Education: other; certain requirements for the approval of teacher preparation programs; create, the official text

Act No. 27

Public Acts of 2026

Approved by the Governor

July 21, 2026

Filed with the Secretary of State

July 21, 2026

EFFECTIVE
DATE: July 21, 2026

state of michigan

103rd Legislature

Regular session of 2026

Introduced by Reps. Kelly, Woolford, Bierlein, Wozniak,
Weiss, Koleszar, Kunse, DeBoer and Johnsen

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 5646

AN ACT to amend 1976 PA 451,
entitled “An act to provide a system of public instruction and elementary and
secondary schools; to revise, consolidate, and clarify the laws relating to
elementary and secondary education; to provide for the organization,
regulation, and maintenance of schools, school districts, public school
academies, intermediate school districts, and other public school entities; to
prescribe rights, powers, duties, and privileges of schools, school districts,
public school academies, intermediate school districts, and other public school
entities; to provide for the regulation of school teachers and certain other
school employees; to provide for school elections and to prescribe powers and
duties with respect thereto; to provide for the levy and collection of taxes;
to provide for the borrowing of money and issuance of bonds and other evidences
of indebtedness; to establish a fund and provide for expenditures from that
fund; to make appropriations for certain purposes; to provide for and prescribe
the powers and duties of certain state departments, the state board of
education, and certain other boards and officials; to provide for licensure of
boarding schools; to prescribe penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,”
(MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 1531l.

The People of the State of
Michigan enact:

Sec.
1531l. (1)
Beginning September 30, 2027, the superintendent of public instruction shall
issue a teaching certificate or applicable endorsement under section 1531 only to
an individual who has completed a teacher preparation program that does both of
the following:

(a) Requires completion of the content described in
subsection (2) by all individuals who instruct courses or programs in literacy
or reading methods in the teacher preparation program.

(b) Requires comprehensive knowledge of the science of
reading by all individuals who instruct courses or programs in literacy or
reading methods in the teacher preparation program.

(2) By not later than September 30, 2027, an institution of
higher education or an alternative teaching program as described in section
1531i that operates a teacher preparation program shall ensure that the teacher
preparation program meets both of the following content requirements:

(a) Teacher content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge of
the critical components of literacy, including how the brain learns to read,
phonological and phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, phonics, advanced
phonics, vocabulary and oral language, fluency, comprehension, spelling and
writing, and the organization of language as appropriate for the grade level
and content area in which a teacher candidate seeks certification and
endorsement.

(b) Understanding how to effectively use screening, progress
monitoring, and diagnostic assessment data to improve literacy outcomes through
prevention and intervention for reading difficulties in a multi-tiered system
of supports, as appropriate for the grade level and content area in which a
teacher candidate seeks certification and endorsement. The multi-tiered system
of supports must include at least all of the following essential components:

(i) Team-based leadership.

(ii) A tiered delivery system.

(iii) Selection and implementation of instruction, interventions,
and supports.

(iv) A comprehensive screening and assessment system.

(v) Continuous data-based decision making.

(3) A teacher candidate may satisfy the requirements of this
section by completing the professional learning selected by the department
under section 35a(11) of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1635a.

(4) A teacher candidate who completes the requirements of
this section satisfies the reading credit requirement under section 1531(3) for
progression to professional certification.

(5) As used in this section:

(a) “Multi-tiered system of supports” means that term as
defined in section 1280f.

(b) “Science of reading” means that term as defined in
section 1280f.

This act is ordered to take
immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of
Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved___________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Governor