Fifteen months ago, Maryland rolled out its plan to get all kids reading by third grade.

A key part of the mission is training teachers in the science of reading, a phonics-forward method that education leaders hope will bring Maryland back to its heyday, when the state’s reading scores were the envy of the nation.

But as of Sept. 15, fewer than half of pre-K through third grade teachers have completed their training, according to a report presented at the state school board meeting last week.

State education leaders say teachers need the help because for decades, Maryland schools — like many in the U.S. — taught literacy the wrong way. Kids learned to memorize whole words and use context clues in sentences to guess new ones, which research says doesn’t teach kids how to read.

Baltimore County trained the greatest number of teachers in the state: 857 educators, which is 98% of its workforce. Frederick County hit 100%, though the district employs about two-thirds as many teachers as Baltimore County.

Baltimore City Public Schools has trained 50% of its teachers in the three courses approved by the state. But Chief Academic Officer Joan Dabrowski said Baltimore has trained hundreds more in its own science of reading-based literacy curriculum since 2022.

“We’ve been doing this even before the requirement came out,” she said.

But some Central Maryland school districts are struggling.

Anne Arundel County, which lagged behind the rest of the state in adopting a science of reading curriculum, has trained 22% of its teachers. Montgomery County, Maryland’s largest school district, sits at 24%.

Maryland education leaders last fall credited the science of reading with boosting the state’s latest literacy scores. Every student group except fourth graders, who were in kindergarten when local officials shut down schools because of COVID-19, improved in English.

“The districts that have the lowest performance in reading have the fewer teachers participating in the training,” state board member Irma Johnson pointed out at a meeting last week. “How are we going to address that?”

Low-performing school districts could benefit from literacy coaches, said Tenette Smith, chief academic officer for the state education department’s Office of Teaching and Learning. In his proposed budget, Gov. Wes Moore included $10.9 million for reading and math coaches, which he said will boost student achievement and retain teachers.

The state board voted Tuesday to advance its first literacy policy for kids in grades four through 12 who may struggle to read more complex texts. The policy, now open to public comment, largely mirrors the one for younger kids. Districts will need to screen for reading difficulties and offer individualized improvement plans.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.