This page provides information about how to report concerns about implementation of 2023 Wisconsin Act 20 (Act 20), which includes Wis. Stat. §§ 118.015 and 118.016. Specific directions are included for concerns related to:
- early literacy curricula and instruction materials
- reading readiness assessment, personal reading plan, or district early literacy remediation plan
Concerns about other topics related to the implementation of Act 20 can be emailed to early.reading@dpi.wi.gov.
Early Literacy Curricula and Instructional Materials
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.
- 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” 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 (118.015(1c)(c)).
If you are concerned that a local education agency's (LEAs) early literacy curricula and/or instructional materials violate Wis. Stat. §§ 118.015, send an email to early.reading@dpi.wi.gov.
The subject line should read: Early Literacy Curricula or Materials Concern. To support DPI's review and investigation, your message should include:
- Your name and contact information
- Name of district and school where the concern exists
- Name of curriculum or material(s) being used
- Details about your concern
- Date you contact the district or school and what resulted
Upon receipt of your email, DPI will:
- Acknowledge receipt
- Review and investigate accordingly
- Communicate with you about findings and actions
Reading Readiness Assessment, Personal Reading Plan, or District Early Literacy Remediation Plan
Wis. Stat. §§ 118.016, created a complaint process enabling parents/caregivers of 4K to third grade students to file a complaint with DPI alleging that their traditional public school or independent charter school is not complying with reading assessment and intervention requirements, including:
- Administration of a literacy screener in 4K through grade 3 and, as needed, subsequent diagnostic reading assessment in 5K through grade 3
- For 5K through grade 3, creation and implementation – including communication about progress – of a personal reading plan for students who score below the 25th percentile on the screener or assessment
- Establishment of a district or school early literacy remediation plan
Click here to access a form to submit concerns related to the reading readiness assessment, personal reading plan, or district early literacy remediation plan.
Upon receipt of your form, DPI will:
- Acknowledge receipt
- Review and investigate accordingly
- Communicate with you about findings and actions