CHEYENNE – A formal swearing-in ceremony for Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder will take place in the Capitol Rotunda at 3:15 pm on Friday February 4, 2022. Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court Kate Fox will administer the oath of office. The ceremony is open to the public.

Governor Mark Gordon appointed Schroeder to replace Superintendent Jillian Balow, who resigned January 16, 2022. Schroeder will serve as Superintendent for the remainder of Balow’s term, which ends in January 2023.

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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) announced today that high school graduation rates increased to 82.4% in 2020-21, marking the eighth-consecutive year of improvement from the class of 2013, where 77.6.% of students graduated.

Full graduation rate statistics are available here.

Seventeen Wyoming school districts posted graduation rates of 90% or above:

• Sheridan #3 100.0%
• Washakie #2 100.0%
• Teton #1 97.6%
• Sublette #9 95.0%
• Lincoln #1 94.7%
• Weston #7 94.7%
• Park #1 94.2%
• Sublette #1 94.1%
• Converse #2 94.0%
• Big Horn #3 92.9%
• Uinta #4 92.5%
• Fremont #6 92.3%
• Platte #2 92.3%
• Carbon #2 91.9%
• Fremont #24 91.7%
• Uinta #6 90.5%
• Weston #1 90.2%

Since the 2009-10 school year, the WDE has calculated graduation rates using the Federal Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Methodology established by the U.S. Department of Education, complying with federal law that requires all states to calculate graduation rates the same way. Students are counted in the four-year, “on-time,” high school graduation rate if they earn a diploma by September 15 following their cohort’s fourth year. Five- and six-year graduation rates are also calculated, and can be viewed with the rest of the graduation rate data.

 Graduation Rate Brochure

Graduation Rate Methodology

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CHEYENNE – Cameron Nicholas Reckard and Tamica Lee Smith will join Senator John Barrasso and Senator Cynthia Lummis in representing Wyoming during the 60th annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Washington Week, set for March 6-9, 2022.

The USSYP was established by the U.S. Senate in 1962, and provides an educational experience for students interested in public service careers. The program provides an in-depth view of the Senate and federal government, as well as a deeper understanding of the relationships between the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Branches. During the program week, the student delegates will attend online meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies and senior members of the national media, among others.

Delegates and alternates are selected by the state departments of education nationwide, after nomination by teachers and principals. The chief state school officer for each jurisdiction confirms the final selection.

Reckard and Smith, both of Sheridan, were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation who will each also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 program will break ground as the first-ever fully virtual Washington Week, and is designed to be a highly interactive and exciting education and leadership forum for the nation’s most outstanding student leaders.

Reckard, a junior at Sheridan High School, serves as the Student Council Junior Class president. He also serves as the secretary general of the Model UN team, is co-vice president of the  Speech and Debate team, and is a member of the National Honor Society. Reckard participates in Interact, a  community service club, competes on his school’s highly successful We The People team, and volunteers in his community with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. He attended the 2021 Summer High School Institute at the University of Wyoming and represented his school at the Wyoming Hugh O’Brian Youth  Leadership conference. He has also written, directed, filmed, and produced a short film in collaboration with  the WYO Film Festival. After graduating in 2023, Reckard hopes to pursue an undergraduate degree in  business, followed by his MBA.

Smith, a senior at the Arvada/Clearmont High School, serves as the president of the Clear  Creek Future Farmers of America (FFA). She is an active member of numerous student organizations,  including serving as the president of Student Council and president of National Honor Society. Her  community FFA organization hosted the Jerry Hampshire Benefit, a fundraiser for a community member  diagnosed with cancer. She has also been recognized for her accomplishments and leadership through  earning Student of the Second Quarter in 2019, and the Student of the First Quarter in 2021. After graduating  in 2022, Smith plans to pursue undergraduate degrees in marketing and studio arts.

Chosen as alternates to the 2022 program were Jaden Sophia Campbell of  Saratoga, who attends Niobrara County High School, and Jackson Bridger Fouras of Teton  Village, who attends Jackson Hole High School.

Each year this extremely competitive merit-based program brings the most exceptional high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity – to Washington, D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. However, this year, the program will be held online. The mission of the program is to help instill within each class of USSYP student delegates more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service.

For more information, visit: www.ussenateyouth.org.

Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov

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CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Summer Food Service program for kids offered through the Wyoming Department of Education served thousands of meals last summer to Wyoming children and teens.

The Summer Food Service Program is a federally funded, state-administered program. The program reimburses providers who serve free healthy meals to children and teens during the summer months when school is not in session. This video from the Department of Agriculture does a good job of explaining the program. In addition to serving food, summer food sites often include activities for students to do during the summer including crafts and games.

If you are interested in being a serving site, contact Amanda Anderson at the WDE at 307-777-7168 or amanda.anderson@wyo.gov.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: How to File a Complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Education seeks public comment on the proposed Chapter 10 Rules, which include the proposed 2021 Science Performance Standards and the proposed 2021 Math Performance Standards. Performance standards are a subset of the content standards that all students are expected to learn and be assessed on, and specify the degree of understanding for that particular standard. Performance standards were first identified for Computer Science in 2021 and are now being identified in the other content areas by the State Board of Education.

Public comment may be submitted online, or via mail, by 11:59 p.m. on February 28, 2022. The public can attend a virtual Public Comment meeting and provide verbal input. The first 15 minutes will be an informational presentation, and the remainder of the time will be to collect comments. Attendees may enter and exit the Zoom meeting at any time during the block.

Join the Zoom meeting here, or call 346-248-7799 Meeting ID: 942 4096 9257. Passcode: 460994

• 4:30-6 p.m. MST on Monday, February 7, 2022.
• 6:30-8 p.m. MST on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
• 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MST on Thursday, February 10, 2022.

The standards documents and proposed Chapter 10 Rules can be found on the WDE Chapter 10 Rules on Standards and at the links below:

• Proposed Chapter 10 Rules.
• Proposed 2021 Science Performance Standards.
• Proposed 2021 Math Performance Standards.

Send written comments to:
Wyoming Department of Education
Attn: Barb Marquer
122 W. 25th Street, Suite E200
Cheyenne, WY 82002

All public comment will be recorded verbatim, including the submitter’s name and city of residence, on the Secretary of State website as part of the rules promulgation process.

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Media Contact:
Linda Finnerty, Communications Director
307-777-2053
linda.finnerty@wyo.gov