The number of eighth-grade students who are not reading or performing math at grade-proficient levels continues to decline in Maryland. While experts debate the exact causes of this gap, many point to rising poverty rates, the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasing use of smartphones.
In response, the Maryland State Department of Education launched a new literacy curriculum, The Science of Reading, in 2024. Donald Bolger, associate professor and co-director of the Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity, spoke with The Baltimore Sun about the curriculum’s impact on fourth grade reading scores.
“When we talk to teachers, they’re seeing it, and they’re telling us, ‘Our kids are feeling more confident about reading.’ The pacing that they’re seeing in their instruction has increased,” Bolger commented.
