Page 4 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 31, 2026 Malden legislators and Mass. Legislature enact early literacy bill to boost student reading proficiency Special to The Advocate O n June 18, 2026, State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Paul Donato, Steven Ultrino and Kate Lipper-Garabedian joined their colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to enact legislation to strengthen early literacy education for young learners by ensuring reading instruction is rooted in proven, evidence-based practic8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Tues. - Sat. at 4:00 PM Closed Sun. & Mon. Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Tuesdays & Wednesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s Scan & Follow Us on Facebook! es.After enactment, this legislation was signed into law on June 26, 2026, by Governor Maura Healey. Despite Massachusetts bewww.810bargrille.com Aluminum Aluminum Everett Everett Supplies Celebrating 66 Years in Business! •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Vinyl Siding Decks • •Carpentry Work •Fully Licensed •Free Estimates • • Replacement Windows • Carpentry Work • Roong • Fully Insured• Fully Insured Fully Insured Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com • Replacement Windows •Roong Free Estimates Fully Licensed • Roong 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! Everett Aluminum Supplies Aluminum ing recognized as a national leader in education and ranked best-in-the-nation for grade four reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress assessment — known as The Nation’s Report Card — only 40% of students scored proficient or advanced. The legislation establishes statewide standards for evidence-based reading instruction, ensuring that every student from kindergarten to third grade learns to read using phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and phonemic awareness, also known as the Science of Reading, which is widely viewed as providing the best building blocks for lifelong learning. The law also creates statewide standards for early literacy screening and reporting, improves educator training and supports school districts with adopting new instructional materials and practices. “It is completely unacceptable that less than half of children in Massachusetts are proficient in reading at their grade levels,” said Senator Lewis, who is Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. “We worked hard in the Jason Lewis State Senator Steven Ultrino State Representative Paul Donato State Representative Education Committee crafting this critical legislation to ensure that educators use evidence-based early literacy curricula that are backed by sciKate Lipper-Garabedian State Representative ence while leaving schools the flexibility to decide what curriculum is best for their students BILL | SEE PAGE 13 Summer is Here!
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