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SB168 ENROLLED
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SB168
ZQF2TKR-2
By Senator Chesteen
RFD: Education Policy
First Read: 15-Jan-26
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SB168 Enrolled
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First Read: 15-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to public K-12 education; to prohibit the use
of the three-cueing system of educational instruction in the
curriculum.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. It is the intent of this Legislature to
require public K-12 schools to ensure that certain textbooks
and instructional materials are not used in reading
instruction; to provide for related matters concerning
practices, interventions, and curricula that are based on the
science of reading; and to prohibit the use of curricula that
employ the three-cueing system model of teaching students to
read. It shall additionally be the intent of this body to
establish criteria for core curricula, interventions,
instructional materials, and supplemental materials for each
educator preparation program.
Section 2. For the purposes of this act, the following
terms have the following meanings:
(1) BOARD. The State Board of Education.
(2) DEPARTMENT. The State Department of Education.
(3) EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM. Any state-approved
program that prepares an individual for licensure as an
elementary teacher, school leader, or other school personnel,
including state-approved alternative teacher education
preparation organizations.
(4) INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. The core curricular
programs and materials, intervention programs and materials,
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programs and materials, intervention programs and materials,
instructional programs, supplemental programs and materials,
textbooks, texts, lessons, and sequence of planned experiences
delivered to all students to achieve grade-level state
standards.
(5) SCIENCE OF READING. The large body of evidence that
informs how proficient reading and writing develop; why some
students have difficulty; and how to most effectively assess
and teach, therefore improving student outcomes through
prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.
(6) THREE-CUEING SYSTEM. Any model of teaching students
to read based on meaning, structure and syntax, and visual
cues, which may also be known as MSV.
Section 3. (a) All reading instructional materials
approved for use in Alabama schools, whether through the
textbook law or a local textbook review process as provided in
Chapter 36 of Title 16, Code of Alabama 1975; the Alabama
Literacy Act as provided in Chapter 6G of Title 16, Code of
Alabama 1975; or other vetting or selection process, shall use
structured literacy strategies for teaching word reading and
phonics instruction for decoding and encoding. Instructional
strategies may not employ the three-cueing system model of
reading or visual memory as a basis for teaching word reading.
The instruction may include visual information and strategies
that improve background and experiential knowledge, add
context, and increase oral language and vocabulary to support
comprehension, but may not be used to teach word reading. This
prohibition is specific to the teaching of foundational
reading skills and should not be construed to impact the
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reading skills and should not be construed to impact the
teaching of background knowledge and vocabulary as connected
to the language comprehension side of Scarborough's Reading
Rope.
(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, if the
board determines that a local board of education has violated
subsection (a), the board shall notify the local board of
education, the Legislature, and the public of that violation.
(c) The board shall adopt rules pursuant to this act to
establish criteria for any materials used to prepare teacher
candidates to teach reading, including course textbooks, for
each educator preparation program. The rules shall require
instructional strategies that are scientifically researched
and evidence-based reading instructional strategies that
improve reading performance for all students, including
explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching
oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary,
fluency, text comprehension, writing that includes encoding,
and multisensory strategies. Instructional strategies shall
not include visual memory, in lieu of teaching decoding, for
teaching word recognition, nor the three-cueing system model
of reading. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, these
requirements shall be included in the approval process for
educator preparation programs. If the board determines that an
educator preparation program has violated this section, the
board shall notify the educator preparation program, the
Legislature, and the public.
Section 4. (a)(1) A local board of education shall not
use instructional materials as defined in this act for
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use instructional materials as defined in this act for
students in any grade kindergarten through 12 which use either
of the following:
a. The three-cueing system model of teaching students
to read.
b. Visual memory for teaching word recognition.
(2) The instruction may include visual information and
strategies which improve background knowledge and experiential
knowledge, add context, and increase oral language and
vocabulary to support comprehension, but may not be used to
teach word recognition.
(b) Each public school shall do all of the following:
(1) Ensure that instructional materials used to teach
students to read are high quality and based on literacy
strategies that are scientifically researched with proven
results in teaching phonological awareness, letter formation,
phonics, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
(2) Ensure that no instructional materials that employ
the three-cueing system model of teaching students to read or
visual memory for teaching word recognition are used in
reading instruction.
Section 5. This act shall become effective June 1,
2026.
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2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB168
Senate 22-Jan-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 26-Feb-26
By: Senator Chesteen
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