ELIMINATE READING DISABILITY

DIAGNOSTICS COURSE REQUIREMENT

House Bill 4084 (proposed substitute H-1)

Sponsor:  Rep. Jim Tedder

Committee:  Education Reform

Complete to 1-31-18

SUMMARY:

House Bill 4084 would amend the qualifications for professional certification under the Revised School Code. The bill would remove the provision that the superintendent of public instruction may not advance a teacher to professional certification unless the teacher has completed a three-credit course in additional reading instruction focused on the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction.

Current law requires that the instruction include the following, as the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) determines to be appropriate for the person's certification level and endorsements: interest inventories, English language learning screening, visual and auditory discrimination tools, language expression and processing screening, phonemics, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, spelling and writing assessment tools, and instructional strategies.

The bill would remove this course requirement. 

The bill would take effect 90 days after enactment. 

MCL 380.1531

BACKGROUND:

Public Act 118 of 2006 (Senate Bill 327)[1] instituted the requirement that, in order to advance a person's certification to professional certification or renew a provisional teaching certificate, the person must have completed at least a three-credit course with appropriate field experience in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction.  

Public Act 32 of 2007 (Senate Bill 70)[2] moved the implementation date from 2007 to 2009 in order to allow universities time to implement the required curriculum, and removed the requirement for people renewing provisional teaching certificates. 

[Note: In SB 327 as originally passed by the Senate, the three-credit course was only required of elementary school teachers. The House adopted, and the Senate concurred in, a substitute which required the course for all teachers.]

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 4084 would have no fiscal impact on the state or local units of government.  The bill would not reduce the administrative responsibilities of the MDE.

                                                                                        Legislative Analyst:   Jenny McInerney

                                                                                               Fiscal Analysts:   Bethany Wicksall

                                                                                                                           Samuel Christensen

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.

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