Wisconsin’s State Highlights

Summary of Grades

Wisconsin scores at or above average on all four of the graded policy categories in Quality Counts.

In standards and accountability, the state posts an average performance. Wisconsin has a strong showing on indicators related to assessment and school accountability. However, the state loses points on the standards indicators because the American Federation of Teachers has not rated its academic standards for science and social studies as clear, specific, and grounded in content.

In teacher quality, Wisconsin again earns an average grade. The state does fairly well on teacher-assessment indicators, requiring prospective teachers to pass subject-knowledge tests to earn an initial license. But Wisconsin lags behind in providing professional support and training for teachers. The state has no written professional-development standards and does not require and finance mentoring for new teachers.

Wisconsin ranks near the top of the nation in school climate, performing well across all areas in this category. It receives high marks on measures of parent involvement and school choice and autonomy. The strength of its charter school law receives a relatively high rating from the Center for Education Reform.

In resource equity, the state again performs well. It has one of the better coefficient-of-variation scores in the nation, indicating less disparity in funding levels across districts than is found in most states.

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.