Literacy Programs and Initiatives Branch

The Literacy Programs and Initiatives Branch will provide leadership, support, and meaningful engagement with parents, families, and communities, with a focus on equity and excellence.

MSDE Draft Literacy Policy

It is the intent of the General Assembly, the Maryland State Board of Education, and the Maryland State Department of Education that student advancement be determined, in part, by proficiency in reading. Local school board policies should support reading instruction and intervention services to meet the needs of each student, while also ensuring that parents or guardians are kept informed of their student’s reading progress.

Rationale

Research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation in its 2011 report "Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation" emphasizes the critical importance of early reading proficiency. According to the report, children who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school compared to proficient readers. The stakes are even higher for children living in poverty, who face a thirteen-fold higher risk of not graduating on time if they lack reading proficiency by third grade. 

These findings underscore the urgent need to ensure that all students develop strong reading skills early in their education to support their long-term academic success and high school graduation.

The public comment period on the Literacy Policy opened June 25, 2024, and will close July 19, 2024. Members of the public are invited to share suggestions through the online Draft Literacy Policy Feedback Survey or by email to literacy.msde@maryland.gov.

Contact:

• Maryland Equity COMAR
  

• Maryland Equity Guidebook
  

Literacy Resources