After a few months of deliberation, the Maryland State Board of Education (MSBE) has finalized a new policy regarding statewide reading proficiency, including retaining third graders with parental consent.
As previously covered on Conduit Street, the MSBE has been weighing updated policies on reading proficiency for students. A particular element of the plan was discussed at length, which was the potential for students to be held back a grade if they do not meet reading proficiency standards by third grade. The updated plan passed this Tuesday, during a meeting of the MSBE, and specifies that third graders will be held back only with parental consent. If parents do not consent then they will be required to enroll the student in a no cost, supplemental reading program.
These new policies come in addition to a $40M federal grant received by the Maryland State Department of Education to improve literacy instruction statewide.