Superintendent Questions PAWS Test

Laramie County School District #1 Superintendent John Lyttle says he thinks there are questions about the statewide PAWS (Proficiency of Wyoming Students) test and whether it is really a good measure of student learning.

He says that while he's ''not trying to make excuses'' for what were seen as disappointing PAWS scores in results released earlier this year, it is worth noting that Wyoming students did significantly better on a couple of national tests.

He cites Wyoming student scores on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) test where state student scores were among the best in the nation. He says the ''very same students who are getting hammered for not performing well on PAWS are at the top of the nation on NAEP''. Lyttle says Wyoming students also did well on the national MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test.

Wyoming students generally declined across most content areas and grade levels in 2015 PAWS scores compared to 2014.

Brent Young, Chief Policy Officer for the Wyoming Department of Education, said after the 2015 scores were released that while state school districts have had a year to adjust to higher standards in reading and math, that may not have been enough time in view of the low scores.

While Lyttle may have questions about the PAWS test, he says LCSD #1 schools will still work hard to improve their scores on the test next year.