SB459: SB459 "Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026"; enact

Georgia currently allows local school systems to decide whether to offer full-day kindergarten and has looser standards for reading screening and literacy instruction. This bill, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, would require all public schools to offer full-day kindergarten and generally require children to attend it before enrolling in first grade, subject to a readiness assessment exception. It would fund a school based literacy coach in every public school serving kindergarten through third grade, with smaller schools earning half funding. It substantially rewrites the state's existing 'Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act' (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-153.1), tightening rules on reading screeners, instructional materials, and educator training tied to the science of reading. The bill also creates new positions and bodies: a Georgia Director of Literacy, a Georgia Literacy Coach Coordinator, a Georgia Literacy Coordinating Committee inside the Office of Student Achievement, and a Georgia Literacy Task Force to recommend reading screeners and instructional materials. It revises grade retention and promotion rules starting with the 2026-2027 school year and requires local school systems to adopt unified literacy plans by January 1, 2027. The Act would take effect once signed by the Governor.

• Requires local education agencies to fund a full-time school based literacy coach for each school serving grades kindergarten through three, with reduced funding for schools of 200 or fewer students.
• Requires all local school systems to offer full-day kindergarten and generally requires children to attend it before enrolling in first grade, with an assessment-based exception.
• Creates a first grade readiness assessment process, including tiered reading intervention plans and a parent appeal process through a placement committee.
• Rewrites the state's dyslexia and literacy law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-153.1) to set new rules for choosing universal reading screeners, professional training, and unified literacy plans for local school systems.
• Establishes a Georgia Literacy Coordinating Committee, a Georgia Director of Literacy, a Georgia Literacy Coach Coordinator, and a standing Georgia Literacy Task Force to guide reading screener and instructional material choices.
• Creates a literacy coaching endorsement through the Professional Standards Commission and authorizes regional literacy coaches employed by regional educational service agencies (RESAs).

Public school students in kindergarten through third grade and their parents, classroom teachers and school based literacy coaches, local school boards and superintendents, the Department of Education, the Office of Student Achievement, the Professional Standards Commission, and regional educational service agencies (RESAs) across Georgia.

Families would see new requirements around when children start kindergarten and how first grade readiness and retention decisions get made, while schools would gain funded literacy coaches and new statewide rules on reading screeners and materials, changing daily classroom instruction and staffing in early grades statewide.

• Section 3 lowers the compulsory school enrollment threshold from age seven to age five for children already attending public school 20 or more days.
• Section 4 makes full-day kindergarten mandatory for local systems to offer and generally required before first grade, subject to a first grade readiness assessment exception.
• Section 5 substantially revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-153.1, adding legislative intent language, unified literacy plan requirements, and new criteria for approving universal reading screeners and high-quality instructional materials.
• Section 6 directs funding under the Quality Basic Education formula (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-186) to pay for one full-time equivalent school based literacy coach per qualifying school.
• Section 7 creates a new literacy coaching endorsement (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-208.2) to be established by the Professional Standards Commission by December 30, 2026.
• Section 9 revises grade retention and promotion rules (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-283), adding first grade reading proficiency as a retention trigger beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
• Section 15 establishes the Georgia Literacy Coordinating Committee, the Georgia Director of Literacy, the Georgia Literacy Coach Coordinator, and the Georgia Literacy Task Force within the Office of Student Achievement.
• Section 16 states the Act takes effect upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without approval.

1. 2026-02-05Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-04Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)Primary sponsor
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)

• early literacy
• kindergarten requirements
• reading instruction
• school funding
• grade retention policy