Senate approves committee recommendation on K‑3 reading assessment bill (Senate File 13)

Senate File 13, a set of clarifications to Wyoming's K‑3 reading assessment and intervention statutes, was reported favorably out of the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 15, 2025.

Proponents described the bill as cleanup legislation based on recommendations from an expert stakeholder group that reviewed the state's existing reading-assessment statutes. Sponsors said the bill clarifies that multiple instruments may be used for assessment, removes ambiguous language about providing a "group reading plan" to an individual parent, refines the distinction between screeners and assessment instruments, and strikes a fixed student-teacher ratio for interventions.

"This is some cleanup legislation that relates to our K‑3 reading assessment and intervention statutes," Senator Rolfes said, telling colleagues the changes align statute with current practice and the stakeholder group's recommendations.

Senator Rolfes described a specific edit — a shift from the singular word "instrument" to "one or more instruments" — and said the removal of the phrase allowing a "group reading plan" was meant to avoid sharing other students' identifying information when providing individualized plans to parents. Proponents emphasized the changes are intended to clarify practice rather than make substantive policy changes.

The Committee of the Whole adopted the motion that it rise and report Senate File 13 with a favorable recommendation. The transcript records the committee action by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded. The bill will proceed to the next step in the Senate process.