Considering Madison’s Early Literacy Results: Post 2022 Curriculum Purchase
Timeline:
December, 2021: Madison Early Literacy Task Force Report:
Task Force Broad Recommendation Themes
Theme 1: Ensure Anti-racist, Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Equitable Education
Theme 2: Improve Instructional Coherence
Theme 3: Align Leadership for Literacy
Theme 4: Enhance Organizational Structures to Support Literacy
Theme 5: Refine Data Systems
Theme 6: Build on the Strengths of Our Students, Families, and Community
Theme 7: Collectively Grow Together Through a Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Theme 8: Enhance Implementation Efforts Through Communication and Coordination
Madison adopted Mondo and Calle de la Lectura curricula in 2012 and later launched LETRS training for literacy staff.
April, 2022: Scott Girard:
The board, after months of deliberation, unanimously chose to purchase the Open Up/EL Education curriculum and materials for its English language arts programs and Benchmark for the multi-language programs at some schools around the district. The district will spend $5.6 million for the curricula, instructional materials and professional development.
April, 2023: Jenny Peek:
The new K-5 literacy curriculum was formally approved for purchase in April 2022, and this is the first school year it’s being used district-wide.
Julie Briggs, the district’s literacy implementation coordinator, says it’s been a big shift.
“Many people across the nation went with the balanced literacy approach, and at the time we thought that we were doing the right thing,” Briggs tells Isthmus. “But as we’ve gone on, we’ve seen our scores are not improving. And it’s not just MMSD or Wisconsin, it’s nationwide.”
So when it came time to choose a new curriculum for teaching literacy, Briggs says the focus had to be “aligned to the science of reading.”
2024-2025 Early Literacy Screener 4k – 3rd grade results. According to Peek’s Isthmus article, students who were in Kindergarten during the new curriculum’s first year: 2022-2023, were in first grade during 2023-2024, second grade during 2024-2025 and third grade 2025-2026.
Second Grade Results; All schools – Madison School District: 46.1% of 1,831 students scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group. Therefore, pre cut score change: 53.9% of Madison second graders scored above the 25th percentile.
2025-2026: Third grade Fall early literacy screener – Madison School District all schools.
*** The aimsweb screener cut scores changed….[Description] 29% of all Madison 3rd graders [Report] scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group.
Madison School District April, 2022 early literacy curriculum purchase documents.
