Michigan’s Original Reading Requirement
Since 1983, the State of Michigan has required elementary teachers to have at least six semester credits of reading coursework and secondary teachers to have at least three semester credits of reading coursework. Elementary teachers are required to have coursework that addresses the pedagogy of teaching reading, and secondary teachers are required to have coursework that addresses reading in the content areas. Teachers who completed their initial teacher certification program before the fall of 1988, or completed it in another state, may not have the coursework required for advanced certification in Michigan. This coursework must be completed before a teacher can advance to the Professional Certificate.
- At MSU, elementary teachers who have not met Michigan’s original reading requirement are required to take TE 842: Advanced Methods of Elementary School Reading (3 credits) and/or TE 849: Methods of Writing Instruction (3 credits).
- At MSU, secondary teachers who have not met Michigan’s original reading requirement are required to take TE 843 (Reading, Writing, and Reasoning in Secondary School Subjects).
Teachers who took reading courses at MSU before Fall Semester 1992 may have taken some of the following approved reading courses. These courses carried quarter term credit rather than semester credit. One term credit equals 2/3 semester credit.
- Elementary
- TE 310, 311, 312, 313
- ED 325A, 325C, 475
- TE 820A, 820C, 820D, 820K, 824E
- CEP 820E, 820G, 820M
- EAC 820A,820D, 830E, 820E, 820G, 820K, 820M
- ED 830C, 830D, 830E, 830F, 830H
- Secondary
- TE 412
- ENG 408A
- TE 820A, 820C, 820D
- EAC 820A, 820C, 820D
- ED 830C, 830D
Michigan’s Newest Reading Requirement
Since July 1, 2009, the State of Michigan has required three additional semester credits of reading coursework for both elementary and secondary teachers who wish to advance to the Professional Certificate. Elementary teachers who apply for the Professional Certificate must have a total of nine credits of approved coursework in reading, and secondary teachers who apply for the Professional Certificate must have a total of six credits of approved coursework in reading. Since 2007, the MSU course used to satisfy the new reading requirement has been TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners (3 credits). This course meets the new requirement for both elementary and secondary teachers.
There are several enrollment options for completing this course. With faculty approval, it can sometimes be incorporated into a master’s degree program. For information about course offerings, please see MSU’s Schedule of Courses.
To be recommended for certification by MSU, an applicant must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 and a GPA of at least 2.5 in the coursework required for the new endorsement, with no single grade lower than 2.0. Teachers with Graduate Certification (GC) status are expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required to receive Financial Aid.