Early Literacy- Wisconsin Act 20

Act 20 Requirement
Act 20 states that all Wisconsin schools are required to provide science-based early literacy instruction in both universal and intervention settings. Science-based early literacy instruction is systematic and explicit and consists of all the following:

• Phonological awareness
• Phonemic awareness
• Phonics
• Building background knowledge
• Oral language development
• Vocabulary building
• Instruction in writing
• Instruction in comprehension
• Reading fluency

The district reading specialist will implement a reading curriculum, act as a resource to classroom teachers to implement the curriculum, work with administrators to support and implement the reading curriculum, conduct an annual evaluation of the reading curriculum and coordinate the reading curriculum with other reading programs and other support services with the school district.

See the Wisconsin Reads website for more information.

ASD Plan

Educators began implementing myView Literacy curriculum for grades K-5 in September of 2024. This curriculum is built on the science of reading, providing systematic and explicit instruction as outlined above. Staff received professional development for the initial implementation of the curriculum and continue to receive ongoing support that focuses on planning and strengthening their use of the resources.

Continuous Improvement Cycle

• The school adopts a continuous improvement cycle where assessment data, curriculum evaluation, and instructional practices are regularly reviewed and refined.
• The district reading specialist will conduct a yearly review of the literacy curriculum, ensuring it is aligned with evidence-based practices and state standards. Based on the review, the reading specialist will provide recommendations for curriculum adjustments, professional development needs, and instructional strategies to support student learning.
• The Director of Curriculum and Instruction, in collaboration with the district reading specialist and other stakeholders, sets goals for the next academic year based on the insights gained from the evaluation process.

ACT 20 Requirement

All educators who teach 5K through grade 3 reading, including reading teachers, special education teachers, and teachers of multilingual learners must begin training on science-based literacy instruction from an approved list by July 1, 2025. 

All individuals employed as a district reading specialist or principal must complete a reading training in Literacy Leadership by July 1, 2025. 

ASD Plan

All 5K through grade 3 teachers of reading completed the Cox Campus Structured Literacy Program during the 2024/25 school year. 

All elementary principals, the district reading specialist, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and the Pupil Services Coordinator completed the Early Literacy Leadership Training through CESA 6 in the 2024/25 school year.

Act 20 Requirement
4K Assessments: Students are to be assessed during the fall and spring using the statewide universal screener, which includes phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge. 

5K-3 Assessments: Administer three statewide universal screeners during the school year. Universal screeners may include phonemic awareness, decoding, alphabet knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and oral vocabulary.

Diagnostic assessments must be used when the statewide screener assessment indicates a pupil is at-risk (below the 25th percentile). 

ASD Plan

District staff will administer the early literacy screener, aimswebPlus, as directed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Assessments will follow the DPI's screening windows throughout the academic school year. AimswebPlus will be used for the initial diagnostic assessments.

For more information about the assessments at each grade level, click this link:

Early Literacy Remediation Plan Assessment Flowchart

Act 20 Requirement
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, provide parents and families with the results of the statewide universal screener within 15 days, including:

• The student's score on the statewide universal screener assessment.
• The student's score in each early literacy skill category assessed by the statewide universal screener.
• The student's percentile rank score on the statewide universal screener.
• The definition of “at-risk” and the score on the statewide universal screener that would indicate that a student is at-risk.
• A plain language description of the literacy skills the statewide universal screener is designed to measure.
• Local education agencies (public schools and independent charter schools) will provide a copy of the Personal Reading Plan to parents as well as provide progress updates after 10 weeks.

ASD Plan

Parents/guardians will receive notification and information throughout the screening and diagnostic assessment process within the given timelines, including:

• Statewide universal screener results
• Diagnostic assessment results, if applicable.
• Student's Personal Reading Plan, if the student scored below the 25th percentile on the universal screener, which would include the opportunity to fill out the Family Reading History Survey and information on the characteristics of dyslexia and special education referrals.

All communications will occur according to the timelines indicated in Wisconsin Act 20. 

Act 20 Requirement
If students are identified as at-risk on a statewide universal screener, a Personal Reading Plan must be created that includes:

• The specific early literacy skill deficiencies
• Goals and benchmarks for the pupil's progress toward grade-level literacy skills
• How progress will be monitored, intervention focus, and additional instructional services being provided
• The science-based reading programming the teacher will use
• Strategies for the parent to support grade-level literacy skills and any additional services available and appropriate

Local education agencies (public schools and independent charter schools) will provide a copy of the personal reading plan to parents as well as provide progress updates after 10 weeks.

ASD Plan

Students scoring below the 25th percentile on reading screening measures will receive a Personal Reading Plan. Parents/caregivers will be notified through Educlimber or in paper form. Educators will review student progress monitoring data and notify parents/caregivers of updates at least every ten weeks. Parents/caregivers can also request to see their student's progress at any time. 

For information on the classroom interventions, click this link:

K-5 Classroom Interventions and High Leverage Routines

For information on the interventions provided by our district reading specialists, click this link: Tier 3 Literacy Interventions

Exiting a Personal Reading Plan 

In grades 5K-2, students can exit personal reading plans by demonstrating adequate progress on grade-level skills and assessments. The District will utilize aimswebPlus screeners and progress monitoring measures to determine adequate progress and proficiency on grade-level assessments.

• Kindergarten will use the measures of Nonsense Word Fluency and Phoneme Segmentation. 
• Grades 1 -2 will use the measure of Oral Reading Fluency.

In grade 3, students can exit personal reading plans by meeting the goals of the plan and meets/exceeds expectations on the reading portion of the grade 3 FORWARD exam.

Act 20 Requirement
Schools must have a policy for promotion from 3rd to 4th grade, based on a DPI model policy, by July 1, 2025.  This would go into effect September 1, 2027.

ASD Plan

The Board of Education of the Ashwaubenon School DIstrict has approved a grade 3 promotion policy.  Policy 5411 was approved in May of 2025 and will go into effect on September 1, 2027.

Act 20 Requirement
Act 20 requires each school district to articulate and post an early literacy remediation plan that includes all of the following: the name of the diagnostic reading assessment the school district uses; a description of the reading interventions the school district uses to address characteristics of dyslexia; a description of how the school district monitors pupil progress during interventions, including the tools used and their frequency; a description of how the school district uses early literacy assessment results to evaluate early literacy instruction; and a description of the parent notification policy that complies with Act 20.

School districts are still required to publicly post the academic standards that they use and to provide a link to Wisconsin’s Informational Guidebook on Dyslexia and Related Conditions on their school district website.

ASD Plan

The above components comprise the Ashwaubenon School District’s Early Literacy Remediation Plan. In line with state requirements, the Ashwaubenon School District uses a variety of assessments to identify students who need help with reading, including those with symptoms of dyslexia. Teachers use these assessments to understand each student's needs and plan the best way to support them. Personal Reading Plans include different interventions and/or instructional strategies. Parents will also receive a letter with information regarding special education referrals and characteristics of dyslexia. For students receiving Personal Reading Plans, progress is reviewed frequently to inform any necessary instructional changes to ensure student growth.