Initiatives Archive

Community of Practice-Transition (CoP-T)

Community of Practice-Transition (CoP-T) was a project designed to improve the transition outcomes for students with disabilities.  Three small communities convened to address improving the transitions of students a) from early childhood programs to the school districts; b) from secondary schools to post-secondary education, employment and community living; and c) with social and emotional needs to and from behavioral interventions.  Learn more about CoP-T.

Resources developed by the CoP-Ts:

Eye to Eye Program

Eye-to-Eye is a national program that matches high school and college students with learning disabilities (mentors) with elementary, middle, and high school students with learning disabilities in mentor-mentee relationships. Its purpose is for the mentees to gain skills and have a greater understanding of their learning differences; mentees will have increased self-advocacy, increased meta-cognitive skills, and increased understanding and use of asset-based learning strategies. These increases in skills and understanding will in turn improve student outcomes such as achievement. Learn more about the Eye-to-Eye Program.

Family Engagement Project

The Family Engagement Project provided both universal and targeted support to Wyoming school districts and child development centers around implementation of family engagement practices and activities. The intent of the project was to increase knowledge around family-school-community partnerships and their impact on student outcomes, and to support Wyoming schools and centers as they further their work building meaningful relationships with families and communities.

Family School Partnerships

Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) Family Engagement Definition – Family Engagement is the deliberate, systematic inclusion of families in all activities and programs that promote and reinforce children’s learning, development and wellness in multiple settings. It is based on respectful relationship and collaborative communication between schools and families that embrace families as equal partners, advocates and decision makers for their student.

MTSS Project Demonstration Site: UCSD #1

Uinta County School District #1 implemented an MTSS system that proactively identified students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitored student progress, provided varying levels of support based on student need, and adjusted the intensity and nature of those interventions based on a student’s responsiveness.  Learn more about the MTSS Project Demonstration Site.

Opening the World of Literacy

  • WY Literacy Focus on Instruction Webinar (Claire Greer, Ph.D. and Penny Hatch, February 2016)
  • Project Core Professional Development Modules (formerly DLM Modules). Participants will gain greater understanding of the multi-tiered system for augmenting language (mSAL) and the characteristics of the universal core vocabulary. The underlying philosophy of Project Core, the current state of the project, and additional online resources will also be discussed.

Professional Learning Community in Assistive Technology (PLC in AT)

The Wyoming Professional Learning Community in Assistive Technology (WY PLC in AT) was a group of 21 educators whose mission was to further the use and understanding of assistive technology in Wyoming schools.  This community participated in on-going training and facilitated opportunities to train others through webinars, symposiums, and one-on-one professional teaching opportunities.

Wyoming Statewide MTSS-PLC

The Wyoming Department of Education, Special Programs Division provided districts the opportunity to be part of a state-wide Multi-Tier System of Support Professional Learning Community (MTSS-PLC). Learn more about the Wyoming Statewide MTSS-PLC.

Wyoming System of Instructional Support (WySIS)

Wyoming System of Instructional Support (WySIS) trainings promoted a tiered approach to academics and behavioral instruction.  WySIS taught schools and districts how to implement systems change with a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework to meet the academic and behavioral needs of all students in general education as well as special education.  The system was based on the concept that everyone in education is responsible for student learning.  Educational gain is not dependent on programs, placements, disability labels, or risk factors, but on targeted instruction and thoughtful planning of districts and staff.  Intervening services are grounded within general education and are not solely a special education initiative.