SB 93: "Georgia Early Literacy Act"; the three-cuing system from inclusion in high-quality instructional materials or structured literacy; prohibit

Georgia's Early Literacy Act (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-153.1) already sets state policy on how reading is taught in public schools. This bill adds a new subsection directing the Professional Standards Commission, the state body that oversees educator preparation programs, to adopt rules setting criteria for the core curricula those programs must teach. The new rules must require teacher training programs to align with content standards set by the State Board of Education that reflect the science of reading, an evidence based approach to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension. Programs must also prepare teachers to use explicit, systematic instruction, multisensory teaching strategies, and approaches for English language learners, students with disabilities, and students with reading deficiencies. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date beyond standard enactment.

• Adds a new subsection (d.1) to the Georgia Early Literacy Act requiring the Professional Standards Commission to adopt rules for core curricula at state approved educator preparation programs.
• Requires those curricula to align exclusively with the science of reading rather than other reading instruction methods.
• Requires teacher training to cover explicit, systematic, sequential, and cumulative instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension.
• Requires the curricula to include strategies for teaching English language learners, students with disabilities, and students with reading deficiencies, and for differentiating instruction.
• Requires programs to address content literacy, mathematics practices, and the use of technology and distance learning in instruction.

Georgia's state approved educator preparation programs and the colleges or organizations that run them, the Professional Standards Commission, the State Board of Education, and future public school teachers who will be trained under the new reading instruction rules.

How future Georgia teachers are trained to teach reading affects classroom instruction statewide for years to come. By requiring teacher prep programs to follow the science of reading, the bill could change coursework and training methods at colleges and other programs that certify new teachers.

• Section 1 adds subsection (d.1) to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-153.1, directing the Professional Standards Commission to adopt rules setting curricula criteria for educator preparation programs.
• The rules must require alignment with State Board of Education content standards based on the science of reading.
• The rules must require evidence based, explicit, systematic, sequential, and cumulative teaching methods for phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension, plus multisensory and multimodal strategies.
• The rules must cover instructional strategies for English language learners, students with disabilities, differentiated instruction, early identification of reading deficiencies, and use of technology in education.
• Section 2 repeals any state laws that conflict with the new requirements.

1. 2025-04-30Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-04-30Act 27
3. 2025-04-30Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senado)
4. 2025-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senado)
5. 2025-04-02Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senado)
6. 2025-03-31House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
7. 2025-03-31House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
8. 2025-03-21House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)

• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)Patrocinador principal
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Jason Esteves (D, SD-035)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)

1. AprobadaVotación: Senado6 de marzo de 2025

   50 a favor, 3 en contra (3 sin votar, 0 ausentes)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #207

2. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes31 de marzo de 2025

   168 a favor, 0 en contra (5 sin votar, 7 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #346

3. AprobadaVotación: Senado2 de abril de 2025

   55 a favor, 0 en contra (0 sin votar, 1 ausentes)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #417

• early literacy
• teacher training
• science of reading
• education policy
• educator certification