Maryland education officials voted Tuesday morning in favor of a final version of State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright’s literacy policy after months of tweaking the new rules.

The Maryland State Board of Education approved the policy in an 11-1 vote, with two members abstaining and board member Xiomara Medina casting the sole dissenting vote.

The policy aims to develop younger students into better readers by identifying struggling students faster and offering more support in earlier grades. The prekindergarten-through-third-grade policy comes on the heels of a resolution implemented by Wright requiring all districts teach students to read using “the science of reading,” a research-based practice emphasizing phonics.

Wright was hired a year ago after retiring from her previous post as Mississippi’s state superintendent, where she is credited for bolstering the state’s fourth grade reading scores. She said Tuesday that the new policy “has truly been what I call a team effort,” with thousands of stakeholders providing input.

The amount of feedback was “the most public engagement that we received in recent years on one specific policy matter,” board President Josh Michael said.

The version of the literacy policy passed Tuesday with a handful of amendments was the Maryland State Department of Education’s fourth draft proposal. Board members had questioned the initial versions of the literacy policy, taking issue with a provision that would require third graders to repeat the year if they couldn’t read at grade level.

That part of the policy was eventually revised, permitting parents to get a waiver allowing their students to continue into the fourth grade.

The policy would give certain students identified as having reading difficulties a Student Reading Improvement Plan, an arrangement developed between educators and parents that would solidify a reading intervention program for the student.

Additional revisions to the final draft incorporated prekindergarten into the policy. It also tweaked the timeline for implementing certain parts of the new literacy program.

Although the policy’s timeline calls for some components, like professional training for educators, to be implemented as soon as this school year, the bulk of it is slated to go into effect in the 2026-27 school year. The main retention and promotion portion isn’t expected to go into effect until the following school year, starting in 2027.

Maryland State Education Association Vice President Nikki Woodward said that the educators’ union appreciated the inclusion of its feedback — including the shift in the timeline — into the final policy.

“We still emphasize the need for adequate time, resources and equitable implementation” across local school districts, Woodward said during a public comment period. The group also “strongly urge[s] the board to prioritize the well-being and workload for educators,” she said.

Woodward called the expansion into prekindergarten “a great addition” but noted that “legislative adjustments may be necessary to ensure that there are no negative unintended consequences” stemming from the expansion.

Cary Cuiccio, deputy director of literacy nonprofit Maryland READS, commended the board for its “swift and decisive action in addressing the literacy crisis,” calling the new policy “a huge step forward.”

“And yet it remains imperfect,” she said, calling for the education department to establish a task force that would hold monthly meetings and “engage in a meaningful way with key stakeholders.”

Some speaking Tuesday morning took issue with one specific change — the fourth draft added a point that students with reading goals listed on their Individualized Education Program will have their IEP substitute for a Student Reading Improvement Plan.

Liz Zogby, a special education policy advocate representing the Education Advocacy Coalition, said the group fears the provision “will prevent students with disabilities from benefiting from critical provisions of the policy.”

“This new provision seems rooted in the belief that a student’s IEP should address — through goals, services and supports — all that a student needs to achieve reading proficiency,” she said.

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