2023 Wisconsin Act 20 – Early Literacy Instruction, Curriculum and Assessments

By Dee Pettack, Executive Director, School Administrators Alliance

On July 19th, Governor Evers signed Assembly Bill 321 into law.  During the 2023-24 school year, much of the work required of districts will be in preparation for the 2024-25 school year.  The 2023-25 biennial budget includes $50 million in the Joint Committee on Finance’s supplemental appropriation for efforts to improve reading and literacy outcomes for K-12 students, including those included in 2023 Wisconsin Act 20.

In the coming year the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is required to create a Council on Early Literacy, which must annually recommend K-3 literacy materials and curriculum.  If a school district chooses to utilize curriculum and instructional materials recommended by the council, DPI will reimburse school districts and schools in a Wisconsin Parental Choice Program 50% of eligible costs.  If the grant claims exceed the amount available, the grant awards will be prorated.  The council is expected to make a recommendation to DPI by December 1, 2023, with DPI expected to submit their recommendation to the Joint Committee on Finance by February 1, 2024.  Information regarding grant applications will be provided by DPI in 2024. 

The Office of Literacy will be created by DPI in the 2023-24 school year.  The Office of Literacy will establish and maintain the Literacy Coaching Program.  The Office of Literacy will create job postings for literacy coaches, work to train the literacy coaches in science based early literacy instruction and identify eligible school districts.  Act 20 requires that DPI contract with up to 64 full-time literacy coaches DPI must assign 50% of the coaches to schools with low student reading proficiency scores and the largest gaps in student reading scores.  Additionally, DPI is required to allocate the coaches evenly across CESA regions.  DPI will communicate the eligibility criteria and notify eligible districts.  

Act 20 replaces the current system of literacy assessment.  The new literacy assessment system will begin in July 2024 for the 2024-25 school year will implement more frequent testing, create a new assessment requirement for 5K-3 and require additional parent/guardian notification of assessment results.  The current Forward exam continues as our state assessment and DPI has begun work with that vendor to align that assessment to the 2020 standards and to be able to provide a separate reading score based on the reading section of the Forward assessment.  The required assessments selected by DPI and additional guidance will be provided as the assessment selection/modification proceeds.  The Act will require that schools administer a diagnostic assessment (chosen from a list of recommended assessments from DPI) to students identified as “at risk” who score below the 25th percentile on a universal screening assessment. 

In the 2024-25 school year reading interventions will be required for 5K-third grade students who have been identified “at risk”.  The school is required to create a personal reading plan identifying the interventions and services the student will receive and the goals and benchmarks to monitor the student's progress. The personal reading plan must be provided to the parents/guardians to sign and provide parents with strategies that are encouraged to be used at home.  After 10 weeks of intervention a progress report must be provided to the students’ parent/guardian. 

Ultimately, despite the enactment of Act 20, there are many questions that remain unanswered.  Much of the framework will be constructed by DPI, the Council on Early Literacy, and the Office of Literacy this fall.  The SAA will continue to seek feedback from the field on guidance that is released by DPI to ensure this Act is as workable as possible.  In the coming year, much of the work that will be done in our districts will be in preparation for the requirements that will begin in 2024.  Conversations will soon begin regarding required assessments, progress monitoring, intervention, staff training and parental notifications.