State Superintendent Degenfelder releases 2026 assessment data
Reported byWyoming Tribune Eagle
AI-assisted summary
Wyoming's state schools chief, Megan Degenfelder, and the state Department of Education made public the 2025-26 results from the state's main student test (WY-TOPP) and its alternate assessment (WY-ALT). The department reports that proficiency rose in all three tested subjects compared with the prior year: 1.6% in English language arts, 4.1% in math and 1.3% in science. It says results in every subject are at or above levels seen before the pandemic.
Looking across four years, the department reports total gains of 3.7% in English language arts, 5.9% in math and 4.2% in science. It singles out elementary grades, saying third, fourth and fifth grades each improved by at least 6% in English language arts, and fourth-grade math climbed 11.5%. Degenfelder credited teachers, families and communities, and said state priorities such as literacy, teacher support, career and technical education and parental empowerment are producing results.
On local results, the department says Washakie School District #2 reached 70% proficiency or higher in all three subjects, and Sheridan districts #1 and #2 did so in two. Several other districts and two classical academies met that mark in at least one subject. PODER Academy Secondary was named the top-performing high school, with 89.5% proficient in English language arts, 85.4% in math and 87.5% in science. The department also posted full district-by-district data and a guide for parents.
Why it matters
State test results are a main public measure of how students are doing, and they inform conversations about instruction, funding and school priorities. Families and board members can compare their district's figures with statewide trends, while keeping in mind that these claims come from the state education department.
- Test scores
- Math achievement
- Literacy
- Awards and recognition
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
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- How should families and board members use statewide proficiency data alongside other information when judging how well their local schools are doing?
- What could districts with big gains share with those seeing smaller improvements, and what local factors might shape the differences?
- Which kinds of information beyond test scores would help the community understand student learning in its schools?
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