Governor’s RIDE Education Advisory Group Calls for More Personalized Education Opportunities for Wyoming Students

Personalizing students’ educational experiences and offering rigorous pathways to the workforce for all students are critical recommendations in the final report released by Governor Mark Gordon’s education advisory group.

From the RIDE Fact Sheet

The final report released today comes after the Governor’s Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) Advisory Group surveyed more than 7000 stakeholders and held 17 listening sessions in seven communities around Wyoming. The RIDE sought input from students, parents, educational professionals, employers, and community leaders to recommend bold ideas that would transform Wyoming’s education system. The two most common themes from the survey and listening sessions were “learning outcomes and expectations” and “class content and structure.”

“Wyoming has outstanding educators and schools, along with committed parents and businesses who care about education,” Governor Gordon says. “These recommendations were developed collaboratively to help highlight ways to build on our existing strengths. Key to this review is the belief that Wyoming should never be afraid to embrace innovative, personalized approaches to ensure all students are prepared to continue their educational journey or enter the workforce.”

The report says that measuring students’ progress based on their mastery of a subject – instead of the amount of instructional time they have had – is critical to the future of Wyoming’s education system. The RIDE supports a more individualized approach to learning, which it says will change how students engage with their education. The approach is known to education professionals as “competency-based education” or “personalized learning,” and other states have begun implementing it. 

“Information and knowledge are mushrooming,” says RIDE Advisory Group Chairman John Masters. “Our education system – and all within it – cannot merely keep pace, we must lead. To do this requires new instructional thinking and creativity. RIDE encourages change. 

Our schools must be places offering information of interest to all while challenging both the educators and the educated. New approaches to learning will serve our students well as they enter an ever-advancing society that demands life-long learning skills.”

The report also highlighted two priority issues where additional work could be particularly impactful. Those included mental health and behavioral issues impacting students and educators. In addition, the RIDE recommended considering innovative models to help deliver services and provide additional capacity to assist students. It also emphasized the importance of kindergarten readiness, and the need for families to have a range of educational options for their children in the first five years of life.

The RIDE Advisory Group recommended that the Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and State Board of Education work together to develop more detailed implementation plans for the recommendations contained in the report. It is expected that those plans will need to address statewide definitions of competency; provide guidance to school districts; support education professionals in delivering student-centered learning, and communicate clearly to families and the public about just what the change means.