Stronger Readers, Brighter Futures: Georgia Lawmakers Open Doors with New Literacy Bill
Stronger Readers, Brighter Futures: Georgia Lawmakers Open Doors with New Literacy Bill
Key Points
- Georgia’s House of Representatives has drafted a promising bill that will lay the groundwork for improving literacy rates among the state’s students.
- Major measures in the bill include requiring literacy coaches in schools, making kindergarten mandatory, assessing students’ reading skills more often, and expanding the use of curriculums based on the science of reading.
- By becoming stronger readers, Georgia’s students will be more successful in school and better prepared for rewarding work, financial stability, and meaningful community engagement as adults.
The Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026 (House Bill 1193) is poised to make a powerful impact on students across the state. Legislators drafted the bill to help increase literacy rates among young Georgians and prepare them for higher levels of learning and greater success in life.
Georgia’s literacy statistics are undeniably troubling—62% of the state’s third graders aren’t reading proficiently. Georgia’s proficiency percentage is just slightly above the average reading level in the United States. The Nation’s Report Card, which tracks how well students across the country are reading in fourth grade, recently showed that 69% of American fourth graders aren’t reading proficiently. And proficiency is a key indicator of children’s progress and readiness for more advanced work.
Third grade also marks a critical point in a student’s academic development. Between third and fourth grade, children should be transitioning from learning to read to using reading to learn. If students fall behind in reading during this crucial period, they can start to have a hard time in other school subjects, too. This struggle often takes a big toll on children as they grow up, and it can limit economic opportunities later on.
But with support from organizations like the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO), state legislators are paving the way for children to overcome challenges with literacy. This will empower them to thrive in their academic development and build flourishing lives for themselves and their families in the future.
“GCO applauds the state House of Representatives for passing the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. This important legislation helps Georgia make sure that students read proficiently so they can excel in school and reach their full potential in life.”
What Are the Core Requirements in This Bill?
Policymakers have included several key measures in the new literacy bill to help the youngest Georgians become skilled readers.
- Literacy Coaches in Every School: All schools that serve students in kindergarten through third grade will be required to hire literacy coaches—educators with expertise in teaching reading. The coaches will support teachers through lesson planning, co-teaching, and mentoring.
- Mandatory Kindergarten Enrollment: Students will be required to attend kindergarten before starting first grade (exemptions are possible if students pass the assessment described below). The bill will also encourage families to enroll their children in school or establish a home study program beginning at age 5. These measures should strengthen children’s foundational reading skills early on.
- First Grade Readiness Assessments: Schools will test students before they start first grade to make sure they’re academically prepared. If a kindergartener isn’t reading on grade level, the school will design a plan to help them.
- Expanded Use of Science of Reading Curriculums: Schools will continue to expand the use of materials grounded in the science of reading, a field of research that focuses on how students develop reading skills. Teachers will no longer be able to use the older three-cueing system, which encourages students to guess words.
Have Other States Passed Similar Laws?
Yes. Mississippi, in particular, has set the standard for effective literacy legislation. Recent reforms in that state include:
- Placing literacy coaches in the lowest-performing schools to guide reading teachers
- Regularly screening students in grades K-3 for challenges with reading and creating plans to help children who are struggling
- Requiring third graders to demonstrate reading proficiency before starting fourth grade
- Training teachers to shift to an approach based on the science of reading
As a result of the strong focus on literacy, Mississippi’s fourth grade reading proficiency scores went from 49th place in the nation in 2013 to ninth place in 2024. Georgia and many other states have taken notice of this significant improvement and are modeling legislation after Mississippi’s laws.
When Will the New Requirements Take Effect?
If the Georgia Early Literacy Act becomes law:
- Schools will start receiving funding to hire literacy coaches during the 2026-2027 school year.
- Mandatory kindergarten enrollment and enhanced readiness assessments will go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year.
- Every K-3 classroom will use only state-approved materials aligned with the science of reading by July 1, 2027.
What Is the Science of Reading?
The science of reading is a field of research focused on how the brain learns to read and how to teach reading. It promotes proven practices that support students of all abilities. These practices involve several essential elements:
- Phonemic Awareness: the ability to hear and identify individual sounds in spoken words
- Phonics: the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent
- Fluency: the ability to read texts smoothly, accurately, and with the right expression
- Vocabulary: an understanding of what words mean and how to say and use them correctly
- Comprehension: the ability to understand, interpret, and analyze texts
What’s the Difference Between Reading on Grade Level and Reading Proficiently?
People often use these two phrases interchangeably, but they actually mean different things.
- Reading on Grade Level: A student who reads on grade level can figure out words and follow a basic plot, but they might still struggle to analyze more complex texts. This is the minimum expected skill level for a child in a specific grade.
- Reading Proficiently: A proficient reader has a higher-level skill set, including the ability to analyze more challenging material and to think critically about it. Reading proficiently makes it easier for students to use reading for learning as they develop academically.
This difference is important for understanding literacy rates in Georgia. The state’s Department of Education reports that 65% of third grade students are reading at or above grade level, but the Georgia Council on Literacy has shown that only 38% of the state’s third grade students are reading proficiently.
How Can Increasing Reading Proficiency Open Doors to Opportunity?
The Georgia Early Literacy Act passed out of the state House of Representatives in February of 2026 with almost unanimous bipartisan support. It heads to the Senate next. The strong approval of the bill confirms that Georgia’s policymakers have made literacy a priority.
This attention to literacy will make a meaningful difference for many Georgians. Research has shown that children who aren’t proficient in reading by third grade are four times as likely to drop out of school before getting their high school diploma. And without that degree, access to higher levels of education, fulfilling jobs, and economic opportunities is more limited. For students who come from vulnerable families, struggles with reading can also make it harder to escape poverty.
Through the Literacy Act, Georgia legislators aim to remove barriers for children and encourage them to follow brighter paths to promising futures. By becoming stronger readers, Georgia’s students will be more successful in school. They’ll also learn to think more critically about the world around them. Their advanced skills will then lead young people toward more rewarding work and economic mobility as adults, and they’ll be able to positively impact their communities. The bill has the power to make all this possible, with literacy as the key that unlocks the door to these life-changing opportunities.
Additional Resources:
Literacy Bill, Cellphone Ban Among Education Bills Approved by Georgia House
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Assessing the Economic Gains of Eradicating Illiteracy Nationally and Regionally in the United States
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Your Home for GA Dyslexia Resources
Decoding Dyslexia GA
The State of Literacy in Georgia
Deloitte
Family Resources: Supporting Your Child’s Reading Development
Georgia Department of Education
The Incredible Importance of Teaching Children to Read
Georgia Municipal Association
Lawmakers Push Plan to Lift Georgia’s Lagging Literacy Rates
Georgia Recorder
How Education Impacts Chicago Poverty
Illinois Policy Institute
10 Ways to Support Your Child’s Literacy at Home
National Center on Improving Literacy
Unemployment Rates for People 25 Years and Older by Educational Attainment
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
