Standards Review in Progress
Academic standards define what students should know and be able to do in an area of study. In Wisconsin, all state standards serve as a model. Locally elected school boards adopt academic standards in each subject area to best serve their local community as stipulated via Wisconsin state statute 118.30.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has a transparent and comprehensive process for reviewing and revising academic standards. The process began in July 2022. After a public-comment period, the State Superintendent’s Academic Standards Review Council examined those comments in September 2022 and recommended revision of those standards. Writing teams have developed draft standards in each subject-specific area. After a public comment period, writing teams reviewed the comments and made appropriate changes. The State Superintendent’s Academic Standards Review Council has reviewed and approved the draft standards. The State Superintendent has approved the five sets of standards. They are currently in the design phase.
The Technology and Engineering (TEE) draft standards were postponed temporarily. The TEE and the Family and Consumer Sciences draft standards have been reviewed and approved by the State Superintendent’s Academic Standards Review Council and have moved on to the Office of the State Superintendent for review and approval.
- Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
[AFNR working draft standards] - Business and Information Technology
[BIT working draft standards] - Health Science
[HS working draft standards] - Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship
[MME working draft standards] - Family and Consumer Sciences
[FCS draft standards] - Technology and Engineering
[TEE draft standards] The public-comment survey on the TEE draft standards is now closed.
Also in the last round of review with the Office of the State Superintendent are the Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards (WCRS), formerly known as Wisconsin Common Career Technical Standards.
- Wisconsin Career Readiness Standards
[WCRS working draft standards]
The WCRS provide a foundation on which the subject-specific standards are built. These employability or "future-ready" skills are founded on social-emotional learning, global competence, STEM skills, and digital literacy skills and include the following:
- Career ready: Career Awareness, Exploration, Planning, and Preparation; Postsecondary Education and Training Preparation
- Learning ready: Academic Skills; Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving; Innovation Mindset and Skills; Technology Skills
- Life ready: Self-Awareness, Management, and Responsibility; Interpersonal Communication and Collaboration; Global Competence; Responsive Leadership