Wyoming will reopen its proposed K–12 language and literacy rules for another 45-day public-comment period after making substantive changes requested by educators and other stakeholders.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said in an Oct. 19 update that the revised proposal will replace a locally defined measure of grade-level reading proficiency with a state-defined standard. Commenters also asked for a specific, fixed list of approved screeners, assessments and instructional materials instead of an ongoing evaluation process.
The Department of Education plans to send a new notice of intent to Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday, Oct. 23. The governor has up to 10 days to approve the filing before the department can release it for public comment. The announcement does not specify when the revised rules would take effect.
A statewide system already in motion
The rules implement Senate File 59, enacted as SEA 43. The law took effect July 1 and expanded Wyoming’s literacy framework from kindergarten through third grade to all K–12 students. It requires districts to use evidence-based instruction, screen for reading difficulties, create individualized reading plans for students at risk and report annual proficiency and instructional-practice data.
The statute gives the superintendent authority to define “grade level reading proficiency,” approve screeners and instructional materials, set professional-development requirements and impose corrective plans on districts that do not comply. The shift announced this week therefore concerns how that authority will be exercised: one statewide proficiency definition would make district results more comparable, while a fixed approved-materials list would make the state’s choices more predictable but potentially less adaptable.
An earlier regular-rule filing said the department had received more than 285 public comments. That proposal set phased implementation, screening and diagnostic requirements, standards for instructional materials, professional development and corrective action. It was designed to replace emergency rules adopted for July 1 so districts could buy screeners and begin fall testing while permanent rules moved through review.
What districts are doing now
Implementation has not stopped while the permanent rules are reconsidered. The department’s expanded WDE626 data collection now gathers K–12 information on screening, intervention and student supports. For the baseline year, districts were allowed to report that grades 4–12 systems were still in process.
The department also describes the law as requiring comprehensive district literacy plans, universal and dyslexia screeners, diagnostic assessments, family communication and ongoing educator training on its implementation page.
The next formal milestone is the governor’s review of the new notice. Once approved and published, the revised text will show whether the state standard and fixed lists answer stakeholder concerns without creating new costs or constraints for local districts, teachers and families. That renewed comment period will be the public’s next opportunity to test those tradeoffs.
