Act 20: Reporting Requirements
Wis. Stat. §118.016(7) requires districts and independent charter schools to complete annual reporting requirements about early literacy screening, diagnostic assessment, and personal reading plans. The annual reporting must be completed by July 15.
The DPI compiles information submitted by districts and independent charter schools to create a state report that is submitted to the legislature each year by November 30. The report and supporting guidance is available at Act 20 Reporting.
To support accurate and timely submissions, this page contains:
Act 20 Reporting Requirements: Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where are the reporting requirements found in state statute?
2. Who must complete the reporting requirements?
3. Does this apply to private schools participating in private school choice programs?
4. When is the deadline for reporting?
6. How will information be collected from districts and independent charter schools?
7. Will any data in the report be redacted for student privacy?
9. What will the DPI do with the information districts and independent charter schools report?
10. What reporting requirements related to Act 20 exist beyond the report to DPI?
11. Who is responsible for reporting in multi-district or consortium charter schools?
12. Who is responsible for reporting for state and County Disability Education Board (CDEB) schools?
13. Who is responsible for reporting for students with IEPs in out-of-district placements?
1. Where are the reporting requirements found in state statute?
The annual reporting requirements are detailed in Wis. Stat. §118.016(7).
2. Who must complete the reporting requirements?
The reporting requirements apply to districts and independent charter schools.
3. Does the reporting requirement apply to private schools participating in private school choice programs (PSCP)?
The reporting requirements in Wis. Stat. §118.016(7) do not apply to private schools participating in private school choice programs.
4. When is the deadline for reporting?
Districts and independent charter schools must submit the annual report before July 15. The report submitted July 15, 2025 will include the 2024 – 2025 school year.
Note: For 2024 - 2025 only, fall screening was not requirement. Therefore, reporting for the 2024 - 2025 school year will begin with screening, diagnostic assessment, and personal reading plans that happened on or after December 1, 2024.
The DPI will compile information submitted by districts and independent charter schools to create a statewide report for the legislature due by November 30, annually.
The required items below are explained further in:
- Act 20: Reporting Requirements (printable infographic)
- Reporting Requirements - Explanations, Examples, and Non-Examples
- Recorded explanation and related slides
Per Wis. Stat. §118.016(7), the following items are included in annual reporting:
1. Number of students below the 25th percentile in 4K
2. Number of students below the 25th percentile in 5K - 3rd grade
3. Number of students below the 25th percentile on diagnostic assessment requested parent/caregiver
4. Names of diagnostic assessments used
5. Number of students 5K - 3rd grade who began a personal reading plan
6. Number of students who had a personal reading plan
7. Number of students who exited a personal reading plan
8. Number of students for whom a special education referral was made because of diagnostic assessment
Items 1 and 2 will be collected through a data sharing agreement between DPI and Pearson, the publisher of aimswebPlus.
Items 3 through 8 must be collected locally and reported through an application within WISE.
6. How will information be collected from districts and independent charter schools?
Information about student performance on the screener will be collected via a data sharing agreement between the DPI and Pearson, the publisher of aimswebPlus.
The remaining items will be collected locally and will be reported through a secure application in WISE. The application will be available in early May.
7. Will any data in the report be redacted for student privacy?
The department's annual report to the legislature must include the number of students below the 25th percentile on the screener. It is a total count of students without demographic information. Therefore, there is not a need to redact data for student privacy.
The data points that are locally tracked and reported to DPI include counts of students without demographic information. Therefore, there is not a need to redact anything for student privacy.
8. What is the penalty if a district or independent charter school does not complete the reporting requirements by the due date?
Per Wis. Stat. §118.016(9)(a)(1), districts or independent charter schools who do not complete reporting requirements before July 15 are not eligible for diagnostic assessment reimbursement for the following year
For example, if a district or independent charter school doesn’t submit their report by July 15, 2025, they are not eligible for diagnostic assessment reimbursement for 2025 – 2026.
9. What will the DPI do with the information districts and independent charter schools report?
Per Wis. Stat. §118.016(8)(b), DPI will compile reports from districts and independent charter schools to create a statewide report submitted to the legislature before November 30, annually.
10. What reporting requirements related to Act 20 exist beyond the report to DPI?
Wis. Stat. §119(i)(44)(2)(bm) requires that the board’s annual verified report include “the performance of pupils on the assessments administered during the prior school years under 118.016(3) categorized by school, gender, and ethnicity”. Wis. Stat. §118.016(3) is early literacy screening. To the extent possible, DPI will use its data sharing agreement with Pearson, the publisher of aimswebPlus, to meet this reporting requirement.
Wis. Stat. §115(ii)(385)(1)(f) requires that, for distrists or independent charter schools that serve students in 3rd grade, beginning with the 2024 – 2025 school and district accountability reports (e.g., school and district report cards), will include “the percentage of pupils reading at grade level by the end of third grade”. The percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations on the reading portion of the 3rd grade Wisconsin Forward will be included on school and district report cards to meet this requirement.
Wis. Stat §118.016(6)(d) requires that the early literacy remediation plan, required for districts and independent charter schools, include an explanation of how the results of early literacy screening is used to evaluate early literacy instruction being provided in the district or independent charter school.
11. Who is responsible for reporting in multi-district or consortium charter schools?
In a multi-district charter, the authorizing district reports for the school. The department recommends the authorizing district share student-level information with each partner district.
12. Who is responsible for reporting for state and County Disability Education Board (CDEB) schools?
The Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Wisconsin School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as well as and CDEB schools submit the report for their respective schools. The department recommends the state or CDEB school share information with the local school district.
13. Who is responsible for reporting for students with IEPs in out-of-district placements?
For a student in a private or clinical placement, the out-of-district placement reports the information to the district who reports about the student within their reporting.