Act 20 Update 

Legislative Updates: On February 19, DPI submitted this memo to the Joint Committee on Finance, recommending eleven early literacy instructional materials be approved for Wisconsin's recommended list. The Committee has 14 days to approve or modify this recommendation.  If districts intend to pursue the curriculum reimbursement grants available from Act 20, the selected materials must be on the approved recommended list approved by the Joint Finance Committee. Legislation was recently passed to release the funding appropriated from the supplemental Joint Finance account.  The Governor is anticipated to sign this legislation in the coming days. 

As amended, AB 1069 and SB 990 would eliminate the requirement to administer the first assessment in the 2024-25 school year to provide additional time to implement what may be a new assessment.  The Senate will need to concur on the bill when they return for the end of their floor period in March before it is sent to the Governor’s desk. 

Guidance from the Department: The DPI has shared that it will work with stakeholders as it develops important guidance. Examples include:

• how to address individual plans in schools with a large percentage of students meeting the threshold, 

• the interplay between Act 20 and special education law and practices,

• key issues involving multilingual learners, and,

• how funding will be distributed.

Sample Templates:  The Department of Public Instruction is developing a comprehensive set of templates that it plans to make available this spring.  The Department plans to share draft templates with stakeholders for input prior to being finalized.

AWSA and the SAA will keep you up-to-date with new developments.