Wyoming’s Alternate Assessment (WY-ALT), for students with a designation of Student with the Most Significant Cognitive Disability (SMSCD), is aligned to the Wyoming Extended Standards (WYES). The WY-ALT allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in an appropriately rigorous assessment, and approximately 1% of students participate in the assessment each year. Students in grades 3-10 are testing in ELA and mathematics. Students in grades 4, 8, and 10 are also tested in Science. You can find the blueprints that indicate which standards make up each part of the WY-ALT assessment for each content area below.
The results of the WY-ALT, along with other measures of student performance, will enable teachers to provide individualized academic instruction that enables students to achieve high standards of academic performance and improve instructional programs. A student’s participation on the alternate assessment is appropriate when the IEP Team determines that the student’s academic achievement is best measured by the WYES.
The public is invited to experience a training test at wyoassessment.org. These training tests are designed to allow students to practice with the assessment platform and digital tools before the summative test.
1% Participation Waiver Request
Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), addresses students participating in alternate assessments aligned with alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) of the statewide assessment system. Each state must submit a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education if it predicts exceeding 1% participation in the AA-AAAS in any subject.
After reviewing the 2024-25 assessment participation data, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has determined that participation in WY-ALT ELA and Math in grades 3-10 and WY-ALT Science in grades 4, 8, and 10 may be slightly over 1% of the total number of students assessed in that subject area for the 2025-26 school year. Pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34 (34 CFR), Section 200.6(c)(4), the WDE is requesting a federal waiver for exceeding the 1% threshold on AA-AAAS participation in the WY-ALT ELA, Math, and Science.
1% Threshold Information
The 1.0% Threshold relates to the federal accountability requirement that all students be included in state assessments. In the past (the 2003 Elementary and Secondary Education Act), the 1% was a “cap” on the number of children participating in alternate assessments who could be included in proficiency scores for accountability of all students assessed. Presently (since the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act), the 1% represents a threshold for participation in AA-AAAS at 1% of the total tested student population. It is not meant that IEP teams should deny student access to alternate assessments because the team is concerned about going over the 1% threshold. Student needs always come first. The federal establishment of the 1% threshold is consistent with research showing that some students assigned to the alternate assessment more appropriately should have been assessed with the general assessment in which all other students participated. States monitor the 1% participation rate, and districts may exceed the 1% threshold should they have more students designated as SMSCD taking the alternate assessment. If that happens, states must submit a waiver for going over the 1% in any of the assessed subject areas.
Each year, the WDE reviews districts’ participation in the WY-ALT and requests justifications from each LEA that anticipates being over the 1% threshold. Click here for a list of districts that were over the participation threshold, according to the most recent testing data available.
District justifications for exceeding the 1.0 percent participation threshold are publicly available by submitting a public information request to Linda Finnerty at linda.finnerty@wyo.gov or mailing the request to 122 W. 25th St, Ste E200, Cheyenne, WY 82002.
