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Reading Coursework Requirements

Reading Coursework Requirements

Michigan’s Teacher Certification Code contains two distinct requirements in the teaching of reading that all teachers must complete, one of which must be completed prior to earning an initial standard teaching certificate, and the other of which must be completed prior to advancing to a professional teaching certificate.

Reading Methods Requirements for Standard Teaching Certification

To be recommended for an initial standard teaching certificate with an elementary grade band, teacher candidates must complete a minimum of six (6) credit hours in the teaching of literacy, with appropriate clinical experiences. To be recommended for an initial standard teaching certificate with a secondary or PK-12 grade band, teacher candidates must complete a minimum of three (3) credit hours in literacy instruction as appropriate to the discipline area in which they are seeking an endorsement. These requirements are set forward in R390.1123 of the Teacher Certification Code. Standards for early childhood, lower elementary, upper elementary and secondary coursework are available. Teacher candidates who complete an approved alternative route program to teacher certification have satisfied this requirement. Complementing these standards, MCL 380.1531e and MCL 380.1531i detail specific requirements all teacher preparation programs, including alternative routes, must provide in understanding dyslexia, the science of reading, and delivering evidence-based literacy instruction.

Reading Professional Learning Requirements for Professional Teaching Certification

In order to advance to a Professional Teaching Certificate, teachers must complete one of the following requirements: 

  1. Hold a Reading (BT) or Reading Specialist (BR) endorsement earned after 2002.
  2. Satisfactorily (grade of C or better or the equivalent) complete an additional three (3) credit approved course of study in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction. The Office of Educator Excellence (OEE) maintains a list of approved courses offered by Michigan colleges and universities to satisfy this requirement. Some programs integrate this approved coursework into initial teacher preparation. Consult with the educator preparation provider that recommended you for an initial teaching certificate to determine if this is the case.
  3. Complete an approved course of study in the science of reading, as detailed in MCL 380.1531l. Michigan’s approved preparation providers are required to offer this course of study by no later than September 30, 2027. 
  4. Complete the professional learning selected by MDE under Section 35a of the State School Aid Act. This is currently Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).