SCSD#1 Ranks High in School Performance

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder held a zoom media conference on Wednesday, September 6, for the 2023 release of Wyoming school performance ratings and assessment data.

At the Wyoming Department of Education, Degenfelder said,

She said that twelve Wyoming schools continue to maintain or exceed expectations for three years in a row. Two that were named were Story Elementary and Woodland Park Elementary both in SCSD#2.

Degenfelder said that the WDE recognized several schools in the state, including SCSD#1, Ranchester-Big Horn, for their excellence in the WY-Topp scores.

Degenfelder said,

Jones said. “First, I would like to thank Superintendent Degenfelder, and the staff at the Wyoming Department of Education, for extending this invitation to speak today on behalf of all of us in Sheridan School District #1. We sincerely appreciate the Department taking the time to recognize our commitment to the success of all Sheridan School District #1 students! Our district encompasses seven brick and mortar schools, and a virtual learning program called the Cowboy State Virtual Academy.

Jones said that he was told that SCSD#1 was chosen to be highlighted today because, over the last several years, students in all of the schools have consistently demonstrated high levels of achievement, in all tested areas. In addition, their students continue to show consistent improvement each year.

“We have so many pieces in place that contribute to this achievement and I would like to take just a moment to highlight some of those key ingredients. First, I am confident in saying our school district has invested a lot of extra time and money to build an important foundation for student success,” Jones said and added,

“Additionally, our stakeholder involvement from our parents and community members is truly amazing! The appreciation and support our parents and community members have shown our schools is inspiring. We make the time to honor our school-parent partnership!

“We do this because our schools and communities are all in for our students! Another significant factor in our district’s success is that we are mindful or how we dedicate our finite resources like time and expertise. We do everything in our power to work on the RIGHT work, supported by systems grounded in collective commitments to all of our students’ success. What does that mean? Well, for example, we make sure literacy areas like Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening are what drives all student learning. We know that when students are skilled in literacy, they will be able to access more rigorous concepts in all content areas.

“We don’t worry about the WY-TOPP test scores because those results will take place if we are doing the RIGHT work. Also, our district has hired a district literacy coordinator, literacy coaches at the elementary, middle and high school levels and have very strategically approached district wide professional development to help our staff know which instructional approaches have the greatest impact. Then, we purposefully support them as they implement those strategies each day in the classrooms. Finally, our district has invested in the whole child by increasing staffing for counselors at the elementary level and hiring a social worker to support our students district-wide when life’s challenges surpass passing the next math test.

Jones continued, “Moreover, our district has hired Reading and Math Interventionists and then provided them with top notch professional development. These interventionists work with precision, based on quality data, to offer additional instruction to students targeting their specific area of need. Our commitment to the Professional Learning Process is something that we continue to work on and strengthen…and the PLC process for us is unique since so many of our teachers are a singleton and do not have a teaching partner teaching the same content to the same students.

“All of these systems work together…but it takes excellent staff to make it work. In conclusion, we could not be more proud of our students. To see their hard work pay off is a blessing. Our students are a varied group with different goals, passions, and challenges in life. That just means we have a wonderful opportunity to support them in whatever they need so they can begin building their platform for a successful future. It feels good to see the fruits of our stakeholder’s labor because we are fully aware that our job is never really done!”

Thayne Elementary School in Lincoln County District #2 was also honored for their academic performance. Daniel Barnes, superintendent, joined the conference as well to speak about his school.