Under the bill, school boards and independent charter schools must annually,
by July 15, report to DPI 1) the number of pupils who were identified as at-risk based
on a reading readiness screening assessment administered in the previous school
year; 2) the number of five-year-old kindergarten to second grade pupils who began
receiving literacy interventions or remedial reading services in the previous school
year, by grade; and 3) the total number of five-year-old kindergarten to second grade
pupils who received literacy interventions or remedial reading services in the
previous school year. The school board or independent charter school must also
report the names of the specific reading readiness screening assessments the school
board or independent charter school used to screen pupils, as required under the bill,
in the previous school year. Annually, by November 30, DPI must compile the
information it receives from school boards and independent charter schools and
submit a report to the legislature.
For further information see the state and local 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:
AB446,1 1Section 1. 115.38 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB446,5,62 115.38 (1) (a) Indicators of academic achievement, including the performance
3of pupils on the tests administered under s. 121.02 (1) (r), the performance of pupils
4on screening assessments required under s. 118.016 (3),
and the performance of
5pupils, by subject area, on the statewide assessment examinations administered
6under s. 118.30.
AB446,2 7Section 2. 118.016 of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
AB446,6,2
1118.016 Reading readiness screening assessments; characteristics of
2dyslexia.
(1) Definitions. In this section:
AB446,6,53 (a) “At-risk” means a pupil scored below the 25th percentile on a universal
4screening assessment, a level 1 screening assessment, or a level 2 screening
5assessment, as indicated by the publisher of the screening assessment.
AB446,6,66 (b) “Dyslexia” means a specific learning disability that is all of the following:
AB446,6,77 1. Neurobiological in origin.
AB446,6,128 2. Characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and
9poor spelling and decoding abilities that typically result from a deficit in the
10phonological component of language. Consequences of these difficulties may include
11problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that may
12impede vocabulary growth and background knowledge.
AB446,6,1313 3. Often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities.
AB446,6,1714 (c) “Family history survey” means a questionnaire that includes questions
15about previous recommendations for summer reading support or outside tutoring,
16general interest in reading and books, family history of characteristics of dyslexia,
17and any known family struggles in reading or spelling.
AB446,6,1918 (d) “Fidelity” means to perform in the manner that the author or publisher of
19a program or screening assessment intends.
AB446,6,2220 (e) “Fundamental skills screening assessment” means an assessment that
21evaluates whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound
22knowledge.
AB446,6,2523 (f) “Inadequate rate of progress” means a rate of improvement that is minimal
24and that with continued intervention the pupil is unlikely to demonstrate
25grade-level skills by the end of the school year.
AB446,7,2
1(g) “Independent charter school” means a charter school established under s.
2118.40 (2r) or (2x).
AB446,7,43 (h) “Intensive intervention” means an intervention that satisfies all of the
4criteria in par. (i) 1. to 3.
AB446,7,55 (i) “Intervention” means an intervention that is any of the following:
AB446,7,86 1. Explicit, direct instruction that is systematic, sequential, and cumulative
7and follows a logical plan of presenting the area of deficit that targets the specific
8needs of the pupil without presuming prior skills or knowledge of the pupil.
AB446,7,119 2. Individualized instruction to meet the specific needs of a pupil in a setting
10that uses intensive, highly concentrated instruction methods and materials that
11maximize pupil engagement.
AB446,7,1312 3. Instruction that incorporates the simultaneous use of 2 or more sensory
13pathways during teacher presentations and pupil practice.
AB446,7,1614 4. Any other instructional approach that is appropriate to target the needs of
15the pupil, as determined by the applicable school board or operator of an independent
16charter school.
AB446,7,1817 (j) “Level 1 screening assessment” means a screening tool that includes all of
18the following:
AB446,7,2019 1. An assessment that evaluates a pupil's skill in the areas listed in par. (n) 1.
20to 5., phonological awareness, and encoding.
AB446,7,2221 2. An opportunity for a pupil's parent to complete a family history survey to
22provide additional information about learning difficulties in the pupil's family.
AB446,7,2423 (k) “Level 2 screening assessment” means a screening tool that includes all of
24the following:
AB446,8,3
11. A standardized, norm-referenced assessment that evaluates a pupil's skill
2in the areas listed in par. (n) 1. to 5., phonological awareness, word recognition,
3fluency, spelling, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.
AB446,8,54 2. An opportunity for a pupil's parent to complete a family history survey to
5provide additional information about learning difficulties in the pupil's family.
AB446,8,66 (L) “Parent” has the meaning given in s. 115.76 (12) (a).
AB446,8,97 (m) “Reading readiness screening assessment” means a fundamental skills
8screening assessment, universal screening assessment, level 1 screening
9assessment, or level 2 screening assessment.
AB446,8,1110 (n) “Universal screening assessment” means an assessment that evaluates a
11pupil's skill in all of the following areas:
AB446,8,1212 1. Phonemic awareness.
AB446,8,1313 2. Decoding skills.
AB446,8,1414 3. Rapid naming skills.
AB446,8,1515 4. Alphabet knowledge.
AB446,8,1616 5. Letter sound knowledge.
AB446,9,2 17(2) Four-year-old kindergarten; screening requirement. Each school board
18and the operator of each independent charter school shall annually assess the early
19literacy skills of each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten at least 2 times
20during the school year using a fundamental skills screening assessment. The school
21board or operator of the independent charter school shall ensure that the first
22screening is administered before the 45th day after the first day of the school term
23and that the 2nd screening is administered by the date that is 45 days before the last
24day of the school term. The school board or operator of the independent charter

1school shall ensure that assessments required under this subsection are
2administered with fidelity.
AB446,9,6 3(3) Early literacy screenings; 5-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade. Each
4school board and the operator of each independent charter school shall annually
5assess the early literacy skills of each pupil enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten to
62nd grade in the school district or in the independent charter school as follows:
AB446,9,107 (a) Universal screenings. Screen the pupil at least 3 times during the school
8year using a universal screening assessment. The school board or operator of the
9independent charter school shall ensure that the universal screening assessments
10are administered at the following times during the school year:
AB446,9,1211 1. The first universal screening is administered before the 45th day after the
12first day of the school term.
AB446,9,1413 2. The 2nd universal screening is administered in the middle of the school term,
14as determined by the school board or operator of the independent charter school.
AB446,9,1615 3. The 3rd universal screening is administered by the date that is 45 days
16before the last day of the school term.
AB446,9,1817 (b) Level 1 screening. Screen a pupil using a level 1 screening assessment
18within 20 days of any of the following:
AB446,9,2019 1. A universal screening assessment indicated that the pupil is at-risk and the
20pupil demonstrates an inadequate rate of progress after 12 weeks of intervention.
AB446,9,2221 2. A teacher or parent who suspects that the pupil has characteristics of
22dyslexia submits a request for a level 1 screening assessment.
AB446,9,2423 (c) Level 2 screening. Screen a pupil using a level 2 screening assessment
24within 20 days of any of the following:
AB446,10,3
11. A level 1 screening assessment indicated that the pupil is at-risk and the
2pupil demonstrates an inadequate rate of progress after 12 weeks of intensive
3intervention.
AB446,10,54 2. A teacher or parent suspects the pupil has characteristics of dyslexia and
5submits a request for a level 2 screening assessment.
AB446,10,76 (d) Administering screening assessments with fidelity. Ensure that each
7screening assessment required under this subsection is administered with fidelity.
AB446,10,14 8(4) Parental notification. (a) Screening results. A school board or operator
9of an independent charter school shall provide the results of a reading readiness
10screening assessment, in writing, to a pupil's parent no later than 15 days after the
11reading readiness screening assessment is scored. For purposes of providing results
12of a reading readiness screening assessment under this paragraph, a school board
13or operator of an independent charter school shall provide at least all of the following
14to a pupil's parent:
AB446,10,1515 1. The pupil's score on the reading readiness screening assessment.
AB446,10,1716 2. The pupil's score in each early literacy skill category assessed by the reading
17readiness screening assessment.
AB446,10,1918 3. The pupil's percentile rank score on the reading readiness screening
19assessment, if available.
AB446,10,2120 4. The definition of “at-risk” and the score on the reading readiness screening
21assessment that would indicate that a pupil is at-risk.
AB446,10,2322 5. A plain language description of the literacy skills the reading readiness
23screening assessment is designed to measure.
AB446,11,324 (b) Special education information. If a level 2 screening assessment indicates
25that a pupil is at risk, a school board or operator of an independent charter school

1shall include information about how to make a special education referral under s.
2115.777 with the level 2 screening assessment results provided to the parent under
3par. (a).
AB446,11,74 (c) Dyslexia information; certain pupils. If a school board or operator of a
5independent charter school is required to assess a pupil's early literacy skills using
6a level 1 or level 2 screening assessment, a school board or operator of an independent
7charter school shall provide all of the following, in writing, to the pupil's parent:
AB446,11,88 1. A description of the common indicators and characteristics of dyslexia.
AB446,11,109 2. Information about appropriate interventions, intensive interventions, and
10accommodations for pupils with characteristics of dyslexia.
AB446,11,1311 (d) Early literacy remediation plan; availability. A school board or operator of
12an independent charter school shall post its early literacy remediation plan on the
13school district's or independent charter school's Internet site.
AB446,11,18 14(5) Interventions; at-risk pupils. (a) Personal reading plans. If a pupil
15enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade is identified as at-risk based on
16a universal screening assessment or a level 1 screening assessment, the school board
17of the school district or operator of the independent charter school in which the pupil
18is enrolled shall do all of the following:
AB446,11,2019 1. Create a personal reading plan for the pupil that includes at least all of the
20following:
AB446,11,2221 a. The pupil's specific early literacy skill deficiencies, as identified by the
22applicable screening assessment.
AB446,11,2423 b. Goals and benchmarks for the pupil's progress toward grade-level literacy
24skills.
AB446,11,2525 c. How the pupil's progress will be monitored.
AB446,12,3
1d. If the applicable screening assessment is a universal screening assessment,
2a description of the interventions and any additional instructional services that will
3be provided to the pupil to address the pupil's early literacy skill deficiencies.
AB446,12,74 e. If the applicable screening assessment is a level 1 screening assessment, a
5description of the intensive interventions and any additional instructional services
6that will be provided to the pupil to address the pupil's early literacy skill
7deficiencies.
AB446,12,108 f. The evidence-based reading instructional programming that the pupil's
9teacher will use to provide reading instruction to the pupil, addressing the areas of
10phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
AB446,12,1211 g. Strategies the pupil's parent is encouraged to use to help the pupil achieve
12grade-level literacy skills.
AB446,12,1413 h. Any additional services available and appropriate to accelerate the pupil's
14early literacy skill development.
AB446,12,1615 2. Provide the interventions or intensive interventions described in the pupil's
16personal reading plan to the pupil, as soon as practicable.
AB446,12,1917 3. Monitor the pupil's progress at least weekly using the method described in
18the pupil's personal reading plan to determine whether the pupil demonstrates an
19inadequate rate of progress.
AB446,12,2120 4. Provide a copy of the pupil's personal reading plan to the pupil's parent and
21obtain a copy of the pupil's personal reading plan signed by the pupil's parent.
AB446,12,2422 5. After providing the interventions or intensive interventions described in the
23pupil's personal reading plan to the pupil for 12 weeks, notify the pupil's parent of
24the pupil's progress, as determined under the pupil's personal reading plan.
AB446,13,5
1(b) Inadequate rate of progress. For purposes of determining whether a pupil
2demonstrates an inadequate rate of progress under sub. (3) (b) or (c), a school board
3or operator of an independent charter school shall determine whether the pupil is
4likely to demonstrate grade-level skills by the end of the school year by assessing one
5of the following:
AB446,13,76 1. For a pupil enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten, nonword or nonsense word
7fluency and phoneme segmentation fluency.
AB446,13,88 2. For a pupil enrolled in 1st or 2nd grade, oral reading fluency.
AB446,13,12 9(6) Early literacy remediation plan; school district or independent charter
10school
. A school board or operator of an independent charter school shall establish
11an early literacy remediation plan for grades 5-year-old kindergarten to 2 that
12includes all of the following:
AB446,13,1413 (a) The screening assessments the school board or operator of the independent
14charter school uses to satisfy the requirements under sub. (3).
AB446,13,1715 (b) A description of the interventions and intensive interventions the school
16board or operator of the independent charter school uses to address characteristics
17of dyslexia.
AB446,13,2218 (c) A description of how the school board or operator of the independent charter
19school monitors pupil progress during interventions and intensive interventions,
20including the frequency of monitoring pupil progress during interventions and
21intensive interventions and any assessment tools used to monitor pupil progress
22during interventions and intensive interventions.
AB446,13,2523 (d) How the school board or operator of the independent charter school uses
24results of assessments required under sub. (3) to evaluate early literacy instruction
25being provided in the school district or at the independent charter school.
AB446,14,2
1(e) A parent notification policy that complies with subs. (4) and (5) (a) 4. and
25.
AB446,14,6 3(7) Reporting screening data . By no later than July 15, 2023, and each July
415 thereafter, a school board shall report for each school and for the school district,
5and the operator of an independent charter school shall report for the independent
6charter school, all of the following to the department:
AB446,14,87 (a) The number of pupils who were identified as at-risk as the result of a
8fundamental skills screening assessment administered in the previous school year.
AB446,14,109 (b) The number of pupils who were identified as at-risk as the result of a
10universal screening assessment administered in the previous school year.
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