug. 27.
More information about the MSDE can be found at marylandpublicschools.org.
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