Early Literacy Curriculum
This page discusses early literacy curriculum for use in universal instruction in 5K through 3rd grade with an emphasis on what is required by 2023 Wisconsin Act 20.
Use the links below to navigate the page
Early Literacy Curriculum Requirements
Early Literacy Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit
Early Literacy Curriculum Council List
Early Literacy Curriculum Grants (closed August 1, 2025)
Early Literacy Curriculum Requirements
In addition to being responsible for providing early literacy instruction that meets the requirements in Act 20, public school districts and independent charter schools are also responsible for providing instruction that meets all state and federal requirements, including, but not limited to Wis. Stat. §§ 121.02(1)(L)4 and 118.01(2)(c)7 and 8 , often known together as Act 31.
Science-based Early Literacy Instruction
Per Wis. Stat. § 118.015 "science-based early reading instruction” means instruction that is systematic and explicit and consists of at least all of the following:
- phonological awareness, including word awareness, rhyme recognition, repetition and creation of alliteration, syllable counting or identification, onset, and rime manipulation;
- phonemic awareness, including phoneme identification, isolation, blending, segmentation, addition, substitution, and deletion;
- phonics;
- building background knowledge;
- oral language development;
- vocabulary building to develop lexical and morphological knowledge;
- instruction in writing;
- instruction in comprehension; and
- reading fluency.
Per Wis. Stat. § 118.015, beginning on July 21, 2023, no school board, operator of a charter school, or governing body of a private school participating in a parental choice program may purchase curricula or instructional materials that include 3-cueing (118.015(1m)(d)). Further, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, no public school, including a charter school, or private school participating in a parental choice program may provide instruction that incorporates 3-cueing in the core reading curriculum for grades kindergarten to 3 or in supplemental materials, including materials used for reading intervention, for pupils in grades kindergarten to 3.
Three-Cueing
“Three-cueing” means any model, including the model referred to as meaning, structure, and visual cues, or MSV, of teaching a pupil to read based on meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues or memory (Wis. Stat. §118.015(1c)(c)).
Click here to access DPI guidance about word-solving in a science-based early literacy classroom. Word solving, which is using the letter-sound relationship (phonics) to read and spell words, is the result of explicit and systematic instruction. The guidance document linked above explains what word-solving does and does not look like in a science-based early literacy classroom.
Early Literacy Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit
Schools and districts not using a curriculum from the approved list may form a team and use the Wisconsin Act 20 Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit found at this link to document whether the early literacy instructional materials they are using (purchased and/or locally designed) meet the Act 20 definition of science-based early literacy instruction.
The Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit does not need to be completed; it is intended as a support for districts to document and/or evaluate their literacy instructional materials.
Early Literacy Curriculum Council (ELCC) Curriculum List (updated 12/6/24)
The Department of Public Instruction has adopted the following list of early literacy curricula as required by Wis Stat. §118.015(1m)(b). This list includes the two curricula recommended by the Early Literacy Curriculum Council (ELCC) for use in school year 2025-2026 and the four curricula previously recommended by the ELCC.
*Bookworms Reading and Writing K-3 (Open Up Resources, 2022)
*Core Knowledge Language Arts K-3 (CKLA, Amplify Education, 2022)
*EL Education K-3 Language Arts (Open Up Resources, 2017)
**HMH Into Reading with Amira (HMH, 2023)
**Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Fundations® (Wilson Language Training®, 2020)
*Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Really Great Reading (Countdown 2017, Blast Foundations 2014, HD Word 2015)
*Districts that purchase these materials, including consumables needed to implement these materials, on or after January 1, 2024 are eligible for a partial reimbursement grant.
**Districts that purchase these materials, including consumables needed to implement these materials, on or after January 2, 2025 are eligible for a partial reimbursement grant.
Note that these grants must be prorated based on the number of districts that apply. DPI cannot guarantee any specific amount of funding. Similar to federal funding grant reimbursements, districts will need to provide invoices in the claiming process as evidence that eligible titles were purchased within the eligible date range.
At this time, DPI is unable to implement the partial curriculum reimbursement grant because the Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance has not released the funds for this program to DPI. It is unclear when DPI might receive these funds and implement this grant program.
Documents related to the 2025 - 2026 ELCC Early Literacy Curriculum List
DPI's letter to Joint Committee on Finance (December 6, 2024)
ELCC's letter to DPI (November 7, 2024)
When available, the summary of the Early Literacy Curriculum Council's 24-25 curriculum submission ratings will be posted here.
Documents Related to the 2023 - 2024 Early Literacy Curriculum Council (ELCC) List
ELCC's summary of 2023-2024 curriculum submission ratings
DPI's 2023-2024 curriculum submission ratings and comparisons to the ELCC and other states
ELCC's letter to DPI (February 15, 2025)
DPI's letter to Joint Committee on Finance (February 19, 2024)
Early Literacy Curriculum Grants
The application for reimbursement closed August 1, 2025. Applications will re-open in 2026, after the next Early Literacy CurriculumCouncil List is published.
2023 Wisconsin Act 20 included partial reimbursement grants for the purchase of early literacy instructional materials from the list created by the Early Literacy Curriculum Council (ELCC).
Applications for partial reimbursement are no longer being accepted.
Money for curriculum reimbursement became available as part of the FY26 - FY28 state budget. Through August 1, 2025, applications are being accepted for purchases from the 2024 and 2025 ELCC curriculum lists.
Districts, independent charter schools (ICS), and private schools participating in private school choice programs (PSCPs) are eligible to apply.
For purchases made for the 2024 – 2025 school year:
- Curriculum must appear on the ELCC’s 2024 – 2025 list.
- Purchases must have been made between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
For purchases made for the 2025 – 2026 school year:
- Curriculum must appear on the ELCC’s 2025 – 2026 list.
- Purchases must be made between January 1, 2025 and May 9, 2025.
The application cannot be saved or revised and must be completed in a single session. Question 13 below describes what is included in the application. One application is accepted per district, independent charter school, or private school participating in a private school choice program.
1. What is the deadline for completing an application for a partial reimbursement grant?
2. What percentage of the purchase will be reimbursed?
3. When and how will partial reimbursement grants be received?
4. Are funds for reimbursement available?
6. Why are partial reimbursement grants for early literacy curriculum available?
7. What was on the 2024 – 2025 ELCC curriculum list?
8. What is on the 2025 – 2026 ELCC curriculum list?
9. When will the 2026 – 2027 ELCC curriculum list be available?
11. How does the ELCC create their curriculum list?
12. Do we have to buy curriculum from the ELCC curriculum list?
14. Are consumables reimbursable?
1. What is the deadline for completing an application for a partial reimbursement grant?
To allow time for verification and fund distribution before the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2025), all applications for partial reimbursement grants for early literacy curriculum must be received on or before May 9, 2025.
Submissions will be accepted through the online form only.
2. What percentage of the purchase will be reimbursed?
DPI cannot guarantee any specific amount of funding.
Per Wis. Stat. §118.015(1m)(c), the partial curriculum reimbursement grant could be as much as 50% of the purchase. However, reimbursement will be prorated based on the total amount of partial curriculum grant reimbursement requested.
All requests for 2024 – 2025 and 2025 – 2026 will be totaled. Then, the amount of funds available for partial reimbursement will be prorated, if necessary, with no more than 50% of the purchase being reimbursed.
The exact rate of reimbursement will not be known until after the May 9, 2025, submission deadline.
3. When and how will partial reimbursement grants be received?
The exact date partial reimbursement will be sent is dependent upon when the Joint Committee on Finance makes the funding for the grants available.
Reimbursements will be distributed electronically through electronic funds transfer, in the same way other payments from DPI are received.
4. Are the funds for reimbursement available?
Funds for reimbursement were made available in the FY26-FY28 state budget. Until August 1, 2025, applications can be submitted for purchases from the 2024 and 2025 ELCC lists.
5. Partial reimbursement grants are currently available for 2024 – 2025 and 2025 – 2026. What happens in 2026 – 2027 and beyond?
The 2023 – 2025 state budget made state funds available for partial reimbursement grants to support purchases for use in 2024 – 2025 and 2025 – 2026.
Currently, no state funds are available for purchases beyond 2025 – 2026.
Further, purchases for 2025 – 2026 must be made prior to May 9, 2025, the grant application deadline.
6.Why are partial reimbursement grants for early literacy curriculum available?
Partial reimbursement grants for early literacy curriculum are intended to provide one-time financial support for districts, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in private school choice programs to meet curriculum requirements in Wis. Stat. §118.015 by the deadlines in statute.
In 5K through 3rd grade, districts and independent charter schools are required to provide science-based early literacy instruction that is systematic and explicit and consists of at least all the following:
- phonological awareness, including word awareness, rhyme recognition, repetition and creation of alliteration, syllable counting or identification, onset, and rime manipulation;
- phonemic awareness, including phoneme identification, isolation, blending, segmentation, addition, substitution, and deletion;
- phonics;
- building background knowledge;
- oral language development;
- vocabulary building to develop lexical and morphological knowledge;
- instruction in writing; instruction in comprehension; and
- reading fluency.
The instruction cannot use 3-cueing (defined in Wis. Stat. §118.015(1c)(c)) as “any model, including the model referred to as meaning, structure, and visual cues, or MSV, of teaching a pupil to read based on meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues or memory”.
Effective July 21, 2023, no district, independent charter school, or private school participating in private school choice programs may purchase materials that include 3-cueing.
Beginning in the 2024 – 2025 school year, no district, independent charter school, or private school participating in private school choice programs may provide instruction that incorporates 3-cueing.
7. What was on the 2024 – 2025 ELCC curriculum list?
The 2024 – 2025 ELCC curriculum list included:
- Bookworms Reading and Writing K-3 (Open Up Resources, 2022)
- Core Knowledge Language Arts K-3 (CKLA, Amplify Education, 2022)
- EL Education K-3 Language Arts (Open Up Resources, 2017)
- Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Really Great Reading (Countdown 2017, Blast Foundations 2014, HD Word 2015)
To be eligible for the partial reimbursement grant, purchases from between January 1 and December 31, 2024, must be from this list.
8. What is on the 2025 – 2026 ELCC curriculum list?
The 2025 - 2026 ELCC curriculum list includes:
- Bookworms Reading and Writing K-3 (Open Up Resources, 2022)
- Core Knowledge Language Arts K-3 (CKLA, Amplify Education, 2022)
- EL Education K-3 Language Arts (Open Up Resources, 2017)
- HMH Into Reading with Amira (HMH, 2023)
- Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Fundations® (Wilson Language Training®, 2020)
- Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Really Great Reading (Countdown 2017, Blast Foundations 2014, HD Word 2015)
To be eligible for a partial reimbursement grant, purchases from between January 1 and May 9, 2025, must be from this list.
9. When will the 2026 – 2027 ELCC curriculum list be available?
The 2026 – 2027 ELCC curriculum list will be available early in 2026.
The ELCC will accept submissions for the 2026 – 2027 list from April 1, 2025 – June 1, 2025. More information is available at Information for Vendors and Publishers.
At this time, partial curriculum reimbursement grants are not available beyond 2025 – 2026.
10. For curriculum packages on the ELCC list, do all parts of the package have to be used to be eligible for a partial reimbursement grant?
For curriculum on the ELCC list that was approved as part of a package, the district, independent charter school, or private school participating in PSCP must be using all components of the package.
A partial reimbursement grant application could be for an entire package. For example, Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Really Great Reading (Countdown 2017, Blast Foundations 2014, HD Word 2015) is on the 2025 – 2026 ELCC list. To qualify for a partial reimbursement grant, all components of the package must be used.
Alternately, a partial reimbursement grant be to “complete” a package. For example, Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) is already in use. A partial reimbursement grant could supplement the purchase and use of Really Great Reading (Countdown 2017, Blast Foundations 2014, HD Word 2015) to “complete” the package.
11. How does the ELCC create their curriculum list?
The Early Literacy Curriculum Council (ELCC) was created by Act 20 to create an annual list of early literacy curriculum for 5K through 3rd grade that meets/exceeds the requirements of Act 20.
The ELCC designed their process for curriculum review. It includes:
- During an annual window determined by the ELCC, publishers submit materials for review along with a completed self-assessment rubric.
- ELCC members review the materials with a rating rubric.
- In a public meeting, ELCC members discuss ratings and vote on whether to include a curriculum on the annual list
If materials already on the list are revised, the materials must be re-approved by the ELCC.
If materials previously submitted have undergone substantial revision, the materials can be resubmitted by the publisher (along with a detailed explanation of revisions) for reconsideration.
Per Act 20, once the ELCC creates the list, it is submitted to DPI. DPI reviews the list and submits a final list to the Joint Committee on Finance.
Visit the following for more information:
- Information for Vendors and Publishers
- Early Literacy Curriculum Council (ELCC)
- ELCC Meetings (agenda, minutes, and recordings)
12. Do we have to buy curriculum from the ELCC curriculum list?
Locally selected curriculum must, at a minimum, meet the requirements of Act 20. Districts and independent charter schools may make their own decisions about whether curriculum meets the requirements of Act 20. Purchasing from the ELCC list is not required.
The Early Literacy Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit can support local analysis of curriculum.
13. What does the application for a partial reimbursement grant for early literacy curriculum include?
The application includes:
- basic information such as the name of the district and name of the person submitting the application;
- a drop-down menu to select which curriculum was purchased;
- the date the purchase was made and when the curriculum will be used (2024 – 2025 or 2025 – 2026);
- a drop-down menu to what was purchased (such as full curriculum, consumables only, and/or part of a curriculum package); and
- the total amount of the request for partial reimbursement.
The application also includes the following attestations:
- The superintendent and business officer (or local equivalent) are aware of and in agreement with this application.
- The total amount of the purchase reflects the exact costs of materials and/or consumables based on student enrollment the year the materials will be used
- The total amount of the purchase does not include tax.
- The materials purchased are for use in 5K through grade 3 and will be implemented with fidelity.
- The total amount spent reflects the exact costs of materials for universal instruction and student consumables; add-ons (such as professional development or training or supplemental materials, including those for intervention) are not reimbursable.
- The materials purchased match the publication date of the materials approved for purchase (such as purchasing the 2022 edition of CKLA for use in the 2025 – 2026 school year).
If materials are part of a package (such as Wit and Wisdom with Geodes [Great Minds, 2023] and Fundations® [Wilson Language Training®, 2020]], all elements of the package were purchased or elements of the package not already in use were purchased (such as already using Really Great Reading through a previous purchase and submitting for reimbursement for adding Geodes).
If materials were already in use, purchase is for student consumables (such as already using CKLA through a previous purchase and submitting for reimbursement for consumables for 2024 – 2025 and/or 2025 – 2026).
The person completing the application must indicate that the attestations are true for the district, independent charter school, or private school participating in private school choice programs for whom the application is being submitted.
The district, independent charter school, or private school participating in private school choice programs must maintain local evidence of the attestations according to their local records retention schedule. This evidence can be requested by DPI.
14. Are consumables reimbursable?
Consumables are reimbursable. Printing costs are not reimbursable.
15. Are digital subscriptions reimbursable grants?
Digital subscriptions that are part of curriculum on the ELCC list are eligible for a partial reimbursement grant. The digital subscription must be part of the curriculum as approved by the ELCC; supplemental materials, such as subscriptions that are added on to the curriculum, are not eligible for reimbursement.
16. We purchased curriculum from the ELCC list from a different partner than what is included on the list. Can we apply for a partial reimbursement grant?
Only purchases made through the partner included on the ELCC list are eligible for partial reimbursement.
For example, EL Education K-3 Language Arts available through Open Up Resources (2017) is on the 2024 – 2025 and 2025 – 2026 lists. Purchases through Open Up Resources are eligible for partial reimbursement; purchases through other partners (such as Imagine Learning) are not eligible for partial reimbursement.
17. Our curriculum meets/exceeds statutory requirements but is not on the ELCC list. Can we apply for a partial reimbursement grant?
Curriculum that meets/exceeds statutory requirements but is not on the ELCC list is allowable and acceptable. Partial reimbursement is only available for curriculum on the ELCC list.
18. In 2023, DPI created a list of recommended curricula that is different from the list approved by the Joint Committee on Finance for 2024 – 2025. We purchased a curriculum from DPI’s list. Can we submit for partial reimbursement?
Purchases from the ELCC curriculum list are eligible for partial reimbursement grants.
Curriculum on the DPI list meet the curriculum requirements of Act 20 but are not eligible for partial curriculum reimbursement grants.
19. To apply for a partial reimbursement grant, do we have to purchase and use the edition of the curriculum that appears on the ELCC list?
Partial reimbursement grants are available for the curriculum on the ELCC list. The purchase must be the exact edition that is included on the ELCC list.
When new editions of curriculum on the ELCC list are published, the publisher must submit the new edition to the ELCC for review.
20. For 2025 – 2026, we plan to purchase a new edition of a curriculum that is on the 2025 – 2026 ELCC curriculum list. Can we submit for a partial reimbursement grant for the new edition?
Partial reimbursement grants apply to the edition of the curriculum on the ELCC list only.
For example, the 2025 –2026 list includes a 2022 edition of a curriculum. A 2025 version of the curriculum is available. The 2025 curriculum is not eligible for reimbursement until it has been reviewed by the ELCC and added to their list. The soonest the 2025 edition in this example could be on an ELCC list is January 1, 2026.
21. We used federal funds to purchase curriculum from the ELCC list. Can we apply for a partial reimbursement grant?
Act 20 and Federal Funds includes detailed information about allowable costs for federal funds.
If using federal funds was allowable for the curriculum purchase, you may apply for a partial reimbursement grant only for non-federal funds used for the purchase.
22. In 2023, we purchased and began using a curriculum that is included on the 2025 – 2026 curriculum list. Can we submit for a partial reimbursement grant?
No. To be eligible for a partial reimbursement grant, curriculum purchases and use must happen after the curriculum is included on the ELCC list.
In the scenario in the question, a grant application could be made for the cost of consumables associated with the curriculum for 2025 – 2026, if applicable.
23. We purchased supplemental materials recommended by the publisher to support our use of a curriculum from the list (such as additional books). Is that purchase eligible for partial reimbursement?
Partial reimbursement grants are available for purchasing curriculum materials for universal instruction. Partial reimbursement grants do not apply to supplemental materials.
24. Are costs related to implementing materials from the ELCC list eligible for partial reimbursement grants?
Costs for purchasing curriculum and consumables are eligible for reimbursement. Additional costs (such as staff training, materials-based professional learning, or materials to support implementation – such as storage materials) are not eligible for partial reimbursement.
25. For 2024 – 2025, we purchased a curriculum from the ELCC list that includes consumables. We will submit a grant application for that purchase. Can we also submit a grant application for consumables only for 2025 – 2026?