Education: teachers and administrators; interim teaching certification process; modify, the official text

Act No. 24

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 Senators Polehanki, Klinefelt, Chang,
Bayer, Shink, Geiss and McMorrow

ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 989

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,”
by amending section 1531i (MCL 380.1531i), as amended by 2024 PA 49.

The People of the State of
Michigan enact:

Sec.
1531i. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall establish a process
for an individual to earn an interim teaching certificate under this section
that qualifies the individual to teach in public schools and to earn a Michigan
teaching certificate using the process under this section. The process must
meet all applicable requirements for an alternative teaching certification
process under the no child left behind act of 2001, Public Law 107-110, or
the every student succeeds act, Public Law 114-95, as applicable.

(2) Except as otherwise provided under subsection (1), the
process established under subsection (1) must provide that the superintendent
of public instruction will grant an interim teaching certificate to an
individual who meets all of the following, as applicable:

(a) Is a participant in an alternative teaching program that
is approved by the superintendent of public instruction. To be approved, a
program provider must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the superintendent of
public instruction that it meets all of the following:

(i) Subject to subdivision (e), provides for
its participants an intensive training program in teaching that is determined
by the superintendent of public instruction to constitute the equivalent of at
least 12 college credit hours and that includes training in at least all of the
following subject areas:

(A) Child development or child psychology.

(B) Family and community relationships.

(C) Diverse learners.

(D) Instructional strategies.

(E) A form of field-based experience in a classroom setting.

(ii) Has a proven record of producing
successful teachers or is modeled after a program that has a proven record of
producing successful teachers.

(iii) Its participants have a cohort grade
point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent on another
scale, as determined by the superintendent of public instruction, upon earning
the degree required under subdivision (b). If a cohort member has earned more
than 1 degree required under subdivision (b), the highest grade point average
earned by the cohort member must be used in calculating the cohort grade point
average under this subparagraph.

(iv) Accepts for participation only
individuals who meet the requirements of subdivision (b).

(b) Holds a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, or professional
degree from an institutionally accredited college or university.

(c) Passes the appropriate available subject area examination
for each subject area in which the individual applies to be certified.

(d) Subject to subdivision (e) and notwithstanding any other
provision of law or rule to the contrary, if the individual does not hold a
Michigan teaching certificate, for an interim teaching certificate under this
section for teaching special education, the individual has completed a training
program for teaching special education students that is determined by the
superintendent of public instruction to constitute the equivalent of at least
32 college credit hours, or equivalent clock hours, equal to 7 hours of
instruction per credit hour, and that includes training in at least both of the
following:

(i) The requisite knowledge, understanding,
skills, and dispositions for effective practice concerning all of the
following:

(A) Utilizing research-based models, theories, and
philosophies for teaching students with an array of disabilities within
different placements.

(B) Assessing students with disabilities for identification
and teaching.

(C) Implementing accommodations and modifications for
classroom assessments, school district, intermediate school district, or public
school academy assessments, and statewide assessments.

(D) Using assistive technology devices to increase, maintain,
or improve the capabilities of students with impairments.

(E) Communicating, consulting, and collaborating with parents
and legal guardians, paraprofessionals, general educators, administrators, and
human services personnel.

(F) Developing, implementing, and evaluating individualized
education programs.

(G) Planning, organizing, scheduling, and conducting
individualized education program team meetings, including parental and student
participation in those meetings.

(H) Preparing students with disabilities for transitions,
including the transition from preschool to elementary school and the transition
into postsecondary environments and employment.

(I) Maintaining, releasing, and transferring student records
according to school district, intermediate school district, or public school
academy rules and policies and state and federal laws, rules, and policies.

(J) Articulating the historical and legal bases regarding
special education, such as the concept of free appropriate public education,
general least restrictive environment requirements, and family education and
privacy rights.

(ii) Any additional criteria that the
department determines is appropriate in the teaching of special education
students.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or rule to the
contrary, if the individual holds a Michigan teaching certificate, for an
interim teaching certificate under this section for teaching special education,
the individual has completed the accelerated training program for teaching
special education students as described in subdivision (d) that meets criteria
established by the department and that is approved by the superintendent of
public instruction. An individual described in this subdivision is not required
to complete an intensive training program in teaching as described under
subdivision (a)(i).

(3) An individual earning a Michigan teaching certificate
using the process under this section will be subject to provisions of
administrative rules governing teachers, as established by the superintendent
of public instruction.

(4) An individual who possesses an interim teaching
certificate under this section may be employed to teach in a public school in
the same manner as an individual holding a Michigan teaching certificate issued
under section 1531 if both of the following requirements are met:

(a) While the individual is teaching under an interim
teaching certificate, the school district or public school academy in which the
individual is teaching provides intensive observation and coaching in a manner
and to the extent prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction.

(b) The individual is making satisfactory progress toward
meeting the requirements for being awarded a Michigan teaching certificate
under section 1531, as established by the superintendent of public instruction
under subsection (5).

(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop
standards for granting an individual a Michigan teaching certificate issued
under section 1531 after the individual has demonstrated satisfactory teaching
performance for 3 years under an interim teaching certificate and has met the
requirements established by the superintendent of public instruction for a
Michigan teaching certificate.

(6) The superintendent of public instruction shall promulgate
rules that the superintendent of public instruction considers necessary to
implement this section.

(7) CEPI, in consultation with the department, shall partner
with 1 or more research university or universities in this state to conduct a
research study and analysis on educator shortages in this state. The department
shall make any needed data available to CEPI and the selected research
university or universities described in this subsection to facilitate the study
and analysis described in this subsection. Using the study and analysis
described in this subsection, CEPI, with its partners under this subsection,
shall submit an initial report to the governor and the chairs of the senate and
house standing committees responsible for education legislation that summarizes
available state data, provides a baseline from which future comprehensive data
analysis can begin, and includes recommendations to policymakers concerning
data-gathering activities that are necessary to complete the comprehensive
report described in this subsection, and by January 1 of each year, CEPI, with
its partners under this subsection, shall submit a comprehensive report
concerning educator shortages in this state to the governor and the chairs of
the senate and house standing committees responsible for education legislation.
The comprehensive report submitted by CEPI under this subsection must include,
but is not limited to, all of the following:

(a) The number of educator vacancies in this state,
disaggregated by geographic region and by any broad subject areas and
educational settings required for those vacancies.

(b) The educator retention rates in this state, disaggregated
by geographic region, broad subject areas and educational settings, number of
years in the profession, and educator demographics.

(c) The number of graduates from approved, in-state teacher
preparation programs, disaggregated by the broad subject areas and educational
settings of those graduates, if any.

(d) An analysis of the regions in this state that present the
highest need for educators based on educator shortages in those regions,
disaggregated by the broad subject areas and educational settings of the
positions in which there are shortages in those regions.

(8) By January 1 of each year, the department shall submit a
report to the governor and the chairs of the senate and house standing
committees responsible for education legislation regarding the number of
interim teaching certificates issued under this section for teaching special
education and the retention rate for teachers who began serving as teachers in
this state through usage of an interim teaching certificate issued under this
section.

(9) As used in this section:

(a) “CEPI” means the center for educational performance and
information created under section 94a of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL
388.1694a.

(b) “Cohort” means all of the individuals enrolled in an
alternative teaching program approved by the superintendent of public
instruction for the 3 years immediately preceding the granting of an interim
teaching certificate under this section to an individual enrolled in the
alternative teaching program.

(c) “Subject area examination” means that term as defined in
section 1531.

This act is ordered to take
immediate effect.

Secretary of the Senate

Clerk of the House of
Representatives

Approved___________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Governor