Fewer tests, more time to learn for Wyoming students

by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile

In response to widespread concerns that Wyoming’s K-12 assessments are too burdensome, Public Instruction Director Megan Degenfelder has proposed reducing the state’s testing burden.

The plan would help alleviate a common complaint that Wyoming students and schools spend too much time preparing for tests and too little time actually learning, according to the state Department of Education.

“I have heard concerns from teachers, parents and students about the need to reduce the burden of testing,” Degenfelder said. “As a result, I am proposing this plan to reduce and streamline the state’s assessment system while maintaining the academic rigor we need to provide meaningful insight into student learning.”

Degenfelder presented the plan to the Wyoming Board of Education in late June. The board will continue to work on the recommendations, some of which will require legislative action to implement.

Shorter testing time

Wyoming’s assessment system measures students’ proficiency and progress against state standards, starting in kindergarten. It includes the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress, known as WY-TOPP, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The system is used to measure school effectiveness and improve teaching.

In Degenfelder’s first year in office, in 2023, “the message from stakeholders on testing was clear — they wanted less,” according to the plan proposal. Educators across the state, including curriculum directors, superintendents and teachers, provided feedback that was incorporated into the plan, according to Degenfelder’s presentation to the board.

The plan assumes the following reductions:

• Reduce the length of mathematics assessments, including reducing the number of items on the WY-TOPP mathematics assessments for students in grades kindergarten through eighth by at least 30%.

• Discontinue the assessments for kindergarten, first and second grade. These assessments are intended to provide a picture of where students are in their comprehension and whether they are on track to be proficient in reading by the end of third grade. Based on changing regulations regarding literacy requirements for grades K-3, “the optional assessment for grades K-2 no longer serves its original purpose and only burdens districts and teachers,” according to Degenfelder’s presentation. These tests could be discontinued as early as the upcoming school year.
• Remove the third-grade writing portion of the WY-TOPP English Language Arts assessment. These changes will go into effect on the 2024-25 state assessments, according to the presentation.
• Change ninth-grade math assessments from required to optional.
• Changing the format of the WY-TOPP secondary school mathematics assessments from the current mathematics subject area model to a comprehensive mathematics assessment.

Both changes to how ninth-grade students are assessed in math will require legislative action, according to the Department of Education.

The plan also includes launching a new data platform where parents will be able to track student assessment results and progress.

How is Wyoming doing?

Wyoming ranks 14th in the nation for education, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Kids Count report.

The report found that academic achievement in Wyoming has declined. About 62% of fourth-grade students in Wyoming could not read in 2022, down from 59% in 2019.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic has reversed the progress made in reading literacy,” the report reads.

In addition, in 2022, 69% of eighth-grade students did not have good math skills, while in 2019 the percentage was 63%.

The percentage of high school students who did not graduate on time in Wyoming remained stable at 18%.

Despite some declines, Wyoming students continue to perform better than the national average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The State Board of Education will further discuss the plan and accept public comments at its July meeting.

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This article was originally published by WyoFile and is reprinted here with permission. WyoFile is an independent, nonprofit news organization focused on the people, places and politics of Wyoming.

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