K-3 Foundational Reading Statute and Rules

Contact Information

Pursuant to authority granted under W.S. 21-3-401, Reading Assessment and Intervention, the Wyoming Department of Education has drafted rules as directed by this statute. The statute directs the state superintendent, in consultation with Wyoming school districts, professionals in the area of reading difficulties, including but not limited to dyslexia, and other appropriate stakeholders, to promulgate rules in order to assist each school district to administer a reading assessment and intervention program and to assess the skills in the areas of phonological awareness, phonics, decoding words and nonwords, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension including: 

• Develop criteria for instruments which screen for signs of reading difficulties.
• Approve screening instruments district use for the screening process.  
• Support districts in providing evidence based intervention and curriculum in the teaching of early reading foundational skills. 
• Ensure guardians are notified of screening results and if appropriate individual reading plans are established. 
• Establish minimum reading assessment and intervention professional development requirements and collect district professional development plans. 
• Collect data from the approved screening process as required to be reported to the Wyoming Department of Education in the predictive areas of phonological awareness, phonics, decoding words and nonwords, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. 
• Directly support school and school districts in meeting the goals of improvement plans as required by statute in the area of professional development in evidence based literacy instruction and intervention and in identifying the signs of reading difficulties.

Rules will be open for public comment June 5, 2023.
Link to access the draft K-3 Reading Assessment and Intervention Rules
Link to Public Comment form. 

Prior to the adoption of the K-3 Reading Assessment and Intervention Rules, districts may refer to the following DRAFT guidance.  The WDE will is preparing to provide opportunities for review and discussion once the rules are finalized.  Please contact Shelley Hamel, Chief Academic Officer, 307-777-2058, shelly.hamel@wyo.gov or Kim Lane 307-777-7673, kim.lane@wyo.gov with questions.

Screening Process Rules
Screener Rules and Process Guidance
Screening Indicator Chart

Screening Tools Assessing the Defined Criteria must be approved by the WDE. Preliminarily approved screening tools:
DIBELS 8
Acadience
Amplify
FastBridge
Screening Tools Subtests/Criteria/Examples

Additional Screening Tools under review:
CUBED
Aimsweb
MAP Early Reading
STAR Early Literacy
PAST
Heggerty
Early Bird Dyslexia Screener
iReady

Please make requests for a Screening Instrument Review to Kim Lane at kim.lane@wyo.gov.  Link to K-3 Screening Instrument Review Request will be added soon.

MTSS and Assessment
The early reading skill screener process is required to be embedded in a larger MTSS system of core instruction, intervention, progress monitoring, and other assessments.  The WDE will be publishing reading assessment guidance soon, including an emphasis on K-3 assessment processes.

Wyoming MTSS – WDE web page

The WDE K-3 Literacy Guidance Framework contains information regarding early reading skills, MTSS, and other valuable information.
 K-3 Literacy Guidance Framework Document

Professional Development Rules
Professional Development Guidance
Professional Development Summary
Competency Area Requirements
Embracing Literacy Presentations/Competency CrossWalk

Professional Development Plan template – will be available soon.  Contact Kim Lane at kim.lane@wyo.gov for questions regarding the professional development plan.

District Reporting Requirements and District Literacy Plans
WS 21-3-401 requires data collection on K-3 Reading Assessment and Intervention. By the third week of June each year, each Wyoming district will submit a K-3 reading report to the WDE within the WDE 626 report on the state Data Collection Suite.  This report will include the following requirements: 

• Reading screening and progress monitoring tools
• Tier 1 core curriculum and Tier 1, 2, and 3 intervention curriculum.
• Data regarding the number of students who may be at risk of reading difficulties and those at the proficient level.
• How staff are being utilized to teach K-3 reading skills.
• Assurances regarding appropriate professional development, reports to parents, and the use of a MTSS process. 

Districts are not required to submit supporting documentation.  They are required to retain documentation for review if chosen for periodic monitoring. This submission takes the place of the submission of a District Literacy Plan document. 

Please contact Kim Lane, 307-777-7673, kim.lane@wyo.gov if you have any questions.

Data Collection Suite
Wyoming Individual Reading Plan

The WDE will be working to provide further guidance regarding the K-3 Reading Assessment and Intervention Rules and subsequent requirements.  Please check back here for updates or contact Kim Lane for further assistance.

WDE K-3 Literacy Guidance Framework