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Month XX, 202X
Dear Reader,
This update is brief because I don’t want you to miss any of the important information it contains
Let’s get right to it. . .
Director, Office of Literacy
- Reading Advisory Council Accepting Applications
- Early Literacy Screening: aimswebPlus in 2025 – 2026
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What Barb is Reading
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Reading Advisory Council Accepting Applications
We welcome a wide range of voices, including educators, students, parents and caregivers, school and district leaders, librarians, educator preparation representatives, and other education partners. DPI aims to maintain a council that reflects the diversity of our state, including differences in race, gender, geographic location, and approaches to reading instruction to support comprehensive literacy efforts across Wisconsin.
We are especially interested in applicants who reflect the diversity of our state, including diversity in race, culture, geography, school size, and approaches to literacy. We strongly encourage individuals from communities that have historically been underrepresented in statewide education decisions to apply. Your perspectives and lived experiences are essential as we work together to build more inclusive and effective literacy practices. Whether you are new to this work or have years of experience, your voice matters.
Council meetings will be held virtually the second Monday evening of each month, from 4:00-5:30 PM, October 2025 through June 2026.
If you're interested in contributing to this important effort, please complete the application form by Friday, September 5, 2025.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to help shape the future of literacy in Wisconsin.
Early Literacy Screening:
aimswebPlus in 2025 – 2026
Where to Find Information about aimswebPlus
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Read the DAC Digest; early literacy screening information is toward the end of the publication. The DAC Digest will include updates about what’s new on the Pearson / Wisconsin website.
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The Pearson / Wisconsin website is the best place to go for all things aimswebPlus.
2025 - 2026 Changes
- To ensure the assessment accurately identifies students in need of support, aimswebPlus for reading updated its norms. Read more in your aimswebPlus account.
- Phoneme segmentation and nonsense word fluency must be administered in midyear and spring in 5K.
- Risk in 1st grade is determined with the composite score now comprised of nonsense word fluency, word recognition, and oral reading fluency.
Roster Students and Teachers
For 2025 – 2026, all students will be entered in aimswebPlus through WISE. This ensures that the DPI has accurate student information, particularly the WISEid.
After rostering all students through WISE, there are two ways to proceed. Choose one.
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Use WISE to roster teachers and classes and continue using WISE for all rostering needs. Information syncs nightly.
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Work with Pearson to use SSO (single sign-on) such as Clever or ClassLink. This allows for use of familiar passwords for students and teachers. This also allows districts and schools to roster students beyond 3rd grade.
When it is available, detailed information about rostering will be in two places:
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Pearson / Wisconsin site under “Rostering / Data management”. Note – on August 4, the information on the site has not been updated for 2025 – 2026;
Set a Local Screening Window
Per Wisconsin statute, all students must be screened on or before the 45th day of school. The fall administration window is open from August 1 – October 24, 2025. Establish a local window within that timeframe.
Prepare Screening Materials
Visit Pearson / Wisconsin and select “Content”. An updated guide to printing materials is available now.
Required subtests have changed in 5K and 1st grade. 5K needs to add phoneme segmentation and nonsense word fluency. 1st grade needs to add nonsense word fluency and word read fluency. The directions teachers read to students have changed at all grades.
There are no changes the aimswebPlus Spanish materials or subtests.
Train Test Administrators
It is important that every test administrator understands how to administer each subtest with fidelity. Your district or school might consider retraining or refreshing all test administrators.
Visit Pearson / Wisconsin and select “Training”. In “On-demand webinars”, you will find the Overview for Administrators. Updated for 2025 – 2026, this includes information about all subtests and accessing TestNav for 2nd and 3rd grade.
After Administering the Screener
No later than 15 days after the screener is scores, communicate with the child’s parents/caregivers about the student’s performance. The communication must include:
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Score in each early literacy skill assessed on the screener and plain language explanations of each skill
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Percentile rank on the screener
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Supports provided to students under the 25th percentile and the score that equates to below the 25th percentile
Updated parent/caregiver communications will be available soon at WI Reads.
In 5K – 3rd grade, students below the 25th percentile must be engaged in diagnostic assessment. Information about diagnostic assessment is available at WI Reads.
In fall, diagnostic assessment must be complete by the 2nd Friday of November; personal reading plans must be written by the 3rd Friday of November and implemented as soon as practicable. It is critical to intervene as early as possible.
What I’m Reading
You might know that my nephew is seven; he’s excited to be in 2nd grade and especially excited to see his friends and make new friends. He’s a little sad because he knows some of his friends from 1st grade won’t be at his school anymore.
Walter Had a Best Friend written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier might be a great book to help my nephew understand how friendship changes.
Walter, a mouse, and Xavier, a duck, are best friends. They hike and paint and enjoy quiet moments together. That all changes when Xavier meets Penelope, who might be a hedgehog. Walter feels left out and is sad for a while, “There was just a big hole in his heart / where Xavier used to be”. Slowly, Walter starts doing things he enjoys again. He meets Ollie (either a badger or a skunk) on a hike.
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