Maryland
Maryland could join other states to retain third graders with low reading proficiency – Maryland Matters
A proposed literacy policy in Maryland could have third-grade students held back for a year if they don’t achieve certain reading scores on state tests, or “demonstrate sufficient reading skills for promotion to grade 4.”
Maryland would join more than half of states that allow third-grade students to be held back if the policy is adopted. The Maryland Department of Education is accepting public comments on the plan until July 19.
It comes as the state Board of Education and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation board recently voted on aggressive goals to boost student achievement for the state, which ranks 40th in the nation on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known at the Nation’s Report Card. The goal is to put Maryland in the top 10 by 2027.
“It has been noted in several research studies that literacy is considered one of the key and pivotal priorities in education if we expect our communities, our states to prosper,” Tenette Smith, executive director of literacy programs and initiatives in the state Department of Education, said Tuesday. “We have to make sure that we are addressing kiddos’ needs, as well as their access to high-quality education. It becomes an equity issue.”
The proposed literacy policy would implement a reading intervention program for students in kindergarten through third grade who are identified with a reading deficiency or “need for supplemental instruction in reading.”
Students in those grades would be screened about three times, which includes for dyslexia, throughout the school year. They can also receive before- or after-school tutoring by a person with “specialized training grounded in the science of reading,” which focuses on teaching students based on phonics, comprehension and vocabulary.
The policy will also call for professional development for staff, which they will receive for free as part of the science of reading program.
A parent or guardian would receive written notification if their child exhibits any reading challenges during the school year. Students who are kept back in the third grade would receive more dedicated time “than the previous school year in scientifically research-based reading instruction and intervention,” daily small group instruction and frequent monitoring of the student’s reading skills throughout the school year.
The proposal includes a “good cause exemption” that would let students advance to the fourth grade if they are diagnosed with a disability described in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). It would also apply to students with a Section 504 plan who are diagnosed with a disability and need “reasonable accommodation” to participate in school and school-related activities.
A good-cause exception could also be made for students who fewer received less than two years of instruction in an English-language development program.
Any student who received such an exception would continue to receive intensive reading intervention and other services.
No student could be retained twice in third grade, according to the policy.
Smith said the policy is similar to one drafted in Mississippa, where she worked with current Maryland State Superintendent Carey Wright. But a few main differences that focus on Maryland include the Ready to Act and state regulations to support students with reading difficulties.
‘Have to be creative’
According to a January report from the Education Commission of the States, about 26 states and Washington, D.C., implemented policies that require retention for third-grade students who are not reading proficiently, or allow those decisions at the local level. That report came out two months before Indiana joined the list, when the legislature in March approved a measure to retain third grade students who don’t pass a statewide assessment test or meet a “good cause” exemption, similar to the proposed Maryland policy.
A 2013 report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation noted that students who don’t read proficiently by the end of the third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma. The gap could increase if a student comes from a low-income family, is Black or Latino, the report said.
Smith said there’s “a slight shift” in expectations when students enter fourth grade, and begin assessing multisyllabic words and doing more independent reading.
“When you are making that shift, you are providing more academic language and asking children to access or bear a heavier cognitive load. Kiddos are asked to do more word work,” Smith said. “As they progress from one grade to the other, third grade becomes that key grade level, that sort of gateway to being a fluent reader with the ability to analyze the text they are reading.”
Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost, who retires from teaching at the end of the month, said the state needs to assess who would provide the tutoring during the school day and before or after school.
“We are still in a [teacher] shortage. How we can retain staff and bring staff is going to be key to all of this,” she said Monday.
She also said reading intervention during the school day is “more desirable” than making tutoring before or after school the only option.
“When we do that though, we can’t pull kids out of the arts,” Bost said. “We have to be creative in scheduling because those other subject areas are important. Some kids really shine in those areas.… They have to learn reading in other context not just in what might be called a reading class.”
The policy is scheduled to be discussed by the state Board of Education on July 23. For those interested in taking the survey can go here, or send an email to [email protected] by July 19.
Maryland’s highest court on Tuesday dismissed several local government claims to recover damages against several large energy companies for harm created by climate change, finding that federal law preempts the case and state law does not support it.
The case dates to 2018, when the city of Baltimore filed a lawsuit against the energy companies, alleging that their decades-long activities contributed to climate-related damages to the city. Anne Arundel County and Annapolis filed similar lawsuits. After a number of procedural disputes over several years, in part over federal jurisdiction and venue, the case arrived in Maryland state courts and consolidated on appeal.
In a consolidated decision, Maryland’s Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of the local government suits against the energy companies. Plaintiffs had alleged that the companies contributed to climate change through the production and promotion of fossil fuels, asserting state law claims including public nuisance, trespass, and failure to warn.
The court determined that state claims were displaced by federal common law regarding interstate pollution and further preempted by federal legislation, including the Clean Air Act. According to the court, allowing state tort actions to go forward would interfere with a comprehensive federal regulatory scheme regarding greenhouse gases.
The court also found that even if these claims were not preempted, they would not succeed on other grounds. The court emphasized the difficulty in proving causation between large scale activity’s localized effects and concerns regarding the timing of the alleged injuries.
The decision is a substantial roadblock for state and local governments looking to recover costs related to climate change. It is also one in a growing line of case law that limits state court ability to address global emissions.
Author Stephanie Fowler talks about her new book, ‘Into the Night’
Author Stephanie Fowler has released her third book “Into the Night”. It’s a true crime work on the 1968 double homicide at the Wicomico County jail.
Gas prices are surging in Maryland, and state officials are beginning to weigh in on a potential gas tax suspension.
The price jump occured after the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran beginning on Feb. 28, 2026.
Average gasoline prices in Maryland have risen 25.2 cents per gallon within the last week, now averaging $3.86/g, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 2,167 stations in the state.
Prices in Maryland are 87.7 cents per gallon higher than one month ago, and stand 85.1 cents per gallon higher than one year ago, GasBuddy shared.
As of March 25, gas prices in Salisbury are between $3.73/g and $3.99/g. The current lowest reported cost, $3.73/g, was found at Sam’s Club at 2700 North Salisbury Boulevard.
“Gas prices continued to rise nationwide over the last week as seasonal factors, combined with ongoing supply concerns tied to the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, pushed both gasoline and diesel prices sharply higher,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said.
“It now appears increasingly likely that the national average price of gasoline will reach the $4-per-gallon mark — potentially as early as this week — for the first time since 2022, while diesel prices are surging to multi-year highs, with some markets nearing record territory,” De Haan continued.
Gas price averages in Maryland over the last five years
Here’s a closer look at the historical gasoline prices in Maryland and the national average within the last five years, according to GasBuddy:
- March 23, 2025: $3.00/g (U.S. Average: $3.08/g)
- March 23, 2024: $3.56/g (U.S. Average: $3.53/g)
- March 23, 2023: $3.26/g (U.S. Average: $3.42/g)
- March 23, 2022: $3.79/g (U.S. Average: $4.23/g)
- March 23, 2021: $2.84/g (U.S. Average: $2.86/g)
Will Maryland suspend its gas tax? Officials weigh in
Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Maryland Govenor Wes Moore, weighed in on the state’s potential gas tax suspension:
“Marylanders need real relief, not a 30-day gas tax suspension that would blow a $100 million hole in our transportation budget at the same time we’re working to close Maryland’s budget shortfall. If Maryland Republicans are serious about lowering costs, they should pick up the phone and call Donald Trump and tell him to end this missionless war — instead of asking Maryland taxpayers to help pay for it.
“This war is costing more than a billion dollars a day and driving up the price of oil, fuel, and everyday goods. The best way to bring prices down is to address the source of the pain, not shift the cost of Donald Trump’s war onto Maryland families.”
Nicole Beus Harris, Chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party, shared her thoughts next with Delmarva Now:
“We know Wes Moore thinks about the White House 24/7, but his responsibility, just like Republicans in the General Assembly, is to make state policy. A temporary pause of the state gas tax is a commonsense solution to this temporary crisis, but we’ll never see meaningful tax relief under this Governor.”
Are other states suspending their gas tax to cut prices?
As of March 2026, Georgia has become the first and only state to temporarily suspend its gas tax.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, suspended the state’s motor fuel tax for 60 days on March 20. The excise tax on gasoline is currently 33.3 cents per gallon, and a few cents higher on diesel, USA Today reported.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — A legal fight is underway in Washington County over plans to convert a warehouse into an immigration detention center, with Gov. Wes Moore opposing the project and securing a temporary pause in construction.
The Trump administration wants to convert the warehouse into an immigration detention center. Moore has taken the issue to court and obtained a temporary halt. In a public service announcement, Moore called the center “concerning.”
“This is being done without transparency, without public input or accountability. And it’s raising serious concerns from Marylanders, all across our state,” Moore said.
ALSO READ | What’s next for the planned immigration detention center near Hagerstown?
Not all Marylanders agree. Patty Morin criticized Moore on social media and said he is out of touch, also speaking with FOX45 News about her concerns.
“First off, I was just really angry because he is misrepresenting the people of Maryland,” Morin said.
“Last time I looked, statistics said 1.3 million immigrants in Maryland. And you know that some of those are here illegally,” Morin said.
Morin’s daughter, Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was killed by an illegal immigrant in Harford County in August of 2023.
Moore said his administration is prioritizing residents’ concerns as the federal government moves forward.
“While the Trump administration is moving forward without any consideration for Marylanders, we’re putting your concerns front and center,” Moore said.
ALSO READ | Emergency order seeks to stop Washington County ICE detention facility construction
Morin said Moore is not listening to residents and argued the detention center is about enforcing the law, not targeting a specific group.
“He is totally politics over people. He genuinely does not care about the people of Maryland or the constituents that he represents. I all the time, Marylanders are like, what is the matter with this governor? Why is he doing this? It’s ludicrous,” Morin said.
“The very word itself, illegal means against the law or not lawful. And they have broken a federal law. Federal law supersedes state law,” Morin said.
It’s not rocket science.”
Morin also said Moore should consider all Marylanders when making decisions about the proposed facility.
“Marylanders that are here want ICE, want law enforcement to protect us. That’s what we’re paying our taxpayer dollars for. Not for a Governor Moore to go to the courts and fight this imaginary battle because he’s trying to, I don’t know, maybe make points with the Democrat party or something. He’s completely out of touch with Marylanders and it’s just, it’s very upsetting,” Morin said.
The court-ordered pause remains in effect until mid-April. Federal officials will announce next steps after the pause is lifted.
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