When Maryland third graders to go back to school next week, they will not face being held back a grade if they don’t meet state reading goals by the end of the year.
But a policy that would require struggling readers to repeat the third grade still stands as part of the draft policy on kindergarten through third grade literacy — it would just start at a later date, at the end of the 2026-27 school year.
The draft of the K-3 Literacy Policy from the Maryland State Department of Education has been tweaked to phase in a number of changes, all of them geared toward identifying struggling readers and getting them needed support before they move on to fourth grade.
Tenette Smith, executive director of literacy programs and initiatives with MSDE, emphasized the draft policy is very much a work in progress.
“We’re compiling responses from teachers, as well as the community, as to how they feel about the policy and taking their suggestions very seriously,” Smith told WTOP.
The policy is on the agenda for the next meeting of the Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday. According to the draft policy document, some of the work would start with teachers.
In the 2024-25 school year, teachers and staff who work with children from kindergarten to third grade would get professional training “to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to teach all students to read,” according to the draft.
In subsequent years, there would be additional screening to assess students’ progress toward on-grade reading. Students who demonstrate difficulty in reading would be assigned a “Student Reading Improvement Plan” no later than 30 days after a reading deficiency is discovered.
The draft plan also calls on schools to notify parents of any reading challenges and provide services designed to help the student.
By the end of the 2026-27 school year, the retention policy will go into effect, although there could be some exceptions for students who have disabilities, and parents could challenge the decision to hold their child back.
In order to move on to the fourth grade, students would have to achieve a score of 735 on the third grade English language arts assessment.
“Of course, it’s up to the board to decide on the dates for implementation,” said Smith, who emphasized the goal is intervention, not retention.
The state’s Board of Education will meet Tuesday and discuss the policy. A vote is expected in September.
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