Dear Superintendents,

There was a litany of education meetings across the state and nation this week. I wish I could have attended all of them and know that our agency was well-represented by WDE staff. Thank you for inviting us to be part of your important conversations!

Wyoming’s science standards made it over the finish line this week with the governor’s approval and signature. Here is the press release. For all of us, this is a big win! Former standards, adopted in 2003, received an “F” grade and were termed “worthless” by the Fordham Institute in 2012. Because of antiquated standards, we know that many schools have gone above and beyond the 2003 standards to ensure a quality science education for our students. We would love to hear about early implementation of the standards and work with you to set up a structure for sharing promising practices and resources. Several partners including Wyoming Ag in the Classroom and Wyoming PBS have already partnered with teachers to develop curricular materials aligned with the standards that are specific to Wyoming-specific science topics.

This week, the WDE was invited to participate in Stop, Drop, and Read. If you have celebrations in your school district that you would like us to participate in our share on social media, please send information and/or photos to gerry.minick@wyo.gov.

WDE staff sit in the hallway reading books.

WDE Staff celebrating Stop, Drop, and Read

Memos to be released on Monday, November 21: