HB9 Alabama 2025 Session

Updated Feb 23, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Leigh HulseyRepresentative
Republican
Session: 2025 Regular Session
Title: Three cueing system prohibited in public K-12 education
Summary: HB9 would ban the three-cueing system in public K-12 reading instruction in Alabama and require materials and teacher preparation to be based on the science of reading.
What This Bill Does
If enacted, HB9 would prohibit teaching methods that rely on the three-cueing system and visual memory for word reading. It would require reading instruction to use structured literacy and explicit, evidence-based strategies for phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. It also sets up rules for selecting materials and educator preparation programs, and requires local school boards to avoid or report any materials that use the three-cueing approach, with violations to be reported to the Legislature and the public starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

Who It Affects
Public K-12 students in Alabama will receive reading instruction that uses structured literacy and does not use the three-cueing system or visual memory for word recognition.
Local boards of education, the State Board of Education, and educator preparation programs will implement new criteria for materials and teacher training, enforce the rules, and publicly notify violations beginning in 2025-2026.

Key Provisions
Prohibits the three-cueing system and visual memory as the basis for teaching word reading in Alabama public schools.
Requires all reading instruction materials to use structured literacy and scientifically based, explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, decoding/encoding, fluency, and comprehension.
Requires the State Board to establish criteria for teacher-preparation programs and reading materials, with these requirements included in educator-preparation program approvals beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
Local boards of education must not use materials that employ the three-cueing system or visual memory for word recognition and must ensure materials are high-quality and based on science of reading.
Beginning in 2025-2026, if a local board is found to violate these provisions, the Board must notify the local board, the Legislature, and the public.
The act becomes effective June 1, 2025.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Education