Early Literacy Remediation Plan

Introduction and Overview

Published Spring 2025

District Mission: “Together with students, families, and our community; we inspire, support, and learn.”

District Values: 

• EXCELLENCE: We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of excellence because the students in our schools today are the future of our community tomorrow.
• SUPPORT: We support our students, our colleagues, our families, and our community by responding to individual needs, respecting differences, and so that everyone has what they require to be successful in their roles.
• PRIDE: We take pride in our district and we share responsibility for its success
• INTEGRITY: We demonstrate integrity, by holding ourselves to the highest personal and professional standards.

Mega-Result: All students will graduate prepared with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors necessary to achieve their personal goals and make a positive impact in the world.

Early Literacy Vision: “To cultivate a collaborative and engaging learning community where students are rooted in a strong literacy foundation equipped to persevere and thrive in their lifelong educational journey and make a positive impact in the world.”

ELA Vision: “Through the implementation of our cohesive ELA curriculum, together, we will grow the will and skills of ALL to experience the thrill of learning.”

Univeral Approach to High Quality Instruction

Links to standards:

• Wisconsin Standards for English Language Arts, DPI 2020
• Wisconsin Essential Elements for English Language Arts, DPI 2022
• Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards Fifth Edition
• The 2020 Edition | WIDA

Professional Learning: The continuous professional development of educators and the practical application of newly acquired knowledge is essential to ensuring educational quality and equity.  The process of ongoing teacher education, coupled with the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices has far-reaching implications for our educational system. To support a Universal Approach to High Quality Instruction , the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District elementary principals, reading specialists, and district leaders have completed “Pathways to Literacy Leadership through AIM Institute for Learning and Research.  All K-5 educators completed Pathways to Proficient Reading through AIM Institute for Learning and Research in 2024.  Teachers hired in the fall of 2024 have also completed the training as of June 2025.

Core Literacy Curriculum Resources: Wit & Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Functional Phonics + Morphology (University of Minnesota, 2023)

Instructional Evaluation Process: Under the direction of the Reading Specialist the District reviews student achievement data after each benchmark period, school year, and across school years to monitor the effectiveness of our universal early literacy instruction.  Results are analyzed to inform targeted professional development, instructional decision making, and the evaluation of our core curriculum resources. The processes guided by  District policy 2131.01 are presented to the school board annually through Operational Expectations report OE11,  student performance data is also reported in an annual ELA results report R-2.1a to our school board annually.  These reports are available to the public through our website.  

 

Strategic Early Literacy Assessment System

Universal Screeners: The District is required by state law to administer early literacy assessments to students enrolled in four year old kindergarten through third grade.  Please note that state law does not permit an opt-out policy for Early Literacy universal screeners required by statute.  Parents and caregivers can expect to receive a report of their child's screener results no later than 15 days after their child screener is completed.  Parents will be notified in their preferred language as communicated to the District.

Diagnostic Literacy Assessments: Diagnostic assessments will be administered to K-3 students who score below the 25th percentile on the universal screener or who are referred for additional testing by a teacher or parent/caregiver.  Act 20 requires that a diagnostic assessment include all of the specific literacy subskills enumerated in Act 20 and meets the technical specifications in Act 20.  Unless otherwise noted, all assessments are administered in Pearson aimswebPlus.

In conjunction with the diagnostic assessment, the District will offer the student’s family the opportunity to complete a Dyslexia Family History Survey to provide additional information about any learning difficulties within the family.  This survey along with a link to the WI DPI Informational Guidebook on Dyslexia and Related Conditions are available on the CFAUSD website.

 

Strategic Use of Data

The District employs a comprehensive, team-based, and data-driven approach to identify and address student needs in early literacy. Student scores on universal screeners and diagnostic assessments are reviewed by  grade level teachers, interventionists, reading specialists, instructional specialists, building principals, special education teachers, English language learner teacher(s), as well as speech and language pathologists and/or school psychologists (as needed).  

Teams analyze data, align interventions to the student needs, and develop Personal Reading Plans for each student.  

 

Student Supports

Early Literacy Interventions: Evidence-based interventions provide explicit and systematic instruction for students in need of additional support. Targeted instruction is provided based on identified student needs. The District currently utilizes the following intervention resources:

• Heggerty
• Functional Phonics
• University of Florida Literacy Institute Foundations (UFLI)
• 6 Minute Solution
• Read Naturally
• Wilson Just Words

Interventions are reviewed regularly by the District.  Adoption of interventions are considered through a rubric based on expectations for Structured Literacy and is inclusive of expectations defined by Act 20.

Progress Monitoring: All students below the 25%ile will be progress monitored weekly. Progress monitors include Phoneme Segmentation, Letter Naming Fluency, Letter Word Sound Fluency, Nonsense Word Fluency, Oral Reading Fluency. Students will be monitored using the probe(s) aligned with their identified area(s) of need.  

Personal Reading Plans: Students who score below the 25th percentile on the reading readiness screener will receive a Personal Reading Plan (PRP). Personal Reading Plans include the following information:

• Universal Screening Assessment Data
• Diagnostic Testing Results
• Identified Focus Areas and Literacy Goals
• Intervention Plan
• Progress Monitoring Plan
• Universal Classroom Instruction information
• Additional Recommendations & Resources to Accelerate Early Literacy Skills
• Plan Updates

Personal Reading Plans are documented in EduClimber. Families are provided the plan in their preferred language electronically via email. Print copies are also available.

Exit Criteria and Additional Considerations: Students in K-2 are eligible to be dismissed from their Personal Reading Plan when benchmark screening scores are above the 25th percentile and progress monitoring is consistently above the 25th percentile and shows positive growth. 3rd grade students must also score at the meeting or advanced level of the Reading portion of the Wisconsin Forward Exam. The plan dismissal will be finalized when the student’s literacy team agrees the goals of the Personal Reading Plan have been met.

It is important to note that completion of a Personal Reading Plan is not synonymous with a dismissal from an intervention.  It is possible that a student no longer meeting requirements for a Personal Reading Plan would still be in need of additional support. These supports will continue to be provided to ensure the student’s continued growth and success.    

 

Family & Community Engagement

Parent Notificaton and Engagement: Parents will receive notification from their child’s building principal and/or classroom teacher of the dates screening will take place. In addition the following letter will be sent to parents via email:  CFAUSD Information Letter about Upcoming Early Reading Screener

The District will provide the results of the universal screener and, if applicable, the diagnostic assessment in writing to a student’s parent no later than 15 days after the universal screening is scored. The letter includes the following information

• How the teachers use the results
• Definition of national percentiles
• Definition of “at-risk”
• Descriptions of the Early Reading Screening Assessments the child took
• Definitions of components that make up “Early Reading Skills”

Personal Reading Plans include personalized suggestions for how families can support their child’s reading development.  Parents will receive updates about their child’s progress at least every 10 weeks.

Classroom teachers and building principals provide information on family engagement through their building websites, classroom communication, building newsletters, and Parent Teacher Conferences.

Promotion Policy: CFAUSD Promotion Policy 5411 

5411 - THIRD GRADE PROMOTION AND RETENTION: AT-RISK STUDENTS

Introduction

This policy governs the promotion of students from 3rd grade to 4th grade in accordance with 118.33, Wis. Stats. The policy applies to all students being considered for promotion from 3rd to 4th grade, effective on Sept. 1, 2027

The District intends to make promotion decisions based on a thorough and equitable process that considers individual student needs in reading. For any student who has not completed their personal reading plan by the end of 3rd grade, the Superintendent of Schools and/or the Building Principal (hereafter referred to as "District") with feedback from a team will determine whether retention or promotion to 4th grade, with intensive instructional support, progress monitoring, and supports to remediate the identified areas of deficiency, is in the student's best interest. The determination process will consider relevant factors such as reading proficiency, social and emotional development, and available supports.

Promotion of Third Grade Students with Personal Reading Plans

For any student who has not completed their personal reading plan by the end of the student’s third grade year, the District will engage in a process to determine whether to promote that student to the fourth grade. The District will not promote a student from third to fourth grade who has not completed their personal reading plan by the end of third grade unless the District, in consultation with the student’s parent(s), believes retention is not in the best interest of the student.

In reaching the decision to promote or retain the student, the District shall determine whether a student has satisfied the criteria in this policy.  The District will carefully consider all relevant factors, including but not limited to:

1. Whether a team of interested individuals, including the parent(s) of the student, school representatives and a district reading specialist who have knowledge of the reading instruction, supports, and interventions provided to the student, believe promotion is in the best interest of the student;
2. All relevant and available data demonstrating the student’s response or progress to reading instruction and intervention, and data demonstrating the student's progress towards meeting personal reading plan goals;
3. Any other factor(s) relevant in deciding whether to retain or promote a student;
4. Those factor(s) or conditions considered elsewhere in District policy or administrative guidelines pertaining to student promotion and retention;
5. Whether the student is eligible for an exception contained under this policy;
6. The potential long-term adverse risks of retention.

Based on the comprehensive evaluation of factors above, the District will make one of the following determinations:

1. Promotion: Promotion to fourth grade with applicable supports and services is more appropriate than retention to third grade.
2. Promotion: The student’s non-completion of their personal reading plan was not primarily due to the student’s lack of reading proficiency.
3. Promotion: The District recommends retention with applicable supports and services but the student’s parent(s) do not agree with the District’s recommendation.
4. Retention: The District determined that, in consultation with the student’s parent(s), retention with applicable supports and services is more appropriate than promotion to fourth grade.

Promoting Students with Incomplete Personal Reading Plans

If the District promotes a third-grade student who has not completed their personal reading plan by the end of third grade, the District shall conduct all of the following post-promotion requirements:

1. In the following and subsequent school year(s) provide intensive instructional services, progress monitoring, and supports to remediate the identified areas of deficiency until the student scores at grade level in reading on a summative assessment;
2. Notify the student's parent(s), in writing, that the student did not complete their personal reading plan, including a description of the instructional services and supports that will be provided to the student to remediate the identified areas of deficiency; and
3. Provide the student with an intensive summer reading program each summer until the student scores at grade-level in reading on a summative assessment.

Exceptions to Post-Promotion Requirements

The following are good cause exceptions. Any student who meets one or more of the following good cause exceptions may be exempt from the promotion policy, the intensive summer reading program, and/or the intensive reading intervention requirements:

1. The student is identified as a Limited-English Proficient student as per the definition included in this policy;
2. The student has an individualized education plan (IEP) that indicates that neither taking the universal reading screener nor the State summative assessment in reading is appropriate for the student;
3. The student scores as proficient in reading on the alternative Statewide standardized summative assessment;
4. The student has an IEP or Section 504 plan under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that indicates that the student has received intensive intervention in reading for more than two (2) years if the student continues to demonstrate a deficiency in reading and was previously retained in 5K, grades one, two, or three;
5. The student has received intensive reading interventions for two (2) or more school years, continues to demonstrate a deficiency in reading, and was previously retained in 5K, grades one, two, or three for a total of two (2) years.

Appeal Process 

If a student is denied promotion, the student's parent(s) may appeal the decision. The student's parent(s) shall bring or send an intent to appeal to the appropriate Elementary School Office. A complete description of the appeal process will be sent to the parent(s) at that time.

Mid-Year Enrollment/Transfers

Any student who enrolls as a third-grade student late in the school term without any accompanying record of a personal reading plan shall be promoted to fourth grade under the criteria that the student did not have a personal reading plan in effect at the end of third grade.

If a student transfers into a school enrolled as a fourth-grade student and the provided records indicate the student may have met requirements to be retained in third grade (e.g., incomplete personal reading plan), the District shall provide all supports and services that the student would have otherwise received as a post-promotion requirement including intensive instructional services, progress monitoring and supports to remediate the identified areas of deficiency, parent notification, and an intensive summer reading program each summer until the pupil scores at grade-level in reading on a summative assessment.  

© Neola 2025

Legal

118.016(5), Wis. Stats.

118.33(5m)(a), Wis. Stats.

 

Questions regarding this plan can be directed to: Kathleen Coppenbarger, Director of Teaching and Learning