Math & reading standards and testing in Wisconsin
Updated June 2026
Wisconsin's Academic Standards for ELA and math are based on the Common Core State Standards. Students in grades 3-8 take the Wisconsin Forward Exam each spring.
Does Wisconsin hold kids back in 3rd grade for reading?
No. Wisconsin has no mandatory 3rd-grade retention gate; Act 20 drives early-literacy screening and science-of-reading instruction, with promotion local.
Standards
Wisconsin Academic Standards
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards, so grade-level skills match what most of the country teaches.
The key test
The Wisconsin state test
Wisconsin Forward Exam covers both math and reading in grades 3-8.
Reading the results
Spring.
Four levels: Developing, Approaching, Meeting, Advanced.
On grade level means Meeting or Advanced on the Forward Exam ELA.
What's distinctive about Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Act 20 overhauled early literacy around the science of reading and universal K to 3 screening, without a retention mandate.
Practice the skills, by grade
Whatever Wisconsin calls its test, the underlying math and reading skills are grade-level. Practice them directly:
Practice the skills behind the test
Wisconsin teaches the Common Core standards. What a third grader has to do does not change: multiply, find the main idea, read a paragraph and say what it meant. KangarooKiddo drills those skills in daily sessions of a handful of questions that end on their own. You see where your kid actually stands, they earn rewards you set up and approve.
Source: Wisconsin Department of Education. Verified for the 2025-26 school year; policies can change, so confirm with your school.