The Wyoming Department of Education is rapidly approaching the deadline to submit the state’s plan to carry out the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which takes full effect for the 2017-2018 school year.
Signed into law in 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act shifted power from the federal government to the states to decide how best to evaluate and improve school performance.
But states still have to submit accountability plans to the federal government, which are due in late summer. The Wyoming Legislature tasked the State Board of Education with the development of something called the "5th indicator" to be used in the accountability plan.
According to Wyoming Department of Education Superintendent Jillian Balow, "The indicator is designed to provide incentives for schools to focus on student success opportunities outside the normal academic assessment."
The State Board of Education voted Friday to recommend college and career readiness as a measure of school quality. The Wyoming Department of Education will incorporate the recommendation into their working draft of the Every Student Succeeds Act Plan, which will be released Monday for a 45-day public comment period.
