Board hears first read on new PreK–3 promotion and retention policy tied to state literacy rules

At its Feb. 4 meeting the Queen Anne's County Board of Education took a first look at a district promotion and retention policy for PreK through third grade that aligns with the Maryland State Department of Education's comprehensive literacy policy (published October 2024).

Bridget Passon, English language arts supervisor, and Angela Giebert, supervisor of instruction for early childhood and ELA pre‑K–2, told the board the policy's aim is to ensure early learners receive high‑quality, evidence‑based literacy instruction and appropriate interventions. Under state guidance, student reading improvement plans must be created for any PreK–3 student not reading on grade level. The policy relies on triangulated data — state assessments, approved reassessments and local screeners/benchmarks — to determine readiness to promote to fourth grade.

Administrators reviewed four "good cause" exemptions that would allow for exceptions, including students with IEPs or those participating in alternate assessments, certain multilingual learners assessed under WIDA criteria, and students who previously were retained. They emphasized extensive parent notification and required family meetings for any retention discussion.

Board members asked whether promotion with parental consent — conditional on participation in supplemental, evidence‑based summer or before/after‑school programs — could compound problems if supports are not followed. Passon and Giebert said the supplemental programs are designed for intense, science‑of‑reading instruction and that the state requires documentation and monitoring. Using a district data pull based on I-Ready results, presenters estimated roughly "15 to 20 kids in every third-grade school" could meet retention criteria in the current year absent intervention, the presenters said; administrators said the number should decline as the new instruction and interventions take hold.

District leaders flagged implementation needs: intensive intervention staffing, reading specialists to run tier‑3 supports and extensive progress monitoring and parent communication. They noted a Read and Lead grant of about $173,000 funded some materials (e.g., Amplify, DIBELS) but not sustained staffing. Multiple board members cautioned that implementing the policy at scale will require additional funding from the county and state.

Administrators said the policy will be posted as a first read for public review, with a second read and expected vote in March or April, and that the district must have the policy in place by Sept. 1, 2026, consistent with state timelines.

Why it matters: Third grade is pivotal for the transition "from learning to read to reading to learn;" the policy creates formal accountability, but administrators warned it is a labor‑intensive mandate requiring new staff and sustained funding to implement the interventions described.