Michigan lawmakers advance bills to mandate literacy training for teachers

Under one bill, prospective teachers would need to be trained in the ‘science of reading’
A second calls for K-5 teachers to get training in high-quality reading instruction methods
A third bill would require a teacher in each school be trained in a multisensory literacy program for students with dyslexia

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A Michigan House committee approved several bills Wednesday that are aimed at improving literacy in Michigan schools, including one that would require specialized training for all K-5 teachers.

The full House will now have to weigh the legislation.

Literacy has been a top education priority in the Michigan Legislature and for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as state and national exams show significant challenges for students in reading. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders who took the exam were considered proficient in reading, compared to 30% nationally.

Meanwhile, in 2025, just 38.9% of Michigan’s third graders were proficient in English language arts on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress.

Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the bills’ advancement is a significant step for the state.

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DeBoer said she is excited that the people who attended the hearing “care about the students in the state of Michigan — that they can learn to read, that we can diagnose them if they have issues with dyslexia, that our colleges can train them to be prepared with the phonetic method of reading.”

Here are the three literacy bills the committee passed Wednesday.

House Bill 5646, sponsored by Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township, would require that beginning Sept. 30, 2027, people seeking a teaching certificate in Michigan — whether through a traditional higher education program or an alternative pathway — must have completed a teacher preparation program that included training in the science of reading. The bill also has some specific literacy requirements teacher prep programs would need to meet.
House Bill 5697, sponsored by DeBoer, would require that all Michigan K-5 teachers as well as certified staff who provide, support, or oversee instruction in K-5 receive literacy training in high-quality reading instruction methods.
House Bill 5081, sponsored by Kathy Schmalz, a Republican from Jackson, would require at least one teacher in each school to work with students with dyslexia and be trained in Orton-Gillingham approach principles.” Orton-Gillingham is a highly structured multisensory literacy program.

The committee previously heard testimony on the teacher preparation and mandated training for K-5 teachers legislation. No testimony was heard on those bills Wednesday, but lawmakers did hear testimony on the dyslexia legislation.

Schmalz noted that Michigan has a law that requires schools to test students for dyslexia, but doesn’t have a law mandating teachers be trained to teach kids with dyslexia.

“I’ve seen too many young people with dyslexia pass through school not getting the help they need,” Schmalz said.

Rebecca Hutchinson, superintendent of the Concord Community Schools, said the district integrated Orton-Gillingham with a reading intervention this school year. She said some of the most struggling readers showed dramatic improvement as a result.

Hutchinson also spoke from the perspective of a mother whose son has dyslexia. She said staff at his school had not received training in Orton-Gillingham, so his teacher had significant concerns about his literacy skills, but he is now excelling at reading.

“My son is very, very lucky that we have the resources to do that. If a school district doesn’t have or offer a program like Orton-Gillingham, then these children lose that advantage in being able to access all learning through reading,” Hutchinson said. “The power of this is clear, not only to reach those kids that are struggling to read, really all readers, but also to lift them up to reach their fullest potential and remove a barrier for our families who don’t have the ability to seek this outside literacy support.”

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

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