ALABAMA · LITERACY ACT 2019-523 AND SB168
Structured literacy practice for the K-3 readers on Alabama’s reading improvement plans
Alabama’s Literacy Act requires K-3 reading screening three times a year, a reading improvement plan within 30 days for any student with a deficiency, and intensive intervention until that student reads on grade level. ReadGenie gives those students daily decoding, spelling, and decodable passage practice with corrective feedback, and gives educators the progress data to show it.
AT A GLANCE
Key date
2026-2027, statewide
Who it’s for
K-6 readers in Tier 2 and 3
Daily practice
10 to 15 minutes per student
Devices
iPad, Chromebook, Android
Typical funding
Title I, IDEA, Title II-A, Title IV-A
THE DEADLINE
Alabama’s three-cueing ban applies starting in 2026-2027
The Alabama Literacy Act (Code of Alabama Title 16, Chapter 6G) requires intervention for every K-3 student with a reading deficiency or characteristics of dyslexia, written parent notice within 15 school days, and a reading improvement plan within 30 days. Since 2023-2024, third graders must show sufficient reading skills to be promoted to fourth grade. SB168, passed in 2026, bars reading materials that use three-cueing or visual memory to teach word reading, and the State Board can report violations beginning in 2026-2027.
The law calls for daily targeted small group intervention, more guided practice, and more error correction and feedback for struggling readers. Screening three times a year finds more students than reading specialists and interventionists can see every day. ReadGenie was built for that gap, giving students structured decoding and encoding practice between intervention sessions.
2019
Alabama Literacy Act (Act 2019-523) enacted.
2023-2024
Third grade reading promotion requirement takes effect.
2026
SB168 passed, banning three-cueing in K-12 reading instructional materials.
2026-2027
State Board can notify districts, the Legislature, and the public of three-cueing violations.
HOW IT WORKS
How it works in an Alabama school
01
Your interventionist teaches the skill from your chosen program.
02
They set ReadGenie to that week’s skills.
03
Students practice 10 to 15 minutes a day, at school or home, with corrective feedback.
04
Each week, review mastery and fluency for MTSS records and parent updates.
FOR YOUR REVIEW COMMITTEE
What Alabama schools get
The short version for your review committee.
Intended use
Supplemental practice inside your AL-MTSS model. Not a standalone program.
Who it’s for
K-6 readers in Tier 2 and 3, including students with dyslexia
Devices
iPad, Chromebook, Android
Statutory fit
Adds the guided practice, error correction, and feedback named in Code of Alabama 16-6G-4 and 16-6G-5
Progress monitoring
Mastery bands, fluency, and practice summaries in one adult dashboard
SRIP support
Practice and mastery records for Student Reading Improvement Plan reviews
Parent reports
Activity reports that support the Literacy Act’s monthly parent progress updates
Educator reports
Roster access and progress views for staff
Evidence level
ESSA Tier 4 statement (logic model and planned research), plus usage and progress data
STATE ALIGNMENT
Alabama alignment at a glance
Each row pairs a state requirement with what ReadGenie does. Source links go to the Alabama Legislature and the Alabama State Department of Education.
Code of Alabama 16-6G-5(g): Guided practice with error correction and feedback
Every practice item gives immediate corrective feedback, so students get more guided practice between intervention sessions.
Code of Alabama 16-6G-5(d): Student Reading Improvement Plans
Mastery and usage data give SRIP teams a record of the practice each student completed.
Code of Alabama 16-6G-5(c): Monthly parent progress updates
Parent activity reports give families a regular view of practice and progress.
SB168 (2026): Structured literacy for word reading
Practice is built on decoding and encoding the skill being taught, not on guessing words from pictures or context.
Dyslexia-specific intervention (AAC 290-3-1-.02)
Systematic, cumulative practice in phonological awareness and sound-symbol association supports the dyslexia-specific intervention your interventionist delivers.
Phonological Awareness
Phoneme drills and sound-in-word practice between intervention sessions.
Phonics/Decoding/Encoding
Decoding and spelling practice aligned to the skill taught that week.
Fluency With Connected Text
Decodable passages that build accuracy and fluency with the week’s pattern.
Progress Monitoring Within MTSS
Mastery bands and fluency trends support the frequent progress monitoring the law requires.
WHERE IT FITS
Where ReadGenie fits, honestly
ReadGenie is
Supplemental practice for students in Tier 2/3 intervention. Your educator picks the skill, students practice with feedback, and you get evidence before the next session.
ReadGenie is not
A screener, a Tier 1 core curriculum, or a replacement for your interventionists. Alabama’s Literacy Task Force vets the approved assessments and reading and intervention programs, and your district chooses from them. ReadGenie adds practice capacity next to whatever your district chooses.
FUNDING
How Alabama schools fund ReadGenie
Schools typically use existing federal and state funds. No competitive application needed.
Title I, Part A
Supplemental reading practice for struggling readers in schoolwide and targeted assistance programs.
IDEA Part B and CEIS
Serves students with IEP reading goals. The 15 percent CEIS set-aside can cover Tier 2/3 students not yet identified, and usage data supports CEIS reporting.
Alabama Reading Initiative intervention curricula funds
Code of Alabama 16-6G-4 directs part of the Alabama Reading Initiative appropriation to curricula that support student interventions, divided per pupil by the number of students not proficient the prior year. Districts should confirm with ALSDE whether a supplemental practice tool is allowable and whether it must appear on the vetted intervention list.
Title II-A and Title IV-A
Title II-A can fund educator data-use training. Title IV-A can fund licenses under the effective use of technology priority.
Your federal programs office makes the final allowability call. We can send an allowable use memo and our ESSA Tier 4 statement on request.
PROCUREMENT
Alabama procurement checklist
A quick list to share with your review committee.
Alabama Literacy Act (Code of Alabama 16-6G) intervention support
SRIP documentation and monthly parent updates
Decoding-based word reading, consistent with SB168
Guided practice with error correction
Progress monitoring dashboard
Parent reports
Educator reports
ESSA Tier 4 evidence statement
COPPA and FERPA-aware workflows
Chromebook, iPad, and Android
12 to 16 week pilot with implementation support
LET’S TALK
See where ReadGenie fits in your intervention plan
Tell us how intervention runs in your schools today. We’ll show you where ReadGenie fits and what a 12 to 16 week pilot would look like.