First state WY-TOPP scores are released

CHEYENNE — State school districts are learning more about their students this week, thanks to results from new statewide standardized tests.

The Wyoming Department of Education on Wednesday released the first set of results from the new Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP).

On average, about half of the students who took the assessment tested as proficient or advanced in math, science and English language arts, which includes reading and writing skills.

Jillian Balow, state superintendent of public instruction, said, “(This) was the first year with a new assessment system and a really big step forward in how Wyoming students are assessed.”

WY-TOPP replaced the Proficiency Assessment for Wyoming Students (PAWS), which the state had used for several years.

Because the two tests are considerably different, the results from WY-TOPP cannot be compared to former PAWS results.

The new scores serve as a baseline for teachers, administrators and the Department of Education to work from in the coming year.

Kari Eakins, communications director for the Department of Education, said the data also will be used to inform the department’s changes to the state’s school accountability system.

Students took the summative WY-TOPP tests, which are the main tests, between April 16 and May 11.

Megan Degenfelder, chief policy officer for the Department of Education, said that throughout the year, students in districts across the state took interim and modular WY-TOPP tests, which districts can use to see how much their students are learning throughout the year, as well as to improve scores on the WY-TOPP by familiarizing them with the test.

Students in the third through 10th grades took the English language arts and math portions of the WY-TOPP. Students in the fourth, eighth and 10th grades took the science portion of the test.

Laurie Hernandez, division director for standards and assessment for the Department of Education, said 90 educators from around the state convened in July to set standards and analyze students’ WY-TOPP scores through the state Content and Performance Standards, performance level descriptors and portions that were part of WY-TOPP interim assessments throughout the school year.

Students’ scores were converted to a ranking of below basic, basic, proficient or advanced.

The students who earned the highest percentage of proficient or better on the WY-TOPP were fifth-graders taking the English language arts portion. About 58.7 percent of those students scored proficient or advanced in English language arts.

The lowest percentage of students earning proficient or better came among ninth-graders testing in math. Just 41.6 percent of those students scored proficient or advanced in math.

The highest math scores also came from fifth-graders, with about 53 percent scoring proficient or better.

The highest science score came from fourth-graders. About 51.9 percent scored proficient or advanced on the WY-TOPP.

Hernandez said because the WY-TOPP is an online test, as opposed to paper-and-pencil, as PAWS was, the department is able to more accurately hone in on performance level of students.

Keith Klein, principal of Etna Elementary in Lincoln County School District 2, said he has never seen a statewide assessment that is easier to use or more helpful than WY-TOPP. He added that he’s worked as an educator in four states.

“Once the results were in, my ability to work with the data has been amazing,” he said. “From an individual student standpoint, I can run a report that shows the students who were not proficient and didn’t make growth, and those are the students that we’ve identified as our at-risk students.”

Degenfelder said they expect the WY-TOPP will cost the state at least $2 million less a year than PAWS. Eakins added that they’re unsure on the exact total yet because costs were higher this first “setup year” than they will be in coming years.