Lawmakers push plan to lift Georgia’s lagging literacy rates 

A majority of Georgia’s third graders – 62% – are not reading proficiently, according to the Georgia Council on Literacy. That’s a big deal because research suggests reading proficiency at this age is a major predictor of future success, with kids who cannot read well by third grade four times as likely to drop out […]

State lawmakers are working on a bill to boost literacy rates by hiring literacy coaches for all of Georgia's schools that serve K-3 students. Getty Images

A majority of Georgia’s third graders – 62% – are not reading proficiently, according to the Georgia Council on Literacy.

That’s a big deal because research suggests reading proficiency at this age is a major predictor of future success, with kids who cannot read well by third grade four times as likely to drop out of school before getting their diploma.

Third grade marks the transition point between learning to read and reading to learn, said Mindy Binderman, executive director of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, a nonprofit supporting early learning.

“Third grade marks the time when we’ve stopped really doing a lot of reading instruction and instead we expect children to understand context and begin to read to learn materials,” she said. “If kids are not reading to learn by the end of third grade, they just fall further and further behind, and we know that if they don’t meet this third grade reading milestone, they’re less likely to be successful in school or to graduate high school and more likely to engage in risky behaviors as they get older.”

State lawmakers say 2026 is the year they will pass major legislation to assist teachers in helping the youngest Georgians become skilled readers. House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, is House leaders’ attempt to do so.

The bill passed the House Education Committee unanimously last week. With bipartisan support and the backing of state leaders including House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, the effort seems likely to continue to find support before the annual lawmaking session ends April 2 – though the details could change as the bill moves through the House and Senate.

Crucially, there is no price tag yet on the legislation, though the bill’s sponsor, Homer Republican and House Education Chairman Chris Erwin, said an objective estimate of the plan’s financial impact, called a fiscal note, is in the works.

Gainesville Republican Rep. Matt Dubnik, chair of the House Appropriations Education Subcommittee, said members of both chambers and multiple state agencies are finalizing the projected costs.

“We’re working with them to get a final number that’s both cost effective and to a number that accurately reflects what we can put in place today,” Dubnik said. “This, unfortunately, is not going to be, flip of switch tomorrow and everything has stood up and is running the next day And so we continue to be diligent in what we’re doing, we should have have some better numbers and facts and figures for you in short order.”

The 41-page bill contains sweeping changes to the way schools test students’ reading and screen for issues like dyslexia. It emphasizes the science of reading, an evidence-based approach to literacy based on research in fields like education, neurology and linguistics.

Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest changes that could be coming for the teachers and little ones in your life.

Classroom literacy coaches

The plan calls for hiring literacy coaches for many schools in Georgia – every school that has students between kindergarten and third grade will get money to hire one literacy coach if they have more than 200 students. Schools with fewer students will receive half of that funding. Paying for the new coaches’ salaries and benefits is expected to make up the bulk of the bill’s cost.

Literacy coaches are educators with expertise in literacy and reading acquisition. They offer teachers support through things like lesson planning, co-teaching and mentoring.

During the 2024-2025 school year, the Georgia Department of Education hired full-time literacy coaches in 60 schools, focused on the lowest-performing 5% of schools and reported a 15% increase in student reading, with the strongest gains in kindergarten.

Erwin estimated that the state will be looking to hire more than a thousand classroom literacy coaches.

“It’s going to be difficult to find them all because we’ve already determined that we’re going to need somewhere close to 1,300 or over,” he said. “We currently have over 5,000 open certified positions in the state of Georgia today, and now we’re going to put 1,300 more in there. But we’re going to do a good job of focusing in on this effort, making it happen, getting those boots on the ground as soon as possible. Remember, there has to be the quality training and professional development of those individuals first, and then set them free in the classroom.”

Erwin said some current teachers may want to work as literacy coaches and characterized switching from a classroom teacher to a literacy coach as a lateral career move. He said teachers who do so will keep their spots on the salary schedule. Districts could choose to supplement literacy coaches’ salaries with local money if they want to attract more experienced candidates.

Under the bill, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the body that approves licensing standards for educators, will have until the end of 2026 to create a literacy coach endorsement, a new qualification showing expertise in the topic.

To qualify to become a literacy coach in Georgia, one must earn that endorsement and have at least five years of successful experience in the classroom or in literacy intervention as well as “a knowledge of scientifically based reading research, special expertise in quality reading instruction and intervention, dyslexia specific interventions and data analysis,” according to the bill.

School-based literacy coaches would be expected to spend at least 70% of the school day in classrooms.

Regional coaches

Some literacy coaches would not be assigned to a single school. Each of Georgia’s 16 Regional Educational Service Agencies will assign regional literacy coaches to local school systems under the bill, and at least one regional leadership literacy coach for each region will be responsible for interfacing with system and school leaders.

The leadership coaches’ duties will include training principals and superintendents in literacy education and joining them in classroom observations.

“They take the principal and they go in there and they have the principal work with the teacher and with the child, and they’re working with the principal to say ‘this is what you need to be telling the teacher,’” Erwin said. “We’ve seen this work in other states, that’s been very successful. When the leader knows what’s going on in their classroom and understands it, they can better direct the goals.”

The qualifications for a regional leadership literacy coach will include the same as a classroom literacy coach as well as additional leadership experience such as time working as a principal or superintendent.

Caitlin Dooley, chair of Georgia State University’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, said she’ll be waiting to see how the details shake out as the bill moves through the process, but she is excited to see the emphasis on literacy and literacy coaches in elementary schools.

“We need the literacy coaches first and foremost,” she said. “And the literacy coaches need to work with leadership and leadership needs to understand what their role is in ensuring that students get high quality literacy instruction.”

Dooley said it’s good that lawmakers are paying attention to district and school leadership in addition to the classroom level, but she questioned whether the plan goes far enough.

“The use of 16 regional leadership literacy coaches is a great idea, but they won’t have capacity to meet with every principal (we have 1,852 elementary schools, so that would be a load of over 100 per coach!),” she said in an email. “The school-based coach will have to meet with the principal and the school leadership team to help coordinate instructional improvements, the implementation of (Multi-Tiered System of Support), special education efforts and individual student interventions.“

Dooley said the Georgia Department of Education found that about two-thirds of poor literacy outcomes correlate with poverty. She said working to mitigate the effects of poverty on children, such as by ensuring they are fed and receive proper medical care, would go a long way to ensuring they can read and write properly.

Kindergarten

The bill also spells out changes to kindergarten in the state. The legislation encourages families to have their children attend school or begin home study by age 5, but the bill does not change the current age of mandatory attendance from age 6.

Some parents choose to delay their children from starting kindergarten at 5, especially if the timing of their birthday would make them significantly younger than many of their classmates, because they believe an extra year will help them mature and be more ready to learn.

At least one Georgia school district has reportedly been enforcing a policy requiring 6-year-olds to go straight to first grade.

The bill aims to prevent that practice by stating that a student must attend kindergarten before starting first grade unless he or she has been tested and found ready to perform at a first-grade level. Peachtree Corners Republican Rep. Scott Hilton has also introduced his own bill with the goal of ensuring that parents can decide whether to enroll their children into kindergarten at age 5 or 6.

The literacy legislation would also establish interventions for kindergarteners at risk of not meeting their reading goals.

Under the plan, if a kindergartener is identified as significantly at risk of not reading at grade level, the school will develop a reading intervention plan and parents will be notified that their child might not be promoted to first grade.

If the child does not improve, the school’s principal will make the decision as to whether the child can advance to first grade. Parents can appeal the decision.

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