March 31, 2017

CHEYENNE  – During their regular monthly meeting last week, the Wyoming State Board of Education (SBE) approved proposed Chapter 31 Graduation Rules after a 45-day public input process. In 2015 a tiered transcript system was eliminated to remove unnecessary complexity for school districts while maintaining equity of opportunity for students. Today, all Wyoming students are eligible to earn the same diploma, and local districts may use four types of assessment systems to determine if students have met state graduation requirements. Following review by the Legislative Services Office, the proposed rules will be delivered to the Governor’s Office for consideration and approval.

The board also approved new alternative school schedules for 10 districts that proposed 4-day weeks or early release on Fridays.

During the meeting, Dr. Mike Flicek, consultant to the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), also presented a plan to create an accountability system consistent with new federal legislation surrounding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The WDE is focusing on alignment with Phase One of the Wyoming Accountability in Education Act by refining the existing accountability system for elementary, middle and high schools and performance measures relevant to each. The SBE also reviewed Wyoming’s Phase Two legislative requirements for leader accountability related to student performance.The board made several recommendations for implementing this new state mandate and will take input from a variety of stakeholder groups as this new accountability system is phased into place.

The board reviewed and discussed new board duties imposed by the legislature, heard testimony about the math standards revision process and received a report on the state equity plan. When meeting as the State Board of Vocational Education, they also discussed new Perkins grant details.

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For more information, contact Chelsie Oaks at (307) 777-6213 or Chelsie.Oaks@wyo.gov.

Media Contact:
Thomas Sachse, Ph.D.
(307) 752-1900
thomas.sachse@wyo4life.net