(Madison)… Today, The Roadmap to Reading Success Bill (Senate Bill 454) completed its final step in the Legislature, earning bipartisan support in the State Assembly with a 62-32 vote. Passage comes on the heels of disappointing new K-12 test scores released last week, showing a continued decline in reading and writing. The bill author, Senator Kathy Bernier (R – Chippewa Falls) issued the following statement on passage:
“People across Wisconsin are waking up to the fact that a full 64% of Wisconsin 4th graders can’t read proficiently. We have a literacy crisis in Wisconsin, and our kids don’t need more excuses or more taskforces from the same people who got us into this mess. What they need are schools that identify struggling readers sooner and get them the help they need before they fall behind and lose hope.
“This bill isn’t wishful thinking about what might work – other states, and many districts across Wisconsin are doing what we’re proposing and seeing achievement rise for all students in amazing ways. Screeners take just a couple of minutes and direct teachers to simple, in-class interventions to help struggling readers overcome their difficulties before they’ve fallen behind.
“I hope to have the chance to sit down with the Governor to urge him to sign this bill into law. I believe that Governor Evers knows we don’t have time to waste when it comes to our kids and Wisconsin’s reading crisis.”
