EAST LONGMEADOW — Meadow Brook Elementary School is among 272 schools in the state to receive no-cost early literacy tutoring through a $25 program from the Healey-Driscoll administration.
The program is designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade build foundational reading skills by engaging students in vigorous tutoring.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has selected “qualified,” “highly trained” tutoring partners from across the state.
“It’s crucial for our teachers and schools to have access to the resources they need to support every young reader,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a press release about the program. “This initiative will help bring high-dosage early literacy tutoring directly to students who need it most, giving them the foundational skills essential for long-term success. With the partnership of the Legislature, we are delivering schools the support they need to reach all their learners.”
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Heather Brown applied for the state’s competitive program. The School Department was required to demonstrate that it was using updated, “high-quality materials” vetted by DESE, Superintendent Gordon Smith said. Over the past few years, the department has aggressively pursued a switch to such curriculum, he said, citing the early literacy and high school English curricular materials.
Brown said COVID-19-era Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief from the federal government helped to pay for much of the curriculum and materials. In some cases, the change in materials has been accompanied by adjustments to teaching strategies, Smith said.
The initial rollout of the literacy program will provide tutoring for 10 weeks. Brown said some children will need to utilize the service throughout the year, while others may reach their goals after just 10 weeks.
“This is going to help us with our most struggling first graders,” Brown said. Smith explained that by third grade, students are transitioning from “learning to read to reading to learn.” Addressing literacy issues present in the first grade prepares students to succeed by the time they hit that critical third-grade level.
“Learning to read in first grade is a milestone on the pathway to future success in school, and in life,” Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez said in the governor’s press release. “It’s hard to overstate the importance of learning to read in the early grades, and we want each and every Massachusetts student to get the support they need to achieve that.”
The intensive literacy tutoring program has 31 slots. “It actually lines up pretty well,” said Brown. At the end of the 2024-25 school year 18 of the 145 rising first-graders needed the highest level of support. Another 21 needed strategic support. The remaining students are reading at grade level.
Asked if students are still struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic, Brown explained that children who are in first grade now were toddlers and preschoolers during the coronavirus-pandemic. It is during those ages that children learn skills such as early problem solving and emotional self-regulation, which prepares them to learn in a school setting. Without in-person interactions at those early stages, some students are still working on building those skills.
Smith said, “I think we’re making strides,” in “overcoming those [lost] building blocks.” That said, Brown noted there will always be children who need more support than others.
After families have granted permission for their children to participate in the tutoring program, students will take advantage of Meadow Brook School’s flex block, during which teachers can lead small group instruction. This will ensure students do not miss other class time.
The program, funded by the state’s Fair Share Amendment, which applies a 4% surcharge to income over $1 million, is one of several education initiatives by the governor’s administration. Last year, Healey introduced Literacy Launch, which provided high-quality, evidence-based literacy materials, educator training and access to grants, including $5.5 million in funding to help implement high-quality instructional materials for students in pre-K through third grade.
