The Senate Education Committee on Jan. 15 approved Senate File 13, a set of cleanup changes to Wyoming’s early-reading assessment and intervention statute that clarifies which screening instruments districts may use and narrows some reporting requirements.

Supporters said the bill reflects recommendations from a Department of Education stakeholder group and is intended to reduce confusion and reporting burden while keeping individualized plans and parental notification in place. "Right now there are 6 screeners that districts can choose from that meet the criteria that was identified through a stakeholder committee," said Shelley Hamill of the Wyoming Department of Education.

Senate File 13 removes language that some practitioners said gave the impression districts were limited to a single approved screener; the change explicitly allows districts to use "one or more instruments." The bill also strikes a clause that referred to a "group reading plan" in the list of materials to be provided to parents. Department and stakeholder witnesses said the change does not ban using group interventions in classrooms, but aims to ensure each student identified with a reading difficulty receives an individualized reading plan for parental notification.

"The idea is to identify an individualized plan, a plan that is specific to that student that has been identified with reading difficulty," said Brian Farmer, executive director of the Wyoming School Boards Association, who testified in support of the bill.

The committee also removed several detailed reporting items, including a required student-teacher ratio and an enumerated list of classification of personnel delivering interventions (certified tutors, instructional facilitators, etc.). Stakeholders told the committee those measures are frequently in flux during the school year and therefore unreliable as a single-day or annual reporting item.

Senators asked for clarifications on how the changes affect students with individualized education programs (IEPs). Hamill said students who are on an IEP already receive required copies of their IEP, and the bill maintains an exemption for those students from the separate individualized reading-plan notice.

Public testimony reflected general support from school-district and school-board representatives and mixed perspectives from parents and advocacy groups. Bill Winnie, a Sublette County resident, urged attention to instructional-facilitator staffing and called for stable local reading expertise. Patricia McCoy of Moms for Liberty said she supported the bill’s goal but raised concerns about statewide performance targets and the loss of some transparency from fewer reporting requirements.

The committee moved the bill forward on a voice motion and recorded five ayes; the committee chair announced the measure "has passed." The bill will next require a floor sponsor to carry it to the Senate floor.

Votes at a glance: On Jan. 15 the committee voted to advance Senate File 13 (reading assessment and intervention amendments). The committee announced the motion carried with five ayes; a roll-call list recorded several affirmative votes during the hearing.

Why it matters: The changes affect how districts document and report early-reading screening and intervention work, and how parents are notified when a child is identified for extra reading support. Stakeholders said the bill reduces reporting burden while preserving individual parent notice. Implementation details — including which approved screeners districts use — remain under the Department of Education's authority.