MARYLAND (DC News Now) -- This week, a new Maryland education policy was passed that allows third graders performing poorly in reading to be held back or get additional help. This policy comes after Maryland went from ranking No. 4 to No. 41 in the country regarding fourth-grade literacy scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment. "It's important, it's extremely important that we help build a society where we help our students become quality [students] and ready to perform in the 21st century." Education leaders said they also noticed a gap between Black and Hispanic students and their peers, and they hope the comprehensive K-3 literacy policy will bridge that gap. "So we have about 30% of our gap between the performance level of our Black students or Hispanic students [compared to their peers]. So we want to close those gaps. We expect all of our kiddos to know how to read and comprehend by the time they leave third grade or as they progress on," said Dr. Tenette Smith, the executive director for literacy programs and initiatives for the Maryland State Department of Education. Officials claim the policy will help improve literacy programs through scientific reading instruction, more training for teachers, targeted intervention and more. A significant component is retention. Under the policy, a third grader will have to stay behind a grade if their literacy scores are low, but if their parent wants them to move to the fourth grade, the student will have to take a free literacy program. MPD, DDOT to increase traffic enforcement over Halloween weekend "This policy is rooted in providing parents access to supporting their kids... If parents see that their child is not acquiring the skills needed to be successful in the next grade level, it gives them an opportunity to sit in a partnership with the LPA to develop a plan, a student reading improvement plan, to help their child either progress on to the next grade level or to stay in the current grade level," she said. Paule Lemle, president of the Maryland State Education Association, believes the policy will help students. "We want to identify that kid, deliver that intervention, and really help them so that when they move into the higher grades, and they're reading for information, they've got the skills," Lemle said. These changes also mean a more significant workload for teachers, but Lemle said the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Project, which aims to transform public education, will bring some relief. "What it does is it brings more educators into schools. It gives targeted time for kids to get interventions, and it gives time for teachers to collaborate, to really learn from each other," said Lemle. The policy will be implemented in stages this school year. Many of the new changes will go into effect during the 2026-2027 year, and the retention and promotion portion will begin in the 2027-2028 school year.