TEACHERS: READING TRAINING S.B. 70: ENROLLED ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 70 (as enrolled) PUBLIC ACT 30 of 2007
Sponsor: Senator Nancy Cassis
Senate Committee: Education
House Committee: Education
Date Completed: 7-2-07
RATIONALE
Public Act 110 of 2006 amended the Revised School Code to require a teacher to receive reading instruction within his or her first six years of teaching in order to qualify for a renewal of a provisional teaching certificate or advancement to a professional teaching certificate. The requirement was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2007, but some universities reportedly would not have had the required course in place by then. It was suggested that the implementation be delayed to give universities additional time to develop the course, and that prospective teachers be allowed to complete the course as part of their teacher education program.
CONTENT
The bill amended the Revised School Code to do the following:
-- Delay from July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2009, the beginning date of a requirement that a certified teacher receive instruction on reading disabilities within the first six years of classroom teaching.
-- Permit a person to complete the required course as part of his or her teacher preparation training.
Under the bill, for a person holding a teaching certificate, beginning July 1, 2009, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may not advance the person's certification to professional certification unless the person successfully completes at least a three-credit course of study with appropriate field experiences in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction. A person may complete the course of study either as part of his or her teacher preparation program or during the first six years of his or her employment in classroom teaching.
Previously, this requirement was to apply beginning July 1, 2007, and the course had to be completed during the first six years of classroom teaching.
The bill also removed a provision prohibiting the renewal of a provisional teaching certificate if this requirement was not met.
MCL 380.1531
ARGUMENTS
(Please note: The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency. The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)
Supporting Argument
During the crucial years between kindergarten and third grade, it is important to help children develop solid reading skills that will serve as the foundation for the rest of their education. Teachers, particularly those who are new to the classroom, may have difficulty identifying the specific barriers that are preventing a student from reading at grade level. Without proper training, a teacher may recommend that a pupil be placed into special education classes or diagnose the child with a learning disability, when the real issue may be a visual, hearing, or motor disability, emotional disturbances, or social conditions such as poverty or domestic instability.
The reading training course required under the Revised School Code will enable teachers to identify these and other barriers and help students to work past them, providing more effective education to students at this crucial age, and alleviating strain on the special education programs. Evidently, however, some universities have not completed development of the required course. The bill postpones the implementation of the reading training requirement for two years, to give universities additional time to finish their course development.
The bill also allows prospective teachers to take the course as part of their teacher education program or during the first six years of classroom teaching. When the reading course requirement was enacted in 2006, some expressed concern that if the course were incorporated into the teacher education curriculum, it could lengthen the time needed to complete the program, or discourage prospective teachers from entering the field. Consequently, the course was added as a requirement to be completed after the student graduated. Some students, however, might prefer to take the course while they are still in school, rather than returning later for a summer or evening class. The bill gives an individual the flexibility to decide the best time to take the course, based on his or her schedule and other considerations.
Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill will have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Kirk SandersonAnalysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb70/0708