Early Literacy Fact Sheet

S.2924: An Act relative to teacher preparation and student literacy (SWM)

Redraft of H.4683, S.2855 (Education Committee), and S.338 (filed by Sen. DiDomenico)

 

Problem

• Only 42% of 3rd grade students in Massachusetts met or exceeded expectations on the spring 2025 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English Language Arts (ELA) exam. The results were even worse for 4th and 5th grade students. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, 56% of 3rd grade students met or exceeded expectations on the ELA exam.
• Despite Massachusetts being ranked the #1 state for grade 4 reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment, only 40% of students scored proficient or advanced. The performance of Massachusetts students on NAEP has been flat or declining for the past decade, and our state’s lead over the rest of the nation has narrowed considerably.
• 45% of Massachusetts K-3 students were identified as significantly below early literacy benchmarks for at least one assessment taken during the 2022/23 school year according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and WestEd. 31% were classified as significantly below benchmark at multiple points in the school year.
• The performance of certain student subgroups is much worse than these averages, including low-income students, Black and Latino students, and students with disabilities.
• A child’s ability to read proficiently by 3rd grade is considered a key determinant of future academic and even life success.

 

Evidence-Based Early Literacy Instruction (aka Science of Reading)

• Decades of scientific research into how children learn to read has made it clear that using evidence-based approaches that include strong instruction in phonics are more effective than approaches that encourage children to use other strategies, such as guessing a word based on a picture.
• With a shift to science of reading-aligned instruction, Louisiana has improved from ranking 50th in the country for grade 4 reading on the 2019 NAEP assessment to ranking 16th in 2024. A number of other states have also seen significant improvement since they committed to evidence-based early literacy instruction in their elementary schools.
• For the 2023/24 school year, New York City launched NYC Reads which requires that specific evidence-based literacy curricula be used in public schools. A year later in the 2024/25 school year, ELA scores for students in grade 3 rose by 13%, and ELA scores across all grade levels went up by 7%.
• Many Massachusetts school districts that have adopted evidence-based curricula along with professional development for teachers have seen significant gains in 3rd grade ELA MCAS results.

 

Progress To-Date in Massachusetts 

• The legislature has appropriated a total of $35 million (in the FY25 and FY26 budgets) for the first two years of Governor Healey’s Literacy Launch initiative which provides grants to school districts to help purchase high-quality instructional materials, provide teacher training and professional development, and more.
• In the Fair Share supplemental budget last year, the legislature also allocated $25 million for high-dosage tutoring, which is providing no-cost early literacy tutoring at 356 elementary schools across Massachusetts during the 2025/26 school year.
• In 2019, DESE released a Literacy Strategic Plan and has since launched multiple initiatives to support schools, administrators, teachers, and students in improving literacy outcomes.
• Many school districts across Massachusetts have invested in new high-quality reading curricula along with teacher professional development and coaching.
• The MA House of Representatives unanimously engrossed an early literacy bill in October, 2025. 

 

Current Landscape

• At least 40 states, both red and blue, have passed early literacy legislation or taken other steps to promote evidence-based reading instruction.
• While the majority of Massachusetts school districts would already be in compliance with this legislation, DESE estimates that at least 118 districts, serving about 81,000 students, would not be in compliance, and thus would need to implement a new early literacy curriculum.

 

S.2924 Bill Summary

• Requires all Massachusetts public school districts to select and implement high-quality K-3 early literacy curricula by the start of the 2027/28 school year, or have an approved waiver from DESE.
• Requires DESE to create and maintain a list of high-quality early literacy curricula and professional development programs and vendors, and to provide resources to support professional development and training for teachers in evidence-based literacy instruction.
• Requires DESE to develop a high-quality, comprehensive K-3 early literacy curriculum to be made available to school districts at no charge.
• Establishes the Early Literacy Fund with an initial allocation of $25 million, to be administered by the secretary of education in order to provide funding to school districts to support the implementation of this legislation.
• Requires DESE to create a waiver process for districts to seek approval for a reading curriculum that meets the requirements of this legislation but is not (yet) on DESE’s approved list.
• Requires school districts to assess all students’ reading ability in grades K-3 at least twice per year, using a screening assessment tool that has been approved by DESE.
• Requires districts to create plans for students who score significantly below grade-level benchmarks, and to inform their parents or guardians of the screening results and the school’s response.
• Includes data reporting requirements for school districts and for DESE.
• Requires educator preparation programs to be aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction practices as a condition of licensure by DESE.
• Requires DESE to promulgate regulations to ensure that high-quality curricula meet the needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English language learners.

 

Compiled by the Office of Senator Jason Lewis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education