Committee advances Read Act changes emphasizing ‘science of reading,’ rejects proposals to remove teacher assessment requirement

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The House Education Policy Committee on March 5 voted to send House File 877, a measure reshaping parts of the state’s REED (Read Early Education and Development) Act implementation, to the Education Finance Committee after adopting an author's amendment (A2).

The bill's author, Representative Erin Mueller, told the committee the measure would require that “instruction and practices, interventions, teacher development, textbooks, all the instructional material” be “on the science of reading,” and would move certain activities assigned to CARI (the statewide contractor carrying out REED Act tasks) to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) beginning July 1, 2025.

Supporters said the change would clarify that evidence-based reading instruction must align specifically with the science of reading and increase transparency in curriculum and teacher‑preparation reviews. Opponents and several testifiers urged caution, saying the bill as drafted could narrow local control, risk teacher retention if additional assessments are required, and remove protections for culturally and linguistically responsive instructional materials.

Representative Mueller said the bill does not require a paper‑and‑pencil exam for Tier 3 and Tier 4 teaching licenses,…