Georgia

The purpose of this document is to capture state-by-state information of policy and guidelines related to the science of reading / evidence-based reading instruction to be presented on The Reading League Compass, a website of reliable and reputable guidance and resources for targeted stakeholder groups.

Updated 2025

Local control?

Yes

Has your state passed legislation and/or non-legislated rule changes related to the science of reading?

Yes.

The Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act (HB 307, 2025) was passed during the 2025 legislative session. This bill combined elements of previous legislation (HB 538, The Georgia Early Literacy Act and SB 48, Georgia’s Dyslexia Legislation.

Senate Bill 211 establishes a 30-member council appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House for the purpose of conducting comprehensive reviews of birth to postsecondary programs, the alignment of state support for such programs, and other issues related to improving the literacy outcomes of Georgia students.

Senate Bill 464 made changes to The Georgia Early Literacy Act, requiring the approved list of universal screeners to have no more than five approved screeners with one offered free of charge to Georgia districts. The bill also established an executive committee of the Georgia Council on Literacy, composed of five members who become voting members. This bill also has components related to school supplies that are not directly related to literacy.

Does your state have an approved curriculum list?

Yes, our High-Quality Instructional Materials list and report can be found here.

We have also provided a rubric and guidance for district to use in vetting their supplemental reading instructional materials. That document can be found here.

Was evidence-aligned reading instruction a consideration for the curriculum review?

Our rubric is found on pages 14-19 of this document.

Please describe any other instructional-materials work related to the science of reading with links, where applicable

We have partnered with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy and Cox Campus to provide the Georgia Literacy Academy, a suite of 10 courses accredited by the International Dyslexia Association, free of charge to all Georgia educators. The courses come with quality instructional resources which can be accessed here.

We have also established the Georgia Adolescent Literacy Academy, which is comprised of 10 on-demand modules (5 are available now, the other 5 will be released over the next few months). We have also hosted a webinar series on disciplinary literacy for 4th-12th grade teachers led by Dr. Laurie Lee and Dr. Kevin Smith of the Florida Center for Reading Research.

Does your state mandate or provide guidance on early screening?

Yes. the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act requires universal reading and dyslexia screening to be administered three times per year to K-3 students. The State Board of Education approved a list of universal reading and dyslexia screeners that can be accessed here.

Does your state have policy or guidance related to MTSS that incorporates information on the science of reading and/or evidence-based literacy practices

We provide guidance with the Georgia Reading and Dyslexia Screening Process flowchart (https://url.gadoe.org/k65iu) and a series of three webinars that lead educators through the process.

Does your state have policy or guidance related to instruction and/or professional development

Yes. There is a professional learning component of the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act which requires training for all K-3rd grade teachers on the science of reading , structured literacy, and foundational reading skills.The bill also requires that all early learning teachers in programs licensed by the Department of Early Care and Learning receive training on developmentally appropriate evidence based literacy instruction.

Has your state reviewed standards for alignment to the science of reading?

Yes. Georgia’s State Board of Education recently approved new standards for English Language Arts that will be implemented during the 2025-2026 school year. The standards include a foundations domain for grades K-5. The new standards can be found here.

We are in implementation year one of Georgia’s K-12 ELA Standards.

Does your state have guidance or resources for families related to the science of reading?

Do you have policy or guidance regarding how to leverage evidence-based practices to support secondary students?

GaDOE has implemented the Georgia Adolescent Literacy Academy, which is a suite of 10 courses related to Adolescent Literacy. At this time, five of the 10 courses are live and include:

• Adolescent Literacy Overview
• Understanding Adolescent Literacy Difficulties and Interventions
• Effective Comprehension Instruction
• Vocabulary Part A – Learning the Basics
• Vocabulary Part B – Effective Instructional Strategies

GaDOE has also offered a suite of webinars on Disciplinary Literacy.

Does your state have licensure or program approval criteria to ensure Educator Preparation Programs are aligned to the science of reading?

Yes

The Georgia Early Literacy Act requires that by July 1, 2025, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission will require that the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) align with developmentally appropriate evidence-based literacy instruction.

Please describe and link to any other work you would like to share that relates to the science of reading

GaDOE has provided a document, Aligning State Literacy Policies and Practices, that is updated regularly. This provides a single guidance document that helps stakeholders navigate the changes in our literacy ecosystem.

Literacy and Dyslexia Resource Repository

Use the interactive state map to find descriptions of state-level policy adoption, guidance, and practices related to the science of reading. State policy may include legislation incorporating training or practices related to the science of reading or state education agency guidance regarding policy, professional development, curricula, instruction, or assessment.

Filter by specific topic area(s) to find state-specific work: 

The Reading League expresses gratitude to our collaborators and associates within the state education agencies for sharing their state-specific data. This data will undergo semi-annual updates, contingent upon the availability and resources of the respective state agencies. For any inquiries, clarifications, or updates, please reach out to compass@thereadingleague.org.