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Oak Creek-Franklin board discusses state Act 20 rules for promoting third-graders, plans summer reading supports
Summary
District staff reviewed new state requirements under Act 20 requiring demonstration of reading proficiency for promotion from grade 3 to 4, outlined personal reading plans and a district summer reading program, and flagged unanswered operational details the district must resolve before next year.
District staff told the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District board on June 9 that state law in Act 20 requires districts to ensure students demonstrate reading proficiency before promotion from third grade to fourth grade.
The presentation, led by a district curriculum staff member, explained that students who do not score proficient on the state Forward Exam will be placed on a personal reading plan (PRP), will receive targeted interventions and weekly progress monitoring, and will be offered a district summer reading program. The district has begun training about 15 teachers for a 3-16 reading license to staff summer work but said many operational details remain unresolved.
District staff said the PRP process will use multiple data points — including AIMSweb Plus and local diagnostic tools such as STAR — so promotion decisions will not rely solely on a single test day. The presenter said: "We're not just gonna rely on one reading test on a day in April or May to determine a student's future. We're gonna take all of the evidence, all the data, and look at it to make an informed decision with the parents." (presenter)
The presentation noted parents are not legally required to send a child to the district summer program; the district must offer summer supports but statute treats attendance as a parental choice. District staff raised practical questions that remain open about implementation: how many hours or days of summer instruction the state will require, how transportation will be provided or subsidized, and how to handle cases where parents decline summer participation.
Staff also described how individualized education programs (IEPs) will interact with Act 20 requirements: students with IEPs typically have reading goals written into their IEPs, and the IEP team’s determinations will inform promotion decisions. The presenter summarized: "The IEP kinda supersedes some of this policy because they will be promoted" when IEP goals and accommodations are in place. (presenter)
Board members asked for additional details and were advised staff will return with a draft policy and operational plan at the June 23 meeting. The item on promotion and retention was presented as required background work for a policy revision the board must consider before the statutory deadline.
District staff urged board members to send questions in advance so the administration can gather comparative district practices and updated guidance from state agencies. No formal board action on the policy was taken June 9; the item was listed as an action item for the June 23 meeting.
