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SENATE BILL NO. 990
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled
"The revised school code,"
by amending section 1280f (MCL 380.1280f), as amended by 2024 PA
146.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1280f. (1) The department shall do all of the following 1
to help ensure that more pupils will achieve a score of at least 2
proficient in English language arts on the grade 3 state 3
assessment: 4
(a) Subject to subsection (4) and subject to the availability 5
May 20, 2026, Introduced by Senators POLEHANKI, BAYER, KLINEFELT, CHANG and
GEISS and referred to Committee on Education.
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of valid and reliable assessments, approve 3 or more valid and 1
reliable screening and progress-monitoring reading assessments for 2
selection and use by school districts and public school academies 3
in accordance with the following: 4
(i) Each approved assessment must provide a screening 5
assessment and monitoring capabilities for monitoring progress 6
toward a growth target. 7
(ii) In determining which assessments to approve for use by 8
school districts and public school academies, the department shall 9
also consider at least the following factors: 10
(A) The time required to conduct the assessments, with the 11
intention of minimizing the impact on instructional time. 12
(B) The level of integration of assessment results with 13
instructional support for teachers and pupils. 14
(C) The timeliness in reporting assessment results to 15
teachers, administrators, and parents. 16
(D) The degree of compatibility with other approved statewide 17
assessment measures, to minimize the impact on instructional time. 18
(b) Recommend or develop a literacy coach model with the 19
following features: 20
(i) Except as otherwise provided in this section, district-21
identified literacy coaches shall support teachers to use what was 22
taught during initial professional development in all of the 23
following: 24
(A) Providing instruction meeting the criteria listed in 25
subsection (10)(a)(iv) as needed, based on an analysis of pupil 26
performance data. 27
(B) Administering, scoring, and interpreting assessments under 28
this section with fidelity. 29
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(C) Providing differentiated instruction and intensive 1
intervention, including, but not limited to, methods to intensify 2
instructional interventions for decoding and word recognition. 3
(D) Using data diagnostically to adjust intervention 4
instruction and to understand reasons why a pupil may not be 5
responding to intervention instruction as expected. 6
(E) Using progress monitoring. 7
(F) Identifying and addressing reading deficiency. 8
(G) Using evidence-based instructional methods and the 9
features of evidence-based interventions for pupils who experience 10
difficulties with decoding and word recognition. 11
(H) The professional learning requirements under subsection 12
(7), as appropriate. 13
(I) The appropriate use of statewide professional learning 14
tools and evidence-based practices that meet the research 15
requirements consistent with the science of reading. 16
(ii) Except as otherwise provided in this section, district-17
identified literacy coaches shall also do all of the following: 18
(A) Model evidence-based instructional strategies for 19
teachers. 20
(B) Facilitate study groups. 21
(C) Advise in developing schoolwide and classroom 22
infrastructure to meet the collective and individual needs of 23
pupils using a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). 24
(D) Train teachers and school staff in data analysis and using 25
data to differentiate instruction. 26
(E) Coach and mentor colleagues. 27
(F) Work with teachers to ensure that evidence-based reading 28
curriculum resources such as comprehensive core reading curriculum 29
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resources and reading intervention programs are implemented with 1
fidelity. 2
(G) Train teachers and school staff to identify and address 3
reading deficiency. 4
(H) Work with teachers in applying evidence-based reading 5
strategies in other content areas, including, but not limited to, 6
prioritizing time spent on those teachers, activities, and roles 7
that will have the greatest impact on pupil achievement and 8
prioritizing coaching and mentoring in classrooms. 9
(I) Help to increase instructional density to meet the needs 10
of all pupils. 11
(J) Help lead and support reading leadership teams at the 12
school. 13
(K) Continue to increase the district-identified literacy 14
coach's knowledge base in best practices in reading instruction and 15
intervention that are supported by the research requirements 16
consistent with the science of reading. 17
(L) For each teacher who teaches in a classroom for grades K 18
to 3 and for each teacher whose classroom includes a pupil with an 19
individual reading improvement plan, model for the teacher, and 20
coach the teacher in, instruction with pupils in whole and small 21
groups. 22
(iii) In the context of performing the functions described in 23
subparagraph (ii), a district-identified literacy coach must not be 24
asked to perform administrative functions that will confuse the 25
district-identified literacy coach's role for a teacher's role. 26
(iv) District-identified literacy coaches must meet all of the 27
following: 28
(A) Have experience as a successful classroom teacher. 29
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(B) Have sufficient knowledge of scientifically based reading 1
research, special expertise in quality reading instruction and 2
infusing reading strategies into content area instruction, and data 3
management skills. 4
(C) Have a strong knowledge base in working with adults. 5
(D) Have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and advanced 6
coursework in reading or have completed professional development in 7
evidence-based literacy instructional strategies. 8
(E) By the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year, meet the 9
professional learning requirements under subsection (7). 10
(v) A district-identified literacy coach must not be assigned 11
a regular classroom teaching assignment, but is expected to work 12
frequently with pupils in whole and small group intervention 13
instruction by modeling and coaching in or outside of teachers' 14
classrooms. 15
(c) By the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year, provide 16
technical assistance to school districts, intermediate school 17
districts, public school academies, and the schools operated by the 18
school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school 19
academies to aid the school districts, intermediate school 20
districts, public school academies, and the schools operated by the 21
school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school 22
academies in reporting information contained in a pupil's 23
individual reading improvement plan. 24
(2) Beginning not later than September 1, 2025, the department 25
shall develop dyslexia expertise to provide technical assistance to 26
school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school 27
academies regarding dyslexia and underlying factors that place 28
pupils at risk for difficulties in learning to decode accurately 29
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and efficiently. The department shall offer expertise under this 1
subsection by providing guidance on at least both of the following: 2
(a) Structured literacy. 3
(b) Professional learning about dyslexia to school districts, 4
intermediate school districts, and public school academies. 5
(3) To support the implementation of the requirements under 6
this section, the department, based on current research, shall 7
regularly review and update the Michigan Dyslexia Handbook or a 8
similar publicly available dyslexia resource guide that includes 9
information regarding the education of pupils with dyslexia or 10
characteristics of dyslexia, to be used by school districts, 11
intermediate school districts, and public school academies. Reviews 12
and updates under this subsection must be conducted at an interval 13
not to exceed 5 years. 14
(4) By not later than January 1, 2026, the department shall 15
provide a list of approved valid and reliable screening and 16
progress monitoring reading assessments for selection and use by 17
school districts and public school academies under subsection (1) 18
and, in addition to meeting applicable requirements under 19
subsection (1), identify, within each approved assessment for 20
selection and use by school districts and public school academies 21
under subsection (1), a list of the elements of a reliable and 22
valid universal screening assessment for the purpose of identifying 23
pupils with characteristics of dyslexia or difficulties in learning 24
to decode accurately and efficiently that are or are not included 25
in the approved assessment. Beginning not later than September 1, 26
2026, the department shall develop dyslexia expertise to provide 27
technical assistance to school districts, intermediate school 28
districts, and public school academies regarding the appropriate 29
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selection and use at each grade level of reliable and valid 1
universal screening assessments for the identification of pupils 2
who exhibit characteristics of dyslexia and pupils who display 3
difficulties in learning to decode accurately and efficiently, 4
including those described in subsection (1), to minimize the impact 5
on instructional time. 6
(5) By not later than January 1, 2026, the department shall 7
publish a list of evidence-based tier 1, class-wide elementary 8
reading curricula and materials that are aligned with science of 9
reading methods that research has shown to improve literacy 10
outcomes and help pupils achieve reading proficiency. The 11
department shall develop dyslexia expertise to provide technical 12
assistance to school districts, intermediate school districts, and 13
public school academies regarding evidence-based instructional 14
methods and the features of evidence-based interventions for pupils 15
exhibiting the characteristics of dyslexia or pupils who have 16
difficulties in learning to decode accurately and efficiently that 17
include instructional methods and curriculum resources that use a 18
code emphasis approach to address the decoding and word-recognition 19
components of reading and that are supported by the science of 20
reading. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the 21
instructional methods and curriculum resources described in this 22
subsection must not include instructional methods or curriculum 23
resources that minimize the importance of primarily using letter-24
sound information to decode or recognize unknown words, including, 25
but not limited to, any of the uses of letter-sound information 26
described in subsection (23)(c)(iii)(A) to (E), unless such 27
instructional methods and curriculum resources are being used to 28
confirm the meaning of unknown words after decoding has been 29
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attempted. 1
(6) By not later than August 1, 2027, each school district, 2
intermediate school district, and public school academy shall 3
update its selection of a valid and reliable screening and 4
progress-monitoring reading assessment under subsection (9) to 5
ensure that the selected system includes a reliable and valid 6
universal screening assessment in accordance with subsection (4) 7
and the guidance provided by the department under subsection (4), 8
if it does not do so already. In complying with this subsection, a 9
school district, intermediate school district, or public school 10
academy shall minimize the impact on instructional time by 11
selecting approved assessments that include elements fulfilling 12
multiple assessment requirements as described in subsection (18), 13
or, when appropriate, by adding approved assessment measures or 14
combining compatible approved assessments that, when utilized 15
together, include all of the elements of a reliable and valid 16
universal screening assessment. 17
(7) By not later than the beginning of the 2027-2028 school 18
year, each school district, intermediate school district, and 19
public school academy shall provide assurance to the department 20
that all literacy consultants, literacy coaches, and other 21
personnel providing reading intervention or reading instruction to 22
grades K to 12 pupils in the school district, intermediate school 23
district, or public school academy received professional learning, 24
as determined by the department, regarding all of the following: 25
(a) The characteristics of dyslexia and underlying factors 26
that place pupils at risk for difficulties in learning to decode 27
accurately and efficiently. 28
(b) Secondary consequences of dyslexia, such as problems in 29
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reading comprehension and a reduced reading experience that can 1
impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge and lead 2
to social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. 3
(c) Instructional adjustments for pupils with dyslexia and 4
instructional adjustments to address the underlying factors that 5
place pupils at risk for difficulties in learning to decode 6
accurately and efficiently. 7
(d) Methods to develop schoolwide and classroom infrastructure 8
to meet the collective and individual needs of pupils using a 9
multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). 10
(e) Evidence-based instructional methods and features of 11
evidence-based interventions that are grounded in the science of 12
reading and principles of structured literacy that are designed for 13
pupils with characteristics of dyslexia and pupils at risk for 14
difficulties in learning to decode accurately and efficiently. 15
(f) Evidence-based instructional methods and features of 16
evidence-based interventions that are grounded in the science of 17
reading and principles of structured literacy that are designed to 18
effectively meet the needs of most pupils. 19
(8) The completion of a program of study approved under 20
section 1531e fulfills the requirements of subsection (7). 21
(9) Subject to subsection (28), a school district or public 22
school academy shall do all of the following to ensure that more 23
pupils will achieve a score of at least proficient in English 24
language arts on the grade 3 state assessment: 25
(a) Select 1 valid and reliable screening and 1 progress-26
monitoring reading assessment from the assessments approved by the 27
department under subsection (1)(a). A school district or public 28
school academy shall use these assessments for pupils in grades K 29
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to 3 to screen and identify difficulties, inform instruction and 1
intervention needs, and assess progress toward a growth target. A 2
school district or public school academy periodically shall assess 3
a pupil's progress in reading skills at least 3 times per school 4
year in grades K to 3. The first of these assessments for a school 5
year in kindergarten must be conducted within the first 90 school 6
days of the school year. The first of these assessments for a 7
school year in grades 1 to 3 must be conducted within the first 30 8
school days of the school year. Beginning in the 2027-2028 school 9
year, screening of pupils in grades K to 3 under this subdivision 10
must meet the requirements in subsections (15), (16), (17), (19), 11
and (20). 12
(b) For any pupil in grades K to 3 who exhibits reading 13
deficiency at any time based on the reading assessment selected and 14
used under subdivision (a) and for pupils required to have a 15
reading intervention plan under this section, provide an individual 16
reading improvement plan for the pupil within 30 days after the 17
identification of the reading deficiency. The individual reading 18
improvement plan must be created by the pupil's teacher, school 19
principal, and parent or legal guardian and other pertinent school 20
personnel, and must describe the reading intervention services the 21
pupil will receive to remedy the reading deficiency. A school 22
district or public school academy shall provide reading 23
intervention for the pupil in accordance with the individual 24
reading improvement plan until the pupil no longer has a reading 25
deficiency. 26
(c) If a pupil in grades K to 3 is identified as having an 27
early literacy delay or reading deficiency, provide written notice 28
to the pupil's parent or legal guardian of the delay or reading 29
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deficiency in writing and provide tools to assist the parent or 1
legal guardian to engage in intervention and to address or correct 2
any reading deficiency at home. 3
(d) Require a school principal or chief administrator to do 4
all of the following: 5
(i) For a teacher in grades K to 3, target specific areas of 6
professional development based on the reading development needs 7
data for incoming pupils. 8
(ii) Differentiate and intensify professional development for 9
teachers based on data gathered by monitoring teacher progress in 10
improving pupil proficiency rates among their pupils. 11
(iii) Establish a collaborative system within the school to 12
improve reading proficiency rates in grades K to 3. 13
(iv) Ensure that time is provided for teachers to meet for 14
professional development. 15
(e) Utilize early literacy coaches provided through the 16
intermediate school district in which the school district or public 17
school academy is located, as provided for under section 35a(4) of 18
the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1635a. However, a public 19
school academy may use a literacy coach provided by the public 20
school academy, at the expense of the public school academy, rather 21
than using a literacy coach provided through an intermediate school 22
district if the literacy coach and the usage of the literacy coach 23
otherwise meet the requirements of this section. 24
(10) Subject to subsection (28), a school district or public 25
school academy shall provide reading intervention for pupils in 26
grades K to 3, pupils in any grade required to have a reading 27
improvement plan under subsection (23), and pupils required to have 28
a reading intervention plan under subsection (24), including at 29
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least all of the following, as applicable: 1
(a) For pupils who exhibit a reading deficiency, a reading 2
intervention using intervention curriculum resources and evidence-3
based practices aligned to the research requirements consistent 4
with the science of reading intended to ensure that pupils are 5
proficient readers by the end of grade 3 and that includes some or 6
all of the following features: 7
(i) Is provided to each pupil who is identified with a reading 8
deficiency based on screening and other assessments that are used 9
to identify the source of the reading difficulty, and identifies 10
and addresses the pupil's reading deficiency. 11
(ii) Periodically screens each pupil's reading skills at least 12
3 times per year and monitors the progress of each pupil's reading 13
skills as recommended by the progress-monitoring assessment 14
guidelines provided under subsection (4). 15
(iii) Provides evidence-based tier 1, class-wide reading 16
instruction that is comprehensive and meets the majority of the 17
general education classroom needs. 18
(iv) Provides reading intervention that meets, at a minimum, 19
the following specifications: 20
(A) Assists pupils exhibiting a reading deficiency in 21
developing the ability to read at grade level. 22
(B) Provides intensive development in evidence-based reading 23
instructional practices, including, but not limited to, phonemic 24
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and other 25
skills or processes consistent with structured literacy. 26
(C) Provides extensive explicit instruction consistent with 27
structured literacy in decoding, word recognition, spelling, 28
writing, and language comprehension skills, including vocabulary, 29
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morphology, and syntax, and processes for skillful reading. 1
(D) Is systematic and explicit. 2
(E) Is implemented during regular school hours in addition to 3
regular classroom reading instruction. 4
(v) Provides parents, legal guardians, or other providers of 5
care for the pupil with a read-at-home plan, including parent, 6
guardian, or care provider training workshops and regular home 7
reading. 8
(vi) Documents efforts by the pupil's school to engage the 9
pupil's parent or legal guardian and whether those efforts were 10
successful. 11
(vii) Documents any dissenting opinions expressed by school 12
personnel or a parent or legal guardian concerning the individual 13
reading improvement plan provided for the pupil under subsection 14
(9)(b). 15
(b) For grade 3 pupils exhibiting a reading deficiency as 16
determined by the pupil's teacher through the screening assessment 17
and other assessments selected by the school district or public 18
school academy under subsection (9)(a) and for pupils in grades K 19
to 12 who are receiving increasingly intensive tier 2 and tier 3 20
support as described in subsection (23)(g), a reading intervention 21
program intended to correct the identified area or areas of reading 22
deficiency and that includes all of the following features as 23
needed by the individual pupil: 24
(i) Is evidence-based, is consistent with structured literacy, 25
and has proven results in accelerating pupil reading achievement 26
within the same school year. 27
(ii) Provides more dedicated time than the pupil's previous 28
school year in evidence-based reading instruction and intervention. 29
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(iii) Provides daily targeted small group or 1-to-1 reading 1
intervention based on pupil needs as determined by assessment data, 2
including explicit and systematic instruction with more detailed 3
and varied explanations, modeling and examples, and more extensive 4
opportunities for guided practice incorporating error correction 5
and feedback for pupils to develop mastery. 6
(iv) Provides administration of ongoing progress monitoring 7
assessments to frequently monitor pupil progress. 8
(v) Provides a written description of the pupil's individual 9
reading intervention program in the pupil's individual reading 10
improvement plan, including at least all of the following: 11
(A) Quarterly and annual learning goals that describe how and 12
when the pupil is expected to progress from the pupil's current 13
reading proficiency level to grade level proficiency. 14
(B) The name, if any, type, content, frequency, and duration 15
of evidence-based interventions, curriculum resources, and 16
assessments that will be utilized, and the extent to which these 17
conform to best practices identified by the department for 18
addressing the pupil's specific identified reading difficulties. 19
(C) A summary of why the intervention resources and evidence-20
based practices selected for the pupil's individual reading 21
intervention are best suited to address the pupil's particular 22
needs. 23
(D) A description of the assessment data and the pupil's 24
assessment scores that will be used to monitor the pupil's progress 25
under subparagraph (iv) and adaptations to the intervention 26
instruction that will be provided based on feedback from the 27
assessments. 28
(E) Information about adjustments that may be made to 29
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intensify the intervention instruction as needed. 1
(F) The pupil's unique identifier. 2
(G) A date by which the pupil's teacher, school principal, 3
parent or legal guardian, and other appropriate school staff shall 4
annually review and update the pupil's individual reading 5
improvement plan, including reviewing if the learning goals have 6
been met or when the learning goals will be met. 7
(vi) Is administered with fidelity. 8
(vii) Provides supplemental evidence-based reading intervention 9
delivered by a teacher, tutor, or volunteer with specialized 10
reading training that is provided before school, after school, 11
during school hours but outside of regular English language arts 12
classroom time, or any combination of these. 13
(viii) Provides parents, legal guardians, or other providers of 14
care for a pupil with a read-at-home plan, including parent, 15
guardian, or care provider training workshops and regular home 16
reading. 17
(ix) Documents efforts by the pupil's school to engage the 18
pupil's parent or legal guardian and whether those efforts were 19
successful. 20
(x) Documents any dissenting opinions expressed by school 21
personnel or a parent or legal guardian concerning the individual 22
reading improvement plan provided for the pupil under subsection 23
(9)(b). 24
(c) Subject to subsection (29), for pupils who are English 25
language learners and who have been identified as demonstrating 26
characteristics of dyslexia or difficulty decoding by an 27
appropriate screening assessment administered under subsection (20) 28
or (21) that is consistent with department guidance provided under 29
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subsection (4) to distinguish characteristics of dyslexia from 1
limited English proficiency, intervention services that include at 2
least all of the following: 3
(i) Language support in word recognition and decoding. 4
(ii) Language comprehension skills to support expanding 5
vocabulary and understanding text. 6
(iii) Intentional English language development that includes, 7
but is not limited to, using only the words and text to teach 8
decoding and word recognition. 9
(iv) Instruction meeting the criteria listed in subdivision 10
(a)(iv). 11
(11) For all pupils exhibiting a reading deficiency as 12
determined by the pupil's teacher through the reading assessment 13
selected by the school district or public school academy under 14
subsection (9)(a), school districts and public school academies are 15
encouraged to offer summer reading camps staffed with effective 16
teachers of reading, as determined by the teacher evaluation system 17
under section 1249, providing reading intervention services and 18
supports to correct pupils' identified areas of reading deficiency. 19
(12) By July 31 of each year, the department shall notify the 20
parent or legal guardian of a pupil completing grade 3 who scored 21
not proficient in reading based on the state English language arts 22
assessment of all of the following by certified mail and in a clear 23
format: 24
(a) That the pupil has scored not proficient in reading based 25
on the state English language arts assessment. 26
(b) That the school is required to provide the pupil with the 27
supports described in subsection (13). 28
(c) The supports and interventions required to be made 29
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available to the pupil under the laws of this state. 1
(d) That the parent or legal guardian has the right to request 2
a meeting with school officials to discuss supports and 3
interventions. 4
(13) Except as otherwise provided in this section, for a pupil 5
who has a reading deficiency based on the screening assessment, the 6
school district or public school academy shall provide a reading 7
intervention that is intended to correct the pupil's specific 8
reading deficiency, as identified by a valid and reliable 9
assessment. The intervention must include evidence-based 10
instructional strategies that are aligned to the research 11
requirements consistent with the science of reading to assist the 12
pupil in becoming a successful reader. 13
(14) A school district or public school academy shall provide 14
a copy of each pupil's individual reading improvement plan to the 15
school district's intermediate school district or the intermediate 16
school district that has geographic boundaries that include the 17
area in which the public school academy is located. A copy of a 18
pupil's individual reading improvement plan provided under this 19
subsection must not contain any identifying information regarding 20
the pupil or a teacher that provides instruction to the pupil. The 21
intermediate school district shall collate the information received 22
under this subsection and provide it to the department each school 23
year in a timeline and manner as determined by the department. The 24
department shall not share a pupil's individual reading improvement 25
plan with an outside vendor. 26
(15) By not later than the beginning of the 2027-2028 school 27
year, and each school year thereafter, subject to subsections (17) 28
and (20), a school district, an intermediate school district, or a 29
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public school academy shall ensure that each pupil described in 1
this subsection is screened for characteristics of dyslexia and 2
difficulties in learning to decode accurately and efficiently using 3
a reliable and valid universal screening assessment. All of the 4
following pupils enrolled in the school district, intermediate 5
school district, or public school academy must be screened as 6
described under this subsection: 7
(a) Each pupil during kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and 8
grade 3. 9
(b) Each pupil who is in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, or 10
grade 3 who transferred to the school district, intermediate school 11
district, or public school academy from another school district, 12
intermediate school district, or public school academy in this 13
state and who has not been screened for characteristics of dyslexia 14
and difficulties in learning to decode accurately and efficiently 15
using a reliable and valid universal screening assessment. 16
(c) Each pupil who is in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, or 17
grade 3 who has transferred to the school district, intermediate 18
school district, or public school academy from a school that is not 19
located in this state, unless the pupil presents written 20
documentation to the school district, intermediate school district, 21
or public school academy showing that the pupil was subject to a 22
reliable and valid universal screening assessment. 23
(d) Each pupil who is in any of grades 4 to 12 who, as 24
determined by that pupil's teacher, educational-support staff, or 25
the pupil's parent or legal guardian, demonstrates any of the 26
following: 27
(i) Escape or avoidance behaviors when asked to engage in 28
reading or writing activities. 29
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(ii) Effortful or laborious reading. 1
(iii) Reading-comprehension difficulties caused by inaccurate or 2
inefficient word reading. 3
(iv) Significant spelling or encoding difficulties not caused 4
by fine-motor or visual-motor difficulties. 5
(v) Low performance on school-district-, intermediate-school-6
district-, or public-school-academy-approved English language arts 7
standards. 8
(vi) Low performance on school-district-, intermediate-school-9
district-, or public-school-academy-approved standardized 10
assessments. 11
(vii) Reading deficiency. 12
(16) A school district, intermediate school district, or 13
public school academy shall screen pupils under subsection (15) 14
with fidelity. 15
(17) Pupils required to be screened under subsection (15)(a) 16
must be screened, as described in subsection (15), no fewer than 3 17
times during a school year. Pupils required to be screened under 18
subsection (15)(b) or (c) must be screened within 90 days of 19
enrollment and thereafter on the same screening schedule as other 20
pupils in the same grade level. 21
(18) If the department determines that a benchmark assessment 22
or a valid and reliable screening and progress-monitoring reading 23
assessment suite selected by a school district or public school 24
academy under subsection (9) includes a reliable and valid 25
universal screening assessment, that assessment or assessment 26
system selected under subsection (9) may be utilized to meet the 27
requirement under subsection (15). 28
(19) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, for a pupil 29
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described in subsection (15)(d), the school district, intermediate 1
school district, or public school academy in which the pupil is 2
enrolled shall ensure that additional assessment data is gathered, 3
including the pupil's historical results on reliable and valid 4
universal screening assessments as available, and shall review this 5
data with the pupil's teacher and school staff to inform the 6
frequency of screening assessments that should be administered to 7
the pupil to avoid unnecessary assessment while effectively 8
assessing whether the pupil demonstrates characteristics of 9
dyslexia, difficulties in learning to decode, or difficulties with 10
word reading that may require an intervention placement for the 11
pupil based on the guidance provided by the department under 12
subsection (5). 13
(20) Beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, except as 14
otherwise provided in this subsection, a pupil who is an English 15
language learner and who has been assessed at an entering level or 16
beginning level of English language proficiency on a state-required 17
language proficiency assessment, or at a comparable level in 18
accordance with department guidance under subsection (2), is not 19
required to be screened for characteristics of dyslexia and 20
difficulties in learning to decode under subsection (15). However, 21
the pupil is required to be screened for characteristics of 22
dyslexia and difficulties in learning to decode under subsection 23
(15) if, in accordance with the department guidance under 24
subsection (4), school staff determine that the pupil appears to 25
demonstrate characteristics of dyslexia that are not due to 26
language transference or limited English proficiency. 27
(21) Beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, a pupil who is an 28
English language learner and who has been assessed at a developing 29
21
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
level or higher on a state-required language proficiency 1
assessment, or at a comparable level in accordance with department 2
guidance under subsection (4), must be screened for characteristics 3
of dyslexia and difficulty decoding as appropriate for the pupil's 4
grade level under subsection (15), and, as appropriate and 5
consistent with department guidance, the pupil's screening must 6
include spelling skills, phonemic awareness in the pupil's native 7
language, and oral reading fluency in the pupil's native language. 8
(22) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, school 9
districts, intermediate school districts, and public school 10
academies shall ensure that reading instruction and curriculum 11
materials are evidence-based, with a focus on pupils' mastery of 12
the foundational reading skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, 13
fluency, and the development of other reading skills, including, 14
but not limited to, development of oral language, vocabulary, and 15
reading comprehension. Pupils must be provided instruction aligned 16
with science of reading methods that research shows improve 17
literacy outcomes and help pupils achieve reading proficiency.used 18
by the school district, intermediate school district, or public 19
school academy are selected from the list published by the 20
department under subsection (5). 21
(23) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, if a reliable 22
and valid universal screening assessment indicates that a pupil is 23
exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia or indicates that the pupil 24
is experiencing difficulty in learning to decode accurately and 25
efficiently, the school district, intermediate school district, or 26
public school academy in which the pupil is enrolled shall ensure 27
that a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) is provided to the 28
pupil, including, but not limited to, decoding and word recognition 29
22
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
instruction in the tiered delivery system. Beginning with the 2027-1
2028 school year, if a reliable and valid universal screening 2
assessment indicates that a pupil is exhibiting characteristics of 3
dyslexia or indicates that the pupil is experiencing difficulty in 4
learning to decode accurately and efficiently, a reading 5
intervention program provided under this section must be part of a 6
multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). The multi-tiered system of 7
support (MTSS) described in this subsection must meet all of the 8
following: 9
(a) Be a comprehensive framework composed of a collection of 10
evidence-based strategies designed to meet the individual needs and 11
assets of the whole pupil at all achievement levels. 12
(b) Include 3 distinct tiers of instructional support. 13
(c) Tier 1 support of the 3 distinct tiers of instructional 14
support described in subdivision (b) must, at a minimum, meet all 15
of the following: 16
(i) Encompass a combination of evidence-based strategies that 17
are available to all learners. 18
(ii) Effectively meet the needs of most pupils. 19
(iii) For the instructional methods and curriculum resources 20
under this tier used to address the decoding and word-recognition 21
components of reading, use a code emphasis instructional approach 22
and be supported by the science of reading. Except as otherwise 23
provided in this section, the instructional methods and curriculum 24
resources described in this subparagraph must not include 25
instructional methods or curriculum resources that minimize the 26
importance of primarily using letter-sound information to decode or 27
recognize unknown words, including, but not limited to, any of the 28
following, unless such instructional methods and curriculum 29
23
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
resources are being used to confirm the meaning of unknown words 1
after decoding has been attempted: 2
(A) Prompting pupils to guess unknown words using pictures and 3
illustrations. 4
(B) Skipping over an unknown word or words to use the meaning 5
of the passage to recognize the unknown word or words. 6
(C) Identifying only the first sound of an unknown word and 7
then being prompted to guess the word using the word's initial 8
sound and the meaning of the text surrounding the word. 9
(D) Memorizing a word in its written form. 10
(E) Using predictable text and leveled text to provide initial 11
word recognition instruction and practice in reading new learned 12
letter-sound correspondences. 13
(d) Tier 2 support of the 3 distinct tiers of instructional 14
support described in subdivision (b) must be provided to small 15
groups of pupils to whom at least 1 of the following applies: 16
(i) Screening-assessment data indicate a need for intervention 17
to address difficulties in learning to decode and recognizing words 18
accurately and efficiently. 19
(ii) Tier 1 instructional data indicate a need for intervention 20
to address difficulties in learning to decode and recognizing 21
words. 22
(e) Provide that tier 2 support, as described in subdivision 23
(d), must include instructional methods and curriculum resources 24
that use a code emphasis approach to address the decoding and word-25
recognition components of reading and that are supported by the 26
science of reading. The instructional methods and curriculum 27
resources described in this subdivision must include, but are not 28
limited to, specialized instructional procedures, duration, and 29
24
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
frequency. However, these instructional methods and curriculum 1
resources must not include instructional methods or curriculum 2
resources that minimize the importance of primarily using letter-3
sound information to decode or recognize unknown words, including, 4
but not limited to, any of the uses of letter-sound information 5
described in subdivision (c)(iii)(A) to (E), unless such 6
instructional methods and curriculum resources are being used to 7
confirm the meaning of unknown words after decoding has been 8
attempted. 9
(f) Provide that pupils receiving intervention consisting of 10
tier 2 support, as described in subdivision (d), must have their 11
progress monitored by the individuals providing the intervention 12
instruction using appropriate assessments to determine the pupils' 13
response to intervention instruction. 14
(g) Provide that, if pupils who are receiving intervention at 15
the tier 2 level of support as described in this subsection are not 16
making measurable progress in response to reading intervention at a 17
rate that will result in meaningful improvements in performance, 18
intensive tier 3 support must be provided to the pupil using 19
evidence-based instructional adaptations that must be documented in 20
the pupil's individual reading improvement plan. If the pupil is 21
determined to have a specific learning disability in reading, these 22
interventions may be provided through the student's individualized 23
education plan. 24
(h) Provide that a pupil described in subdivision (g) has a 25
current individual reading intervention plan meeting the 26
requirements of subsection (10)(b). 27
(i) Provide that, for the purposes of subdivision (g), an 28
intervention response team at the school district, intermediate 29
25
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
school district, or public school academy in which a pupil 1
described in subdivision (g) is enrolled shall refine the pupil's 2
individual reading improvement plan with the teacher providing the 3
intervention instruction to the pupil under subdivision (g) to 4
meaningfully accelerate reading outcomes. 5
(j) Provide that, if a pupil's response to the intervention 6
instruction described in subdivisions (a) to (g) or subsection (10) 7
is insufficient and there is reason to suspect the pupil has a 8
disability, subject to state and federal laws concerning special 9
education, the school district, intermediate school district, or 10
public school academy must consider the need for a full and 11
comprehensive evaluation to determine eligibility for special 12
education services. 13
(24) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, if a reliable 14
and valid universal screening assessment indicates the need for 15
intervention, to the extent that the school district, intermediate 16
school district, or public school academy is not already providing 17
the pupil with the evidence-based intervention services described 18
in subsections (10) and (23), the school district, intermediate 19
school district, or public school academy in which the pupil is 20
enrolled shall provide the pupil with evidence-based intervention 21
services that are grounded in the science of reading and the 22
principles of structured literacy approaches or programs. 23
(25) A school district, an intermediate school district, or a 24
public school academy shall ensure that the necessary 25
accommodations or equipment are provided to pupils as required 26
under section 504 of title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 29 27
USC 794, and title II of the Americans with disabilities act of 28
1990, 42 USC 12131 to 12165. 29
26
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
(26) If the parent or legal guardian of a pupil has an 1
independent, comprehensive evaluation conducted for dyslexia or 2
other learning disabilities, the school district, intermediate 3
school district, or public school academy in which the pupil is 4
enrolled shall ensure that any applicable requirements under the 5
individuals with disabilities education act, Public Law 108-446, 6
are fulfilled. 7
(27) If a school district or public school academy cannot 8
furnish the number of teachers needed to satisfy 1 or more of the 9
criteria set forth in this section for a school year, then by the 10
August 15 before the beginning of that school year the school 11
district or public school academy shall develop a staffing plan for 12
providing services under this section. The school district or 13
public school academy shall post the staffing plan on its website 14
for the applicable school year. The staffing plan must include at 15
least all of the following: 16
(a) A description of the criteria that will be used to assign 17
a pupil who has been identified as not proficient in English 18
language arts to a teacher. 19
(b) The credentials or training held by teachers currently 20
teaching at the school. 21
(c) How the school district or public school academy will meet 22
the requirements under this section. 23
(28) This section does not require or state an intention to 24
require a school district or public school academy to supplant 25
state funds with federal funds for implementing or supporting the 26
activities under this section and does not prohibit a school 27
district or public school academy from continuing to use federal 28
funds for any of the purposes or activities described in this 29
27
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
section. 1
(29) For pupils identified as English language learners by the 2
pupil's teacher or other school staff or by a state-required 3
language proficiency assessment, if available staff resources 4
allow, a school district or public school academy is encouraged to 5
provide the following intervention services in addition to those 6
required under subsection (10)(c): 7
(a) Instruction in the pupil's native language, with 8
withdrawal of that instruction as appropriate as the pupil improves 9
the pupil's English language skills. A school district or public 10
school academy is encouraged to provide this support for at least 11
pupils whose native language is Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, or 12
Arabic. 13
(b) Opportunities for speech production. 14
(c) Common English language development strategies such as 15
modeling, guided practice, and comprehensive input. 16
(d) Feedback for the pupil, including explanations in the 17
pupil's native language. 18
(30) An individual who is not a district-identified literacy 19
coach may be utilized to meet the requirements under subsection 20
(1)(b)(i) and (ii) if that individual meets the requirements that a 21
district-identified literacy coach must meet under subsection 22
(1)(b)(iv). 23
(31) The instructional methods and curriculum resources 24
described in subsection (23)(c)(iii)(A) to (E) may be used, as 25
appropriate, for purposes other than addressing decoding and word-26
recognition components of reading and for any purpose to comply 27
with section 504 of title V of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 29 28
USC 794, or title II of the Americans with disabilities act of 29
28
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
1990, 42 USC 12131 to 12165. 1
(32) As used in this section: 2
(a) "Benchmark assessment" means an assessment administered 3
periodically throughout a school year and used for 1 or more of the 4
following purposes: 5
(i) To predict and identify learner readiness for success on a 6
later summative assessment. 7
(ii) To evaluate ongoing education programs and interventions. 8
(iii) To provide teachers with individual learners' performance 9
data to inform instruction. 10
(b) "CEPI" means the center for educational performance and 11
information created under section 94a of the state school aid act 12
of 1979, MCL 388.1694a. 13
(c) "Cloze reading procedure" means an objective reading 14
assessment that deletes words in a designed reading passage. 15
(d) "Code emphasis" means direct, explicit instruction on the 16
code system of written English at the sound, syllable, morpheme, 17
and word level so pupils develop automaticity in accurate sound-18
symbol associations used for word recognition and for developing a 19
robust sight-word vocabulary. 20
(e) "Cumulative" means the practice of basing new concepts on 21
those previously learned and maximizing retention of concepts 22
through regular, systematic review to gain automaticity and 23
fluency. 24
(f) "Diagnostic instruction" means continuous assessment and 25
individualization of instruction to meet each pupil's instructional 26
needs. 27
(g) "Dyslexia" means both of the following: 28
(i) A specific learning disorder that is neurobiological in 29
29
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
origin and characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent 1
word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities that 2
typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of 3
language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive 4
abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. 5
(ii) A specific learning disorder that may include secondary 6
consequences, such as problems in reading comprehension and a 7
reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary 8
and lead to social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. 9
(h) "Evidence-based" means an activity, program, process, 10
service, strategy, or intervention that demonstrates statistically 11
significant effects on improving pupil outcomes or other relevant 12
outcomes and that meets at least both of the following: 13
(i) At least 1 of the following: 14
(A) Is based on strong evidence from at least 1 well-designed 15
and well-implemented experimental study. 16
(B) Is based on moderate evidence from at least 1 well-17
designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study. 18
(C) Is based on promising evidence from at least 1 well-19
designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical 20
controls for selection bias. 21
(D) Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research 22
findings or positive evaluation that the activity, program, 23
process, service, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve 24
pupil outcomes or other relevant outcomes. 25
(ii) Includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of the 26
activity, program, process, service, strategy, or intervention. 27
(i) "Explicit" means direct and deliberate instruction through 28
continuous pupil-teacher interaction that includes explanation, 29
30
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
teacher modeling or example, and multiple opportunities to practice 1
with feedback for students to develop mastery. 2
(j) "Fidelity" means the extent to which an assessment or 3
intervention is implemented as it was designed. 4
(k) "Intervention response team" means a group of individuals 5
with expertise in assessments, literacy, working with English 6
language learners, working with pupils with disabilities, and 7
behavioral efforts who develop individualized plans to support 8
pupils with significant and persistent needs. An intervention 9
response team must include at least 1 certificated teacher who has 10
English as a second language or bilingual education as an 11
endorsement on the teacher's certificate. 12
(l) "Leveled text" means text that has characteristics of 13
predictable text and text focused on teaching high-frequency words 14
without regard to sound-symbol associations. Leveled texts are 15
assigned a level based on a difficulty scale according to print 16
features, content, themes, ideas, text structure, language, and 17
literary elements. Leveled text does not provide pupils 18
opportunities to apply newly learned phonological and orthographic 19
knowledge. 20
(m) "Multi-tiered system of support (MTSS)" means a 21
comprehensive framework that includes 3 distinct tiers of 22
instructional support and is composed of a collection of evidence-23
based strategies designed to meet the individual needs and assets 24
of a whole pupil at all achievement levels. 25
(n) "Phonemic awareness" means the conscious awareness of all 26
of the following: 27
(i) Individual speech sounds, including, but not limited to, 28
consonants and vowels, in spoken syllables. 29
31
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
(ii) The ability to consciously manipulate through, including, 1
but not limited to, matching, blending, segmenting, deleting, or 2
substituting, individual speech sounds described in subparagraph 3
(i). 4
(iii) All levels of the speech sound system, including, but not 5
limited to, word boundaries, rhyme recognition, stress patterns, 6
syllables, onset-rime units, and phonemes. 7
(o) "Predictable text" means text that replicates language 8
patterns using rhythm and rhyme to teach pupils phrasing and 9
cadence. 10
(p) "Progress-monitoring assessment" means an assessment used 11
after a pupil is identified and matched with intervention support 12
to determine if the pupil continues to need intervention, if 13
supports need to be modified or changed, or if supports can be 14
faded. 15
(q) "Reading deficiency" means scoring below grade level or 16
being determined to be at risk of not meeting grade-level reading 17
expectations based on a screening assessment, standardized 18
summative assessment, or progress monitoring. 19
(r) "Reading leadership team" means a collaborative system led 20
by a school building's principal or program director and consisting 21
of a cross-section of faculty who are interested in working to 22
improve literacy instruction across the curriculum. 23
(s) "Reliable" means something that is based on the 24
consistency of a set of scores that are designed to measure the 25
same thing. 26
(t) "Science of reading" means a cumulative and evolving body 27
of evidence whose research studies follow a scientific process of 28
inquiry and utilize scientific methods to help answer questions 29
32
CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
related to reading development and issues related to reading and 1
writing derived from research from multiple fields of cognitive 2
psychology, communication sciences, developmental psychology, 3
education, special education, implementation science, linguistics, 4
and neuroscience. 5
(u) "Screening assessment" means an assessment designed to 6
proactively identify pupils who may be at risk of developing 7
academic, social, emotional, or behavioral challenges so that 8
support can be provided and to provide data to inform systems-level 9
decisions. All of the following apply to a screening assessment: 10
(i) A screening assessment must include, as appropriate for 11
grade level or age as determined by the department, in alignment 12
with the guidelines described in subsections (2) and (4), elements 13
designed to identify difficulties in learning to decode and 14
recognize words, including at least all of the following: 15
(A) Phonemic awareness. 16
(B) Rapid automatized naming. 17
(C) Letter-sound correspondence. 18
(D) Single-word reading. 19
(E) Nonsense-word reading. 20
(F) Oral passage reading fluency. 21
(ii) A screening assessment may include, as appropriate for 22
grade level or age as determined by the department, in alignment 23
with the guidelines described in subsections (2) and (4), elements 24
designed to identify comprehension difficulties, including at least 25
all of the following: 26
(A) Retelling. 27
(B) Cloze reading procedure. 28
(C) Answering questions about a reading passage. 29
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CRM S06222'26_SB0990_INTR_1 j0r3e4
(v) "Standardized assessment" means an assessment that is 1
administered and scored in a consistent or standard manner. 2
(w) "Structured literacy" means systematic, direct, explicit, 3
cumulative, and diagnostic instruction that integrates listening, 4
speaking, reading, and writing and emphasizes the structure of 5
language across the speech sound system (phonology); the writing 6
system (orthography); the structure of sentences (syntax); the 7
meaningful parts of words (morphology); the meaning of words, 8
phrases, sentences, and text (semantics); and the processing of 9
oral and written discourse. 10
(x) "Systematic" means following the logical order of language 11
and moving from the most basic concepts to the more advanced. 12
(y) "Valid" means the degree to which a method assesses what 13
it claims or intends to assess. 14