AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT BEGINNING WITH THE 2027-2028 SCHOOL YEAR, THE STANDARDS AND CRITERIA FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS IN THE STATE SET BY THE COMMISSION ON TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE AND DEVELOPMENT MUST INCLUDE NOT LESS THAN THREE CREDIT HOURS ON TEACHING STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA WITHIN THE EXISTING CREDIT HOUR REQUIREMENTS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-3-2, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM TO THE PRECEDING PROVISION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
Summary
House Bill 1494 would require Mississippi educator preparation programs to include at least three credit hours of coursework on teaching students with dyslexia, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year. The required instruction must cover the scientific basis of dyslexia, evidence-based teaching and remediation strategies, classroom accommodations, and an introduction to the process for becoming a dyslexia practitioner or dyslexia therapist. Each program would also have to designate at least one qualified faculty member, or a faculty member with specialized training, to teach the coursework.
The bill also amends Section 37-3-2 of the Mississippi Code to conform the new dyslexia-training requirement to the state’s educator licensure framework. Because the new coursework is added within existing credit-hour requirements, the bill does not appear to increase the overall credit load for teacher candidates, but it does make dyslexia instruction a mandatory component of approved preparation programs. The effective date is July 1, 2026, while the educator-preparation requirement itself begins with the 2027-2028 school year.
Impact
HB1494 would directly affect the standards used by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development when approving educator preparation programs. It would require teacher-training institutions to embed dyslexia instruction into their curricula and to staff that instruction with qualified or specially trained faculty. The bill would not create a new standalone licensure category, but it would change the content required for program approval and, indirectly, the preparation of future teachers entering Mississippi schools.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a targeted education-policy proposal with a generally supportive, technical character. The caption and language suggest a focus on improving teacher readiness to serve students with dyslexia, and there is no evidence in the record provided of organized opposition or divided voting. The bill’s structure also indicates an implementation timeline that gives institutions time to adjust, which is consistent with a measured, implementation-oriented approach.
Contention
No committee transcript or vote history was provided, so there are no documented points of contention in the available record. Potential areas where debate could arise include whether three credit hours is sufficient, whether the requirement should be added within existing credit-hour limits rather than as an additional burden, and whether teacher-preparation programs have enough qualified faculty to teach the material. Another possible issue is the bill’s interaction with existing dyslexia-related training and licensure rules, but no specific objections are shown in the materials provided.