SB94 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rodger SmithermanSenator

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Literacy Act, third grade retention requirement postponed until 2024-2025 school year, Sec. 16-6G-5 am'd.

Summary

SB94 delays the third-grade reading-retention requirement and strengthens reading supports for Alabama's K-3 students.

What This Bill Does

It postpones the third-grade retention requirement from the 2021-2022 school year to the 2023-2024 school year. It requires districts to provide a comprehensive core reading program with sufficient instructional time, plus targeted interventions for students with reading deficiencies (including dyslexia-specific support), with ongoing progress monitoring and parent notification. It creates summer reading camps and the Alabama Summer Achievement Program to boost reading, and from 2023-2024 onward, allows promotion of third graders only if they demonstrate sufficient reading skills through one of three options (board-approved assessment, alternative assessment, or a reading portfolio), with defined good-cause exemptions for retention.

Who It Affects

• K-3 students with reading deficiencies or dyslexia: receive interventions, ongoing assessments, and potential promotion pathways.
• Parents or legal guardians of K-3 students: receive early and regular communication about deficiencies, plans, progress, and home strategies.
• Local education agencies (school districts): must implement the core reading program, provide interventions, run summer camps, allocate funds for interventions, and report data annually.
• Teachers and school staff: deliver explicit, systematic reading instruction, small-group interventions, dyslexia supports, and professional development in the science of reading.
• Students in the lowest five percent performing elementary schools: eligible for targeted Alabama Summer Achievement Program funding and support.
• English language learners and students with disabilities: potential eligibility for good-cause exemptions from retention based on specific conditions.

Key Provisions

• Postponement of the third-grade retention requirement to the 2023-2024 school year.
• Districts must provide a comprehensive core reading program with instructional time and science-of-reading foundations.
• For students with reading deficiencies or dyslexia: mandatory reading interventions, frequent progress monitoring, and dyslexia-specific supports.
• Monthly progress updates to parents, plus written communications within 15 school days of identifying a deficiency and again upon implementing reading improvement plans.
• Creation of reading improvement plans within 30 days of identifying a deficiency, detailing evidence-based interventions and supports.
• Summer reading camps of at least 70 hours, staffed by highly effective reading teachers, with pre/post assessments to measure progress.
• Establishment of the Alabama Summer Achievement Program for the lowest performing five percent of schools, with funds allocated and distributed by the State Superintendent.
• Promotion options for third graders beginning in 2023-2024: board-approved reading assessment, acceptable score on an alternative assessment, or a portfolio demonstrating mastery of third-grade reading standards.
• Good-cause exemptions from mandatory retention, with a process for documentation, principal review, and local superintendent approval.
• Intensive acceleration plans for any retained third-graders, including highly effective teachers, smaller class sizes, and explicit instruction.
• Annual reporting by September 30 on a wide set of reading metrics (deficiencies, dyslexia, progress, summer camp participation, retention rates, and teacher training in reading and dyslexia).
• Uniform reporting format and state-level summary production to education authorities and the public, plus potential incentives through the Alabama Reading Initiative.

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

Subjects

Education