Prior to the 2023-2024 school year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) made changes to academic standards that impacted how the Forward Exam - English Language Arts (ELA) test was assessed. These changes resulted in new achievement benchmarks as well as a new scoring methodology that prevents historical trending.   

Contributing factors:

• Early childhood interventions
• Reading pre-k reading programs such as Dolly Parton Imagination Library and TalkReadPlay

Limiting factors:

• Lack of social emotional skills needed for success in the classroom
• Limited targeted, individualized reading support
• Limited family engagement
• Absenteeism
• Language barriers

Children who are successful in school are more likely to become productive, healthy adults.

“Without a strong foundation in reading, children are left behind at the beginning of their education. They lag in every class, year after year because more than 85 percent of the curriculum is taught by reading. And by the end of third grade, 74 percent of struggling readers won’t ever catch up. In fact, one of the most important predictors of graduating from high school is reading proficiently by the end of third grade.” - The Children’s Reading Foundation

Learn more: Fourth-grade reading achievement levels | KIDS COUNT Data Center, Third Grade Reading Success Matters

• WI Reading Corps
• WI Reading Corps schools: DS: Dodgeland Elementary; WUSD: Douglas, Webster and Shurz Elementary schools; SDoJ: East, West and Sullivan Elementary Schools
• WI Reading Corps co-funded by the State of Wisconsin and Federal Government
• Playworks
• Playworks schools: Lake Mills Middle School, Lake Mills Elementary, WUSD: Douglas Elementary, Ixonia Elementary, Jefferson East Elementary

Wisconsin Reading Corps is an evidence-based, 1-1 tutoring program to intervene with students at-risk of not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. Wisconsin Reading Corps increases schools’ ability to offer differentiated instruction and 1:1 tutoring to students who need supplemental support; a practice identified by educational researchers as critical to improving reading scores. Reading Corps provides schools with trained AmeriCorps reading tutors, expert coaching, and data-driven instructional processes to accelerate literacy acquisition.  

Data resulting from regular assessments allows tutors to adjust and maximize student results. In addition, WI Reading Corps engages in research and third-party evaluation to ensure the best outcomes for students and schools.

Playworks builds a culture of play that enables kids to feel a real sense of belonging. Studies show that recess matters: a thoughtful approach to recess improves children’s physical health and social and emotional learning.

Partnering with teachers, principals, and parents, Playworks helps ensure recess reinforces school culture that focuses on safety and inclusion. A randomized control trial found that compared to students at similar schools, Playworks students were more physically active and teachers reported that students had greater feelings of school safety and less bullying behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Continue current school support for WI Reading Corps and Playworks and increase the number of schools to provide district-wide support.

OBJECTIVE: Develop strategy for tracking individual student success based upon DPI test.

GOAL: Develop funding strategy to create sustainability.

ACTIONS:  

• Support Wisconsin Reading Corps tutors at 7 elementary schools.
• Support adoption of Playworks active recess to fidelity.

*Data reflects 3rd graders at the following school districts: Dodgeland, Hustisford, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, Watertown Unified and Ixonia Elementary. Numbers show the percent who scored "meeting" or "advanced" on the English-Language Arts (ELA) portion of the Forward Exam. 

*Data is released by Wisconsin DPI in November following the school year. 

**Changes to the Forward Exam ELA testing beginning in the 2023-2024 prevent historical trending of this data.