Academics

Act 20 Requirement

All K-3 teachers, principals where there are grades K-3, and reading specialists must begin training on science-based literacy instruction by July 1, 2025 using a program from the approved list.

JCSD Approach

Our elementary principal, reading specialist and director of pupil services attended the Leadership in Literacy Institute provided by CESA 6 during the 2024-2025 school year. All K-3 educators and our reading specialist participated in Keys to Beginning Reading training where they received in-depth science of reading-based training. Both programs are approved training as defined within the guidelines of Act 20.

 

Act 20 Requirement

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 of the following:

• Phonological awareness
• Phonemic awareness
• Phonics
• Building background knowledge
• Oral language development
• Vocabulary building
• Instruction in writing
• Instruction in comprehension strategies
• Reading fluency

See the Wisconsin Reads website for more information

JCSD Approach

The Johnson Creek School District continues to align all literacy curriculum to the Wisconsin Standards for English Language Arts. In order for students to demonstrate proficiency in the areas emphasized within those standards, JCSD utilizes resources that embed the principles of the science of reading body of research. In the fall of 2024, our K-5th grade classrooms adopted Amplify CKLA and our 6th-8th grade classrooms adopted Amplify ELA as our core instructional resource for systematic and explicit literacy instruction.

 

Act 20 Requirement

4K Assessment

Students are to be assessed twice during the school year using aimswebPlus, an early literacy screening assessment selected by the DPI.

K-3

• • At least 3 aimswebPlus 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 needs to be completed by 45 days left in the school year.
  • Universal screenings must follow the guidelines developed by the DPI.

A diagnostic assessment must be administered when the universal screening assessment indicates a pupil is at-risk (below 25th percentile).This needs to occur no later than the second Friday of November for the Fall assessment or within 10 days after the second universal screener. Diagnostic assessments must be given within 20 days when a teacher or parent suspects a student has characteristics of dyslexia and submits a request.

JCSD Approach

When we assess our students, we are checking to see how well students are performing in different reading skills. There are five skills that are the building blocks of reading. They help children recognize, understand, and pronounce words correctly, which is essential for becoming a successful reader. Without these skills, it is difficult for children to read fluently and understand what they are reading.

• Phonemic Awareness This skill involves recognizing and manipulating the individual sounds in words. Tasks may include identifying the first or last sound in a word or blending sounds together to make a word (e.g. /c/+/a/+/t/=cat)
• Oral Vocabulary Oral vocabulary refers to knowing the meanings of words when heard or spoken. Tasks may include learning new words through conversation, storytelling or picture books, and understanding these words in different contexts.
• Alphabet Knowledge This involves recognizing and naming letters, both uppercase and lowercase. Tasks usually include matching letters with pictures or playing games that involve identifying letters.
• Letter Sound Knowledge This skill is about knowing the sounds that each letter or combination of letters makes. Tasks may include saying the sound when shown a letter, matching letters to their sounds, or practicing with flashcards.
• Decoding Skills Decoding is the ability to sound out and read words by connecting letters to their sounds. Tasks may include reading simple words, sounding out new words, and practicing reading short sentences.

Teachers and reading interventionists will monitor the results of the screening assessments. Students who perform below the 25th percentile will be assessed using diagnostic assessments to gather further information about the next steps for learning. A diagnostic assessment evaluates a student's skills relative to grade-level expectations for the areas below:

• Phonological Awareness
• Phonemic Awareness
• Letter Sound knowledge
• Alphabet Knowledge
• Rapid Naming
• Decoding
• Word Recognition
• Oral Vocabulary
• Spelling
• Listening Comprehension
• Oral Reading Fluency
• Reading Comprehension

Diagnostic assessment includes an opportunity for a student's parent/guardian to complete a family history survey to provide additional information about learning difficulties in the student's family. 

A legal guardian has the right to submit a request for diagnostic assessment at any time, including the right to request an evaluation for special education services. 

Our JCSD assessment schedule can be found here.

 

Act 20 Requirement

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 that 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 child will continue to receive.

JCSD Approach

Families will receive notification and information throughout the assessment process.  Families are notified of assessment windows prior to testing and results are shared within 15 days of assessment score availability.  When diagnostic assessments are utilized, additional information specific to those results and subsequent instructional support (personal reading plans) will also be shared.

 

Act 20 Requirement

If students are identified as at-risk (below the 25th percentile) on a universal screening assessment or diagnostic assessment, a personal reading plan must be created and must include the following information:

• The specific early literacy skill deficiencies
• Goals and benchmarks for the pupil's progress toward grade-level literacy skills
• Information on how progress will be monitored, a description of interventions and additional instructional services being provided
• The science-based reading program/intervention the teacher will use
• Strategies for the parent to support grade-level literacy skills, and any additional services available and appropriate

Local education agencies (public schools and independent charter schools) will provide a copy of the personal reading plan to parents as well as provide progress updates after 10 weeks.

JCSD Approach

Personal Reading Plans will be developed for students who score below the 25th percentile on the aimswebPlus screener. Reading interventionists will develop and implement Personal Reading Plans to support students to grow in the skills necessary to be on track to meet grade level benchmarks. This plan will be created in NextPath, our student learning data platform, and will include all required information.  Plans will be shared with families in a printed report that will be sent home. All plans will be monitored frequently and progress updates will be shared with families every 10 weeks. For students whose diagnostics show that the original screener was not accurate, Personal Reading Plans will note how progress will be monitored on a consistent basis to ensure student success.

 

Act 20 Requirement

Schools must have a policy for promotion from 3rd to 4th grade, based on a DPI model policy, by July 1, 2025.  This would go into effect Sept 1, 2027.

JCSD Approach

The JCSD 3rd grade promotion policy will be enacted by fall of 2027.

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.

JCSD Approach

All of the aforementioned components above comprise our Early Literacy Remediation Plan. In line with state requirements, the Johnson Creek School District uses a variety of assessments to identify students who need help with reading, including those with symptoms of dyslexia. Teachers use these assessments to understand each student's needs and plan the best way to support them. Support plans include different interventions and/or instructional strategies that are taught explicitly and systematically. All students receive regular practice with reading and are given feedback to help them improve. To monitor progress students are assessed multiple times throughout the school year, and caregivers are notified of student progress following assessments. For students receiving personal reading plans, progress is reviewed more frequently to inform any necessary instructional changes to ensure student growth.