SB269 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Tom Whatley

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Education, K-3 grades, Alabama Literacy Act, provisions against promoting students who fail to demonstrate sufficient reading skills, deleted, references to good cause exemptions, deleted, Act 2019-523, 2019 Reg. Sess., am'd; Sec. 16-6G-5 am'd.

Summary

SB269 would remove the automatic nonpromotion of 3rd graders who don’t meet reading standards and eliminate good-cause exemptions, while preserving strong reading support requirements for K-3 students.

What This Bill Does

It deletes the rule that third-grade students who fail to demonstrate sufficient reading skills cannot be promoted to fourth grade and removes references to good-cause exemptions. It maintains and reinforces requirements for a comprehensive core reading program, ongoing interventions, and dyslexia supports for all K-3 students. It preserves options for demonstrating sufficient reading skills for promotion (board-approved assessment, alternative assessment, or a reading portfolio) and maintains summer reading camps and the Alabama Summer Achievement Program, along with annual reporting and funding mechanisms to support reading improvement.

Who It Affects

• K-3 students with reading deficiencies (including those exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia) who will continue to receive reading interventions and improvement plans, with promotion decisions no longer automatically barred by reading deficiency.
• Local education agencies, school districts, and school staff (teachers, principals, reading specialists, and administrators) who must implement the required reading programs, interventions, summer camps, fund allocations, and reporting related to reading proficiency and promotion options.

Key Provisions

• Delete the requirement that third-grade students who fail to demonstrate sufficient reading skills may not be promoted to fourth grade and remove all references to good-cause exemptions for nonpromotion.
• Require a comprehensive core reading program for all K-3 students based on the science of reading and ensure instructional time is included in K-3 curriculums.
• Provide reading intervention and dyslexia-specific intervention for students with deficiencies, with regular evaluation, daily targeted small-group instruction, and ongoing parent communication about plans and progress.
• Allow promotion if a student demonstrates sufficient reading skills through one of three pathways: board-approved reading assessment, an alternative standardized reading assessment, or a reading portfolio with established criteria.
• Maintain and fund summer reading camps (minimum 70 hours) and the Alabama Summer Achievement Program, staffed by highly effective reading teachers and using state-approved assessments to measure progress.
• Continue annual reporting requirements by September 30, including data on reading deficiencies, interventions, promotion paths, and teacher training in the science of reading, with a uniform reporting format required by the State Superintendent of Education.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.