Wisconsin Act 20

The School District of the Menomonie Area (SDMA) is excited to implement strategies aligned with Act 20. Act 20 is designed to improve early literacy outcomes for all students. It calls for schools to provide additional resources and support to help children learn to read by the end of third grade. This law focuses more on foundational reading skills, such as phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Please click on the following link to access the SDMA Early Literacy Remediation Plan. 

State Literacy Screening

In Wisconsin, each child in grades 4K-3 will take an assessment called the aimswebPlus early reading screener. A screener is an assessment that quickly checks your child’s reading skills.

What skills will be tested? 

The screener will check important literacy skills including alphabet knowledge, letter sound knowledge, phonemic awareness, decoding, and oral vocabulary. The skills are tested differently based on your child’s grade level. Additional information regarding these skills and how they are assessed can be found here.

When will the reading screener take place?

The aimswebPlus early reading screening schedule for the 2024-2025 school year will occur once in January, and again following Spring Break in March/April for grades 5K-3.  4K Students will participate one time this year during the March/April window. Specific dates will be shared by classroom teachers closer to screening windows.

What information will parents/caregivers receive? Caregivers will receive your child’s test results within 15 days after they take the reading screener. The school will give you a report sharing your child’s score and how others score at the same grade level. This comparison is called a percentile rank.

How will the information be used?

The information from the early reading screener is one way that your child’s teacher will learn about your child's reading skills. However, the reading screener will not diagnose dyslexia or other disabilities. If your child’s score is below the 25th percentile, staff from the school will also be sharing additional information regarding the development of a personalized reading plan to help your child meet grade-level goals. 

How can I prepare my child for the early reading screener? 

No special preparation for aimswebPlus reading screener is needed. Just send your child to school as usual. The testing is quick and should not be a big event for your child. 
What if I have additional questions? Parents and caregivers are invited to reach out to your student's teacher(s) and/or building level principal if you have specific questions regarding any of the information related to WI Act 20, the aimswebPlus early reading screener, or anything related to your student's early reading journey in the SDMA.