It’s been over a year since Governor Tony Evers signed Act 20, also known as “the reading bill.” This law aims to improve Wisconsin’s poor reading scores by using science-based teaching methods. Although progress has been slow due to legal and bureaucratic challenges, Act 20 still offers hope for the state’s students.
However, some literacy experts and supporters of science-based reading believe the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction DPI isn’t fully on board. DPI Superintendent Jill Underly recently avoided discussing reading reforms in her State of Education address, raising concerns about her commitment to Act 20.
Instead, DPI seems focused on other issues. For example, it introduced new labels for statewide test scores and lowered the benchmarks for proficiency. Critics argue this lowers academic standards, making it harder to track student progress and address educational gaps.
Education advocates like Colleston Morgan from the Milwaukee-based City Forward Collective warn that these changes could hide problems rather than fix them. “We need to track how students are doing over time,” Morgan says. Lowering expectations, he adds, won’t help kids succeed.
A report from the Institute for Reforming Government highlights further concerns. Emails show that Superintendent Underly called bipartisan reading reforms nonsense.
The report also reveals that Wisconsin high schoolers now need only a score of 19 on the ACT to be considered “proficient,” making it harder for parents to understand their children’s actual performance.
In a recent interview, Underly defended the changes, saying they give a “better measure” of students’ abilities. But many disagree. What parents and the public truly need, critics say, is a clear comparison of how students perform now versus before the pandemic in 2019.
The overhaul of testing standards has raised questions about DPI’s priorities. Instead of changing labels and lowering standards, DPI should focus on implementing Act 20. This law represents a necessary shift in how reading is taught, and it needs full support from DPI and lawmakers.
We urge Superintendent Underly, Governor Evers, and other leaders to put aside politics and commit to making Act 20 a success. Wisconsin’s students deserve better reading education, and this reform is long overdue.