Published
1 year agoon
The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has released results for the 2022-23 School Performance Ratings.
A steady increase in school performance ratings following the COVID-19 shut down in spring 2020 indicates a promising trend, however work remains to exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
26% of schools improved their school performance rating this evaluation period.
53% of schools remained in the same performance rating and 21% of schools declined.
Five alternative schools increased performance into the Exceeding Expectations category, and 35.7% of alternative schools increased one or more levels.
57.1% of schools remained at the same performance rating and 7.1% of schools declined.
Additional support is available for any schools performing at a less than favorable level to help them return to excellence.
“It is very encouraging to see this upward trend in performance ratings for Wyoming schools, and I want to especially recognize the 12 schools in particular that are maintaining a rating of Exceeding Expectations for a third year in a row. While we celebrate the majority of schools improving or remaining constant in their overall performance, we must do better for those students in the 21% of schools that declined in performance. At WDE, we are already actively working to bolster our statewide system of support and will work directly with these schools and districts. We won’t stop until every school is meeting expectations,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.
“School performance ratings are based primarily on academic achievement. However, they provide a more comprehensive analysis of school performance by also including aspects of student academic growth (year to year increases in achievement levels) and a measure of how prepared the students are for success after graduation. This year we are publishing more resources for parents to better understand the school performance data and will continue to release education data in a more transparent manner than ever before,” said Degenfelder.
Notably, one quarter of Wyoming’s schools have moved up one or more levels in school performance, reflecting the outstanding effort of our students and educators.
As part of the WAEA and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools that are struggling most based on the school performance ratings are identified for support from the WDE.
Supports include statewide professional development, district accreditation, school improvement planning, monitoring, and onsite technical support.
Based on this year’s updated School Performance Ratings, schools will be identified for ongoing support.
In North-Central Wyoming, Sheridan High School reported a 4-year on time graduation rate of 85.1% for the 2022-23 school year, which is down from 87.9% in the previous school year.
Depending on the accountability model used, the school is below state target levels in terms of growth and equity, and is below federal levels for English Language Proficiency.
Big Horn High School reported a 4-year on time graduation rate of 91.4% for this past school year, which is up from 90.0% in the previous school year.
For the second year in a row, the school met or exceeded all but 1 goal on school performance indicators and that one was Post-Secondary Readiness.
Tongue River High School reported a 4-year on time graduation rate of 98.0% for the 2022-23 school year, which is up from 80.5% in the previous school year.
The school met or exceeded target levels in all accountability categories.
Arvada-Clearmont High School reported a 4-year on time graduation rate of 100% for the 2022-23 school year, which is up from 94% in the previous school year.
The school was below both state and federal target numbers in terms of post-secondary readiness.
Buffalo High School reported a 4-year on time graduation rate of 93.0% for the 2022-23 school year, which is up from 86.7% in the previous school year, but was below target numbers in growth and equity.
Kaycee High School reported a 4-year on time graduation rate of 90.9% for the 2022-23 school year, which is down from 100% in the previous school year and was below target numbers in growth.