CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Education announced that the state’s Future of Learning collaborative is accepting applications from school districts for the second round of a pilot project to reimagine K-12 education through competency based learning.
This framework for teaching will expand the reach of the initial RIDE pilot program currently underway in nine Wyoming school districts by adding seven additional districts for the 2024-25 school year. The goal of the voluntary pilots is to rethink key elements of instruction and to make learning more accessible to students.
Teton County school district #1 currently participates in the RIDE pilots.
“We were very excited about this opportunity because we were looking for ways to move students and staff into the future,” Superintendent of Teton County School District #1 Gillian Chapman said via press release. “What they need in the future is really different from what we do day in and day out in school, and we were looking for alternatives to the way we have always done things.”
Wyoming’s Future of Learning collaborative includes Governor Mark Gordon, Superintendent Megan Degenfelder and the Wyoming Department of Education, the State Board of Education (SBE), the University of Wyoming College of Education, the Community Colleges and the Wyoming Association of School Administrators.
“There continues to be so much potential through this partnership,” Governor Gordon said via press release. “Through these pilots we are learning about what our educators need to ensure that Wyoming’s education system is not just better than today, but is able to emerge through this work as one of the best at serving students and families in the United States.”
Districts, communities and graduate work will be supported through the pilots. Statewide professional development opportunities in competency-based learning will continue to be offered to all schools throughout the state.
“This pilot is an important step in shifting our education system from its current one-size fits all model,” Degenfelder said via press release. “With competency based learning, students can learn at their own pace and pursue more individualized education pathways.”
Applications are due Friday, Feb. 16, and selected districts will be announced in early March.
