 April 13, 2022
IN THIS EDITION
- Seal of Biliteracy
- Foreign Languages are Now World Languages
- Legislature Video Links for Social Studies
- Native American Education Conference
- Building Bridges Symposium
- FBI Teen Academy
- Profiles in Wyoming Resilience
- Science Performance Assessment Task Development
- Science Assessment Resources for Wyoming Teachers
- Wyoming Arts Council Grants
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) PD
- Women in STEM Conference
- Smithsonian Opportunity in STEM
- National P.E. Standards
- WY-ALT & WY-TOPP Authoring Tool
- MetaMetrics Summer Learning Initiatives
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Senate Enrolled Act 47 requires the state superintendent of public instruction to establish a Wyoming Seal of Biliteracy for high school graduates who are proficient in English and one or more world languages.
- The act also creates a seal with an advanced distinction.
- Policies on the use and appearance of the Wyoming seal for student transcripts will be developed.
- School boards of trustees may confer the Wyoming Seal of Biliteracy or an advanced distinction to a high school graduate, and must report the number of seals issued.
- The Legislature passed a bill replacing “foreign languages” with “world languages” in all state education statutes.
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House Enrolled Act 46 is effective July 1, 2022.
- The measure also corrects the spelling in all statutes referring to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes.
- The WDE has created a resource containing links to selected video recordings of the 2022 Legislature to augment social studies classes and help students learn about the legislative process by watching debate on topical bills.
- Time stamps allow students to easily locate discussion points in YouTube recordings and track the step-by-step progress of each measure.
- Total debate time is listed for each piece of legislation.
- Bill topics include civics transparency, tribal references, trophy and big game hunting licenses, habitually truant students, and a new scholarship program for nontraditional college students.
- The Wyoming Department of Education is calling for presenters for the 13th annual Native American Education Conference, August 2-4, 2022 at Central Wyoming College in Riverton.
- This year’s theme is “Strengthening Resilience through Relationships.”
- Those interested in presenting should complete the survey by April 17, 2022 for consideration.
- Each high school is being asked to choose their top Native American students for the annual Pacesetter Award. Winners will be honored during a ceremony at the conference.
- Registration for attendees will open later this month.
- For more information, contact Rob Black, Native American Liaison, at 307-777-3747 or rob.black1@wyo.gov.
April 14 in Cody
- A new nonprofit, the Indigenous Land Alliance of Wyoming, is hosting a symposium that will explore the connections between cultures and people, between legal systems and human relationships, and between treaties and creative solutions.
- Fee is $25.
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Register here.
June 11 in Casper and July 9 in Cheyenne
- The FBI Teen Academy is coming to Wyoming this summer for sophomores, juniors and seniors.
- Students will be offered an introduction to the FBI including a career panel, interactive demonstrations, and a case presentation.
- New this year are activities with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
- The deadline for the Casper academy is April 22, and the deadline for the Cheyenne academy is May 6.
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Apply here.
- The Wallop Civic Engagement Project is seeking to gain a better picture of the opportunities and barriers Wyoming citizens face to academic achievement and employment, and how residents show community resilience.
- Participate before May 15 and have a chance to win one of 20 Amazon $50 gift cards.
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Survey link.
From 4-5 p.m. on May 4
- Join a webinar with teachers and facilitators who created a repository of science performance assessment materials aligned to the Wyoming Science Content and Performance Standards.
- Learn about the materials, where to access them, and how to get involved with the work.
- The event is hosted by Platte County #2 and the Science and Math Teaching Center at the University of Wyoming.
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Register here.
- Platte County #2 and the Science and Math Teaching Center at the University of Wyoming invite K-12 teachers to participate in a one-and-a-half-year workshop series.
- Build a network with teachers from districts around the state, and contribute to a repository of high-quality, standards-aligned and relevant performance assessments for Wyoming teachers.
- Earn a $2,400 stipend for participating in all sessions.
- The first session, in-person, will be held August 8-10 in Laramie.
- Check out the flyer and register here.
PD/Career Advancement or Rural Arts Access Grants
- The Professional Development/Career Advancement Grant is designed to help grow the capacity of organizations and individuals that work in and support the arts.
- The Rural Arts Access Grant provides funding to organizations located in or providing services in geographically isolated and rural areas that have a population of less than 3,000.
- Each grant provides up to $750.
- The deadline to submit an application is six weeks before the project start date.
- For more information, contact Grants Manager Karen Merklin at 307-214-7819 or karen.merklin@wyo.gov.
Standards-Related Professional Learning Opportunities
- The Workforce Wednesday CTE professional development for April is focused on Health Sciences.
- The first week centers on industry, the second week on organizations that offer training, the third on representatives from workforce services, and the fourth on Wyoming CTE teachers.
- NAPE Pathways to an Equitable Workforce is virtual, April 25-28.
- The ACTE Work-Based Learning Conference is April 28-29 in Salt Lake City..
- Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO) state and national learning opportunities:
- April 11-13: SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference.
- April 23-26: DECA International Career Development Conference.
- May 4: FBLA Winners Camp & Spring Celebration.
In-person May 17 or virtual May 20, 2022
- The Women in STEM conference connects 7th-12th grade girls with hands-on activities to explore STEM career path opportunities.
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Register here.
Zero Barriers in STEM Education: Accessibility & Inclusion Program
- Apply to travel to the Smithsonian July 12-14, 2022 to develop an action plan for your state, district, or school.
- Travel and accommodations provided by the Smithsonian Science Education Center.
- Register by May 27, 2022.
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Learn more.
- SHAPE America’s National Physical Education Standards Task Force has been gathering research, best practices, and input from education experts across the globe to develop a new framework for its standards.
- Educator input is sought for the first round of public review and comment.
- To participate:
- Your feedback and comments will inform the task force on any necessary revisions or concepts to consider.
New Authoring Tool Will Be Released on May 24, 2022
- The Authoring Tool will allow educators to create and share assessments and assessment items aligned to the Wyoming Content and Performance Standards or the Wyoming Extended Standards.
- Educators can create assessments from a provided bank of items or by creating their own items.
- Items type options are aligned to WY-TOPP and WY-ALT summative assessments.
- Assessments will be available to students in the Test Delivery System.
- Results will be available in Centralized Reporting.
- Available for all 10 content areas.
- There is no cost to the school or district to use the Authoring Tool.
Training on the Authoring Tool
- Participants will learn:
- How to write effective and valid assessment items.
- How to create and publish online test items and assessments.
- How to create workgroups to share items and assessments.
Training Options on the Authoring Tool
- From 1-2:30 p.m. on May 13, 2022 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
- From 4-5:30 p.m. on May 16, 2022 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
- From 1-2:30 p.m. on May 20, 2022 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
- Registration site will be available soon.
For more information, contact Cat Palmer, WDE Assessment Supervisor, at 307-777-8568 or catherine.palmer@wyo.gov.
Annually, MetaMetrics provides free resources to help engage students in learning through the summer to help combat summer learning loss. Parents and students can use the Lexile ® Find a Book tool to find books that match their reading level and interests. Parents can also sign students up for the Quantile ® Summer Math Challenge which is a six-week program of math practice with grade-level topics that will begin on Monday, June 20, 2022.
Lexile ® and Quantile ® measures are reported on the WY-TOPP Individual Student Report (ISR) that schools send to parents. Both tools have features which allow students, parents, and educators to estimate a Lexile ® or Quantile ® measure.
For more information, please refer to the Social Media Kit for Promoting Summer Learning.
Wyoming Department of Education
Standards Team
Barb Marquer, Supervisor | 307-777-5506
Rob Black, Social Studies/P.E./Health | 307-777-3747
Antoinette Hallam, EL/Foreign Language | 307-777-5217
Lori Pusateri-Lane, ELA/F&PA | 307-777-8595
Alicia Wilson, Math/Computer Science | 307-777-5036
Bobbi Eichhorst, Science/CTE | 307-777-8753
JulieAnn Samora, Administrative Assistant | 307-777-2906
Laurie Hernandez, Director | 307-777-3469
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