---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-1-40. Definitions.
collection: code
id: 20-1-40
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-1-40 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-1-40
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-1-40.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-1-40/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t20-ch1-2b-(v17)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=bfd7f2d1_0#page=10
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-1.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-1-30.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-1-41.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: Effective until December 31, 2030.
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: EDUCATION / GENERAL PROVISIONS / COUNCIL ON LITERACY
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-1-40. Definitions.

As used in this article, the term:

(1) “Council” means the Georgia Council on Literacy established under this article.

(2) “Evidence based literacy instruction methods and curricula” means instructional materials, instructional practices, and curricula that are scientifically based, including oral language development, phonological awareness, and phonics instruction that includes decoding and encoding, fluency, writing, vocabulary, reading, and comprehension. Instructional materials that feature or promote the use of the three-cueing system, as such term is defined in Code Section 20-2-153.1, shall not constitute high-quality instructional materials.

## History

Code 1981, § 20-1-40, enacted by Ga. L. 2023, p. 16, § 2/SB 211, effective July 1, 2023; Ga. L. 2025, p. 74, § 2-1/HB 307, effective April 28, 2025.

## Amendments

The 2025 amendment, effective April 28, 2025, in paragraph (2), deleted “reading instruction, or multisensory language instruction” following “scientifically based” in the first sentence and added the second sentence.