SBE approves moving forward with Profile of a Graduate Phase II

The Wyoming State Board of Education has announced it has voted to move forward with its Profile of a Graduate project at its regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 22, 2021.

The board continued its conversation on the identification of high school graduation standards through its Profile of a Graduate initiative. According to the SBE, work on Phase II of the initiative will involve drafting a profile followed by a statewide vetting process and is expected to begin in December.

The SBE heard a presentation from Evanston High School on its long-standing Senior Capstone program. Students shared details of their Capstone projects, and the impact the experience had on pursuing their post high school plans. Projects involved hands-on experiences working with professionals in the Evanston community and surrounding areas.

“The presentation from Evanston High School seniors, once again, confirms that the stakeholder feedback we heard in our Profile of a Graduate listening sessions is accurate,” SBE Chairman Ryan Fuhrman said. “Stakeholders want our high school students not just prepared to graduate, but prepared for the first day after graduation. The board is excited to officially move into Phase II and start designing an official Profile of a Graduate for more feedback.”

The board continued its discussion on proposed revisions to the Health standards and the inclusion of Suicide Prevention Awareness (SPA). Under direction from the board, the Health Standards Review Committee included SPA in the list of health topics for grades 6-12 and identified which of the Health standards may align to SPA training. Language was added to the Health standard document in support of teaching SPA.

Information was provided on the status of educator evaluation models and requirements under Chapter 29 Leader and Teacher Evaluations Systems. The board also received annual reports from the state’s charter schools.