Just about two-thirds of kids in Wisconsin schools cannot read like they are supposed to, and lawmakers in Madison want to change that.
The Assembly’s Committee on Education held a hearing yesterday on a plan that would require schools to start screening kids for reading readiness as early as pre-kindergarten. The hope, Republican state Rep. Bob Whitke says, is to get kids reading at grade level by the third grade so they don’t fall behind permanently. But there’s some pushback. Wisconsin’s Association of School Board says the screenings will cost time and money, and they’re not sure how much the new plan will help. Republican lawmakers say Wisconsin needs to do something about its poor reading scores, regardless of the cost.
