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District says it is largely prepared but awaits state guidance on new K‑12 literacy law
Summary
Superintendent briefed trustees on the K‑12 Language and Literacy Act (Senate File 59), which expands universal screening and dyslexia screening across K–12; district staff said many required components (MTSS, curriculum aligned to the science of reading) are already in place but key state guidance (approved screeners, proficiency thresholds) is pending and needed for July 1 compliance.
District leaders told the board that the new K‑12 Language and Literacy Act will expand screening and intervention requirements beyond K–3 to the full K–12 population and will require new diagnostic tools, individual reading plans and ongoing professional development.
"This bill is going to mandate that we do this for K12," said Dr. Deay during a detailed presentation about the law's components, which include universal and at‑risk screeners, a dyslexia screener in early grades, diagnostic assessments, MTSS alignment, state‑identified instructional materials tied to the science of reading and job‑embedded literacy professional development.
Dr. Deay told trustees the district already conducts regular K–3 screening and has adopted curriculum aligned with the science of reading for elementary grades, but implementation at middle and high school levels is new ground. Staff have added instructional coaches at the middle and high school level and plan to use those positions to support screening and individualized interventions.
Trustees pressed for clarity on who must be screened, how proficiency will be determined (the YTOP assessment is currently being redesigned) and whether the state will provide an approved list of screening tools. District staff said they are awaiting emergency rules and an approved screener list from the Wyoming Department of Education; the expectation shared with the board was that the state would provide additional guidance by mid‑July.
The law requires that parents be notified within 30 days if a student is placed on an individual reading plan. Staff said the new rules will increase paperwork and reporting requirements (the state will expand current K‑3 reporting to K–12) and could require the district to formalize diagnostic workflows for thousands of students if universal screening is applied to the entire K–12 population.
Why it matters: The law refocuses state accountability and local practice around early detection of reading risk and structured interventions. For the district, the immediate operational challenge is identifying approved screening tools, allocating time and staff for expanded screening and ensuring vendors and contracts can be in place before state deadlines.
What happens next: District instructional leaders will await WDE guidance, finalize vendor choices, train staff and return to the board with an implementation schedule and resource needs. Trustees were informed that emergency state rules and a vetted tool list are expected soon, and staff will adapt recommended tools that meet state approval.
