Parents Disappointed By Delay in Switch to Phonics Teaching
DPI and lawmakers blame each other.
School classroom. (Pixabay License).
A group of Wisconsin parents say the Department of Public Instruction is dragging its feet on implementing new curriculum that aims to improve children’s reading skills.
In 2023, lawmakers passed legislation known as Act 20. It required schools to shift away from “balanced literacy” curriculum to a phonics-based model known as “the science of reading” beginning this school year.
The law also prohibits the use of curriculum in kindergarten through third grade that uses three-cueing instruction, which means encouraging children to use clues like pictures to guess unfamiliar words.
Act 20 was championed by parents who are part of Decoding Dyslexia Wisconsin, who say using the science of reading approach helped their own children learn to read.
On Dec. 13, parents from Decoding Dyslexia, the Wisconsin Reading Coalition, WI Reads and the International Dyslexia Association’s Wisconsin branch sent a letter to DPI. It said they’re concerned with the implementation of Act 20, the failure to develop a plan for training future teachers with the Universities of Wisconsin, and the lowering of academic standards on statewide testing.
“Our school district leaders have lacked guidance and direction on how to effectively implement evidence-based instructional practices that will result in improved student outcomes,” the letter states. “These issues must be promptly addressed before the intent of Act 20 and the goodwill of our educators and citizens are squandered.”
Katie Kasubaski, who heads the state’s Decoding Dyslexia group, said she feels hopeful because many school districts across the state are implementing science of reading into their curriculum.
“But I’m still really disappointed that DPI is putting politics above kids,” said Kasubaski, who served on a DPI reading committee after being appointed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, “We just want kids to learn how to read, and we also want DPI to follow the law.”
DPI did not answer specific questions regarding parents’ concerns, but in a statement said lawmakers are making it impossible to comply with the law.
Despite Act 20 having bipartisan support, the $50 million needed to develop an office of literacy and recruit dozens of literacy coaches has not been released by the legislature.
In August, a Dane County Circuit Court judge rejected a request by DPI to release the money. Attorney General Josh Kaul has asked the state Supreme Court to take up the matter.
“As we’re now well into the school year, we hope (the Legislature’s) priority will be releasing the nearly $50 million they are holding back from helping kids instead of continuing to play political games,” said DPI spokesperson Chris Bucher. “It is time to focus on doing what is best for our kids — which is what schools across the state are doing.”
Meanwhile, State Superintendent Jill Underly sent a letter to the Joint Finance Committee on Dec. 6 with its list of six reading curriculum books for kindergarteners through third graders to use next school year.
Underly said she will not be going to the Joint Finance Committee for its approval.
“It has now been more than 18 months since Act 20 — bipartisan legislation — was signed into law, and school districts are still without the funding to support implementation due to inaction by your Joint Committee on Finance,” Underly wrote. “Regardless, schools continue to work tirelessly to implement the requirements in Act 20, including purchasing new curriculum with their own limited funds.”
In a response letter dated Dec. 10, Joint Finance Chairs Republicans Howard Marklein and Mark Born said DPI is required by law to submit the curriculum.
Parents disappointed in implementation of new Wisconsin reading law was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Your headline here is misleading- the story is the refusal to release the funds to fund this (dubious) “new” reading program. The MAGA-nuts on JFC don’t know squat about teaching reading, nor are they acting in the interests of kids and parents.
I agree with rubiomon, the actions of the JFC are the real crux of this story. JFC being able to “lazy veto” legislation by not releasing approved funds is .. at minimum a design flaw in the system.
Many of us baby boomers learned to read in schools where our teachers did not use any “evidence based instructional practices”. Most all of us did quite well. The quagmire that teachers found implementing curriculums based on”the science of reading” is a very rigid, directed instruction with scripted curriculums with specific terms that need to be used and taught for a specific length of time, Teachers found to be deviating from the protocol of the curriculum, can face disciplinary charges in many schools districts. The “miracle curriculum” also keeps teachers from implementing creative reading strategies that they have found to be engaging for students.
@Mingus, you probably learned to read via phonics, which is what Act 20 is requiring. It is not new or dubious, unlike the reading strategies it is replacing.
The excellent podcast Sold a Story lays it out well, including discussing why we now think of phonics as Republican/conservative. https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
I’d love to know where you got the info about discipline for teachers, as that is not in the text of the law. Do you have access to internal district documents that outline that?
I worked for MPS and several charter schools in Milwaukee for 44 years. A school I worked in had what we called the “clipboard police”. Reading and Math instruction could not go over or under a designated length of time. If it did and a person from the “clipboard police” would write the teacher up. Teachers also got written up for using the wrong terms that deviated from the curriculum. These practices were part of other schools also. In schools, all staff know what you have to do to not get disciplined and it is freely discussed. “Evidenced Based” just means that some curriculum worked in some school district or University based program and the lesson learned just might not work in other school districts.