Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs first grade readiness bill

Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, speaks during a debate in the Alabama House of Representatives on gambling legislation on Feb. 15, 2024 in the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House approved a constitutional amendment that would create a state lottery and allowing casino gambling and sports wagering. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday signed a bill that requires students to complete kindergarten or an equivalent assessment to go to first grade.

HB 113, sponsored by Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, passed the Legislature earlier this month after years of stalling in the Senate. Ivey in a statement Wednesday called it “a strategic and thoughtful approach to early education in Alabama.”

“By taking proactive steps now to lay a strong foundation from the very beginning, we will not be forced to make reactive moves later,” the statement said. “Our children deserve no less than our best efforts right from the start.”

The bill passed the Alabama House several times before but had struggled to get through the upper chamber. Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, the chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee and a sponsor of the bill in the House, told the Reflector earlier this year that the legislation was a Republican priority this session.

No student will be prevented from entering first grade in the 2025-26 school year, but the assessment will determine developmental readiness in the 2026-27 school year.

Warren said in a statement released with Ivey’s that she was “determined not to give up on our kids” after years of effort.

“This new law will ensure students are truly prepared to enter the first grade,” the statement said. “I’m confident this will strengthen our education system and prevent future retention among our younger students.”

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