After two unusual years, this is the first release of WY-TOPP scores since the pandemic. In 2019-2020, WY-TOPP was canceled. During the 2020-2021 school year, WY-TOPP assessment results were not used for accountability. It is a celebration that we were able to offer WY-TOPP in a more typical environment. We view this as a baseline moving forward. WY-TOPP measures student proficiency rates and performance. It provides a snapshot of student achievement at a set point in time. For example, it shows how well third-grade students at each school performed on an English language arts or math test on a specific day last spring.
When it is administered again in the spring of 2023, last year’s third graders will have moved on and will be taking the fourth-grade assessment. Because we are not testing the same students, year-to-year comparisons should be looked at through this lens. For this reason, we also measure student growth. Tracking the growth of an individual student over time allows us to assist students with their individual needs. Our goal is to keep students learning at or above their grade level. If a teacher sees dips, they can address learning gaps as they occur and adjust their
instructional needs.
Across the board, the pandemic has been hard on all of us. COVID-19 has affected teacher attendance, student attendance and the availability of substitute teachers. We are working to recapture learning that was interrupted. We have also experienced social-emotional issues from both the adult and student perspective. We are working to address these issues using the federal relief funds.
As we have transitioned back to a more typical situation, overall, our focus has been on student learning and not just their test taking
With the exception of a few schools, we have not seen a lot of growth. However, we are excited to report that many students were able to maintain their learning and not lose ground. We appreciate the students and teachers for showing up every day and working hard and would like to focus on some of our WY-TOPP celebrations.
With 37 schools—
- 17 schools improved in math (46%)
- Of the 17, 6 schools improved in math by 5% or more (16%)
- Of the 17, 1 school improved in math by 10% or more (3%)
We did see some challenges in math—
- 19 schools decreased (51%)
- Of the 19, 7 schools decreased by 5% or more (19%)
This past year, we implemented a new core reading program. As with any new program during the first
year, it is common to see a slight dip in scores. It’s important to note that not every student did worse.
In English Language Arts—
- 8 schools improved (22%)
- Of the 8, 2 schools improved by 5% or more (5%)
- Of the 8, 1 school improved by 10% or more (3%)
However, in ELA—
- 28 schools decreased (76%)
- Of the 28, 12 schools decreased by 5% or more (32%)
WY-TOPP is just one source of data. The best measure of a student is their long-term success. We appreciate our parents for sending their students to school ready to learn. We recognize that there are no excuses for poor performance. This snapshot provides us with an opportunity to improve.
Through the student readiness strand of our strategic plan, moving forward we will be taking a variety of proactive steps, which will include the alignment of all professional learning. The district will be conducting a standards review so we can realign our practices. We will be implementing a new K-8 math program and adding STEM in many of our elementary schools. We will be working with the Wyoming Department of Education to establish a teacher apprenticeship program. Additionally, we will update our school improvement process and continue with our literacy review committee at the elementary and secondary levels. We are also in the process of updating our special education programming. Finally, we will hold ourselves accountable and report on our results using our new public facing data dashboard located on the Strategic Plan page of the district website.
Through the healthy environment and community engagement strands of our strategic plan, moving forward, we will be implementing Sources of Strength to provide students with a healthy way to advocate and address specific concerns. Since nearly 50% of our students start and end their educational career in different schools, Sources of Strength gives us a consistent districtwide vocabulary. Businesses and organizations throughout Cheyenne are also undergoing training as part of a community-wide kindness effort.
We will continue to work closely with our Parent Advisory Committee and engage the community in education through organizations like the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne, F.E. Warren Air Force Base and United Way of Laramie County.
Story by LCSD1
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