Massachusetts is poised to join more than 40 states in overhauling early reading instruction under a compromise literacy bill headed toward final votes this week.
House and Senate negotiators on Tuesday signed off on a final agreement (H 5511) that would establish statewide standards for evidence-based reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade, require universal literacy screening, expand teacher training requirements, and create new accountability measures designed to track districts’ compliance and student progress.
The compromise resolves two of the most closely watched disputes between the House and Senate versions of the legislation: whether to explicitly restrict the controversial “three-cueing” reading approach and whether to provide immediate state funding to help districts transition to new curricula…