PURPOSE
The Accreditation Review Council will provide official recommendations to the State Board of Education on the accreditation rating for each Kansas education system seeking state accreditation.

Council bylaws will be developed by the group and will be posted here.

Council membership list (updated 10-07-22) posted here.

MEMBERSHIP
Membership will represent PK-12 professionals and other stakeholders across the state. Selection criteria will include but not be limited to the following:
- Dedication to education of Kansas children
- Background in the PK-12 realm;
- PK-12 education and/or leadership experience;
- State board district representation;
- School/district size/demographics.

The Accreditation Review Council (ARC) is a key partner with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). The ARC plays a critical role in advancing the Kansas Vision for Education by assuring education systems are implementing effective continuous improvement processes that lead to improved student results. The ARC is comprised of 18 members from varying background (teachers, principals, superintendents, central office staff, higher education, and private/parochial schools), and is responsible for fulfilling the following duties:

1. Review and provide input to Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) staff concerning accreditation procedures and documentation necessary to make systems accreditation status recommendations.
2. Advise KSDE staff of concerns or issues related to procedures and documentation necessary to formulate accreditation recommendations to the State Board of Education.
3. Provide accreditation status recommendations to the Kansas State Board of Education for final accreditation approval as specified in the Accreditation Review Council Handbook

Members of the ARC serve 3-year terms and may serve a maximum of 2 consecutive terms. KSDE is seeking new Council membership. Criteria taken into consideration when seeking nominations include, but are not limited to;

1. Holding a current position for the group being represented
2. Experience and credentials in the area being represented
3. Relevant education and/or leadership experience
4. School/district size and demographics
5. State Board region representation

If you are interested in being considered for ARC membership, please utilize this link to complete a brief application survey.  New members will be selected by Friday, September 1, 2023.

Meetings - 2023/2024

• November 7, 2023 (In-Person)

• January 25, 2024 (Virtual) 

• February 22, 2024 (Virtual)

• June 6, 2024 (In-Person

MEETINGS - 2022/2023

Past Meeting Dates

KESA Guidance Document (new document coming August 2023)

 KESA Application

The KESA Application (KESA App) is a district-level application. It should be completed by the superintendent or his/her designee. In order to request/gain access to the KESA App, the user must log in to a district-level authenticated applications account. If the user does not have a district-level account, a separate district-level account must be established by going to the authenticated applications login page and clicking on the green "Register" button. In the "building" dropdown, select "All buildings."  

Note: The process is slightly different for private schools where each building is accredited as a separate system.  Please, do not hesitate to contact KSDE if you need any assistance gaining access to the KESA App.

KESA Forms 

The Year 5 System and OVT reports linked below were updated for the 2021/2022 school year. All systems in year 5 during the 2022/2023 school year will need to complete the existing forms linked below. Documentation will be done in the KESA Authenticated Application. Please, ignore red or green text in the forms. The red text is to help KSDE staff as they continue to review the forms, while the green text is used as notes for the programmers as they implement the forms into the Authenticated Application.

Systems in Years 1-4 during the 2022/2023 school year will not need to complete all sections of the existing KESA Forms/Authenticated Application. In order to respond to feedback we have received regarding KESA Reporting, we are adjusting the reporting requirements for systems in years 1-4 for the 2022/2023 school year. Systems will only be required to complete three sections: Compliance, Needs Assessment Process and Goals, and Assurances. All other sections of the KESA report will be considered optional for the 2022/2023 school year. You can learn more about the reporting adjustments here. 

OVT Chairs will only need to provide feedback on the sections completed by the systems. If the system chooses to complete an optional section, then the OVT would be asked to provide feedback on those sections. However, OVT Chairs and Systems will have completed the requirements for systems in years 1-4 in 2022/2023 if they have completed the three required sections: Compliance, Needs Assessment Process and Goals, and Assurances. 

You can expect to learn more about the reporting adjustments for 2022/2023 in our System Beginning of the Year Kick-Off on August 23 and 25. You can learn more here. 

System Yearly Update Reports

• Year 1 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 2 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 3 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 4 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 5 (No Change) 

OVT Summary Reports

• Year 1 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 2 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 3 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 4 (Updated 2022/2023)
• Year 5 (No Change) 

ARC Executive Summary

• Summary (No Change) 

Please, send any comments or suggestions about the above drafts to accreditation@ksde.org.