BOSTON —

The House will vote Wednesday on a sweeping early literacy reform bill, aiming to reverse what leaders are calling "troubling trends" in student reading rates.

"In Massachusetts, we have school districts who have yet to fully adopt a proven literacy curriculum, even though such approaches are the most effective ways to improve reading outcomes," House Speaker Ron Mariano said Monday afternoon.

The bill (H 4642) seeks to tackle what officials describe as a literacy crisis, as more young students struggle with the foundational reading and writing skills needed for learning, the State House News Service reported.

A little more than a third of districts in Massachusetts still use outdated reading instruction methods, said Education Committee Co-chair Rep. Ken Gordon.

"MCAS scor

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