AB40: Bill Text

LRB-0639/1

FFK:amn

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Assembly BILL 40

February 13, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives Allen, Murphy, Armstrong, Behnke, Edming, Gundrum, Gustafson, Knodl, Mursau and Spiros, cosponsored by Senators Quinn and Cabral-Guevara. Referred to Committee on Education.

AB40,1,3 An Act to amend 118.016 (1) (b); and to create 118.016 (3) and 118.016 (4) of the statutes; relating to: reading readiness assessments and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, school boards and independent charter schools must annually assess pupils enrolled in four-year-old kindergarten to second grade for reading readiness using an assessment of literacy fundamentals selected by the school board or independent charter school. The selected reading readiness assessment must evaluate whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge. Current law does not provide a timeline for completing the assessment. Current law also requires a school board or independent charter school to provide interventions or remedial reading services to a pupil if the reading readiness assessment indicates that the pupil is at risk of reading difficulty. Current law requires school boards and independent charter schools to report the results of a pupil's reading readiness assessment to the pupil's parent or guardian but does not require school boards and independent charter schools to report reading readiness assessment results to the Department of Public Instruction or the legislature.

This bill requires school boards and independent charter schools to 1) assess pupils in four-year-old kindergarten to second grade for reading readiness, as required under current law, by November 15 of each school year and 2) submit to DPI the number of pupils identified as at risk of reading difficulty based on the results of the reading readiness assessment by January 1 of each school year. Under the bill, DPI must submit the information it receives from school boards and independent charter schools to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature by no later than April 1. The bill also provides onetime funding in the amount of $500,000 to DPI to establish a system to track data that school boards and independent charter schools must submit to DPI. Finally, the bill authorizes DPI to promulgate rules related to the administration of the reading readiness assessment requirements.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB40,1 Section 1. 118.016 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB40,2,10 118.016 (1) (b) Beginning in the 2016-17 school year By November 15 of each school year, each school board and the operator of each charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) shall, using the appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment of literacy fundamentals selected by the school board or operator, annually assess each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade in the school district or in the charter school for reading readiness. The school board or operator shall ensure that the assessment evaluates whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge. A school board or operator may administer computer adaptive assessments.

AB40,2 Section 2. 118.016 (3) of the statutes is created to read:

AB40,2,15 118.016 (3) (a) By January 1 of each school year, each school board and operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) shall report to the department the number of pupils in the school district or charter school whose assessment under sub. (1) indicates that the pupil is at risk of reading difficulty.

AB40,2,18 (b) By April 1 of each school year, the department shall submit the information it receives under par. (a) to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3).

AB40,3 Section 3. 118.016 (4) of the statutes is created to read:

AB40,3,2 118.016 (4) The department may promulgate rules to administer this section.

AB40,4 Section 4. Nonstatutory provisions.

AB40,3,10 (1) Notwithstanding s. 16.42 (1) (e), if the increase under Section 5 (1) of this act occurs in the 2024-25 fiscal year, in submitting information under s. 16.42 for purposes of the 2025-27 biennial budget bill, the department of public instruction shall submit information concerning the appropriation under s. 20.255 (1) (f) as though the total amount appropriated under s. 20.255 (1) (f) for the 2024-25 fiscal year was $500,000 less than the total amount that was actually appropriated under s. 20.255 (1) (f) for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

AB40,5 Section 5 . Fiscal changes.

AB40,3,16 (1) Assessments of reading readiness. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of public instruction under s. 20.255 (1) (f), the dollar amount for the fiscal year during which the effective date of this subsection occurs is increased by $500,000 to establish necessary systems for tracking the data required to be submitted under s. 118.06 (3) (a).

AB40,6 Section 6. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the first July 1 after publication, except as follows:

AB40,3,20 (1) Section 5 (1 ) of this act takes effect on the first July 1 after publication, or on the 2nd day after publication of the 2023 biennial budget act, whichever is later.

AB40,3,21 (End)