Dr. Brenda Cassellius, Superintendent | Milwaukee School District
Dr. Brenda Cassellius, Superintendent | Milwaukee School District
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) released its 2024–25 state assessment results, highlighting the need for the district’s new literacy plan. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius stated that the plan aims to provide high-quality support and professional learning for educators.
The literacy initiative is currently underway and will include 40 hours of specialized training during the 2025–26 school year. The goal is to equip all teachers with expertise in the science of reading. The plan aligns with recent state legislation and represents a shift from focusing on interventions for struggling students to delivering strong literacy instruction to every student from the beginning. Instructional methods are also changing, moving away from “3 cueing,” which relies on guessing words using pictures and context, toward “decoding” words by sounding them out.
“These test scores are far below what our students, families, and the community deserve,” Dr. Cassellius said. “We believe that all students can read, and literacy opens the door to learning in all other subjects. Our educators will use the district’s new literacy plan to help us drive stronger achievement.”
According to MPS, there was no universal improvement across all tested subjects. Math scores showed a slight increase, while English, science, and social studies scores remained largely unchanged. English proficiency ranged between 19% at grades 9–10 and 29% at grades 7–8. Math proficiency was reported at 14% for grade 10 students and up to 24% for grade 3 students. Achievement gaps persist between Black and White students as well as between students with disabilities and their peers without disabilities.
Long-term comparisons of performance are not possible due to changes made to the Forward Exam and updated proficiency levels in 2023–24. Additionally, MPS noted that state scoring differs from that used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), making direct comparisons impossible.
Dr. Cassellius indicated that some early results from implementing the new literacy plan could be reflected in upcoming assessments this school year but expects more significant impacts over two or three years.
More information about the district's literacy plan is available on the MPS website.
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