ACT 20 Early Literacy

Act 20 is a state law that requires schools to assess early literacy skills for students in grades 4K-3.  This helps to ensure that all students receive the support they need to develop strong reading skills.  The information below is provided to inform parents, caregivers, and our community about SCSD’s plans to meet the needs of our learners and achieve the full potential of Act 20. We will continue to build this site and add additional information.

Early Reading Skills= 2023 Wisconsin Act 20 requires that children are assessed in the early reading skills of alphabet knowledge, letter sound knowledge, phonemic awareness, and decoding. These skills are assessed differently depending on the student’s grade level. 

• Alphabet knowledge: Knowing the names of printed letters.
• Letter sound knowledge: Knowing the sounds of printed letters.
• Phonemic awareness: Hearing , saying, and manipulating individual sounds in spoken words.
• Decoding skills: Connecting sounds to written letters to read printed words.
• Oral vocabulary: Understanding the meanings of words when speaking or listening.