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SB18 • 2025

changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report

changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report

Education Taxes
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Senators Jagler, Quinn, Feyen, Wanggaard, Tomczyk, Nass, Bradley, Wimberger, Kapenga, Marklein, James, Jacque, Testin and Cabral-Guevara, cosponsored by Representatives Wittke, Novak, O'Connor, Kreibich, Tusler, Gundrum, Duchow, Penterman, Murphy, Sortwell, Born, Maxey, Behnke, Melotik, Mursau, Piwowarczyk, Nedweski, Gustafson, Donovan, Green, Dittrich, Dallman, Brill, B. Jacobson, Rodriguez, Spiros, Allen, Knodl, Kaufert and Moses
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
S - Hold (Available for Scheduling)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report

changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report Status: S - Hold (Available for Scheduling)

What This Bill Does

  • changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report Status: S - Hold (Available for Scheduling)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-23 Sen.

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  2. 2025-03-14 Sen.

    Executive action taken

  3. 2025-03-14 Sen.

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Education , Ayes 3, Noes 2

  4. 2025-03-14 Sen.

    Available for scheduling

  5. 2025-03-13 Sen.

    Public hearing held

  6. 2025-03-06 Sen.

    Senator Hutton added as a coauthor

  7. 2025-02-17 Sen.

    Fiscal estimate received

  8. 2025-02-05 Sen.

    Introduced by Senators Jagler , Quinn , Feyen , Wanggaard , Tomczyk , Nass , Bradley , Wimberger , Kapenga , Marklein , James , Jacque , Testin and Cabral-Guevara ; cosponsored by Representatives Wittke , Novak , O'Connor , Kreibich , Tusler , Gundrum , Duchow , Penterman , Murphy , Sortwell , Born , Maxey , Behnke , Melotik , Mursau , Piwowarczyk , Nedweski , Gustafson , Donovan , Green , Dittrich , Dallman , Brill , B. Jacobson , Rodriguez , Spiros , Allen , Knodl , Kaufert and Moses

  9. 2025-02-05 Sen.

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Education

Official Summary Text

changes to the educational assessment program and the school and school district accountability report
Status: S - Hold (Available for Scheduling)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Wisconsin Legislature: SB18: Bill Text

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2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
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SB18: Bill Text

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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-0976/4
FFK:cjs&skw
2025 SENATE BILL 18
February 5, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Jagler
,
Quinn
,
Feyen
,
Wanggaard
,
Tomczyk
,
Nass
,
Bradley
,
Wimberger
,
Kapenga
,
Marklein
,
James
,
Jacque
,
Testin
and
Cabral-Guevara
, cosponsored by Representatives
Wittke
,
Novak
,
O'Connor
,
Kreibich
,
Tusler
,
Gundrum
,
Duchow
,
Penterman
,
Murphy
,
Sortwell
,
Born
,
Maxey
,
Behnke
,
Melotik
,
Mursau
,
Piwowarczyk
,
Nedweski
,
Gustafson
,
Donovan
,
Green
,
Dittrich
,
Dallman
,
Brill
,
B. Jacobson
,
Rodriguez
,
Spiros
,
Allen
,
Knodl
,
Kaufert
and
Moses
. Referred to Committee on Education.
SB18,1,4
1
An Act

to renumber and amend
115.385 (1) (b);
to amend
115.385 (1) (c);
to
2
create
115.385 (1) (b) 2m. and 118.30 (1j) of the statutes;
relating to:
changes
3
to the educational assessment program and the school and school district
4
accountability report.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Department of Public Instruction is required to annually publish a school and school district accountability report, commonly known as school and school district report cards, for the previous school year. To measure school performance and school district improvement for purposes of the report cards, particularly measures related to pupil achievement in reading and math, DPI uses data derived from pupil performance on assessments administered in the previous school year, including assessments commonly referred to as the Wisconsin Student Assessment System, which includes the Wisconsin Forward Exam, PreACT, the ACT with Writing, and Dynamic Learning Maps.
Under the bill, beginning with report cards published for the school year in which the bill becomes law, for the index system to identify school and school district performance and improvement, also known as the accountability rating categories, DPI must use the same cut scores, score ranges, and corresponding qualitative descriptions that DPI used for report cards published in the 2019-20 school year. In addition, beginning with the WSAS administered in the school year in which the bill becomes law, DPI must do the following:
1. For the Wisconsin Forward exam in English Language Arts and Mathematics, align cut scores, score ranges, and pupil performance categories to the cut scores, score ranges, and pupil performance categories set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
2. For the PreACT and ACT with Writing in English, Reading, and Mathematics, use the same cut scores, score ranges, and pupil performance categories that DPI used for the same assessments administered in the 2021-22 school year. The bill specifically requires DPI to use the terms “below basic,” “basic,” “proficient,” and “advanced” for pupil performance categories on these assessments.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SB18,1
1
Section

1
.
115.385 (1) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 115.385 (1) (b) 1m.,
2
and 115.385 (1) (b) 1m. (intro.), as renumbered, is amended to read:
SB18,2,6
3
115.385
(1)
(b) 1m. (intro.)
An

Subject to subd. 2m., an
index system to
4
identify a school’s level of performance and a school district’s level of improvement
5
and to annually assign to each school and school district one of the following
6
performance categories:
SB18,2
7
Section

2
.
115.385 (1) (b) 2m. of the statutes is created to read:
SB18,2,13
8
115.385
(1)
(b) 2m. For the school and school district accountability reports
9
published for the school year beginning on the July 1 immediately preceding the
10
effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB inserts date], and for each school year
11
thereafter, the department shall use the same cut scores and the same score ranges
12
for the performance categories under subd. 1m. that the department used for the
13
report published under this section in the 2019-20 school year.
SB18,3
14
Section

3
.
115.385 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB18,3,3
1
115.385
(1)
(c)
A qualitative definition for

For
each of the 5 performance
2
categories in par. (b)
1m., the same qualitative definition that the department used
3
for the report published under this section in the 2019-20 school year
.
SB18,4
4
Section

4
.
118.30 (1j) of the statutes is created to read:
SB18,3,8
5
118.30
(1j)
For examinations administered under this section or
20 USC 6311

6
(b) (2) in the school year beginning on the July 1 immediately preceding the effective
7
date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date], and in each school year thereafter, the
8
department shall do all of the following:
SB18,3,13
9
(a) For examinations in English language arts and mathematics administered
10
to pupils in grades 3 to 8, use cut scores, score ranges, and pupil performance
11
categories that are aligned to the cut scores, score ranges, and pupil performance
12
categories set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress for the same
13
subject and the same grade.
SB18,3,18
14
(b) For examinations in English, reading, and mathematics administered to
15
pupils in grades 9 to 11, use the same cut scores, the same score ranges, and the
16
same pupil performance categories that the department used to evaluate the same
17
examinations administered in the 2021-22 school year, including the following
18
terminology for the pupil performance categories:
SB18,3,19
19
1. Below Basic.
SB18,3,20
20
2. Basic.
SB18,3,21
21
3. Proficient.
SB18,3,22
22
4. Advanced.
SB18,3,23
23
(end)

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true

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