Late last month the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed The Right to Read bill that the House had approved without objection last fall, moving the Legislature a big step closer to the creation of a new statewide standards for literacy education grounded in “evidence-based” curricula, including professional development for educators and supplemental funding for public schools. The final version of the bill is now in progress.
These actions follow Gov. Maura Healey’s awarding of $3.3 million in Partnership for Reading Success – Massachusetts literacy grants to 25 school districts last August, as part of the administration’s Literacy Launch initiative, which supports reading skills in students from kindergarten through third grade.
While Massachusetts ranked first in 2025 in the National Assessment of Education Progress — known as the Nation’s Report Card — nearly one-third of K-3 students in the state fall below benchmark levels, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (DESE).
“What really drove this bill forward was the data showing where reading levels stand five years after the pandemic,” said state Sen. Nick Collins of South Boston, a bill sponsor, in a statement to The Reporter. “Too many students are still falling behind in the early grades, and we know that if a child struggles to read early on, it affects everything that comes after.”
The bill would ensure that students from kindergarten to third grade will learn to read using phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension practices. Schools would have three DESE-approved options to implement curriculum, including a free comprehensive curriculum provided by the department, a list of curriculum options that meet evidence-based criteria, or a waiver authorizing another curriculum that meets the same standards but has not been reviewed or approved by DESE.
The legislation would also create an Early Literacy Fund with $25 million in “Fair Share” funding to help support districts with implementation and educators’ professional development. Additional resources are to be made available by DESE.
Educators for Excellence —a teacher-led organization advocating for increased involvement in education legislation — held a panel discussion last Wednesday (Feb. 18), where educators from schools across the state discussed the current challenges facing their students and the importance of the Right to Read bill.
Nearly 83 percent of educators in the state believe all teachers should use high-quality, evidence-based instructional material, according to a 2025 survey by the organization. Others say evidence-based curriculum isn’t one-size-fits-all, and limiting the teaching tools educators can use may result in students with unfulfilled needs.
Along with an updated curriculum, the bill would implement twice-yearly assessments to measure reading progress and screen students for dyslexia. If it appears that a student has fallen behind, schools will be required to contact a parent or guardian within 30 days.
“This legislation is about making sure every child gets strong, research-backed reading instruction, no matter their ZIP code,” Collins wrote. “It has broad support from groups like MassPotential, The Reading League Massachusetts, EdTrust, and Decoding Dyslexia, all of whom have pushed for more consistency in how reading is taught across the commonwealth.”