Converse County School District #1

The Wyoming Content & Performance Standards (WYCPS) form the foundation of the CCSD#1 Instructional Cycle. As stated on the WDE website (2021):

The Wyoming Content and Performance Standards serve several purposes. They articulate a set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do, enabling them to be prepared for college and career success; to live a life that contributes to the global community. These expectations are communicated to students, parents, educators, and all other Wyoming stakeholders, and provide a common understanding among educators as to what students should learn at particular grades. Standards do not dictate methodology, instructional materials used, or how the material is delivered.

Standards ensure equity of education to Wyoming students through alignment of curriculum (priority standards and proficiency scales), curriculum resources, and assessment (formative, interim, and summative). CCSD#1 alignment to these standards is demonstrated throughout our instructional cycle.  The WYCPS do not dictate the curriculum resources that we use, nor how the material is delivered.  In CCSD#1, collaborative teams of teachers determine priority and supporting standards, then work collaborative to map units of study.  Within these units of study, teachers determine how to deliver the material. Standards have specific identifiers in our curriculum repository:

	District priority standards
	District supporting standards
	Wyoming performance standards

In addition, WYCPS form the guide for test construction and core reporting on the state assessment.  The (WY-TOPP) measures the depth and breadth of grade-level standards.

Types of Standards

There are three types of WYCPS:

Content	Performance	Extended
Content standards define the minimum content & skills students should know and be able to do at the end of a grade band or level.	Performance standards a subset of standards which all students in WY are expected to learn and be assessed through the district assessment system (our instructional cycle) by the end of a grade band or grade level).	Extended standards are extensions designed to make the WYCPS more accessible to students with cognitive disabilities, while maintaining the rigor and high expectations of the WYCPS.
Performance Level Descriptors for each of these types of standards describe the performance expectations of students.

Standards Review Process

The WYCPS are the responsibility of the Wyoming State Board of Education.  "State law requires that the standards in each content area be reviewed every nine years," (Wyoming Department of Education, 2021). The State Board of Education follows a 9-12 month standards review process. Once standards are reviewed and adopted, districts have a designated time frame to fully implement the standards.  Public comment and current standard sets in process are available on the WDE Standards Review web page.

Reference
Wyoming Department of Education. (2021). Content & Performance Standards. WDE Opportunity Through Education. https://edu.wyoming.gov/for-district-leadership/standards/