Sun Prairie district reports mixed literacy results, outlines Act 20 implementation and next steps

During a presentation to the Sun Prairie Area School District school board, district leaders reported mixed literacy outcomes for the 2024–25 school year and laid out actions the district has taken and plans to meet Wisconsin’s Act 20 early literacy requirements.

Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Leonard said kindergarten and first-grade benchmark scores were “relatively flat” this year while the grades 2–5 literacy composite rose 7.3 percent from fall to spring. "Every child needs to read and read well," Leonard said, framing the district’s priorities as it moves into the next school year.

The presentation said middle school reading performance improved overall by 3.9 percent from fall to spring; staff noted Black middle school students gained 6.3 percent and students with individualized education programs gained 7.2 percent, which the presenters described as gap-closing progress. By contrast, 11th-grade ACT reading scores showed a 1.1 percent decline overall; the presenters said students with disabilities posted a 5.5 percent increase on the ACT reading benchmark.

District staff identified specific assessment and curriculum changes already in place and planned to address weak areas. The district adopted the Amplify CKLA curriculum last fall and a separate program for its dual-language immersion classrooms (identified in the presentation as "Camino's"). Staff now give a universal…