Improving Early Literacy is Important Priority for Local and State Educators

State Board of Education Hears Presentation on Ongoing Work

LANSING – Local educators from across the state and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) are actively working to improve children’s early literacy skills and achievement.

MDE’s literacy team updated the State Board of Education today on the progress that’s being made on literacy improvement work and continued to advocate to make training on the Science of Reading mandatory for Michigan public school elementary teachers.

“Recently released test scores demonstrate that Michigan—and the entire country—have work to do to improve early literacy achievement,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice. “Educators in our local school districts and MDE are committed to improvements in how we teach children to read. Long-awaited new literacy/dyslexia laws in our state will have an enormous effect on early literacy. As we work to implement the new laws, MDE calls on the legislature to make Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training mandatory for K-5 teachers.”

Progress being made in Michigan includes:

• Educators and/or administrators representing all 56 of the state’s intermediate school districts attended a virtual Dyslexia Summit on Jan. 31. There were 2,128 attendees, which doesn’t take into account the total number of educators who attended 141 “watch parties.” During the summit, experts shared how to support students with dyslexia using a multi-tiered system of support. 
• The ongoing work of the Committee for Literacy Achievement. The committee was formed in the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget, along with $87 million to allocate funding to districts, with applications being accepted beginning in June and allocations scheduled to be made in the fall. The committee began meeting in December 2024. It will critically evaluate literacy series and materials—such as curricula and textbooks—and literacy professional development and literacy tools or services. The committee will create and maintain a rankings list for all literacy items that it has evaluated.
• Work to establish a structure to select $500,000 winners for the competitive Reading Excellence and Advancing District (READ) Innovation Grant. The awards will come from $10 million in the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget. Applications will be accepted beginning in summer 2025.
• Professional development and presentations being provided to local educators at conferences and through webinars about the new literacy laws and funding allocations.
• A large number of educators completing and enrolling in LETRS training—with 3,175 educators having completed the training and 6,804 educators actively participating. Making LETRS training mandatory is one of the 2025 legislative priorities in a letter that Dr. Rice sent to Michigan legislators in January.

“Improving early literacy achievement is Goal 2 in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan,” said one of the presenters, Dr. Delsa Chapman, deputy superintendent of MDE’s Division of Assessment, School Improvement, and Systems Support. “The stage is set for ensuring our children are better able to read. Reading is the foundation of all learning. Improving early literacy will allow us to improve student achievement in other areas as well.”

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