---
title: SB 171. Quality Basic Education Act; State Board of Education to develop an advanced mathematics pathway; require
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb171
cite_as: SB 171, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb171
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb171.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb171/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70343
date: 2026-02-26
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb170.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb172.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 745
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb171.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 171
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-24
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Jason Anavitarte
- Billy Hickman
- Max Burns
- RaShaun Kemp
- Chuck Payne
- Sonya Halpern
- Shawn Still
- Ed Setzler
- Elena Parent
- Donzella James
- Clint Dixon
- Freddie Sims
- Ricky Williams
- Timothy Bearden
- Bo Hatchett
- Sally Harrell
text_version: Engrossed
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB171/2025
upstream_id: 1970342
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- math education
- Quality Basic Education Act
- school curriculum
- student enrollment policy
- K-12 education
---
# SB 171. Quality Basic Education Act; State Board of Education to develop an advanced mathematics pathway; require
## Text
Senate Bill 171
By: Senators Anavitarte of the 31st, Hickman of the 4th, Burns of the 23rd, Kemp of the
38th, Payne of the 54th and others
AS PASSED SENATE
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 3 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to educational programs under the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as
to require the State Board of Education to develop an advanced mathematics pathway; to
require the state board to adopt policies related to such advanced mathematics pathway; to
authorize local school systems to offer the advanced mathematics pathway in grades three
through five; to require local school systems to offer the advanced mathematics pathway in
grades six through eight; to provide for reporting; to authorize local school systems to
provide related supports and services; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 3 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to educational programs under the "Quality Basic Education Act," is amended by
adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"20-2-159.6.
(a) On or before January 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall develop an advanced
mathematics pathway for grades three through eight which culminates in students taking
a high school level mathematics course in middle school and shall adopt policies for such
advanced mathematics pathway. Such policies shall:
(1) Provide for criteria for students to qualify for such advanced mathematics pathway;
(2) Provide for the automatic enrollment of qualifying students in such advanced
mathematics pathway for grades six through eight;
(3) Permit the parent or guardian of a student who qualifies for automatic enrollment to
opt his or her child out of such automatic enrollment;
(4) Permit the parent or guardian of a student who does not qualify for automatic
enrollment to enroll such student in such advanced mathematics pathway if such student
scored above the fiftieth percentile statewide on the end-of-grade assessment in
mathematics in the school year immediately preceding the school year in which such
student intends to enroll in such advanced mathematics pathway; and
(5) Require that information be provided to students and parents or guardians on the
advanced mathematics pathway and enrollment in such advanced mathematics pathway.
(b)(1) Each local school system shall be authorized to offer the advanced mathematics
pathway developed by the State Board of Education in grades three through five. Such
local school systems shall be authorized to offer additional supports and services to
students enrolled in such pathway and to teachers who provide instruction to students in
the advanced mathematics pathway.
(2) Each local school system shall offer the advanced mathematics pathway developed
by the State Board of Education in grades six through eight.
(3) Each local school system shall be authorized to offer additional supports and services
to students enrolled in the advanced mathematics pathway.
(c) The Department of Education shall submit a report by December 1 of each year to the
Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the
chairperson of the Senate Education and Youth Committee, and the chairperson of the
House Committee on Education. Such report shall include the following information from
each local school system from the preceding school year disaggregated by ethnicity, sex,
socioeconomic status, disability, language proficiency, grade level, and school, as
applicable:
(1) The number of students who qualified for automatic enrollment in the advanced
mathematics pathway and were automatically enrolled in the advanced mathematics
pathway;
(2) The number of students who qualified for automatic enrollment in the advanced
mathematics pathway and opted out of such automatic enrollment;
(3) The number of students who did not qualify for automatic enrollment and enrolled
in the advanced mathematics pathway;
(4) A list of courses offered as part of the advanced mathematics pathway and any
related services or supports offered to students; and
(5) The scores on the end-of-grade assessment in mathematics for each category of
students listed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this subsection."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would require the State Board of Education to create an advanced math track for grades three through eight, with automatic enrollment for qualifying students and mandatory offerings in middle school.
### Plain-language summary
Currently Georgia has no statewide advanced mathematics track defined in law for elementary and middle school students. This bill adds a new section to the Quality Basic Education Act requiring the State Board of Education, by January 1, 2027, to build an advanced math pathway for grades three through eight designed to let students take a high school level math course while still in middle school.
The state board must set qualification criteria, automatically enroll qualifying students in grades six through eight (with an opt out for parents), and let parents of non-qualifying students enroll their child if the student scored above the 50th percentile on the prior year's math assessment. Local school systems may offer the pathway in grades three through five but must offer it in grades six through eight. The Department of Education must file an annual report to state leaders breaking down enrollment and test scores by demographic categories.
### What it does
- Requires the State Board of Education to develop an advanced math pathway for grades three through eight by January 1, 2027, ending in a high school level math course taken in middle school.
- Requires automatic enrollment of qualifying students into the pathway for grades six through eight, while letting parents opt their child out.
- Allows parents of non-qualifying students to enroll them if the student scored above the 50th percentile statewide on the prior year's math assessment.
- Makes the pathway optional for local school systems in grades three through five but mandatory for grades six through eight.
- Requires the Department of Education to submit an annual report to the Governor, legislative leaders, and education committee chairs on enrollment and test scores broken down by demographic factors.
- Allows local school systems to offer additional supports and services to students and teachers involved in the pathway.
### Who it affects
Public school students in grades three through eight and their parents or guardians, local school systems and teachers who must offer or support the pathway, the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which must design the program and report on it, and state legislative leaders who receive the annual report.
### Why it matters
Middle schoolers who qualify could be automatically placed into advanced math and reach high school level coursework earlier, while parents retain the ability to opt out or opt in based on test scores. School districts statewide would gain a new mandatory offering in grades six through eight, changing scheduling and staffing decisions.
### Key provisions
- New Code Section 20-2-159.6(a) requires the state board to develop the pathway and adopt qualification and enrollment policies by January 1, 2027.
- Subsection (a)(3) and (a)(4) set the opt-out rule for automatically enrolled students and the 50th percentile test score threshold for students seeking to opt in.
- Subsection (b)(1) makes the pathway optional for local school systems in grades three through five, allowing added supports for students and teachers.
- Subsection (b)(2) makes the pathway mandatory for local school systems in grades six through eight.
- Subsection (c) requires an annual Department of Education report by December 1 to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, and education committee chairs, disaggregated by ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, disability, language proficiency, grade level, and school.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2026-02-24)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-26)
- Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte, Billy Hickman, Max Burns, RaShaun Kemp, Chuck Payne, Sonya Halpern, Shawn Still, Ed Setzler, Elena Parent, Donzella James, Clint Dixon, Freddie Sims, Ricky Williams, Timothy Bearden, Bo Hatchett, Sally Harrell
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70343
> The history, votes, and amendments (745 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb171.md?full=1