I. Election of a new Superintendent of Public Instruction

The recent midterm election saw the election of Jillian Balow as the Superintendent of Public Instruction for Wyoming. The position of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has had a couple of years of difficulty, with the passage and subsequent striking down of Senate Bill 104. More information about the history of this bill and its impact on the Wyoming Department of Education can be found here:

http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/republican-jillian-balow-elected-wyoming-schools-chief

II. Status of the CCSS in Wyoming

A panel discussion was held at the University of Wyoming that focused on the role of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Participants includedUniversity of Wyoming Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Mark Stock, Wyoming Education Association President Kathy Vetter, Wyoming Liberty Group’s Amy Edmonds and Cheyenne South High School Math Teacher Jayne Wingate.

http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/getting-core-common-core

III. Opting out of school testing in Wyoming

According to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, parents in Wyoming will not be allowed to opt their children out of school testing. More information can be found here:

http://trib.com/news/local/education/ruling-from-wyoming-attorney-general-s-office-ends-testing-opt/article_c7c6f7b6-04bb-5dd2-a9b2-8131cd03ecf5.html

IV. Next Generation Science Standards and a legislative footnote

A budget footnote passed during the Wyoming legislature’s 2014 budget sessionprevented the State Board of Education from using or considering the Next Generation Science Standards as it worked to update state standards. School districts are still free toadopt the NGSS, and some are moving to do so, according to this article:

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2014/10/26/news/01top_10-26-14.txt#.VGgUp_TF-0c