As Michigan students struggle with literacy, teachers head back to school for science of reading training
Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. In 2010, Karlee Little attended Central Michigan University to learn how to teach elementary school. Now a veteran teacher, she’s back in the classroom as a student. Little, like so many Michigan…
In Michigan, teachers are returning to school for specialized training in the science of reading to help struggling students improve their literacy skills. Karlee Little, a veteran teacher in the Hemlock Public School District, is among those attending Lexia's LETRS training, which focuses on phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
This training is crucial as Michigan's reading scores have been declining since 2015, with only 38% of third graders scoring proficient on the state's reading exam. The Michigan Department of Education requires all teachers working in grades K-5 to complete professional training on the science of reading by the start of the 2031-32 school year.
Over 8,000 educators have graduated from LETRS training, with another 4,300 currently enrolled. Both major gubernatorial candidates in Michigan support literacy improvements, but differ on whether to reinstate the state's retention law, which would require third graders to repeat a grade if they fail the reading exam. Despite the bipartisan support for literacy, the next stage of the debate will focus on how to ensure sustained improvements in test scores if literacy outcomes don't improve.
Written by urgent.news from Chalkbeat's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
