Legislation Reforms Literacy Education Standards, Aids Teachers’ Professional Development
(BOSTON—1/29/2026) The Massachusetts Senate today passed legislation that supports young learners by ensuring reading instruction is rooted in proven, evidence-based practices.
The bill creates new statewide standards for literacy education and assessment, offers professional development resources for educators, and offers flexible options and supplemental funding for public schools that work to implement evidence-based curricula. Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) voted in favor of the measure, which passed unanimously.
The bill, S.2924, An Act relative to teacher preparation and student literacy, ensures that every Massachusetts student from kindergarten to 3rd grade learns to read using phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness—practices that data show as the best building blocks for lifetime learning.
“As a former elementary school teacher and parent of a child that had challenges learning to read, I understand how important it is for student development for schools to use high-quality instructional materials,” said Senator Friedman, Chair of the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy. “This legislation will help close the early literacy gap that is seen in communities across the Commonwealth by ensuring that districts are using evidence-based learning materials and, to help offset the cost of acquiring this curriculum, includes funding to support this effort. After securing $125,000 for Billerica to purchase high-quality literacy curriculum last year, I am excited for the opportunity to roll this practice out across the Fourth Middlesex district and statewide.”
To support school districts and educators with implementation, the legislation would create a new Early Literacy Fund seeded with $25 million in ‘Fair Share’ funding to help districts with costs and support educators’ professional development. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would also make additional professional development resources available.
Schools would have three DESE-approved options to implement the new curriculum requirement: utilize a complete curriculum that is made available for free by DESE; use a curriculum from a list that meets evidence-based criteria; or receive a waiver authorizing the use of another curriculum that meets the same standards but had not been previously reviewed and approved by DESE.
The legislation makes sure parents and schools engage in constructive communication about student progress. It requires twice-yearly assessments to gauge every young learner’s reading progress and to screen for dyslexia, and requires schools to contact a parent or guardian within 30 days if a student has fallen significantly behind and propose a response if that is the case.
Full details of the legislation are available in a fact sheet in the Senate’s press room.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means advanced the bill to the full Senate with a 13-0 vote on January 22, 2026. A previous draft was approved by the House of Representatives on October 29, 2025. All of the underlying Senate and House bills were initially reviewed by the Joint Committee on Education, which solicited public testimony at a hearing on September 16, 2025. All committee votes are posted on the Legislature’s website.
The Senate passed the bill on a 38-0 roll call vote, and the legislation was sent to the House of Representatives to reconcile the few differences between Senate and House bills.
###