This story is part of our new Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.

Wyoming Department of Education (DOE) Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder spoke at a town hall on March 11th at the Lander Community and Convention Center. Degenfelder said Wyoming is doing better than most other states when it comes to student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is often referred to as the nation’s report card and looks at math and reading scores in 4th and 8th grades.

But, she said statewide assessments in English language arts, math and science across all grades show that there’s more work to be done.

“It’s really important in Wyoming that we’ve set the bar high when it comes to our standards and when it comes to our cut scores on our assessments…we’re hovering at about 50 percent proficient at above, but there’s still room for improvement,” she said.

Degenfelder said the DOE is exploring pilot-programs to measure student success with more project-based or work-based assessments. They’re also prioritizing funding for career and technical programs to prepare students for jobs.

The superintendent spoke to the DOE’s six key initiative areas and current priorities: parental empowerment and eliminating political bias, preparing students for jobs, citizenship for students, reducing bureaucracy, valuing and supporting teachers, and early literacy. The DOE has created cabinets for each issue, which are staffed by people from around the state.