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Members of the Kansas State Board of Education received the 2023-24 annual report prepared by the Kansas State Department of Education during the board’s October meeting this week in Topeka.
Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson presented the report to board members, which includes the results of the 2024 state assessments in reading and math.
Kansas students in third through eighth grades and 10th grade participate in the state tests each spring. Watson told board members this year’s results showed incremental progress is being made to move students out of the lowest level of reading. While the scores are trending in the right direction, Watson emphasized that it is not enough. He expects these results will continue to improve as more teachers transition to structured literacy practices.
Other aspects of the annual report Watson presented to the board included the following:
Click here for more about the 2023-24 Annual Report, “Momentum.”
Board members also received the Fall Vacancy Report (FVR) during their meeting this week.
Shane Carter, KSDE director of teacher licensure, reported special education continues to have the highest number of teacher vacancies in the state with 480, up 82 from 398 this past spring. Elementary teachers had the second highest number of vacancies, followed by math, English language arts and then science. There was a total of 1,954 vacancies in the FVR across all categories compared to 1,810 this past spring, an increase of 144.
In other business, board members unanimously approved recommendations from the Professional Standards Board for the literacy licensure requirement tests and passing scores required for identified groups of Kansas educators.
Veteran educators will need to take the following tests with the corresponding passing scores by July 2028 if they do not take the board-approved structured literacy training:
Other business brought before the board included:
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Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
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