Supporting Students with Reading Difficulties (COMAR 13A.03.08)
The Ready to Read Act of 2019, Students with Reading Difficulties, and The Code of Maryland Regulation, 13A.03.08, Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties, requires local education agencies (LEAs) to provide screening for all kindergarten students and identified first grade, second grade, and third grade students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. It includes a provision of supplemental reading instruction for identified students; progress monitoring; annual reporting requirements; and evaluation of the screening program.
The Ready to Read Act first went into implementation during the school year 2020-2021. This section contains the Ready to Read Act Legislation, COMAR 13A, 03. 08, and summaries of the data from each local education agency (LEA) for each year of implementation.
A summary of The Ready to Read Act of 2019, Students with Reading Difficulties, including definitions, timelines, and requirements is provided in an easy to read at-a-glance chart.
The Code of Maryland Regulation (COMAR) 13A. 03. 08 adds additional requirements to the Ready to Read Act. These include requiring LEAs to provide screening for all kindergarten students and identified first grade, second grade, and third grade students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. The COMAR also includes a provision of supplemental reading instruction for identified students; progress monitoring; annual reporting requirements; and evaluation of programs.
The Ready to Read Act of 2019 and COMAR 13A.03.08 requires LEAs to report annual data to the Maryland State Department of Education. This report includes information on each LEA’s:
- websites for students at risk for reading difficulties;
- screeners;
- supplemental instruction;
- number of students screened;
- number of students identified as at risk for reading difficulties;
- number of students who received supplemental reading instruction; and
- additional LEA information for students at risk of reading difficulties.
This section contains some resources gathered and/or developed by the Stakeholder Workgroup.
The Ready to Read Act includes a provision for a Stakeholder Workgroup to be established to gather and create resources to support LEAs in the implementation of the law.
Download a list of the members of the Stakeholder Workgroup
The Maryland State Department of Education collaborated with the Ready to Read Stakeholder group and Decoding Dyslexia Maryland to provide an implementation guide for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to use for guidance on the implementation of the Ready to Read Act and COMAR 13A.03.08.
Download the Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties - Implementation Guide
Throughout the roll out of the Ready to Read Act, LEA frequently asked questions about the implementation of the law were compiled into a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document.
COMAR 13A. 03. 08 requires LEAs to evaluate their programs for Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties. The MSDE Office of Reading/English Language Arts and the Office of Research and Program Evaluation collaborated to create a list of Evaluation Considerations for LEAs to use when evaluating their programs.
The Ready to Read Act Stakeholders Workgroup and the English Learners Focus Group collaborated to develop guidelines for implementing reading instruction for English Learners (ELs).
On September 29, 2022, Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, President of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center; Dr. Antonio Fierro, Independent Reading Consultant; and Dr. Claude Goldenberg, former Professor of Education at Stanford Graduate School of Education, presented to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future: Workgroup on English learners to provide national perspectives and key research findings, challenges, and policy recommendations for meeting the needs of English learners in literacy programs. Guiding Question: How can Maryland align the science of reading and structured literacy with best English language development practices to improve reading outcomes for English learners?
The Ready to Read Act requires the Maryland State Department of Education to collaborate with the Ready to Read Stakeholder Workgroup to compile a database summary of reading screener assessments and Tiers II and III supplemental programs for students at risk for reading difficulties. This section includes those databases. All information was informed by research from other states, as well as the MSDE Office of Reading/English Language Arts and the Office of Research and Program Evaluation.
Reading screener assessments were vetted for alignment to evidence-based practices and the science of reading. The database summarizing the screeners was informed by research from other states, particularly the Arkansas and Colorado Departments of Education. While the summary is not exhaustive, all meet the minimum statutory requirements of the Ready to Read Act and COMAR 13A 03.08.
Supplemental Reading Programs for Tier II were vetted to be high quality, evidence based, and aligned to the science of reading. The programs included in this database were informed by research from other states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Rhode Island. Tier II programs are targeted to students who are struggling to learn to read and are meant to accelerate student learning to prevent and close reading gaps so that all students are successful readers. Tier II students need reading support that goes beyond differentiating classroom instruction. Tier II instruction is supplemental to Tier I (Core) instruction and typically involves small group instruction of no more than 6 students for 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 days per week.
Supplemental Reading Programs for Tier III were vetted to be high quality, evidence based, and aligned to the science of reading. The programs included in this database were informed by research from other states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Rhode Island. Tier III programs are targeted to students who are struggling to learn to read and need more intensified support than those in Tier II. Like Tier II, Tier III instruction is supplemental to Tier I (Core) instruction, but typically involves small group instruction of no more than 3 students for 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 days per week.
The Maryland College and Career Ready (MCCR) Standards for Disciplinary Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects define skills that students must develop to be fully prepared for the challenges and expectations of college and careers. These standards are not meant to replace existing content standards in the history, social studies, science, or technical subject classrooms, but rather to support them.
MSDE has developed frameworks to support the implementation and understanding of these Disciplinary Literacy Standards for grades 6-12. The frameworks identify essential skills for accessing, analyzing, and evaluating content-rich informational texts and presenting evidence-based conclusions in argumentative and explanatory writing, emphasizing research. The MCCR Anchor Standards frame these documents and define the ultimate literacy expectations required for graduation. Grade-banded standards (6-8, 9-10, and 11-12) provide a progression of rigor designed to help students achieve these expectations. A set of essential skills and knowledge, identified for each standard, recognizes the supporting skills needed for mastery.
Reading in History/ Social Studies Frameworks
Writing In History/ Social Studies Frameworks
Reading in Science and Technical Subjects Frameworks
Writing in Science and Technical Subjects Frameworks
Contact:
Dr. Tenette Smith
Executive Director of Literacy Programs and Initiatives
Office: (410) 767-0574
tenette.smith@maryland.gov
Cristina Rodriquez
Manager of Literacy Programs and Initiatives
Office: (410) 767-1405
cristina.rodriguez@maryland.gov
Nancy Perkins
Reading/English Language Arts Specialist
Office: (410) 767-8221
nancy.perkins@maryland.gov
Stephanie Dale
Coordinator of Literacy Programs and Initiatives
Office: (410) 767-0314
stephanie.dale@maryland.gov
Alaina Jackson Mackell
Coordinator of Literacy Programs and Initiatives
Office: (410) 767-0821
alaina.jacksonmackell@maryland.gov