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Pennsylvania will require schools to adopt evidence-based reading curriculum by the 2027-28 school year and institute new literacy instruction training for teachers.
The new requirements come as part of the state’s 2025-26 budget, which Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law Wednesday, four months past the budget deadline. Literacy instruction and initiatives will get $10 million in the budget. The $50.1 billion budget deal puts $665 million total towards public schools.
Moments before signing the bill, Shapiro said the budget invests in “something known as structured literacy,” referring to an approach to reading instruction that includes teaching students phonics and phonemic awareness, which research supports as effective.
The approach “puts a renewed emphasis on teaching [kids] to read well and training our teachers to teach reading effectively,” Shapiro said.
Last year, national test scores showed only about 1 in 3 Pennsylvania fourth graders could read at a proficient level.
Some Pennsylvania school districts previously used reading curriculums that did not follow research-backed methods. In Philadelphia, the school district implemented an evidence-based curriculum last school year. But the rollout has been rocky. Students’ reading scores dipped after the first year.
The curriculum mandate brings Pennsylvania up to speed with several other states that have passed laws that require literacy instruction to follow the science of reading, a body of research that has found young children need phonics instruction to learn how to read well.
Under the new legislation, districts can choose their own literacy curriculum as long as it follows research-backed best practices. Districts will have to report which curriculum they use beginning this school year.
It also requires schools to provide all teachers with professional development in literacy instruction from an approved state list beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
Schools also will have to screen students in kindergarten through third grade for reading competency three times each year. If schools find students to be behind in certain reading skills, they’ll be required to provide a reading intervention plan with additional support.
Pennsylvania will require schools to report on literacy progress
Along with instructional requirements, the budget bill also creates new accountability measures.
Districts will be required to report on how many teachers have participated in literacy professional development as well as provide annual data on the percentage of students identified as having a reading deficiency. The bill requires the Department of Education to share some of this information publicly.
“These accountability measures are essential,” said Rachael Garnick, manager of the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition, which supports the new literacy requirements in the budget. “They ensure that every district moves forward on a clear timeline and that the state can monitor progress toward the goal of ensuring every child receives effective reading instruction.”
It’s unclear how districts will interpret the evidence-based curriculum requirement.
Legislation passed last year required the Department of Education to create a state Reading Leadership Council that would publish a list of recommended reading curriculum by June of this year.
But almost immediately after the council published that list, it received swift pushback from advocates, including the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition, which said in a statement that “it was not high quality, not user-friendly, and not fully aligned with either the letter or spirit of the law.”
Hours later, the Department of Education removed the list of recommended curriculum from its website. It has not shared an updated timeline of when a new list will be available. The Department of Education did not respond to Chalkbeat’s request for comment.
Garnick said she and others involved in the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition, which includes dozens of local education groups, have been pushing the Department of Education to publish a recommended curriculum list that aligns with state standards on evidence-based reading instruction.
But she said even without the updated list, the new requirements are a major step forward for improving literacy instruction in the state.
The language in the budget bill largely mirrors previous legislation that had bipartisan support in the state legislature but hadn’t passed.
Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
