Representative Steven S. Howitt supports early literacy bill

Legislation aims to improve student reading skills using evidence-based instruction

Boston – State Representative Steven S. Howitt (R-Seekonk) recently supported a comprehensive early literacy bill which calls for overhauling the state’s education curriculum to ensure that all students are proficient in reading.

House Bill 5511, An Act relative to teacher preparation and student literacy, was filed by a six-member conference committee on June 16, following four months of negotiations to reconcile the differences between earlier versions of the bill previously approved by the House and Senate. House Bill 4683 passed the House on October 29, while the Senate engrossed Senate Bill 2940 on January 29, with both versions passing unanimously in their respective branches.

Representative Howitt said the conference committee report retains House language that prohibits school districts from using certain reading instructional methods such as Meaning, Syntax and Visual (MSV) cues, also known as “three-cueing,” in grades K-3. Specifically, the bill prohibits “implicit or incidental instruction in word reading, visual memorization of whole words or guessing from context and picture cues … as a substitute for identifying a word.”

House Bill 5511 also calls for the creation of an Early Literacy Fund, which was included in the original Senate bill. Representative Howitt said this fund will be used by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to develop a K-3 curriculum and provide support to school districts.

Under the conference committee report, DESE will develop a list of high-quality curricula and notify school districts of its availability within six months of the bill’s passage. According to Representative Howitt, districts will need to adopt these curricula and report local data to DESE beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year.

The bills also requires each school district’s curriculum to incorporate “evidence-based literacy instruction” approved by the state, including “phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.” However, it would allow districts to seek waivers to teach an alternative method that is evidence-based and meets quality standards determined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Representative Howitt noted that House Bill 5511 also updates an existing paid teacher apprenticeship pilot program, which will be administered by DESE, subject to appropriation. Under this program, DESE will partner with colleges or other institutions to serve high-need school districts. The bill defines a “high-needs district” as a school or district with a high percentage of low-income students and English learners, which may include a school or district implementing turnaround plans.

The House accepted the conference committee report on a vote of 153-0 on June 17. The report was subsequently accepted by the Senate and enacted in both branches on June 18. It is now before Governor Maura Healey for her review, with a signing deadline of June 28.