Georgia committee advances bill aligning literacy instruction with science of reading, adds dyslexia to state law

Representative Bethany Ballard presented House Bill 307 to the Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee on the bill’s role in tightening literacy instruction and dyslexia screening across the state.

Ballard said the bill "is the next piece of our literacy puzzle," telling senators the measure removes outdated program language, prevents three-cueing from serving as a primary instructional method, and adds dyslexia to the Georgia Early Literacy Act.

The bill’s sponsor told the committee it would create a literacy coach coordination committee to standardize training for literacy coaches, adjust per diem for the literacy council’s travel so hotel costs are covered, and extend the council’s sunset so it can continue implementation work.

Why it matters: supporters said the measure aligns classroom practice with the science of reading and reduces duplicative assessments. Representative Ballard and…