State Rep. Nancy DeBoer this week championed the House passage of key education legislation aimed at improving literacy rates and expanding learning opportunities for high school students. The plans all passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“Other states have reversed their reading declines; it’s time Michigan does too,” said DeBoer, R-Holland. “Our students deserve better. We have a duty to take action to get them reading again. We can’t let Michigan become the most illiterate state in the country. Mississippi has already had its reading miracle. Now is the time for the Michigan miracle.

“I cannot understate how important it is for Michigan to complete the Science of Reading alignment.  Michigan is 44th in reading nationally. Our test scores have been decreasing for decades now. A staggering 76% of Michigan 8th graders are not proficient in reading. This is a crisis. Student difficulties with reading also contribute to a wide range of problems in our public schools including student mental health, chronic absenteeism, educator burnout, as well as the obvious difficulty of learning other subjects when you can’t read or cannot understand what the words mean.”

House Bills 5646 and 5697 – sponsored by DeBoer and state Rep. Tim Kelly – require teacher preparation programs to include science of reading training, equipping teachers with additional resources to better address Michigan’s ongoing literacy crisis. The plan also requires that all kindergarten through fifth grade public school teachers receive science of reading training by the 2030-31 school year.

Earlier this week, the House also approved DeBoer’s plan – HBs 5983-84 – which would empower school districts to establish innovative programs where students can learn through career and technical education, work-based learning, internships, and apprenticeships.  Students could earn their high school diploma by demonstrating mastery of academic skills, rather than simply logging hours in a classroom.

Examples of the types of programming allowed in the legislation would include career and technical education, work-based learning programs, internships, apprenticeships, job shadows, and competency-based education. Offering these innovative programs would not be required. 

“High-performing education systems around the country and world vary widely in schedules and consistently outperform Michigan students because they prioritize instructional quality, personalization, and mastery over strict compliance with concepts like seat time,” DeBoer said. “Our state can do more to ensure school districts are being creative, engaging students and helping students have strong career skills when they graduate.”

The legislation now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.

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