CHEYENNE – Spring 2017 statewide testing results were released today by the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE). School, district, and state results are available on the WDE’s Fusion site. These include results for the Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS) and alternate assessments in reading and mathematics for students in grades 3 through 8, and in science for grades 4 and 8.
“Wyoming schools have demonstrated a solid foundation of learning that we need to build on and continue to improve,” said State Superintendent Jillian Balow. “The growth that we saw in two of the three areas is a credit to a continued focus on high quality teaching and student learning. Now, each school will look carefully at this data to help set instructional goals for the upcoming year. I anticipate these goals will be ambitious with a continued focus on superb instruction and improved student outcomes.”
Notable increases in scores took place in eighth grade science, which had a 3.7 percent increase to 45.3 percent of students proficient or advanced, and fourth grade math, which had a 2.6 percent increase to 57.8 percent of students proficient or advanced.
For the first time, a breakdown of the performance of full-time virtual education students on PAWS is included in the results. They were added as an additional student group for reporting as part of the 2017 Virtual Education Act.
Starting in the 2017-18 school year, students will take the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP). The new test will assess proficiency in reading and math for students in grades 3-10, science for students in grades 4, 8, and 10, and writing for students in grades 3, 5, 7, and 9. It will be an online, adaptive assessment with various item types such as multiple choice, technology enhanced, and constructed response. The results will be comparable to students’ scores from other states and will be used for accountability purposes.
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Media Contact:
Kari Eakins, Communications Director
kari.eakins@wyo.gov
307-777-2053