State Board of Education Statutory Responsibilities & Opportunity for Public Input

The following briefly describes the Wyoming State Board of Education’s primary responsibilities. To learn more about each policy area, click the bolded title.

The board invites all Wyoming citizens to join the conversation. In addition to commenting at any public board meeting and reaching out to board members on an individual basis, citizens may learn more and share their point of view in a number of other meaningful ways listed below.

Accountability

The Wyoming Accountability in Education Act is designed to hold schools, leadership and teachers to a universal set of standards, and to help each improve performance as needed. The board helps to develop rules for evaluations and performance targets, and has a seat on the advisory committee to the Select Committee for Statewide Education Accountability, which holds open public meetings on a regular basis.

Assessment

The board works closely with the Wyoming Department of Education to review and approve rigorous assessments of student knowledge that measure proficiency, student progress and promote college and career readiness. Citizens may share input about state assessments through the assessment task force, and local assessments through their district school board.

Standards

The board approves Wyoming State Content and Performance Standards across nine content areas. The purpose of standards is to ensure that all schools align their locally developed curricula with expectations, and to promote a culture of achievement across Wyoming. In addition to standards review committees, public meetings and online engagement opportunities, citizens are also invited to participate in public input and comment periods prior to the board’s final vote on each standards.

Accreditation

Wyoming’s K-12 schools are accredited by the state board of education annually, which is supported by AdvancED accreditation every five years. This process empowers districts to implement remedies and improve performance as needed. Citizens can learn more about how their local schools are performing by reviewing data from AdvancED.

Other Duties

Charter Schools: The Wyoming State Board of Education reviews and votes on charter school appeals. Citizens can learn more and share their point of view by attending local charter school presentations.

Alternative Schedules: There are a variety of reasons why schools request an alternative schedule. It is the board’s responsibility to review and approve alternative schedule requests.

The Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES): The State Board of Education approves any agreement to form a board of cooperative educational services among districts.

In addition to reviewing and approving policies, the State Board of Education also considers larger issues and opportunities in Wyoming education. Below are two priority issues identified by the board.

American Indian Education: Wyoming’s American Indian students are achieving proficiency on state assessments at lower rates and are less likely to graduate than the rest of the Wyoming K-12 population. The board is working with its partners in education, both on and off the Wind River reservation, to enhance outcomes for Wyoming’s Native students.

Early Childhood Education: The board supports legislation and other efforts to expand optional early childhood education opportunities for every child in Wyoming so that all students enter kindergarten ready to learn.