By: Paul Johnson

It has been nearly 9 years since the passage of legislation authorizing a 3-credit course in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction for teachers. It has been 6 years since it was implemented as a requirement to advance to the Professional Education Certificate in the State of Michigan. Yet many teachers are often surprised by this requirement and first learn of it when they apply for their Professional Certificate.

If you have teachers advancing to the Professional Certificate, Wayne State University is pleased to offer the required reading courses each semester. This summer we are offering the courses online from July 1 to August 21, 2015. Teachers with an Elementary Certificate should complete RLL 6801, Assessment and Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Learners PrK-8. Teachers with a Secondary Certificate should complete RLL 6802, Assessment and Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Learners 6-12. Each course has been approved by the Michigan Department of Education and includes a field component as required by law. The courses are offered for either graduate or post-bachelor (undergraduate) credit. For registration information, visit the Wayne State University Schedule of Classes online. To become a Wayne State University student and register for the course, contact Mr. Kevin Williams at ae2921@wayne.edu or by calling (313) 577-1601. In the fall, the courses will be offered in a traditional face-to-face format.

Expiring certificates should not be a surprise either. The Michigan Department of Education through the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOCES) notifies teachers when certificates will expire. E-mail notifications are sent in three intervals: 180, 90, and 30 days from expiration of the certificate. In order to receive these notifications, certificate holders need to keep their contact information updated in MOECS.