SB578: Bill Text

2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

2019 Senate BILL 578

November 22, 2019 - Introduced by Senators Bernier and Carpenter, cosponsored by Representatives Kulp, Bowen, Dittrich, Kitchens, Krug, Murphy, Mursau, L. Myers, Quinn, Ramthun, Skowronski, Tusler and Wittke. Referred to Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families.

SB578,1,3 An Act to repeal 118.016 (1) (a); to amend 118.016 (1) (b); and to create 118.016 (1) (bm) of the statutes; relating to: assessments to evaluate reading readiness.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, each school board and operator of an independent charter school must annually assess the reading readiness of pupils in four-year-old kindergarten through second grade using an assessment selected by the school board or operator of the independent charter school. Current law requires that the reading readiness assessment selected by the school district or operator of the independent charter school must evaluate whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge.

Under the bill, beginning in the 2020-21 school year, each school board and operator of an independent charter school must assess pupils in four-year-old kindergarten through second grade for reading readiness and reading difficulties using an assessment selected by the school board or operator of the independent charter school and a voluntary questionnaire about reading difficulties in a pupil's family history. The bill further specifies that the assessment selected by the school board or operator of the independent charter school must evaluate whether a pupil possesses age-appropriate skills in phonological and phonemic awareness, rapid automatized naming, letter-word reading, and picture-naming vocabulary.

For further information see the 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:

SB578,1 Section 1. 118.016 (1) (a) of the statutes is repealed.

SB578,2 Section 2. 118.016 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB578,2,11 118.016 (1) (b) Beginning in the 2016-17 school year and ending in the 2019-20 school year, each school board and the operator of each charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) shall, using the appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment of literacy fundamentals selected by the school board or operator, annually assess each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade in the school district or in the charter school for reading readiness. The school board or operator shall ensure that the assessment evaluates whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge. A school board or operator may administer computer adaptive assessments.

SB578,3 Section 3. 118.016 (1) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:

SB578,2,17 118.016 (1) (bm) 1. Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, each school board and the operator of each charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) shall use all of the following to annually assess each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade in the school district or in the charter school for reading readiness and existing or potential reading difficulties:

SB578,2,20 a. In the first year the pupil is enrolled in the school district or attends the charter school, a voluntary questionnaire about reading difficulties in the pupil's family history.

SB578,3,5 b. In each year the pupil is enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade, an appropriate, standardized, norm-referenced, valid, and reliable assessment of literacy fundamentals selected by the school board or operator of the charter school. The school board or operator of the charter school shall administer the assessment according to the schedule recommended by the publisher of the assessment.

SB578,3,8 2. The school board or operator of the charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) shall ensure that the assessment under subd. 1. b. evaluates whether a pupil possesses age-appropriate skills in all of the following areas:

SB578,3,9 a. Phonological and phonemic awareness.

SB578,3,10 b. Rapid automatized naming.

SB578,3,11 c. Letter-word reading.

SB578,3,12 d. Picture-naming vocabulary.

SB578,3,14 3. The school board or operator of the charter school may administer computer adaptive assessments.

SB578,3,15 (End)