Opinion | New 'Reading for All' law will decode reading for Michigan kids

More than six years ago, legislators and parent advocates began conversations on how to significantly address Michigan’s reading crisis for thousands of struggling readers. After years of hard work, Governor Whitmer recently signed into law historic bipartisan legislation to address some of the most common barriers to children’s reading success. Getting here took a dedicated effort from lawmakers, teachers, advocates, parents, and students who worked together to hammer out the details and line up necessary support.

The new “Reading for All” law was originally inspired by the experiences of students with dyslexia, whose needs were often overlooked in the classroom. We recognized the need for universal screening to identify difficulties in decoding early on. But, as legislators consulted researchers and education professionals, it became clear that providing evidence-based reading instruction and intervention would benefit all Michigan’s public school students, not just students who demonstrate the characteristics of dyslexia. Another important piece of the legislation will ensure that teachers are themselves trained to use methods that use the science of reading, so that they have effective tools to help their students.  

Recent M-STEP data reaffirmed the urgent need to address Michigan’s reading crisis. During the 2023-2024 school year, just 40% of Michigan third graders were proficient or advanced in English language arts. That percentage dropped from 41% the year before and 45% in the last school year before the COVID-19 pandemic. And while 47% of white third-graders scored proficient or advanced, only 17% of Black and 29% of Latino third graders did. The burden of inadequate reading interventions and supports in schools falls hardest on students whose families cannot afford private tutoring.

Here’s how the law will help:

1. Michigan’s youngest learners: Dyslexia is one of the most common barriers to learning how to read. Indeed, among states that have made progress at raising reading levels for all students, addressing the barriers to reading for children with dyslexia is arguably one of the most important – and has the greatest return on investment – given that an estimated 20 percent of all learners display some characteristics of dyslexia.

The new law creates the state’s first system to proactively identify and support students who show characteristics of dyslexia. MDE will approve a list of rigorous, evidence-based screening assessments schools must use to identify students who are struggling with the characteristics of dyslexia. Schools will screen all K-3 students as part of the already required assessment cycle and provide multi-tiered levels of support for students who demonstrate the characteristics.

Informed by screening information, parents and educators will be able to support students early -- before potential struggles with reading impact their schoolwork and other facets of their young lives. This is not just essential for their futures, but also the state’s future. Students who read well by third grade have a better chance to succeed in school and are far more likely to go to college, participate in the job market and even to have greater lifetime employment earnings, research shows.  

2. Students who are already showing characteristics of dyslexia: In addition to identifying students struggling with decoding skills through new required screening, the new law mandates support for students with dyslexia or who demonstrate characteristics of dyslexia. Critically, the interventions must be research-based with a track record of proven effectiveness in teaching students who struggle with decoding how to read.

3. Future learners and educators: Under the new law, teacher preparation programs in Michigan are required to provide specific instruction on how to effectively teach students with dyslexia in order for their programs to be certified by MDE. Current teachers will receive professional development on how to provide the necessary resources for these students using evidence-based instructional methods and interventions based on the science of reading.  These methods are designed to prepare and empower teachers to effectively teach all children the foundational skills needed to be strong readers.

In challenging and divided times, we celebrate all those who collaborated to pass this thoughtful legislation. They include the bipartisan group of legislators who sponsored and championed these bills with us, especially Senate Education Committee Chair Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia; Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake; Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton; Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids; House Education Committee Chair Matt Koleszar D-Plymouth; House Education Vice Chair Jaime Greene, R-Lapeer, and Speaker of the House Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit.

We are also grateful to the leaders and organizations who helped champion this work in recent years, including the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Dyslexia Institute; Caroline Kaganov, the parent advocate who first brought the issue to Senator Irwin’s attention; Susan Ward Schmidt, a retired teacher and current board member of the Michigan Chapter of International Dyslexia Association; Autism Alliance of Michigan; 313 Reads; The Michigan Education Justice Coalition, Student Advocacy Center and all the members of the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity statewide coalition who for years worked to underscore the critical impact of this package.

Many Michigan students, educators, and parents also made the trip to Lansing and shared deeply personal experiences to help legislators understand why the new law is necessary. The years-long joint effort by this diverse coalition demonstrates a deep commitment to students and to Michigan. We look forward to our continued partnership with state policymakers and education leaders to ensure that many more of Michigan’s struggling readers have the support they deserve so they can achieve their dreams.