Dear Superintendents,

Last week Wyoming’s State Board of Education (SBE) unanimously voted to move forward with  the process to adopt the K-12 content and performance standards for Computer Science. Below are links to the standards along with a letter from the standards development committee comprised of teachers, members from business and industry, parents, and others. The next phases of Boot Up Wyoming include rules promulgation and a shift in focus from standards development to standards implementation.

Wyoming has three years to fully implement the standards. Implementation, as with other content areas, includes efforts by educators to unpack standards, select curriculum, reset scopes and sequences for integration, and seek professional development. This work is familiar to educators and the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) stands ready to facilitate opportunities and assist in the work. There are also other entities poised to support the implementation of Computer Science including UW and community colleges, Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB), business and industry, tech companies and experts, the WDE, and schools that have already implemented Computer Science.

Via memos, professional development events, social and traditional media, grant/funding opportunities, and technical assistance the WDE will continue to broker opportunities for educators to onboard the new standards.

Adopted CS Standards (with minor changes):
BUW

sbecs

The SBE discusses computer science standards in Riverton

School Climate Document from USED:

The Federal Commission on School Safety released recommendations after a series of listening sessions. One recommendation addressed the topic of  school climate and student well-being. This week USED released The Parent and Educator Guide to School Climate ResourcesThe guide was produced jointly by the Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) and Office for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and it provides best practices and resources that parents and educators can utilize as they work to achieve a positive school climate, lower disciplinary issues, and enhance school safety.

There are no memos this week.

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