MADISON, WI— Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has signed a bill that overhauls the way reading is taught in the state.
The Republican-authored measure is designed to improve sagging reading scores and emphasizes phonics over memorization.
Evers, a Democrat, and the state Department of Public Instruction negotiated with Republicans who control the Legislature to remove a measure that would require low-scoring third graders to repeat classes. The bill Evers signed Wednesday instead puts those students in a remedial program with mandatory summer courses.
The plan applies to public schools and private schools that receive funding through Wisconsin’s school choice voucher programs and will fund reading coaches and new curriculum across the state.
