Act 20 Requirements

All teachers and reading specialists in charge of K-3 instruction must begin training on science-based literacy instruction by July 1, 2025.  All principals in charge of grades K-3 must complete training on science-based literacy instruction by July 1, 2025. 

Cedarburg School District Plan

During the spring of 2024, our elementary literacy coaches completed the Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools training. Beginning in December 2024, elementary principals and assistant principals will participate in 30 hours of Cox Campus Structured Literacy Training Modules. Additionally, principals will attend a three-day Leadership Literacy training provided by CESA 6, which focuses on strategies for supporting science-based literacy instruction.

Act 20 Requirements

What type of early literacy instruction and intervention do schools need to provide?  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 defined as the following. Instruction that 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                                                      

Phonics is defined as the study of the relationships between sounds and words; this includes alphabetic principle, decoding, orthographic knowledge, encoding, and fluency.                                                

Note that the Wisconsin Standards for ELA 2020 defines fluency as being comprised of accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. See the Wisconsin Reads website for more information.

Cedarburg School District Plan

Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, all K-5 students will receive instruction using CKLA Amplify. This curricular resource aligns with state guidelines and incorporates a science-based instructional approach. To ensure effective implementation, staff engaged in professional development during the summer of 2024 and will continue ongoing training throughout the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.

Act 20 Requirements

4K Assessments

Students are to be assessed twice during the school year using the Wisconsin DPI selected screener, Pearson's aimsebPlus.  The first screener is to be complete by the 45th school day and the second by 45 days before the end of the school year.

5K-3 Assessments

Students will receive at least 3 universal screenings during the school year.  The first must be before the 45th day of school, the second in the middle of the school year, and the third by the 45 days before the end of the school year.  The screener used for these grades will also be Pearson's aimswebPlus per Wisconsin DPI requirement. A diagnostic assessment must be used when the universal screening assessment indicates a student is at risk (below the 25th percentile) to determine needs and abilities further. 

Cedarburg School District Plan

Beginning in the spring of 2025, all 4K educators will administer fundamental skills screening assessments using aimswebPlus twice during the school year, following the DPI-designated screening windows.

Starting in January 2025, all 5K through 3rd-grade educators will conduct aimswebPlus screening assessments three times annually—in the fall, winter, and spring—aligned with the DPI's published screening windows.

Each school will establish an assessment team responsible for monitoring screening results, determining next steps, and developing and implementing plans for follow-up diagnostic assessments. Parents or legal guardians may request a diagnostic assessment at any time, including the option to request an evaluation through special education.

More information on Cedarburg School District's Assessment plan can be found by clicking HERE.

Act 20 Requirements

Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, provide parents and families with the results of the reading readiness screener no later than 15 days after the assessment is scored in an understandable format that includes all of the following:                                  

• The pupil's score on the reading readiness assessment.
• The pupil's score in each early literacy skill category assessed by the reading readiness assessment.  
• The pupil's percentile rank score on the reading readiness assessment, if available.                             
• The definition of "at-risk" and the score on the reading readiness assessment would indicate that a pupil is at-risk.   
• A plain language description of the literacy skills the reading readiness assessment is designed to measure.                                              

If a child is promoted to 4th grade without completing their personal reading plan, parents must be notified in writing, along with a description of the reading interventions that the child will continue to receive.

Cedarburg School District Plan

Parents and guardians will be informed throughout the screening and diagnostic assessment process in accordance with Wisconsin DPI guidelines. Communication will include screening results and notification if additional diagnostic assessments are necessary.  

Should further diagnostic information be required, parents and guardians will receive timely updates, including the results and proposed next steps for developing a Personal Reading Plan, in alignment with Wisconsin DPI timelines.

Act 20 Requirements

Students in grades 5K through 3 identified as at-risk must have a personal reading plan. This plan must include the following: 

• The pupil's specific early literacy skill deficiencies, as identified by the applicable assessment.         
• Goals and benchmarks for the pupil's progress toward grade-level literacy skills.                             
• How will the pupil's progress be monitored?         
• A description of the interventions and any additional instructional services that will be provided to the pupil to address the pupil's early literacy skill deficiencies.
• The programming that the pupil's teacher will use to provide reading instruction to the pupil.  This programming must align with the definition of science-based early literacy instruction as stated in Act 20 and address the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.   
• Strategies the pupil's parent/guardian is encouraged to use to help the pupil achieve grade-level literacy skills.
• Any additional services available and appropriate to accelerate the pupil's early literacy skill development.

Cedarburg School District Plan

Each elementary school will establish a dedicated team to monitor the results of screening assessments for 5K-3rd grade students. This team will identify students scoring below the 25th percentile on the initial screening, develop plans for additional diagnostic assessments as needed, and implement appropriate interventions. Parents and guardians retain the right to request a diagnostic assessment at any time, including the option to request an evaluation through special education.  

Students scoring below the 25th percentile on the screener will receive a Personal Reading Plan (PRP). Parents and guardians will be notified and provided access to the PRP either online or in paper format upon request. Educators will review student progress approximately every six weeks and update parents and guardians regularly regarding growth and adjustments to the plan.

Act 20 Requirements

The DPI is required to create a model (or example) policy for promoting students from third grade to fourth grade that includes reading achievement criteria.  Each school district must adopt and implement its own policy for promoting students from third grade to fourth grade that includes reading achievement criteria.  This policy must be adopted and implemented by July 1, 2025.  School districts are already required to have a policy for promoting students from fourth grade to fifth grade and from eighth grade to ninth grade.

Cedarburg School District Plan

The Cedarburg School District promotion policy will be reviewed/revised as needed during the 2024-2025 school year. 

Act 20 Requirements

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.

Cedarburg School District Plan

In alignment with Wisconsin DPI requirements, the Cedarburg School District employs a variety of assessments to identify and support students requiring additional assistance in reading. Educators use these assessments to identify specific individual needs and design personalized instructional plans. Personal Reading Plans (PRPs) incorporate targeted instructional strategies, such as phonemic awareness, recognition of sound patterns, reading practice, and direct instruction in language and spelling. All students receive consistent, monitored reading practice with feedback to foster continued growth.  

To track progress, students are assessed multiple times throughout the school year, with parents and guardians receiving updates on progress and next steps to support reading development. For students on a PRP, progress is monitored more frequently to ensure the plan effectively addresses their needs and demonstrates measurable growth toward established goals.