After three days of in-depth discussion during a public meeting, education leaders from across Wisconsin overwhelmingly approved key recommendations to update the performance benchmarks used in annual school and district report cards. The recommendations were passed by a vote of 25-1, on August 14, 2025, and were reviewed and adopted by State Superintendent Underly without any changes.
More details on the standard setting, including the updated range of overall scores that distinguish each of the five school and district report card ratings beginning with the 2024-25 report cards, can be found in the Center for Assessment's standard setting report.
In the summer of 2025, the 2025 Wisconsin Report Card Standard Setting took place for the school and district report cards. The DPI recruited a representative group of more than two dozen education leaders to serve on the report card standard setting panel. This group provided input on performance expectations for the state’s school and district report card accountability system through participation in two sessions: a virtual workshop in June 2025 (see meeting details) and an in-person standard setting session in August 2025 (see meeting details). The recommendations of the panel went to State Superintendent Underly for review and adoption. Dr. Underly adopted the recommendations without making any changes. The adopted rating category score ranges will be applied starting with the 2024-25 school and district report cards.
Report Card Standard Setting Resources
Understanding the 2025 Wisconsin Report Card Standard Setting: What's Changing & Why It Matters
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a report card standard setting?
Why did DPI go through a report card standard setting?
Who helped with this standard setting?
What were the steps involved in the standard setting?
What are report cards?
Every year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction creates report cards for all publicly funded schools and districts, as required by state law. These report cards use multiple years of data to measure performance in four “Priority Areas” (Achievement, Growth, Target Group Outcomes, and On-Track to Graduation). Each school and district receives an overall score that places them into one of five ratings (Significantly Exceeds Expectations, Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, Meets Few Expectations, and Fails to Meet Expectations).
For more information, please visit the About the Report Cards and Report Card Resources pages.
What is a report card standard setting?
A report card standard setting is a structured process for deciding what overall scores correspond to each rating category on the school and district report cards. In Wisconsin, a panel of experts helped determine the score ranges for the five rating levels, from ‘Significantly Exceeds Expectations’ to ‘Fails to Meet Expectations.’ They began by describing what schools at each rating level should be doing well. Then, they looked at sample school profiles with different performance patterns to make threshold score recommendations for each rating category. Those recommendations went to State Superintendent Underly for review and adoption. Dr. Underly adopted the recommendations without making any changes.
Why did DPI go through a report card standard setting?
School and district report cards have been in place since the 2011-12 school year. The report cards resulted from the work of an Accountability Design Team that was led by then Governor Walker, then State Superintendent Evers, and the prior co-chairs of the Legislature’s education committees. Since then, several significant updates to report cards have taken place.
Some of the significant report card changes have taken place due to updated state laws, including the variable weighting of Achievement and Growth priority areas based on the percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the requirement to use value-added growth methodology (2015 Wisconsin Act 55). Other updates were made in consultation with Wisconsin educators and leaders, including replacing the Closing Gaps priority area with the Target Group Outcomes priority area, converting absenteeism into dynamic scoring instead of a deduction, and incorporating updated assessment data based on revised academic standards.
Due to these and other changes over the years, a report card standard setting was needed to establish cut scores for the five report card overall ratings to ensure that ratings are fair, transparent, and appropriately reflect school and district performance.
Who helped with this standard setting?
This work was guided by Wisconsin’s Technical Advisory Committee and facilitated by the Center for Assessment, a national expert in accountability systems.
What were the steps involved in the standard setting?
The first report card standard setting meeting took place virtually on June 10, 2025 (see meeting details) , followed by in-person meetings on August 12-14, 2025 (see meeting details). Since there was not confidential student information or assessment questions being used at these meetings, these working meetings were open to the public for observation. Following thorough review and discussion, the group recommended updated report card rating category thresholds that were presented to State Superintendent Underly and adopted.
These updated rating category score ranges were applied starting with the 2024-25 school and district report cards.
If you have any questions about the report card standard setting, please contact our team at reportcardhelp@dpi.wi.gov.