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Lawmakers in Lansing are moving aggressively to address Michigan鈥檚 K-12 literacy crisis with multiple pieces of legislation that target training for teachers, retention for struggling third graders, and consequences for teacher preparation programs.

The legislative action comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made addressing literacy a priority for 2026, her last year in office. During her State of the State address last month, Whitmer detailed steps already underway to improve literacy and recommendations in her budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. Among them is additional money she wants to invest in high-impact literacy tutoring, high-quality curriculum, literacy training for teachers, and hiring of literacy coaches.

鈥淭his is a serious problem,鈥� Whitmer said in the address. 鈥淥ur kids deserve better.鈥�

Just 38.9% of third graders were proficient on the English language arts portion of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress last year. It was the lowest performance of third graders in the exam鈥檚 11-year history, Chalkbeat and Bridge Michigan reported.

On the national front, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient in 2024 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, an exam known as the 鈥渘ation鈥檚 report card.鈥� That compares to 30% being proficient nationally. Michigan students鈥� performance has been stagnant and declining even as other states that have invested heavily in early literacy have improved. Michigan now ranks 44th in the nation for fourth-grade reading on the NAEP.

This isn鈥檛 the first time Michigan lawmakers have taken aim at the state鈥檚 challenges with literacy. In 2016, fueled by similarly troubling test results in reading, lawmakers passed a Read by Grade 3 law that required early intervention, the hiring of literacy coaches, and the retention of third graders struggling to reade. The retention rule has since been rescinded. Ten years since that broad effort, Michigan鈥檚 student literacy problem continues.

Here are the literacy initiatives being considered in Michigan

would require that by the 2031-32 school year, all K-5 educators who provide, support, or oversee instruction, including in literacy, must have been , which refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge. The bill doesn鈥檛 specify a specific training program, but says the current training being encouraged for Michigan teachers 鈥� Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS 鈥� meets the requirements of the legislation.

would require that, beginning Sept. 30, 2027, an individual seeking a teaching certificate in Michigan must have completed a teacher preparation program that included training in the science of reading.

would bring back the third-grade retention policy Michigan previously had in place. The bill would require struggling third graders, who would be identified based on their state test scores, repeat the grade. There would be some 鈥済ood cause鈥� exemptions, such as for students with disabilities whose educational plan team leader exempts them from the requirement. Michigan鈥檚 previous third-grade retention law, which went into effect during the 2020-21 school year, was rescinded in 2023 when Democrats controlled the legislature and the governor鈥檚 office. They argued the law was punitive and wasn鈥檛 working.

During a Wednesday hearing of the House Education and Workforce committee, Rep. Nancy DeBoer, a Republican from Holland who chairs the committee, said reading gives children the independence to pick up a book and go anywhere.

鈥淯nless you鈥檙e in the state of Michigan and you鈥檙e three-quarters of the students in eighth grade who can鈥檛 read or do math in a competent manner,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat is a tragedy we are responsible for.鈥�

DeBoer introduced the bipartisan bill that would make training in the science of reading a requirement for K-5 teachers.

The state has funded LETRS training, but thus far hasn鈥檛 made it a requirement. In September, the State Board of Education urged that it become a mandate for all K-5 teachers, saying the lack of one 鈥渉as led to inconsistent participation of Michigan educators and inconsistent access to instruction based on the science of reading for Michigan鈥檚 students.鈥�

The science of reading also figures prominently in a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly, a Republican from Saginaw Township. He described the bill as 鈥渁 long overdue rescue mission for the next generation of Michigan鈥檚 workers, citizens, and leaders.鈥�

Kelly said Wednesday that teacher preparation programs that don鈥檛 equip teachers with the tools needed to teach children to read have forfeited their right to operate in Michigan.

鈥淲e must stop subsidizing failure,鈥� Kelly said.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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