UEM 433 Alignment with Wisconsin Act 20 : Evaluating A Middle Grades Literacy Course

Abstract

In 2023, Wisconsin legislators passed Wisconsin Act 20. This law required schools, including higher education institutions, to evaluate their literacy programs to align with the new Act 20 standards. Several classes offered at UWEC focus on teaching literacy methods, including UEM 433: Inclusive Literacy Methods in Grades 4-9. Our research aimed to determine if the course content taught in UEM 433 covered the components of Act 20. We first read through the Act 20 legislation and determined its key components. We then reviewed course materials, including assignments, objectives, and readings and noted whether they addressed specific aspects of Act 20. We found that the course addresses most concepts of Act 20, but not sufficiently in the area of oral language. We were able to find evidence of other areas addressed in Act 20 but determined that more information could be included in the course for areas such as vocabulary surrounding assessment and roles of faculty. We added a reading addressing middle grade oral language development to the course. Further research could be conducted to determine if oral language is a gap that persists across university middle level English Language Arts teacher education courses.