HB1064: HB1064 Education; standardized college admissions tests to include Classic Learning Test (CLT); revise provisions

Georgia law currently references the SAT and ACT in many places: school accountability measures, test preparatory courses, dual enrollment eligibility, HOPE and Zell Miller scholarship qualifications, and testing access for home study students. This bill amends Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (the state's education code) to insert the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as an equivalent option wherever the SAT and ACT are currently named. The bill directs the Georgia Student Finance Commission to set an equivalent CLT score for Zell Miller Scholar eligibility each year using concordance tables, and it sets a specific CLT overall score of at least 86 as equivalent to an ACT score of 26 for one scholarship checkpoint. It also requires local school systems that already offer PSAT, SAT, PreACT, ACT, or similar tests to home study students to make the CLT and CLT10 available to them as well, without extra fees. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026, applying to the 2026-2027 school and academic years.

• Adds the CLT as an accepted standardized test alongside the SAT and ACT in school accountability measures used under Georgia's charter and flexibility contracts (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-84).
• Amends the primary goals of the Quality Basic Education Act to include CLT scores as a measure of student achievement (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-132).
• Expands the SAT preparatory course statute so schools can offer prep courses for the SAT, ACT, or CLT and still count it for elective credit (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-146).
• Allows a CLT score to satisfy dual enrollment eligibility for tenth graders taking college courses (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.3).
• Requires local school systems that already offer certain standardized tests to home study students to also offer the CLT and CLT10, without charging extra fees (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-324.9).
• Sets CLT score equivalents for HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility, including a specific CLT score of 86 as equivalent to an ACT score of 26, and directs the Georgia Student Finance Commission to set annual equivalency tables (O.C.G.A. §§ 20-3-519, 20-3-519.2).

Public school students and families across Georgia, especially high schoolers applying to college; local school systems and boards of education that administer tests and prep courses; home study students seeking access to standardized testing; and students applying for HOPE or Zell Miller scholarships through the Georgia Student Finance Commission.

Students who take the Classic Learning Test instead of the SAT or ACT would be able to use their scores for school accountability reporting, dual enrollment eligibility, and HOPE or Zell Miller scholarship qualification, giving families another recognized testing option for college admissions and state financial aid.

• Section 1 adds CLT performance to the list of student achievement measures used in school accountability contracts under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-84.
• Section 2 revises the Quality Basic Education Act's goals to reference SAT, ACT, or CLT scores instead of just SAT and ACT (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-132).
• Section 3 broadens the SAT preparatory course law to cover SAT, ACT, or CLT prep, still eligible for one-half unit of elective credit (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-146).
• Section 4 lets a tenth grader's SAT, ACT, or CLT score meeting Zell Miller assessment requirements qualify them as an eligible high school student for dual enrollment (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.3).
• Section 6 requires local school systems already offering certain tests to also make the CLT and CLT10 available to home study students at no extra fee (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-324.9).
• Section 7 sets CLT score equivalents for Zell Miller Scholar status, including a CLT overall score of at least 86 as equivalent to an ACT score of 26, with the Georgia Student Finance Commission setting yearly equivalency tables (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-519).
• Section 8 allows a CLT score in the seventy-fifth percentile or higher to satisfy HOPE scholarship eligibility for students from non-eligible high schools (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-519.2).
• Section 9 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying to the 2026-2027 school and academic years.

1. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)Primary sponsor
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)
• Charles Martin (R, HD-049)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-024)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)

• standardized testing
• HOPE scholarship
• Zell Miller Scholarship
• college admissions
• home study students