As Michigan scores fall, state superintendent blames local control ‘run amok’

• Michigan lawmakers grilled State Superintendent Michael Rice about low literacy scores 
• Rice wants mandatory literacy training for teachers
• State is offering funds for districts to select new curricula aimed at boosting literacy

As Michigan students continue to struggle with early literacy, State Superintendent Michael Rice was in the hot seat in Lansing on Tuesday and blamed “local control” for lower scores. 

Michigan third and fourth grade reading scores continue to be lower than before the pandemic. Just 39.6% of third grade readers are proficient in reading, according to the latest state standardized scores.

Rice testified with State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, a Democrat from Saginaw, Tuesday at the House Oversight Committee. Lawmakers repeatedly pressed Rice on why the Department of Education wants more money while Michigan students continue to underperform their peers in other states. 

“Dr. Rice, I got to give it to you, I don't know what you're going to do in the future, but you should probably get in sales,” said state Rep. Jason Woolford R-Howell. “Because you've come asking for more money when you're failing, this is failing, and in the real world, sir, when you're failing, you don't get to ask for more money. You get fired.” 

Rice is slated to retire in October.

It was an often-tense hearing that veered into several hot-button issues, including diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee chairperson, Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay, noted the State Board of Education’s adoption of a resolution in March standing by DEI. The board passed it shortly after the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funds from districts that fail to end DEI programs.

“While we spend time drafting a resolution to condemn executive orders, what's the real solution to solving the problem of reading and math?” DeBoyer asked. “Because this is a lot of time spent on this.” 

Rice praised the Legislature’s recent passage of bills aimed at improving literacy by requiring schools to identify students with characteristics of dyslexia and adopting the science of reading. The laws had wide bipartisan support but have taken several years to actually pass. 

“It took a long time for these laws to happen,” Rice said. “We've got local control to a fault in the state of Michigan, and it's really clear when it comes to early literacy.” 

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School districts can “choose whatever materials they want,” Rice said. The new laws will “narrow that work,” ensuring that learning materials and teacher professional development will be “research-based.” 

“The Michigan Department of Education is not responsible for curricula, as you well know,” Rice said. “It's responsible for standards, but not curricula. We have a local control system run amok in the state. We're proud of our local control system until it doesn't produce the results that we wanted to produce.” 

Rice said the new laws are “game-changing.”

Money matters

Rice is asking for additional money for career and technical education and continued funds for mental health programming and student transportation.

He is also calling for mandatory “science of reading” training, known as LETRS, for certain teachers and for reducing K-3 class sizes at high-poverty schools. These are among his ideas for improving literacy scores.

State Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles criticized the state’s efforts, drawing comparisons to Mississippi, which has had gains in literacy scores.

“You guys are talking about LETRS training over there, and that’s, that's the golden ticket,” Paquette said. “Well, we're passing kids on who can't read to higher grade levels, even though there were all kinds of opt-outs in that law. But all the education elite opposed it. So how come we're not hearing that side of the coin with Mississippi?”

In 2023, the Democrat-led Senate and House passed a law to repeal a portion of a law that required students who were significantly behind in reading in third grade to be held back. The law had many opt-outs including an option for parents to ask for their child to move onto fourth grade. 

As for the science of reading training, the state pays for teachers to attend the time-intensive training.

Pre-K through sixth grade teachers, special education teachers, elementary and district-level administrators and literacy coaches are all eligible for the state grant, according to the training website. 

As of April, there were 6,388 educators taking the LETRS training, with an additional 3,857 people who have completed the training, according to previous information shared by MDE.

Curriculum changes

Rice’s testimony came a day after the state education department released a list of vetted literacy curricula. Schools can apply for state funds to purchase these learning materials. Lawmakers allocated $87 million in the state education budget for a state committee to review the literacy materials, make recommendations and then school districts apply for funds. 

The grant application closes in July. The list could help districts choose evidence-based curricula in a state where a wide variety of materials are being used.

During the 2022-2023 school year, elementary school teachers across the state reported using 444 different curriculum resources for English language arts, according to an analysis by Michigan State University researchers. 

“These resources included 154 distinct resources for core (English language arts), 120 for writing instruction, and 170 for phonics and/or spelling,” the report states.

Even if a school district selects one of these reading curricula and gets approved for state funds, it will take time for teachers to learn the curriculum and receive training. 

Rice asked lawmakers Tuesday to provide additional funds to expedite the work districts are doing. Aspects of the recently passed literacy reforms do not go into effect until the 2027-2028 school year.

“We don't want them waiting until 27-28, Rice said. “If you can fund their high quality instructional materials, some of them are going to get involved earlier, rather than later.”