Curriculum Design and Alignment

In 2012, Campbell County School District (CCSD) began aligning science instruction with the Framework for K–12 Science Education, released by the National Research Council in 2011. This framework laid the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and, ultimately, the Wyoming Content and Performance Standards (WYCPS), which were adopted by the state in 2016. 

These standards introduced a major instructional shift toward three-dimensional learning—engaging students in doing science through the integration of disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. They also emphasized stronger connections to engineering and mathematics.

Following the 2016 adoption, CCSD science educators worked collaboratively with the Secondary Science Curriculum Facilitator to begin aligning curriculum with the new standards. This included prioritizing standards using the REAL criteria (Rigorous, Essential, Assessable, Learnable) while considering student needs, teacher expertise, and assessment blueprints.

In 2021, the Wyoming Department of Education released the state’s first set of Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) for the WYCPS and identified which standards would be designated as performance (priority) versus supporting. This launched a statewide effort to refine science education focus.

In 2022–2023, the Wyoming State Board of Education and WDE initiated formal discussions around standards reduction. CCSD science teachers responded as a unified department, providing feedback on which standards should be prioritized for student mastery and which could remain supportive. This collective input shaped CCSD’s local response to the reduction effort.

During the 2023–2024 school year, the revised standards framework—emphasizing reduced and refocused expectations—was finalized and returned to districts for implementation planning. 

In 2024, the CCSD Secondary Science Curriculum Facilitator joined a statewide committee as part of the WYTOPP Blueprint Advisory Board. Working alongside educators from across Wyoming, the committee helped determine which standards would be assessed on the 10th grade WYTOPP and which would be better explored in grades 11–12.

As a result of this multi-year collaborative effort, CCSD is fully aligned with the new WYTOPP expectations for the 2025–2026 school year and beyond. The department is now focused on deepening its work with standard deconstruction and refining horizontal and vertical alignment across grades 6–12 to ensure a coherent, rigorous science learning experience for all students.

Below is the current working articulation of science instruction across middle and high school grade bands.

***It is important to note that this work is ongoing and changes are based on evidence and alignment to state and district expectations, therefore, the articulations may shift in response to those indicators.