In the first year of Act 20’s implementation, which affected how reading is taught across Wisconsin, student reading and English language scores stayed generally stable in the Green Bay area. However, some local school districts saw decreases in specific areas, and in four, nearly half of students — or more — scored below grade level.

Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction released data on state standardized testing for the 2024-25 school year on Sept. 25.

Wisconsin school districts had to implement a phonics-based reading curriculum by the start of the 2024-25 school year under Act 20, which was approved in 2023. Phonics instruction teaches students that letters make sounds and how they combine to make words. The law bans three-cueing, where students are prompted to use context,

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