1. A. For only the 2025—2026 school year, §§B—E of this regulation shall apply to the local school systems.

2. B. If the results of screening conducted under Regulations .03 and .04 of this chapter indicate that a student is at risk of reading difficulties:

   1. (1) Within 30 calendar days of the screening, the local school system shall notify the parent or guardian of the student in writing of the screening results and a description of the supplemental reading instruction that will be provided to the student; and
   2. (2) The local school system shall develop a supplemental reading instructional plan to address the student’s identified areas of need.
3. C. The supplemental instruction shall take place within the school day.
4. D. Evidence-based supplemental instruction shall be based on data and aligned with the specific areas of deficit for students identified at risk.
5. E. The local school system may revise supplemental instruction based upon progress monitoring and the student’s placement in an appropriate multi-tiered system of supports.
6. F. Beginning in the 2026—2027 school year, §§G—K of this regulation shall apply to the local school systems.

7. G. If the results of a screening conducted under Regulations .03 and .04 of this chapter indicate that a student is at risk of reading difficulties, the local school system shall:

   1. (1) Administer a diagnostic survey to determine the best targeted instruction;
   2. (2) Notify the parent or guardian of the student, consistent with §H of this regulation; and
   3. (3) Subject to §K of this regulation, develop a Student Reading Improvement Plan to document the student’s identified areas of need and appropriate supplemental reading instruction, consistent with §§I and J of this regulation.

8. H. Parent or Guardian Notification.

   1. (1) Within 30 days of the screening, the local school system shall provide written notification to the parent or guardian that includes:

      1. (a) An explanation that their child has been identified as having difficulties in reading; and
      2. (b) An invitation to collaborate on the development of a Student Reading Improvement Plan with the teacher, principal or designee, and/or other pertinent school personnel.
   2. (2) The notification must be provided in family-friendly language.

9. I. Student Reading Improvement Plan.

   1. (1) The local school system shall develop a student reading improvement plan no later than 30 days after identifying a student at risk of reading difficulties.
   2. (2) The student reading improvement plan shall be created in partnership with the parent or guardian by the teacher, principal or designee, or other pertinent school personnel.

   3. (3) The student reading improvement plan shall be documented on a template that meets the requirements set by the Department to include:

      1. (a) The evidence-based reading intervention program the student will receive to remedy the reading deficit;
      2. (b) The necessary frequency and intensity of interventions to remediate the identified areas of need and accelerate learning; and
      3. (c) A description of how the student will receive intensive reading intervention until the student no longer demonstrates difficulty in reading as determined by the LEA’s approved system of assessment.
   4. (4) The student reading improvement plan shall be reviewed and updated at least once annually with the parent or guardian of the student.
   5. (5) The local school system shall provide a copy of the student reading improvement plan to the parent or guardian.

10. J. Supplemental Instruction and Multi-Tiered System of Supports.

    1. (1) Each local school system shall develop a multi-tiered system of supports consistent with guidance issued by the Department.

    2. (2) The multi-tiered system of supports shall include:

       1. (a) Program-specific progress monitoring system and tools to collect and analyze intervention data to make instructional decisions;
       2. (b) Home partnerships with parents or guardians as an integral part of the decision-making team; and
       3. (c) Supports that address a student’s identified needs with varying intensity and duration across the three tiers.
    3. (3) The supplemental instruction shall be provided within the local school system’s multi-tiered system of supports.
    4. (4) In addition to Tier I instruction, supplemental instruction shall be provided through Tier II and Tier III interventions utilizing a reading program aligned with the science of reading.
    5. (5) All students, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities, must be provided with access to all levels of tiered instruction.
    6. (6) The supplemental instruction shall take place within the school day.

11. K. Students with an IEP.

    1. (1) If a student has an IEP, the IEP team should review the results of the screening instrument and diagnostic survey to determine whether the student’s IEP will be updated.
    2. (2) If an update is necessary, the IEP team shall incorporate the data and information that would have been used to develop a Student Reading Improvement Plan.
    3. (3) This chapter may not delay or deny a student who may be suspected of having a disability from the appropriate evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Authority: Education Article, §4-136(i), Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: July 26, 2021 (48:15 Md. R. 593)

Regulations .01 — .08 repealed and new Regulations .01 — .07 adopted effective March 30, 2026 (53:6 Md. R. 291)