Chapter 115

115.37(3)(c) (c) Make recommendations for the improvement of services provided by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

115.37(3)(d) (d) Review the level and quality of services available to pupils in the state who are visually impaired and make recommendations about those services.

115.37(3)(e) (e) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve the preparation of teachers and other staff who provide services to pupils who are visually impaired.

115.37(3)(f) (f) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve coordination between the department and other agencies in providing services to persons who are visually impaired.

115.37(4) (4) The council may initiate consultations with the department.

115.37(5) (5) The council shall have access to public files, public records and statistics kept in the department that relate to matters concerning children who are visually impaired.

115.37 History History: 1971 c. 292; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27, 164; 1999 a. 9.

115.372 115.372 Deaf and hard-of-hearing education council.

115.372(1) (1) In this section:

115.372(1)(a) (a) “Council” means the deaf and hard-of-hearing education council.

115.372(1)(b) (b) “Hearing impaired” has the meaning given in s. 115.51 (2).

115.372(2) (2) The state superintendent shall seek the advice of and consult with the council on issues related to persons who are hearing impaired. The state superintendent and the director of the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or their designees, shall attend meetings of the council.

115.372(3) (3) The council shall do all of the following:

115.372(3)(a) (a) Meet at least twice each year.

115.372(3)(b) (b) Advise the state superintendent on such statewide services, activities, programs, investigations, and research as in its judgment will benefit pupils who are hearing impaired.

115.372(3)(c) (c) Make recommendations for the improvement of services provided by the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

115.372(3)(d) (d) Review the level and quality of services available to pupils in the state who are hearing impaired and make recommendations about those services.

115.372(3)(e) (e) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve the preparation of teachers and other staff who provide services to pupils who are hearing impaired.

115.372(3)(f) (f) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve coordination between the department and other agencies in providing services to persons who are hearing impaired.

115.372(4) (4) The council may initiate consultations with the department.

115.372(5) (5) The council shall have access to public files, public records, and statistics kept in the department that relate to matters concerning children who are hearing impaired.

115.372 History History: 2001 a. 57.

115.38 115.38 School performance report; educational program review.

115.38(1) (1) The state superintendent shall develop a school and school district performance report for use by school districts under sub. (2). The report shall include all of the following by school and by school district:

115.38(1)(a) (a) Indicators of academic achievement, including the performance of pupils on the tests administered under s. 121.02 (1) (r), the performance of pupils on assessments required under s. 118.016 (3), and the performance of pupils, by subject area, on the statewide assessment examinations administered under s. 118.30.

115.38(1)(b) (b)

115.38(1)(b)1. 1. Other indicators of school and school district performance, including dropout, attendance, retention in grade and graduation rates; percentage of habitual truants, as defined in s. 118.16 (1) (a); percentage of pupils participating in extracurricular and community activities and advanced placement courses; percentage of graduates enrolled in postsecondary educational programs; and percentage of graduates entering the workforce.

115.38(1)(b)2. 2. The numbers of suspensions and expulsions; the reasons for which pupils are suspended or expelled, reported according to categories specified by the state superintendent; the length of time for which pupils are expelled, reported according to categories specified by the state superintendent; whether pupils return to school after their expulsion; the educational programs and services, if any, provided to pupils during their expulsions, reported according to categories specified by the state superintendent; the schools attended by pupils who are suspended or expelled; and the grade, sex and ethnicity of pupils who are suspended or expelled and whether the pupils are children with disabilities, as defined in s. 115.76 (5).

115.38(1)(c) (c) Staffing and financial data information, as determined by the state superintendent, not to exceed 10 items. The state superintendent may not request a school board to provide information solely for the purpose of including the information in the report under this paragraph.

115.38(1)(d) (d) The number and percentage of resident pupils attending a course in a nonresident school district under s. 118.52, the number of nonresident pupils attending a course in the school district under s. 118.52, and the courses taken by those pupils.

115.38(1)(e) (e) The method of reading instruction used in the school district and the textbook series used to teach reading in the school district.

115.38(2) (2) 

115.38(2)(a) (a) Annually by January 1, each school board shall notify the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school district of the right to request a school and school district performance report under this subsection. Except as provided in par. (b), annually by May 1, each school board shall, upon request, distribute to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school district, including pupils enrolled in charter schools located in the school district, or give to each pupil to bring home to his or her parent or guardian, a school and school district performance report that includes the information specified by the state superintendent under sub. (1). The report shall also include a comparison of the school district’s performance under sub. (1) (a) and (b) with the performance of other school districts in the same athletic conference under sub. (1) (a) and (b). If the school district maintains an Internet site, the report shall be made available to the public at that site.

115.38(2)(b) (b) If a school board enters into an agreement with a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state to establish a charter school, that school board shall, upon request, distribute to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the charter school a school and school district performance report that includes the information specified by the state superintendent under sub. (1), regardless of the location of the charter school.

115.38(3) (3) Annually, the state superintendent shall publish and distribute to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a summary of the reports under sub. (2).

115.38(4) (4) Beginning in the 1993-94 school year and annually thereafter, the state superintendent shall identify those school districts that are low in performance and those schools in which there are pupils enrolled who do not meet the state minimum performance standards on the examinations administered under s. 118.30. The state superintendent shall make recommendations regarding how the programs and operations of the identified school districts and schools may be improved and periodically assess school district implementation of the recommendations.

115.38 History History: 1991 a. 39, 269; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27, 244; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16; 2005 a. 62; 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 20; 2017 a. 59; 2023 a. 20.

115.383 115.383 Student information system.

115.383(1) (1) 

115.383(1)(a) (a) Develop a proposal for a multiple-vendor student information system for the standardized collection of pupil data. The proposal shall allow schools and school districts to use their vendor of choice and include reporting requirements that can reasonably be met by multiple vendors. The state superintendent may not establish a student information system unless the proposal is approved by the joint committee on finance under par. (b).

115.383(1)(b) (b) Submit the proposal to the joint committee on finance for its approval, disapproval, or modification. If the joint committee on finance approves the proposal, or modifies and approves the proposal, the state superintendent shall implement the proposal and the joint committee on finance may release to the state superintendent funds from the appropriation under s. 20.865 (4) (a) for the purpose of paying the costs incurred by schools and school districts to meet the proposal’s reporting requirements.

115.383(1)(c) (c) If the proposal is approved under par. (b), the state superintendent shall ensure that information about pupils enrolled in charter schools and about pupils enrolled in private schools participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23, including their academic performance and demographic information, aggregated by school district, school, and teacher, is collected and maintained in the student information system.

115.383(2) (2) If the student information system is established under sub. (1), each school district, charter school, and private school using the system under sub. (1) shall include in the system the following information for each teacher teaching in the school district or school who completed a teacher education program described in s. 115.28 (7) (a) or (e) 2. and located in this state on or after January 1, 2012, or, for each teacher teaching in a private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23, who obtained a bachelor’s degree from an institution located in this state on or after July 1, 2010:

115.383(2)(a) (a) The name of the teacher education program the teacher attended and completed or the name of the institution from which the teacher obtained a bachelor’s degree.

115.383(2)(b) (b) The term or semester and year in which the teacher completed the teacher education program or obtained a bachelor’s degree.

115.383(3) (3) 

115.383(3)(a) (a) If the student information system is established under sub. (1), the state superintendent shall ensure that within 5 years of the establishment of the system, every school district and every charter school, other than a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), is using the system.

115.383(3)(b) (b) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, the state superintendent shall ensure that every charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) and every private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23 is either using the system under sub. (1) or is using a system that is commercially available and able to obtain pupil identification numbers under sub. (5).

115.383(3)(c) (c) If the student information system is established under sub. (1), the state superintendent may promulgate rules authorizing the department to charge a fee to any person that uses the system. All fees shall be credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.255 (1) (he).

115.383(4) (4) A private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23 is not required to include information about pupils who are not attending the private school under s. 118.60 or 119.23 in the system it is using under sub. (3).

115.383(5) (5) The state superintendent shall assign to each pupil attending a public school or charter school, and to each pupil attending a private school under s. 118.60 or 119.23, a unique identification number for use in the student information system. The state superintendent shall not assign to any pupil an identification number that is identical to or incorporates the pupil’s social security number or that uses any other personally identifying information.

115.383 History History: 2013 a. 256 ss. 3 to 9; 2015 a. 55.

115.385 115.385 School and school district accountability report.

115.385(1) (1) Except as provided in sub. (6), annually by November 30, the department shall publish a school and school district accountability report that includes all of the following components:

115.385(1)(a) (a) Multiple measures to determine a school’s performance or a school district’s improvement, including all of the following categorized by English language proficiency, disability, income level, and race or ethnicity:

115.385(1)(a)1. 1. Pupil achievement in reading and mathematics.

115.385(1)(a)1m. 1m. Growth in pupil achievement in reading and mathematics, calculated using a value-added methodology.

115.385(1)(a)3. 3. Gap closure in pupil achievement in reading and mathematics and, when available, rates of graduation.

115.385(1)(a)4. 4. Rates of attendance or of high school graduation.

115.385(1)(b) (b) An index system to identify a school’s level of performance and a school district’s level of improvement and to annually assign to each school and school district one of the following performance categories:

115.385(1)(b)1. 1. “Five stars out of 5 — Significantly Exceeds Expectations.”

115.385(1)(b)2. 2. “Four stars out of 5 — Exceeds Expectations.”

115.385(1)(b)3. 3. “Three stars out of 5 — Meets Expectations.”

115.385(1)(b)4. 4. “Two stars out of 5 — Meets Few Expectations.”

115.385(1)(b)5. 5. “One star out of 5 — Fails to Meet Expectations.”

115.385(1)(c) (c) A qualitative definition for each of the 5 performance categories in par. (b).

115.385(1)(d) (d) For a school district and for each high school in that school district, all of the following information:

115.385(1)(d)1. 1. The number and percentage of pupils participating in the program under s. 118.55.

115.385(1)(d)2. 2. The number and percentage of pupils participating in a youth apprenticeship under s. 106.13.

115.385(1)(d)3. 3. The number of community service hours provided by pupils.

115.385(1)(d)4. 4. The number of advanced placement courses offered to and the number of advanced placement credits earned by pupils.

115.385(1)(d)5. 5. The number of pupils earning industry-recognized credentials through a technical education program established by a school board as described in s. 118.33 (1) (g) 1. c.

115.385(1)(d)6. 6. Beginning with the accountability report published for the 2020-21 school year, the percentage of pupils participating in each of the following subjects in the state and in the school district or high school:

115.385(1)(d)6.a. a. Music.

115.385(1)(d)6.b. b. Dance.

115.385(1)(d)6.c. c. Drama.

115.385(1)(d)6.d. d. Visual arts.

115.385(1)(e) (e) All of the following information derived from statistics reported under s. 118.124:

115.385(1)(e)1. 1. The total number of incidents per 100 pupils reported by the school or school district.

115.385(1)(e)2. 2. The average total number of incidents per 100 pupils reported statewide.

115.385(1)(e)3. 3. The total number of incidents listed under s. 118.124 (2) (a) 1., 2., 4., and 8. per 100 pupils reported by the school or school district.

115.385(1)(e)4. 4. The average total number of incidents listed under s. 118.124 (2) (a) 1., 2., 4., and 8. per 100 pupils reported statewide.

115.385(1)(f) (f) Beginning with the accountability report published for the 2024-25 school year, for a school district other than a union high school district and for each school that offers grade 3 in that school district, the percentage of pupils reading at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.

115.385 Note NOTE: Par. (f) was created as par. (e) by 2023 Wis. Act 20 and renumbered to par. (f) by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (1) (bm) 2.

115.385(1g) (1g) For purposes of determining a school’s performance or a school district’s improvement under sub. (1) all of the following apply:

115.385(1g)(c) (c) The department shall consider the impact of poverty on pupil achievement and growth by adjusting the importance given to the measures under sub. (1) (a) 1. and 1m. based on the percentage of pupils in the school or school district who are economically disadvantaged. In this paragraph, an economically disadvantaged pupil is a pupil that satisfies either the income eligibility criteria for a free or reduced-price lunch under 42 USC 1758 (b) (1) or other measures of poverty, as determined by the department. Of the total weight the department allocates to the measures under sub. (1) (a) 1. and 1m. for the purpose of determining a school’s performance or a school district’s improvement, the department shall do as follows:

115.385(1g)(c)1. 1. If 5 percent or less of the school or school district membership is comprised of economically disadvantaged pupils, weight the measure under sub. (1) (a) 1. at 90 percent and the measure under sub. (1) (a) 1m. at 10 percent.

115.385(1g)(c)2. 2. If 65 percent or more of the school or school district membership is comprised of economically disadvantaged pupils, weight the measure under sub. (1) (a) 1. at 10 percent and the measure under sub. (1) (a) 1m. at 90 percent.

115.385(1g)(c)3. 3. If the percentage of economically disadvantaged pupils in the school or school district membership is more than 5 percent but less than 65 percent, the department shall determine the weight of the measures under sub. (1) (a) 1m. as follows: