Wyoming League for Educational Accountability and Reform Network

WyoLEARN

See the scores

State test scores from 2008, 2007 and 2006 are available at the Department of Education's Web site, www.k12.wy.us.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its annual Kids Count report.

The data included within cover a range of topics related to the well-being of children in our society, such as indicators related to health and wellness, educational attainment, and socioeconomic status. State-by-state profiles are also available.

Casper Star Tribune – Wednesday, August 6, 2008

 

PAWS Results Show Strengths, Weaknesses: 87 of State’s 354 Public Schools Fall Short of ‘Adequate Yearly Progress.’

 

By JASA SANTOS
Star-Tribune staff writer
with wire reports

 

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:06 AM MDT

 

 

The latest standardized test scores indicate that Wyoming's students are continuing to improve in math, reading and writing.

The Wyoming Department of Education released the 2008 Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students -- "PAWS" -- scores Tuesday, which showed students are holding steady or improving in the subject areas tested.

Students in grades 3-8 and 11th grade are tested each year under federal mandates from the No Child Left Behind Act, which aims to measure student achievement.

Of the state's 354 public schools, 87 did not meet the "adequate yearly progress" standard under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Last year, 19 schools did not meet that standard.

In addition, four districts did not meet the "adequate yearly progress" requirement this year, compared to 2007 when all the state's public school districts met the requirement.

Jim McBride, Wyoming's superintendent of public instruction, said the 87 schools and four districts will receive state assistance to help them meet federal requirements.

McBride said the increase in schools and districts falling short of the standard was "not unexpected" given increasing standards. Each year, the total number of students required to be proficient in each subject at each school increases.

The goal is to have all students proficient in reading, writing and math by 2014.

"These increased targets are new bars for schools and districts to reach and I am confident that Wyoming schools will rise to the challenge," McBride said.

This year also marked the first time students were tested in science. Those results have yet to be released.

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he would like to see more improvement, especially in students' writing skills.

"For decades in this state we used to say, 'If only we had money we'd have a better education system,"' Freudenthal said. "The truth is we do have money, and we've now allocated it. And what we've learned is that funding may be a necessary but not a sufficient condition to assure excellence.

"I think that one of the things that various school districts and Superintendent McBride are really trying to do is make sure that for the investment that we're putting in, that we're going to get the results," he said.

The two strongest areas of achievement were in third- and fourth-grade math, where 83 percent and 78 percent of students met standards respectively.

When compared to scores reported in 2007, the percentages of students considered proficient or advanced appear to dramatically decrease in 2008 for some grade levels and subject areas.

A student is considered proficient when he or she can perform work at his or her grade level.

The lower percentages relate to a decision to administer only one testing period for 2007-08, according to Lesley Wangberg, who works in the department's assessments unit.

Students were given two tests in 2006-07, and student scored higher on the tests. As a result, the department is comparing the 2008 scores to scores from 2005-06, which also featured just one testing period.

McBride highlighted student achievement in reading, particularly for third-graders. More than 60 percent of Wyoming's third-graders are reading at or above grade level.

"Third-grade reading we've seen as very significant not only for PAWS and [Adequate Yearly Progress] calculation," he said. "Students who read at that grade level have many doors open to them."

McBride said research shows that young students who read well are more likely to do well in school and less likely to drop out or have future run-ins with law enforcement.

"Young, capable readers can take greater advantage of school opportunities," McBride said. "Reading then is the fundamental foundation for success, both in our schools and in our society."

McBride also noted that writing still remains a problem subject for many Wyoming students. Fifty-nine percent of third-graders did not meet Wyoming's writing benchmarks.

The department is developing a more aggressive professional development plan to help train teachers to address the lagging writing scores, McBride said.

"Every course, every area of curriculum, needs to have some writing," he said. "Teachers need to be very careful about staying in the standards, because the standards are what we assess."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.

 

September 18, 2008

 

National Governor’s Association

Implementing Graduation Counts-State Progress to Date, 2008

 

In 2005, the governors of all 50 states signed the Graduation Counts Compact and made an unprecedented commitment to a common formula for calculating each state’s high school graduation rate. The NGA Task Force on State High School Graduation Data, which included researchers, national experts, and representatives from governors’ offices and state education agencies, issued a companion report that set out the rationale for developing a common graduation rate formula and formed the basis for the Compact.

 

The governors undertook the commitment to use a more consistent and more accurate graduation rate formula because they understand that better information on student outcomes is imperative for ensuring that all students graduate from high school, and that they do so ready for college, work, and civic life. As governors and other state leaders focus on improving high school outcomes, few factors are as important as knowing how many students graduate, complete alternative credentials, drop out, or otherwise leave the system. State leaders can craft effective strategies for solving a problem only if they have a clear understanding of its scope. To reach the goal of improved and comparable high school graduation data, governors agreed to do the

following:

 

· Take steps to implement a standard, four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. States agreed to calculate the high school graduation rate by dividing the number of on-time graduates in a given year by the number of first-time entering ninth graders four years earlier. Graduates are those receiving a high school diploma. The denominator can be adjusted for transfers in and out of the system, and data systems ideally will track individual students with a longitudinal, student-unit record data system. Special education students and recent immigrants with limited English proficiency can be assigned to different cohorts to allow them more time to graduate (see box below).

The Compact Formula

Graduation Rate = [students graduating within four years with a diploma] ÷

[(first-time entering ninth graders four years earlier)]

 

· Lead efforts to improve state data collection, strengthen reporting and analysis, and link data systems throughout the education pipeline, from preschool through postsecondary education.

· Take steps to implement additional indicators that provide richer information and understanding about outcomes for students and how well the system is serving them. Additional indicators include five- or six-year cohort graduation rates, completion rates for those earning alternative credentials, in-grade retention rates, a college readiness rate, and a high school dropout rate.

· Report annual progress on the improvement of their state high school graduation, completion, and dropout rate data.