Update from the Wyoming Department of Education  |  view online |  website

Shelly Falkenburg 4–8 Teacher White Rural School, CCSD#1 The average teacher will last about 15 years in the profession. Mrs. Shelly Falkenburg blows that average out of the water with more than 40 years of teaching, and has spent her entire career in CCSD#1.  Because of her many positions across the district over the years, Mrs. Falkenburg has had the privilege to teach many children of her former students. Her current and former students will tell you that she made them feel loved and cared for. Mrs. Falkenburg has created a safe, fun, and loving environment for all her students to learn and grow. She has also been an inspiration to many students, who have gone on to become teachers, because they want to have the same impact on others as Mrs. Falkenburg has made on them. "Shelly has poured her heart out for this district and more importantly the students of our community! Thank you, Mrs. Shelly Falkenburg, for your wonderful heart for teaching!" - Mrs. Lindsay Falkenburg, Lower Teacher, White Rural School, CCSD#1 Superintendent Degenfelder will recognize an educator each month in this newsletter. To nominate an educator to be featured, email [email protected].

ACCOUNTABILITY

The 2024 School Performance Results (SPR) are delayed to evaluate cut scores for the WY-ALT Math Assessment. Results will be publicly released on October 17. See this WDE Update for the timeline. 

The  Wyoming Department of Education is holding five in-person training sessions to cover the new confidential data portal, the accountability data set collections and calendar, and an overview of the accountability models. This training is recommended for individuals that input data into the SIS or reviews, interprets, or analyzes accountability data that populate the School Performance Reports. Learn more and register before September 25.

The Wyoming Innovations in Learning Conference will be held October 21–22 in Casper. Register for the conference to hear inspiring keynote speakers, explore the latest in EdTech, discover evidence-based teaching methods, and engage in hands-on sessions. Join us to network with innovative educators and leave with actionable insights and a renewed passion for educational excellence.

The Facilitating Career Development course covers the 12 competencies that are required for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers to obtain the work-based learning endorsement, allowing the awarding of student work-based learning credit outside of the teacher's content area. Register for Facilitating Career Development. For more information, contact [email protected].

COMMUNICATIONS

The WDE launched a new website and will launch a separate WDE District Resource site on September 11. Districts are encouraged to contact the WDE for any assistance in finding resources, tools, or reports.

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking student performing artists including bands/marching bands, choirs, color guards, dancers, drumlines, poets/spoken word artists, soloists, or theatrical performers who are interested in showcasing their talent virtually or in-person at events. Learn more at the registration page.

The State Construction Department, School Facilities Division is hosting the Wyoming K-12 Safety and Security Summit for district staff on September 12, 9 a.m. at the Red Lion Inn, Cheyenne. Topics for discussion will include the Crisis Management Plan Guidebook, facility security challenges, and district coordination with local emergency management. For more, visit Wyoming K-12 Safety and Security Summit Registration.

FINANCE

Each month, School Foundation staff send a detailed report to business managers when entitlement payments are processed. It contains current month payments by district and payment type. SPED reimbursements and entitlement payments are processed every month, with other School Foundation payments included when required. The header of each column contains the accounting codes districts must use, and the codes used within the state system. Page two summarizes the payment model as of the processing date, and has estimated total year payment and model calculations for each district, including anticipated recapture amounts. Page three contains an estimate of the full fiscal year charter school payments by month, including reimbursement. For more information contact [email protected].

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

The School Performance Report (SPR) Confidential Review Window is September 27–October 10. The data used to calculate the indicators will have already been reviewed and considered final at that time. Districts can challenge indicator calculations. The public SPR data will be released on October 17.

The WDE will release a new confidential portal on September 24. Reports will be organized by subject, making the pages easier to navigate. Most reports include additional filters. 

The Student Information System User Conference will be held September 24–25 at the Ramkota in Casper. WISE Coordinators or Student Information System Administrators can register to attend here. Day one will be for Infinite Campus Users, with an all-district meeting the second day and PowerSchool discussions to follow.

The WDE949 Grade 9 Transcripts and the WDE950 Graduated Student Transcripts collection windows open Wednesday, September 18. All 2023-24 transcripts are due by Friday, October 25. Districts can include any student that earned a diploma by September 15 in the 2023-24 graduation cohort.

SCHOOL SUPPORT

ESSER, 2022-23 Consolidated Grant, and 2022-23 IDEA closeout timeline:

• Cash requests can have no expenses dated later than September 30.
• All cash requests are due no later than COB December 16.
• Cash requests must contain final supporting documentation to close out, in lieu of submitting a final PER.
• There is no mechanism to reimburse districts after December 16.
• The 2023-24 remaining funds will begin being migrated into the eGMS system on September 30. 
• Title I-A funds will be migrated individually, on a case by case basis, upon reaching carryover.
• The only exception to the August 15 deadline in GMS is for districts that will not meet carry-over without the amendment. 

Title I-D annual count for Subpart 2 will be October 1–October 30. All LEAs are required to submit data via the WDE549 collection, even if there are no students to report. The collection will opens November 1 and must be submitted no later than November 18. For more information contact [email protected].

The Wyoming Department of Education seeks public comment on the Waiver of Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act to the United States Department of Education to extend the period of availability for state administrative funds consolidated under ESEA section 8201. See the media release for full details.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Annual Self-Assessment opens October 1 on SPED Link. All information must be completed by December 2. For more information contact [email protected].

The virtual Annual Special Education Data Drill Down will be on November 1 from 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m. For more information contact [email protected].

The SPED team will work throughout September on final approval of the district IDEA grants. Grant applications must have a final approval status by the federal deadline of September 30.

The SPED team will host a free, three-day conference to assist those new to Special Education Administration in being successful in their role. This will take place on September 10–12, at Laramie County Community College, Center for Conference & Institutes Building, Room #130. The training is limited to Special Education Directors and Assistant Directors with three or less years of experience. For more information contact [email protected].

STANDARDS & ASSESSMENT

The WDE is seeking educators to participate in an alignment study of the WY-ALT Math assessment from 4–8 p.m. on September 24–27. Educators from across the state will participate in important research and contribute to the improvement of state testing. Learn more and apply here.

Nurturing Speaking Growth Webinar for English Learners will be held on Monday, September 16 and 23.

Four virtual sessions focused on the newly adopted standards for Math, Science, Computer Science, Physical Education, Health & Safety, and Fine and Performing Arts will be held to introduce educators to the changes in the Wyoming Content and Performance Standards. Learn more and join via Zoom.

Assessment office hours provide updates and Q&A monthly via Zoom, 3:30–4 p.m., the second Monday of each month.

September Test Talk will provide an overview of the English Learner system. Thursday, September 26 at 2 p.m. Learn more and join via Zoom.