The Kansas State Board of Education held a one-day business meeting on April 11 before touring the State School for the Deaf in Olathe and School for the Blind in Kansas City on April 12. Here are the highlights.
Commissioner proposes goals for the new Board.
After three new members joined the State Board following the 2022 election and three planning retreats from January to March, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson presented a draft set of strategic goals and outcomes that would run through the next election of State Board members at the end of 2024. The Board will consider these goals and changes before taking action at a future meeting.
The first goal would be providing effective educators in every school district, with two measurable outcomes: increasing the number of teacher candidates and strengthening leadership development in Kansas. It's in response to widespread concerns over a shrinking pool of candidates for teachers and administrators and a growing number of unfilled positions in districts.
The second proposed goal is "To best position each student for postsecondary opportunities and success," with three performance outcomes: decreasing the percentage of students scoring in Level 1 and increasing the percentage of students scoring in Levels 3 and 4 on the state assessments; increasing the state graduation rate toward 95%; and increasing postsecondary effectiveness toward 70-75%. The target graduation and postsecondary rates are already part of the Board's Kansas Can outcomes, and those rates have improved over the last decade. Raising state assessment scores is part of the state's federal Every Student Succeeds Act plan but has received less emphasis, and test outcomes have declined since 2015.
Under goal two, the commissioner also proposed an outcome to "Align each school district budget with the building needs assessment and the vision and goals of the State Board of Education." The link between a needs assessment and budgeting has been the focus of legislative action in recent sessions.
The third proposed goal would be to "enhance engagement and partnerships with families, communities, business and policy stakeholders." The commissioner said this reflects concerns voiced by board members that the public needs to understand or be more engaged with the Board's goals and outcomes measures but does not have any specific recommended outcomes yet.
Finally, the commissioner proposed a goal of enhancing the safety and security of school districts in Kansas, diminishing the threat and severity of school violence and cybersecurity attacks on school districts.
Board sends new graduation requirements to the next step.
The Board approved wording for new regulations setting high school graduation requirements, which would take effect for students who are currently seventh graders. The action sends the proposal to the Attorney General and Kansas Department of Administration for review, a process that can take more than a year. A public hearing is also required before final action.
The most significant changes in the proposed requirements would be adding one unit of STEM, which may include computer science, advanced math, advanced science, robotics, advanced career and technical education, advanced technology, agriculture, and other similar studies selected by the governing body of the school. The plan would also require one-half unit of financial literacy while reducing the number of required electives from six to four and a half. Students would also be required to "Achieve two or more accomplishments approved by the State Board that demonstrate the pupil will be a successful Kansas high school graduate" and to either file the federal college student financial aid application or submit a waiver for exemption from that requirement.
ESSER funding approved.
The Board approved another round of new plans and amendments for school district uses of federal COVID relief funding. At this point, 99% of the $343.5 million ESSER II allocation and 98% of the $768.1 million ESSER III allocation has been approved, with about 75% of ESSER II and 80% of ESSER III going to authorized purposes related to teaching and learning. The largest items are $322 million in "premium pay" for district employees and $236.1 million to address learning loss.
Teacher apprenticeship program presented.
Calling it one of the most promising ideas to increase the supply of educators, Director of Teacher Licensure Shane Carter briefed the Board on a new program authorized by HB 2292, which passed the Legislature in early April. It would allow individuals without a bachelor's degree to be employed and paid for working in school districts to receive on-the-job training as teachers while also attending college teacher training programs online.
The State Department of Education would oversee the program in conjunction with the Kansas Office of Apprenticeships; school districts would act as sponsors and employers of apprentices; and teacher colleges would provide online instruction toward fulfilling a bachelor’s degree in a teacher preparation program that allows a full-time work schedule.
Carter says the program would likely be most helpful to currently employed paraprofessionals who want to become licensed teachers while continuing to work in a school and "grow your own" programs for high school students who wish to work full-time in a district after graduation while earning a teaching degree. KSDE hopes to launch a pilot program for ten students next fall.
Accreditation recommendations approved.
The Board approved recommendations from the Accreditation Review Council (ARC) to fully accredit 18 public school districts and conditionally accredit one private school. The Board received recommendations to accredit 13 school districts and one private school fully and to conditionally accredit two districts, which they will act on in May.
Students, educators and districts recognized.
Colby Middle School student Maddie McCarty was honored as the national winner of the SIFMA (Security Industry and Financial Markets Association) Foundation's National InvestWrite Competition for an essay on her experience participating in the Stock Market Game™ program, an online simulation of the global capital markets for students grades 4-12 exploring the world of economics, investing and personal finance to prepare them for financially independent futures. The Board received a report on 261 students named Career Technical Education Scholars based on academic performance, attainment of technical skills, civic engagement or community service, an essay on workplace experience and employability skills, and a career vision reflection. Finally, the Kansas Teacher of the Year team spoke to the Board about their experiences this year. Four school districts – Ft. Leavenworth USD 207, Derby USD 260, Mulvane USD 263, and Geary County USD 475 – were honored as the state's first "Purple Star" schools for supporting military families under a program launched last fall.
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