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243 systems recognized through Kansans Can Star Recognition Program
Southern Lyon County USD 252 only district to be recognized in eight areas for four consecutive years
TOPEKA — The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) recognized 243 public school districts and eight private systems through the 2024 Kansans Can Star Recognition Program that has been in place since the 2019-20 school year.
Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson announced the recipients of this year’s awards during the Kansas State Board of Education’s October meeting. The recipients will also be announced and celebrated at KSDE’s annual conference, Great Ideas in Education: Lighting the Path Forward, Oct. 23-25, in Wichita.
The program honors districts and systems for excelling in outcomes established around the vision for education in the state – Kansas leads the world in the success of each student.
The vision was announced in 2015 by the Kansas State Board of Education and KSDE. A new accreditation model, Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA), was announced shortly after. KESA accredits at the system level to create systemic change among school buildings in a district. The second iteration of the accreditation system, KESA 2.0, is in full implementation as of the start of the 2024-25 school year.
The Kansans Can Star Recognition Program is designed to support the KESA process by providing a level of recognition that helps districts identify where they want to focus their improvement efforts.
The program recognizes district achievement in eight areas, which are broken into quantitative and qualitative measures. Districts must apply for recognition in the qualitative measures area.
District recognition in the quantitative measures area is automatically calculated by KSDE based on collected district data. No application is necessary.
Districts can receive gold, silver, bronze or copper stars in the quantitative measure areas of:
Districts can apply to receive gold, silver, bronze or copper stars in the qualitative measures of:
The Commissioner’s Award recognizes districts that outperform their predicted postsecondary effectiveness rate above a .40 standard deviation.
A district’s predicted postsecondary effectiveness rate factors in the degree to which identified risk factors known to depress effectiveness rates, such as poverty, chronic absenteeism and student mobility, are present in a district’s student population.
Districts that outperform their predictive rate by .4-.99 standard deviation receive the Commissioner’s Award. There were 44 districts/systems that achieved this award for 2024.
Districts that outperform their predictive rate by 1-1.99 standard deviations receive the Commissioner’s Award with Honors. There were 32 districts that achieved this award for 2024.
Districts that outperform their predictive rate by 2 or more standard deviations receive the Commissioner’s Award with Highest Distinction. There were seven districts that achieved this award:
Other awards included:
For more information about the Kansans Can Star Recognition Program, visit https://www.ksde.org/Agency/Fiscal-and-Administrative-Services/Communications-and-Recognition-Programs/Vision-Kansans-Can/Kansans-Can-Star-Recognition
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Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.