057-5 Wyo. Code R. §§ 5-8 - Administering the High School Equivalency Certificate Program

(a) This section is promulgated under authority of Laws 2013 ch. 25 and W.S. 21-16-1308(b)(iv)(C).

(b) This section describes the procedures for administration of the Wyoming High School Equivalency Certificate (HSEC) program. The HSEC program provides a certificate to adults and out-of-school youth who did not graduate from an accredited high school, are unable to receive a high school diploma from their school district of residence, or were home-schooled and did not receive a diploma, but are able to demonstrate attainment of knowledge and skills that are equivalent to those which would be attained in a high school program of study through passing any of the state-authorized equivalency certification assessments.

(c) The HSEC program applies to all citizens, naturalized immigrants, resident alien non-citizens and foreign exchange students according to state and federal immigration policy. Candidates must prove their identity with current, unmodified, original government- or accredited institution of higher learning-issued photo identification.

(d) The HSEC program office shall maintain an official HSEC Policy and Procedures Manual for each authorized assessment instrument or pathway used to certify candidate attainment of high school equivalency.

(e) The HSEC program or the Commission Executive Director's designated representative shall convene a review committee to select the state-authorized assessment instrument(s) or pathway(s) used to certify candidate attainment of high school equivalency when appropriate as such instruments or pathways become available. No particular instrument may be considered the state standard.

(i) The process for forming the review committee shall be as follows:

(A) The HSEC program office shall monitor the marketplace for viable products, and may also participate in applicable national or regional committees which investigate equivalency assessments. When new assessment instruments become available, or when review of an instrument or pathway is requested, the HSEC program office shall call a meeting composed of the individuals and the representatives of the entities listed below, however, there is no quorum necessary to proceed with approval or rejection:

(I) Community College Academic Affairs Council, Community College Admissions/Financial Aid Officers, Department of Education, Department of Workforce Services, University of Wyoming, the Adult Education Program Manager, an English as a Second Language (ESL) expert, a Wyoming Board of Cooperative Education Services (B.O.C.E.S.) representative and a Community College Commission-appointed test center administration expert.

(B) The HSEC program office or the Commission Executive Director's designated representative shall convene, chair and support the committee and consult with the available committee members, either in person or via electronic meeting, to evaluate and/or develop new proposed instruments or pathways.

(I) Final committee decisions concerning approval or rejection of proposed instruments or pathways shall be via an official vote recorded by electronic mail and promulgated by a summary posting on the Commission website HSEC webpage. The Commission shall consider the actions of the committee at their next regularly scheduled meeting and may override all other approvals or rejections for a proposed instrument or pathway. Appeals shall be handled in accordance with the Wyoming Community College Commission Chapter 2 rules.

(C) Effective dates for approved instruments or pathways and necessary policy and procedural information shall be maintained by the HSEC Program Manager with official copies available on the Commission website HSEC webpage.

(D) If for any reason, the state should revoke approval for an instrument or pathway, the applicable announcements shall be posted on the Commission website HSEC webpage, communicated publicly by official press release and through the HSEC committee by electronic media.

(f) Qualifying scores for the different Hathaway scholarship levels shall be determined through consultation with the vendor. Any changes made to the Wyoming Hathaway Scholarship program by the Wyoming Department of Education or the Wyoming Legislature, which may affect qualification scores, may be incorporated in this program within sixty (60) days of notification from the Wyoming Department of Education.

(i) If otherwise eligible, HSEC candidates shall be eligible for a Hathaway scholarship if they achieve an average score on a selected, approved HSEC assessment instrument corresponding to the scores below, verified by the vendor-supplied concordance:

(A) Score a 17 on the ACT or a 12 on the Work Keys test and a minimum standard score of 157 on the GED® 2014 series test, or a score of 12 on the HiSet® test, to be eligible for a scholarship at the same level and to the same extent as a Hathaway provisional opportunity scholarship;

(B) Score a 19 on the ACT and a minimum standard score of 157 on the GED® 2014 series test, or a score of 12 on the HiSet® test, to be eligible for a scholarship at the same level and to the same extent as a Hathaway opportunity scholarship;

(C) Score a 21 on the ACT and a minimum standard score of 164 on the GED® 2014 series test, or a score of 14 on the HiSet® test, to be eligible for a scholarship at the same level and to the same extent as a Hathaway performance scholarship; or

(D) Score a 25 on the ACT and a minimum standard score of 170 on the GED® 2014 series test, or a score of 16 on the HiSet® test, to be eligible for a scholarship at the same level and to the same extent as a Hathaway honor scholarship.

(ii) Minimum standard scores from all approved instruments shall represent the same proficiency skills as those represented by the scores listed above and shall be available on the HSEC webpage, Hathaway Scholarships section.

(iii) Application for a Hathaway scholarship in conjunction with a HSEC certificate must be initiated within two years of natural graduation date, but not prior to that date, except for instances specifically allowed by the Wyoming Department of Education. The applicant must have received the HSEC while residing in Wyoming, and must have attended a Wyoming high school.

Notes

057-5 Wyo. Code R. §§ 5-8

Amended, Eff. 12/14/2015. Amended, Eff. 11/29/2016. Amended, Eff. 11/21/2017. Amended, Eff. 8/7/2020. Amended, Eff. 5/25/2021. Amended, Eff. 4/25/2023. Amended, Eff. 12/6/2023.