Act 20: What to Know

With the passage of Act 20 in Wisconsin, there will be changes to how students in 4K-third grade are taught, assessed, grouped, and qualified.

The following points summarize the ways that Act 20 will impact students’ instruction and experience at school.

  • All students in grades 4K are required to participate in a universal fundamental skills screening. Students who are in grades 5K-3 are required to participate in a universal reading screening. Children with disabilities or who have qualified for special education services and have an IEP must also participate in these screenings. There are no exceptions to participation and no alternative assessments allowed.
  • Every student who scores below the 25th percentile according to the universal screener must have a Personal Reading Plan (PRP). This plan is required for each child, including those who have qualified for special education services. Students with a PRP must be monitored weekly for progress using an approved assessment. After 10 weeks, schools must update parents on their child’s progress.
    • Students in 5K will be monitored for progress using the following assessment measures: nonsense word reading fluency and phoneme segmentation fluency (timed nonword reading and sound separation).
    • Students in grades 1-3 will be monitored for progress using an oral reading fluency assessment (a timed reading passage).
    • Students in grade 3 will also be required to achieve a score of Proficient on the state summative assessment in reading (the Forward Exam).
  • The PRP will include what instruction will be provided to the student, the setting for that instruction, and the benchmarks for determining progress. The instructional programming must be identified in the PRP and teachers are not allowed to deviate from that programming.
  • All students’ literacy instruction must be based in the Science of Reading and include explicit instruction in the following areas:
    • Phonemic Awareness
    • Phonological Awareness
    • Phonics
    • Building Background Knowledge
    • Oral Language Development
    • Vocabulary Building
    • Writing
    • Comprehension
    • Reading Fluency