HR 7890 United States House · 119th Congress

Science of Reading Act of 2026

The Science of Reading Act of 2026 amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require states receiving federal literacy development grants to align their reading instruction with "science of reading" principles. It explicitly prohibits the use of the "three-cueing model" (a method teaching word recognition through pictures, context, or guessing) and defines science of reading as evidence-based instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension. States must describe this alignment in grant applications, and federal funds for literacy programs will only support initiatives meeting these standards. This directly affects states and school districts administering ESEA-funded literacy programs starting in 2026.

Issues: ✓ Education

Sub-Topics: Curriculum

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Sep 2026

House Passage

Sep 2026

Senate Passage

President

Introduced Mar 12, 2026 Last action Sep 17, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in House → Engrossed in House · 2 edits · Sep 16, 2026

MINOR

The changes between the Introduced and Engrossed versions of HR 7890 are primarily formatting and a minor grammatical correction. The section 2 heading was changed from 'aligned to science of reading' to 'aligned to the science of reading,' and blank lines were added throughout for readability. No substantive policy, funding, eligibility, or enforcement changes were made.

TECHNICAL

Section 2 heading corrected from 'aligned to science of reading' to 'aligned to the science of reading' (added the article 'the').

Blank lines and spacing adjustments added throughout the bill for formatting consistency, with no change to substantive content.

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Full legislative history

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Committee

Amendments

Sep 17, 2026

Committee

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

upper

Sep 16, 2026

Introduced

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

lower

Sep 16, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

lower

Sep 16, 2026

Introduced

Mr. Walberg moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

lower

Jun 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-717.

lower

Mar 17, 2026

Introduced

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 33 - 0.

lower

Mar 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors