G.S. 115C-83.12 — Read to Achieve

Plain English summary

Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, NC public schools are banned from using the three-cueing system or any curriculum that relies primarily on visual memory to teach reading to students in kindergarten through third grade. This means teachers can no longer instruct young readers to guess words by looking at pictures, context clues, or word shape as their main strategy. Schools must shift to reading instruction grounded in phonics and the Science of Reading instead.

Key requirements

• Local school administrative units shall not use a three-cueing system as the primary basis for teaching word recognition in any instruction or intervention in grades K-3 (2023-134, s. 7.64(c))
• Local school administrative units shall not use a curriculum with visual memory as the primary basis for teaching word recognition in any instruction or intervention in grades K-3 (2023-134, s. 7.64(c))

Affected parties

• Local school administrative units (must comply)
• Classroom teachers in grades K-3 (must comply)
• Interventionists and reading specialists serving K-3 students (must comply)
• Students in grades kindergarten through three (benefit)

Advocacy note

This statute contains the explicit three-cueing prohibition — it bars not only direct three-cueing instruction but also any curriculum that uses visual memory as the PRIMARY basis for word recognition, meaning a school cannot simply relabel a three-cueing program and continue using it.

Official source

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_115C/GS_115C-83.12.pdf