Wisconsin

Wisconsin Act 20: Requirements, Deadlines, and Next Steps for Schools

If you lead a campus or district in Wisconsin, Act 20 is no longer theoretical. It’s operational. Reading proficiency has been trending in the wrong direction for years. In 2024, 31% of 4th graders nationwide scored proficient in reading on NAEP. In Milwaukee Public Schools, just 9% of 4th graders were proficient. Those numbers reflect a sustained literacy challenge that state leaders were already working to address.

Act 20, also known as the Reads Act, was signed into law on July 19, 2023. The expectation is clear: students must be reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade, and schools must have structured systems in place to support that outcome. Districts were required to adopt 3rd to 4th grade promotion policies by July 2025. Promotion-related programs take effect September 1, 2027. Schools have just one full school year before policies must take effect. Is your district ready?

Why Act 20 Exists

Act 20 reflects a broader shift toward science-of-reading aligned instruction and away from instructional models rooted in three-cueing practices.

The legislation is designed to:

  • Improve literacy outcomes in 4K through 3rd grade
  • Require science-based early reading instruction
  • Identify struggling readers early through universal screening
  • Implement structured intervention plans for students identified as at risk
  • Tie 3rd to 4th grade promotion decisions to reading proficiency

What Act 20 Requires

Science-Based Early Reading Instruction

Schools must implement science-based early reading instruction. Instruction must emphasize:

Universal Screening and Risk Identification

All K-3 students must be screened for reading risk. Students who score below the 25th percentile are identified as at risk. For kindergarten:

  • Four-year-old kindergarten students are screened twice per year
  • Five-year-old kindergarten students are screened three times per year

When a student is identified as at risk, the district must:

  • Administer a diagnostic assessment within 10 days
  • Develop and implement a Personal Reading Plan

Personal Reading Plans

Personal Reading Plans, or PRPs, are structured intervention plans put in place to have clear steps to improve reading proficiency. Each PRP must include:

  • Measurable literacy goals
  • Weekly progress monitoring
  • A description of instructional interventions and routines
  • Alignment to science-based early reading instruction
  • Strategies for parents to support reading at home
  • Additional services when necessary
  • Parent acknowledgment of the PRP
  • A 10-week update outlining progress and next steps

Staff Training Requirements

New and existing teachers must receive training aligned to science-based early reading instruction. Districts must ensure:

  • Required literacy training for new hires
  • Ongoing literacy training for current staff
  • Administrative oversight of instructional alignment

3rd to 4th Grade Promotion Policy

Districts must consider reading ability when promoting students from 3rd to 4th grade. If a student is promoted without meeting reading expectations, the district must:

  • Continue intensive instructional services beyond 3rd grade
  • Offer intensive summer reading programming when required
  • Maintain structured intervention support until proficiency is demonstrated

Parents may deny retention. DPI discourages automatic retention and emphasizes continued intervention, citing evidence that reading proficiency is critical at this stage to improve outcomes later in education and later in life.

What Schools Should Be Doing Now

With enforcement beginning in 2027, this school year is about tightening systems, having data ready to go, identifying at risk students, and being ready to support them.

Connect Screening to Immediate Action

Schools should ensure:

  • Screening windows are protected
  • Students below the 25th percentile are identified immediately
  • Diagnostics are completed within 10 days
  • Personal Reading Plans are developed without delay

Build a Weekly Monitoring System

Students on Personal Reading Plans require weekly progress monitoring. Schools need:

  • Standards-aligned formative checks
  • Clear documentation of skill mastery
  • Reporting visible to teachers and administrators
  • Data to support instructional adjustments

Deliver Skill-Based Intervention

Students identified as at risk require targeted instruction aligned to diagnostic results. Intervention systems should include:

  • Explicit phonics instruction
  • Foundational skill remediation
  • Adaptive practice tied to student performance
  • Documented evidence of measurable growth

Prepare for Promotion Decisions

Promotion decisions begin long before the end of 3rd grade. Schools should ensure:

  • Intervention documentation is organized and accessible
  • Promotion protocols align to district policy
  • Families understand reading expectations
  • Students receive structured support if promoted without meeting proficiency

Align to the Wisconsin Forward Exam

The 3rd grade reading portion of the Wisconsin Forward Exam factors into promotion decisions. Students should receive:

  • Practice aligned to Wisconsin standards
  • Exposure to item types that mirror Forward rigor
  • Targeted remediation based on standards-level data
  • Ongoing opportunities to engage with grade-level text

How Progress Learning Makes This Process Easy

Act 20 requires screening, diagnostics, intervention, monitoring, and reporting to work together across classrooms and campuses. Just having the daily data can be extremely helpful not only in improving proficiency, but understanding trends, both for specific students and across a school. Progress Learning supports Wisconsin districts with:

District leaders preparing for September 2027 need literacy systems that are aligned, sustainable, and scalable across campuses. See how Progress Learning can help Wisconsin districts build those systems with confidence by requesting a demo below.

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