Legislation Ensures Early Dyslexia Screening So No Child Falls Behind
Last week, the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation that supports young learners by ensuring reading instruction is rooted in proven, evidence-based practices.
The bill creates new statewide standards for literacy education and assessment, offers professional development resources for educators, and offers flexible options and supplemental funding for public schools that work to implement evidence-based curricula.
“Massachusetts’ reputation for academic excellence precedes itself, and I am proud of the steps the Senate is taking to support children from the very beginning of their educational journey,” said Senator Nick Collins. “We know early childhood is a critical time for intervention, and with reading proficiency declining in the wake of the pandemic, the time has come to correct course, and this legislation is an important step toward doing just that.”
The bill, S.2924, An Act relative to teacher preparation and student literacy, ensures that every Massachusetts student from kindergarten to 3rd grade learns to read using phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness—practices that data show as the best building blocks for lifetime learning.
To support school districts and educators with implementation, the legislation would create a new Early Literacy Fund seeded with $25 million in ‘Fair Share’ funding to help districts with costs and support educators’ professional development. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would also make additional professional development resources available.
Schools would have three DESE-approved options to implement the new curriculum requirement: utilize a complete curriculum that is made available for free by DESE; use a curriculum from a list that meets evidence-based criteria; or receive a waiver authorizing the use of another curriculum that meets the same standards but had not been previously reviewed and approved by DESE.
The legislation makes sure parents and schools engage in constructive communication about student progress. It requires twice-yearly assessments to gauge every young learner’s reading progress and to screen for dyslexia, and requires schools to contact a parent or guardian within 30 days if a student has fallen significantly behind and propose a response if that is the case.