Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said education leaders are making a big push to improve reading proficiency.
During a press conference Wednesday, she said the push will focus on training teachers in the science of reading and getting parents more involved.
“If a child cannot read at grade level, particularly by the third grade, they are far less likely to graduate high school,” Degenfelder said. “They are far less likely to be successful in work and in life.”
She was joined by a wide-ranging group, including representatives from the University of Wyoming, the state Legislature, the Professional Standards and Teaching Board, and the literacy advocacy group Wyo Right to Read.
“Not one entity, not one group, not one politician, not one person can move the needle fully on literacy,” she said. “It takes us all.”
The literacy initiative includes new training opportunities for teachers, including strategies for teaching students with dyslexia. “Structured literacy” training will be made available through the private Cox Campus. Separately, the UW College of Education is developing a graduate certificate for teachers looking to become dyslexia specialists. The state teaching board has added endorsements for both.
Meanwhile, a $24 million federal grant will be distributed to schools through a competitive grant process to support literacy education grounded in the science of reading. Details about that grant process will be published in November, a representative of the education department said.
And Wyoming lawmakers are weighing legislation that would establish a dedicated literacy division to support that evidence-based reading education. The Joint Education Committee will consider the draft bill next month.
Degenfelder said if the legislation fails this year, she will push for it again ahead of the 2027 general session.
The goal is to boost English language arts (ELA) proficiency scores, which are measured in Wyoming by the standardized WY-TOPP tests. Degenfelder touted student scores returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2025.
“While third grade English language arts results have increased, we still have districts in this state where there is single digit proficiency percentages, and our average proficiency for third grade is just over 53%,” she said. “Wyoming does not settle for good. We strive for great.”
State-level WY-TOPP results show all grade levels sitting at between 50% to 62% proficient or advanced in ELA, with the remainder of students scoring at a “basic” or “below basic” level.
