By Associated Press – 18 Sept ’14
A state Education Department official says Wyoming students and parents shouldn’t be alarmed when statewide assessment scores are passed out next week.
Assessment Director Deb Lindsey says people can expect to see lower scores on the state test, known as PAWS.
But Lindsey says it’s not because students are not as smart.
She explains that PAWs has undergone a major revision to reflect the recently adopted Common Core standards, which she says are more challenging overall than Wyoming’s old standards.
As a result, the scores being released next week reflect a new higher bar that fewer students will be able to reach at first.
Lindsey says scores should improve over the next three to five years as schools adjust to the new standards.
