WDE releases 2023 assessment data and new tools for parents

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (KIFI) - The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has released results for the 2022-23 Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) and Wyoming Alternate Assessment (WY-ALT).

Full assessment data is available here.

District by district snapshots can be found here by content area and grade. A Parents & Community Members Overview outlining the assessment process and additional current results can be found here.

Wyoming's 2022-23 assessment results show slight increases in overall proficiency rates within each content area. Overall student proficiency rates increased in English Language Arts (ELA) by 0.5%, in Math by 0.7%, and in Science by 1% compared to 2021-22. However, proficiency rates in ELA in grades 4, 5, 7 and in Math in grades 4 and 9 declined slightly. 

The WY-TOPP assessment began in 2017-18. In the spring of 2020, school districts received a waiver allowing them to forgo assessment, therefore no data was produced. Although the 2022-23 results show proficiency rate increases in all three content areas, they remain slightly below pre-pandemic levels, ranging from 1-2% below the 2018-19 scores. 

“Overall increases in assessment scores, no matter how minor, is promising, as our schools continue to work to achieve pre-pandemic levels. Many districts saw double-digit growth in content areas and/or grades and that should be celebrated. But overall, we must do better. While our state standards and assessment cut scores are set intentionally high, proficiency below 50% in any content area or grade isn’t good enough. It wouldn’t be good enough in the private sector, and it isn’t good enough for our kids. At the WDE, we are actively working to bolster our statewide system of support and will directly work with schools and districts to improve these assessment scores,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said. "This year we are releasing education data in a more transparent manner than ever before and are including resources for parents to better understand the data,” Degenfelder said. 

The buck stops at student success. Districts showing promising impacts on progress by achieving proficiency rates above 70% include but are not limited to: 

• Unita #4 - 74.% in Science (increased this year by 18.6%).
• Washakie #2 - 70.8% in ELA (above 70% for the last two years).
• Sheridan #1 - 70.7% in ELA  (steady growth since 2019) .
• Hot Springs #1 - 70.5% in Math (up from 66% the last two years).

Thayne Elementary School is a true bright spot with significant increases in performance in both ELA and Math. The school's ELA proficiency increased by 18.9% and Math proficiency rose by 22.3%. Hot Springs County High School increased its ELA proficiency by 29.7%, recovering after a previous year's drop of 10.10%. Additionally, they increased in Math by 22.3%. 

Wyoming students in the assessed grades had an overall 99% participation rate on the WY-TOPP and WY-ALT assessments. Participation of virtual education students rose significantly to 93%, up from 85% from the previous year.