Dear Superintendents,

There will be no update from me next Friday. Memos will still be sent to superintendents on Fridayin advance of Monday’s public release. I will be at the Women’s Antelope Hunt in Ucross.

Wyoming is embarking on so much work to improve teaching and learning for students. I am particularly encouraged by partnerships that impact policy where government, teachers, education leaders, the employer community, higher education, and others work together. Solutions only arise when all the right people are working together.

It is a pleasure to represent K12 education as a member of the Community College Commission and as a trustee at the University of Wyoming. Seamless transitions from high school to post-secondary is something we talk a lot about but struggle to operationalize. In our math standards review and development work we are moving full steam ahead.

The math standards review committee has representation from higher education, K12, and business. We intentionally boosted the involvement of post-secondary members and asked them to work across grade bands. They give valuable input on the progression of math skills from Kindergarten through 12th grade and beyond.

We all know there is no such thing as a “silver bullet” to solve complex education issues like college math remediation. That’s one reason we will continue to think carefully about how assessment, professional development, and more can be utilized or enhanced to improve student outcomes. Underpinning this work are ongoing conversations between the K12 and higher education communities.

Memos to be released on Monday, October 9:

• 2017-113: Open Range Wyoming Call for Participation
• 2017-114: National Title I Distinguished Schools Application
• 2017-114-attachmenta: 2017-18 Application
• 2017-114-attachmentb: Application Rubric

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

It was good to see many of you at this week at various meetings. There’s a lot of great work being done in every corner of this state!

Memos to be released on Monday, October 2:

• 2017-109: Guidance Available for School Safety and Security
  • 2017-109-attachment: Non-Regulatory Guidance
• 2017-110: U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
  • 2017-110-attachmenta: Scholarship and Academic Excellence Nomination Form
  • 2017-110-attachmentb: CTE Nomination Form
• 2017-111: Guidance for Temporary School Closures
  • 2017-111-attachmenta: SAMPLE Temporary School Closure Form
  • 2017-111-attachmentb: Temporary School Closure Form
• 2017-112: School District Accreditation Changes

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

It was, once again, a pleasure to attend the Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming annual breakfast. This year Henry Winkler, best known as “The Fonz” was the keynote speaker. He told his compelling story about growing up with dyslexia and his drive to be an actor.

Each year the Boys and Girls Clubs across the state select “youth of the year.”  Local and state winners receive scholarship money. At the breakfast, UW President Nichols announced that the university will increase scholarship dollars to club students and expand college visit opportunities. Best of luck to all of the outstanding youth who are finding their way with the help of clubs.

The Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming and other clubs across the state receive Title IV-B funds, also known as 21st Century Community Learning Center (21CCLC) grants. Here is how this important federal funding is utilized in Wyoming:

• In 2015-16, over 8,100 students participated in 21st CCLC school year programs with 52% or 4,265 attending regularly (30+ days each year). Summer programs served over 7,000 students.
• Active 21CCLC grants in 21 of 23 Wyoming counties.
• Grants range from $94,075-$200,000
• 53% of Subgrantees are school districts with community partnerships and 47% are community-based organizations, primarily non-profit, with school district partners.
• FY 2016 21CCLC Allocation to WY was $5,716,698 with 95.5% of allocation going direction to subgrantees.

Business and Industry Partnerships 

This week, WDE staff and education leaders from across the state attended and presented at a number of conferences including Wyoming Working Together, an annual conference sponsored by the Wyoming Economic Development Association, Chambers of Commerce, and the Business Council. As computer science and career pathways gain a greater foothold, partnerships between education and business/industry become even more essential.

The Wyoming Business Alliance will host the Governor’s Business Forum in Cheyenne on November 7-9. Former State Superintendent Judy Catchpole, Dr. Laurel Ballard of WDE, and Senator Affie Ellis who is a member of the Senate Education Committee, are all presenting. Again, the connections between business, industry, education, and economic growth are at the forefront of many conversations in our state.

Link to WBA agenda                                                        WBA Registration Link

Judicial Learning Center

Wyoming PBS will feature our state’s Judicial Learning Center (JLC) in an upcoming episode of Wyoming Chronicle. This week, Former Chief Justice Marilyn Kite and I took PBS’s Craig Blumenshine on a tour through the JLC. This is a one-of-a-kind experience for students and patrons of all ages. The JLC, open for less than a year, has been enjoyed by many classes, groups, and citizens. The JLC is full of learning opportunities with all activities aligned to the Wyoming Content and Performance Standards.

Do you have teachers in your district who could develop a great lesson plan about Wyoming’s judicial system? The JLC is holding a contest and the deadline to submit lesson plans is extended. The grand prize winner receives $2500.

JLC Website                                                                    Lesson Plan Contest 

• 2017-104: Confidential Student Growth Reports
  • 2017-104-attachment: Understanding the Student Growth Percentile Report
• 2017-105: School District Data Security Guidelines
• 2017-106: 2017 PAEMST State Finalists
• 2017-107: WDE613 Gifted and Talented Data Collection
  • 2017-108-attachment: WDE613 Guide
• 2017-108: Statewide Learning Management System
  • 2017-108-attachment: K-12 Pricing Details

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

It was an honor to help dedicate the new Thunder Basin High School in my hometown, Gillette. This was one stop of several I made across the state–I really appreciated seeing so many many students, educators, and citizens in my travels this week.

Federal Funding

The U.S. House of Representatives passed FY18 appropriations for education this week. This is not a final budget, but, rather, the order of business that advances the budget process. Both the House and the Senate budget bills maintain Title I funding. However, the House Bill eliminates Title II funding, while the Senate bill keeps it. This discrepancy is a significant concern and I will be involved in national efforts to restore important Title II funding for schools.

Visit from Secretary DeVos

Wyoming welcomed U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos as she kicked off the ReThink School tour. She visited two schools, Woods Learning Center-Casper and St. Stephens High School-Fremont County. At both sights, the secretary emphasized the importance of tailoring education to the unique needs of students, communities, and our state.

There are a number of pertinent memos this week for teachers, counselors, and federal funds managers. Thank you for your consistent review of memos before they are released and for helping to ensure they are passed onto appropriate staff.

Memos to be released on Monday, September 18:

• 2017-099: 8th Grade Unit of Study Certification Form
  • 2017-099-attachment: Certification Form
• 2017-100: Training Opportunities in Career Exploration & Development
• 2017-101: Supplement Not Supplant Compliance Test
  • 2017-101-attachment: Guidance
• 2017-102: Science Standards Workshops
• 2017-103: Social Studies Standards – Educator Input and Review Committee

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

ACT scores for the class of 2017 were published this week. Here is a link to the media release from WDE:

Media Release: Class of 2017 ACT Results

A few key takeaways for Wyoming:

• Wyoming saw incremental growth across the board–partial point gains are important on this measure.
• Wyoming scored in the top half of states that administer the ACT to all students with less than a point separating us from #2 Colorado.
• 49% of students reported they were interested in a STEM career or STEM major. Wyoming workforce and labor data indicate that high demand occupations include semiconductor processors, wind turbine technicians, OT/PT aides, and nurse practitioners.
• Students taking the test two or more times had an average composite score of 22.4.

WY-TOPP Test the System Day

On Tuesday, September 5, about 25% of the districts participated in a “test the system” day. The purpose of the day was to test the state infrastructure for WY-TOPP with actual student traffic and to give schools an opportunity to interact with the new assessment. WDE staff visited 17 schools during the “test the test” day and debriefed afterward. Here are a few takeaways:

• The state infrastructure handled the statewide traffic and almost all were able to access the WY-TOPP platform without assistance.
• Kinks occurred at the local level and most were easily addressed, i.e. secure browsers, firewalls, etc.
• Students used computers, laptops, and tablets in mobile labs and in hard-wired labs. We were pleased to see the variety and how the state infrastructure handled it.
• WDE will continue to work with schools and districts.
• All schools should set up a local “test the system” date and use the training test that will remain live at wyoassessment.org

Memo to be released on September 11:

• 2017-098: Wyoming Next Step Assessment Clinic
• 2017-098 Attachment A: Application

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

School Performance Reports (SPRs) were made public this week along with this media release. Main points from my comments to media included:

• The number of schools meeting or exceeding expectations increased
• The number of schools not meeting expectations decreased
• 7 schools jumped two levels
• 13 schools exceeded expectations for three or more years in a row
• Goal must be to increase the number of high schools exceeding expectations
• Next year’s report will be more comprehensive and fulfill federal and state requirements for reporting
• The WDE will continue to work with schools and districts to provide support and professional development

ESSA

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) states will annually publish a report card that meaningfully differentiates school performance. Since Wyoming is moving toward one, comprehensive accountability system, our report card will fulfill state and federal requirements for reporting student data and differentiating school performance. Additionally, local report cards must be generated. Each district must disseminate an annual report card with specific information for each school. WDE will provide more information in the coming months–this is a new responsibility for local districts.

Here is an information sheet about the federal public reporting requirement for schools and districts.

 An article this week in Education Dive raises awareness about the responsibilities of schools under ESSA and some of the challenges you and principals may face this coming school year.

 On ESSA: Many principals have little idea what the law actually means

WY-TOPP Upcoming Date

September 5 is the statewide “WY-TOPP Test the System” day. All schools and media outlets have received information about this unique opportunity for teachers, students, and members of the media and public to sample the new assessment. The test is not mandatory but it’s important that at least one school in every school district participates so we can work out technology kinks before the test goes live.

Toolkit

The number of weekly memos is beginning to increase as the school year gets underway. For the second year, we developed a back-to-school toolkit. Included in the toolkit is our statewide Education Snapshot. This was very popular last year and many school districts used it as a template to create a district snapshot. We are excited to offer it again with new information and data.

WYOMING EDUCATION SNAPSHOT

Memos to be released on Tuesday, September 5:

• 2017-094: 2017 Back-to-School Toolkit
• 2017-095: September WAPSD Meeting
• 2017-096: USSYP Call for Participants
  • 2017-096-attachmenta: 2017-18 USSYP Brochure
  • 2017-096-attachmentb: 2017-18 USSYP Application
  • 2017-096-attachmentc: 2017-18 USSYP Wyoming State Rules
• 2017-097: Digital Learning Innovations Award Nominations

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

After Monday, I have placed “Implement Total Eclipse Annually” at the top of my policy priority list. Wasn’t that amazing? Thank you for making it special for the students and families in your community!

Good job, Wyoming, for welcoming visitors and making it a special day for everyone!

WY-TOPP Assessment in Action

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) and WDE officially kicked off our partnership with a tour of the WY-TOPP assessment and the reporting/data dashboard. Technical discussions to ensure smooth implementation of the assessment system are also underway.

On September 5th we will test the system statewide starting at 9:00 a.m. to make sure everything is in place for WY-TOPP. This is a great opportunity for teachers, administrators, parents, and local media to get a hands-on peek. Participants on September 5th will experience the training test and explore sample question types. I am excited to participate in this event at a local school.

The WDE will provide additional information about the system test soon.

Memos to be released on August 28:

• 2017-089: National School Mental Health Partnership
  • 2017-089-attachment: SHAPE Information Flyer
• 2017-090: WDE Print Directory
• 2017-091: Hathaway Scholarship Technical Assistance
• 2017-092: Hathaway Success Curriculum Course Verification
• 2017-093: Special Education Personnel Tuition Reimbursement

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

The big news for this week is that I signed Wyoming’s completed state plan as required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This signifies the official end to No Child Left Behind. The shift from compliance and success for some students (NCLB) to responsibility and success for all students through a well-rounded education (ESSA) will not happen overnight. Through the development of this stakeholder-driven plan, we examined our strengths and weaknesses and are on a path to better prepare students for school and post-secondary success.

Wyoming’s plan is submitted well ahead of the September 18 deadline because it’s important that Wyoming educators begin the 2017-18 school year with a clear path forward under the new law. As has been our practice, we will continue to update you as we learn information about ESSA and the approval of our plan.

Here is a link to the media release and plan:

https://edu.wyoming.gov/blog/2017/08/18/wyomings-essa-state-plan-submitted-to-used/

Memos to be released on Monday, August 21:

• 2017-086: Virtual Education Requirements
•      2017-086-attachment: Virtual Education FAQ
• 2017-087: Teacher Scholarships for Culinary Conference
• 2017-088: District Co-Teaching Opportunity

Best to all as you begin your new school year AND take part in the great eclipse!

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

Welcome to our new Chief Policy Officer, Megan Degenfelder, who started on August 1. As a Casper native and policy leader, she is quite familiar with the strengths and challenges in education. She has spent her first days on the job meeting educators from across the state. Here is a link to the related media release: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WYDE/bulletins/1b020e4 

For the second year, WDE will honor our Chief Operations Officer and breast cancer survivor, Dianne Bailey, by running as a team at the Wyoming Pink Ribbon Run. Go Team Bailey!

I’ll travel to several schools and districts over the next few weeks to help kick off the new school year. It remains my privilege to see, first hand, the great work that is happening and to welcome back educators and students. Thank you for the invitations!

SCHOOL FINANCE

At its last meeting, the School Finance Recalibration Committee asked that the the WDE  assist in sharing information about the work of the committee. Here is a letter from the chairs encouraging participation in stakeholder meetings. 

The Every Student Succeeds Act–ESSA

I intend to sign Wyoming’s stakeholder-driven ESSA plan on August 17. We can all be very proud of the framework that this plan sets forth for education in our state. We successfully built on many of our strengths and addressed pressing challenges in the plan. As we move closer to implementation, more and more important decisions will be made at the school and district levels. We all know that true improvement is about much more than compliance or checking boxes–how will your schools move from compliance to responsibility to improve outcomes for all students? I hope you find empowerment through ESSA to:

• Challenge and change existing norms and structures that hinder improvement
• Create new conditions that accelerate progress for all students with the expectation that all students can master the skills and knowledge necessary for success in school and life
• Explore new approaches that could better serve students even if they require a change to the existing system
• Recognize that the best school improvement strategies are evidence-based and locally-driven
• Combine evidence, innovation, and best practice to truly change the trajectory for our students who are most at risk of not succeeding

Memo to be released on Monday, August 14:

• 2017-085: Hathaway Scholarship Grade-Weighting Policy Pilot Project 

Jillian

Dear Superintendents,

This week there is an important memo related to assessment in the early grades. Please take note that this is the first of several key shifts to be made as we implement ESSA and a new assessment system.

ESSA UPDATE

Thank you for the focused effort to bring our state ESSA plan to near completion. We are on-track to submit a final plan to the U.S. Department of Education before most school districts convene for the school year. It has been my goal to ensure that you begin this academic year with an unobjectionable path forward with federal programs, assessment, standards, teacher certification, accountability, local reporting, and more.

Of the thirteen states that already submitted plans, most received feedback and several states may make significant changes to their plans. We have taken their lessons learned, worked closely with the USED and stakeholders, and carefully crafted a plan to help ensure a well rounded education for all Wyoming students.

I remain proud of the stakeholder driven plan. All told, we held fourteen public meetings, received 135 public comments, engaged with the tribes, and hosted 550 online survey participants. WDE also helped facilitate over a dozen stakeholder consultation groups.

While accountability is just one component of ESSA, a cohesive state system of accountability is a main objective. In the coming weeks, a number of reports to the legislature are due that will help solidify the use of one system. It is important to know that the state and federal accountability systems work in conjunction with one another and neither will be replaced by the other. The Wyoming Accountability in Education Act and resulting state accountability system are a mainstay in our state and a strength from which we devised the ESSA accountability plan. The two will merge to become the cohesive system designed to hold schools accountable for student growth and school improvement.

FEDERAL FUNDING OF EDUCATION

In late July, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations approved its Fiscal Year 2018 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill in a party-line 30-22 vote.  The Committee rejected a number of amendments to increase funding for education programs, including proposed increases for early childhood programs, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Title IIA of ESSA, and other key K-12 federal funding streams.  The Committee did include a $200 million increase in IDEA funding and a $100 million increase for ESSA Title IV, Part B (Student Support and Academic Achievement State Grants).  It did not fund the school choice programs proposed in President Trump’s budget. The House has not yet scheduled a date for consideration of the Committee-approved bill on the House floor. The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations has yet to publish or act on its Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations legislation.

I am very concerned about the possible elimination of funding for Title IIA of ESSA, the primary federal program to support effective teachers, which is authorized under ESSA to receive approximately $2.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2018. A mainstay of Wyoming’s ESSA plan is growing a strong and sustainable workforce of teachers and leaders.

Memos to be released on Monday, August 7

• 2017-083: Chapters 8 & 41 Emergency Rules & Regulations
• 2017-084: Changes to Required K-3 Reading Assessment and Intervention

Jillian