April 29, 2019

CHEYENNE – At its April meeting Thursday, the Wyoming State Board of Education (SBE) moved to promulgate Chapter 10 rules, which incorporate the proposed Computer Science Standards.

The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), at the request of the SBE, reconvened its Computer Science Standards Review Committee to revise standards at the elementary grades. While the Computer Science Committee maintained all of the content standards, the committee designated priority standards, enhanced standards, and supporting standards. This reduces the number of “required” standards from nine at the K-2 level to four. The SBE acknowledged the work of the WDE and its committee and voted unanimously to promulgate Chapter 10 rules. The public comment will open after the governor grants permission to proceed.

In a related presentation, WDE Supervisor of Student/Teacher Resource Team, Dr. Laurel Ballard, said the Department received a grant from Microsoft’s TechSpark initiative to provide computer science implementation and training to individual school districts that apply for grant consideration.

The SBE heard an additional report from Ballard on proposed regulations that modify the process for the approval of Teacher Evaluation Systems. Those regulations will be reviewed and brought to the SBE for consideration at its May meeting.

The SBE also voted to approve the WDE’s transitional plan to phase in new federal requirements for Career and Technical Education programs statewide. The federal Perkins V program on Career and Technical Education was reauthorized and states are now taking a year to transition from the existing program to new expectations for educational programs leading to a high-skill, high-wage jobs. The WDE is currently conducting listening sessions around the state to provide information about the new Perkins V program and receive public input from local Career and Technical Education educators, business, parents and the general public.

SBE Coordinator Dr. Thomas Sachse updated the board on interim topics from the Joint Education Interim Committee (JEIC). The JEIC is requesting information from the SBE about how Wyoming educators view the totality of standards now that Computer Science and Indian Education for All were added to the “Basket of Goods and Services.”

The next board meeting is scheduled for May 23, at a location to be determined.

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For more information, contact Kylie Taylor at (307) 777-6213 or kylie.taylor@wyo.gov.

Media Contact:
Dr. Thomas Sachse
(307) 752-1900
tom.sachse@wyo.gov