(The Center Square) – One policy analyst is calling the first year of results from Wisconsin reading screeners for students through third grade “troubling” as “more than a third of young students are falling behind.”
The data was released in compliance with Wisconsin Act 20, which requires the tests be given three times a year and that schools identify the lowest 25th percentile of student achievement on the test in order to then intervene to assist in teaching the students reading after creating a personal reading plan.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Policy Director Will Flanders pointed out that 36.8% of students fell below the 25th percentile during the year.
“District trajectories vary dramatically from kindergarten to third grade, suggesting inconsistent instruction, questionable screener reliability, or both,” Flanders wrote about the results.
He also question the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s choice to publish the data over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“School districts have already demonstrated their strong commitment to this effort, and I am encouraged by how fully they embraced the work from day one,” DPI Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement after the data was released. “With time and a sustained investment in strengthened classroom instruction and, as needed, additional reading support, we can move steadily toward our goal of making sure every Wisconsin child excels at reading by the end of third grade.”
Flanders also pointed out that students who experience poverty or have a disability are more likely to have a lower score but schools that scored well used “evidence-based reading practices” and had positive results.
New analysis from @WillFlandersWI on the literacy screener results that DPI quietly released right after Thanksgiving over the weekend.Wisconsin children are struggling to read. Being honest and transparent about this reality is step one if we want to fix the problem. https://t.co/pp14tKcmyZ— Cory Brewer (@CoryJBrewer) December 2, 2025
“The screener data show that more than a third of young students are falling behind, that districts see wildly different trajectories from kindergarten to third grade, and that poverty and disability continue to exert a heavy influence on reading outcomes,” Flanders wrote. “Yet the correlation with Forward Exam proficiency and the clear standouts among districts demonstrate that improvement is possible—and that some schools are beating the odds.”
