The compromise legislation was enacted by the Legislature on June 18. It creates standards for evidence-based reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade. It also requires universal literacy screenings, expands teacher training requirements and creates new measures meant to track district compliance and student progress.
The bill also limits the use of the controversial “three-cueing” method where students identify unfamiliar words using context and picture clues as well as sentence structure. The final bill preserved the Early Literacy Fund but dropped a $25 million transfer to the fund that was in Senate-approved bills. The fund is meant to help districts buy curriculum materials and provide professional development.
“It did not make it into the bill, but we fully expect that we will do some sort of funding in the future, either a supp or some other vehicle that we have going forward,” Senator Sal DiDomenico, the legislation’s Senate lead, said when unveiling the conference committee’s report.
The education advocacy group MassPotential called the legislation “the first standalone education bill to pass in Massachusetts since before the Pandemic” and said Massachusetts was taking “a true step forward in addressing its literacy disparities and ensuring that every student knows how to read by 3rd grade.”
Healey said her administration is committed to working with districts to provide what they need to carry out the law. The governor also said she is focused on working with educators as well as listening to them.