NEW Science Blueprints for WY-TOPP

In February 2020, the State Board of Education (SBE) approved the new 2021 Wyoming Science Assessment Blueprint for WY-TOPP which will assess students on the 2016 Wyoming Science Standards. Reminder: the new WY-TOPP Science Summative Assessment, which was slated for this school year, has been pushed out a year due to canceled assessments in spring 2020 due to COVID-19. 

Updated Science Practice Tests - Available September 15

The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), through Cambium Assessments, will add Science Practice Tests to the Training Tests found on the Wyoming Assessment Portal on September 15, 2020. These practice tests are aligned to the 2016 Wyoming Science Standards and are available by grade band (Elementary, Middle School, High School) to students in grades 3-10.

For more information, contact Tahnee Hutchinson, WDE Assessment Consultant, at 307-777-5296 or tahnee.hutchinson1@wyo.gov.

WIDA WELCOME BACK: WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR? WEBINAR 

From noon-1 p.m. on September 15

This webinar will introduce new items in WIDA AMS, in the WIDA training process, and on the WIDA website. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

Click here to join the webinar.

Workshops are available in the eLearning Center via the WIDA Secure Portal under Documents and Professional Learning. Starting September 1, educators in Wyoming are able to participate in a Self-Paced eWorkshop package and have the opportunity to participate in the following eight on-demand eWorkshops:

• WIDA Writing Rubric.  
• Doing and Talking STEM.  
• Classroom Teachers: Engaging Multilingual Newcomers. 
• Leading for Equity: Classroom Walkthrough.  
• Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry.  
• Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics. 
• Engaging with the WIDA Standards: A Collaborative Approach. 
• School Improvement Planning for the Equitable Education of Multilingual Learners.

School leaders, coaches and facilitators, K-12 classroom teachers, ESL teachers and specialists, and professional learning communities are all welcome to participate. 

Visit the Self-paced eWorkshops page for more resources. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

From noon-1 p.m. on September 17

This webinar highlights the features of the WIDA MODEL as an interim assessment for local districts and schools. WIDA will provide general information about the WIDA MODEL, highlight valuable resources, and provide responses. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

Click here to join the webinar.

From 2-3:30 p.m. on September 17 

This webinar will provide a basic overview of the WIDA Screener for educators preparing to administer and score the assessment and should be used as a review for experienced test administrators. Time is built into the webinar for participants to ask questions. This is not a replacement for the online training course or the WIDA Screener face-to-face workshop. 

Click here to access the participation packet.

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

Click here for login instructions.

On August 26, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) informed the WDE of plans to proceed with a reduced administration of the Congressionally mandated NAEP assessments of mathematics and reading at grades 4 and 8 during the 2020-2021 school year. NCES will sample approximately half the typical number of schools for the state-level NAEP assessments.

The NAEP 2021 assessments will occur between January 25 and March 19, 2021, in sampled schools that are providing on-site instruction to students. NAEP will not administer assessments to students who are participating only in distance learning. Since it is unclear whether students will be attending school in-person between January and March, NCES requests that selected districts and schools begin planning for NAEP as if it will occur.

WDE will notify selected districts and schools in mid-September. Following schools’ online registration for 2021 NAEP, each school will indicate their preferred assessment date(s), i.e., in light of their COVID-19 health procedures and related school and student attendance schedules.

For more information, contact Wyoming’s NAEP State Coordinator, Will Donkersgoed, at william.donkersgoed@wyo.gov.