Kansas State Board of Education members will review a report from a firearms safety curriculum survey report, hear a presentation on Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training and be introduced to a new accreditation framework. 

The state board will meet Tuesday, Oct. 10, and Wednesday, Oct. 11. 

John Calvert, head school safety specialist on the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) Safe and Secure Schools Unit, will present results of the Firearms Safety Training Curriculum survey collected from 286 school districts in July. KSDE requested all school districts complete this online survey to learn which school districts offer a firearms safety training program for students and if so, what curriculum the district uses. 

Deputy Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor and Dr. Jay Scott, director of KSDE’s Accreditation and Design team, will introduce a new school improvement framework for Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) based on fundamental practices as outlined by Proctor to the State Board in previous meetings. A new yearly accreditation process also will be shared with the State Board, including new KESA checkpoints. 

Karen Brantingham, a reading specialist from Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450, will present to the board on her success with LETRS® training. 

State Board of Education members may act on:  

• Accreditation Review Council’s August recommendations for KESA. 
• Recommendations of the Professional Practices Commission. 

Other items to be presented at the meeting include: 

• Commissioner’s Annual Report by Dr. Randy Watson, summarizing the past year by addressing areas to celebrate, as well as challenges faced. 
• A fall vacancy report update by the Teacher Licensure team. 
• An update on the progress the Professional Standards Board made in finalizing the rubric and appeal process.  
• A review of issues discussed during recent education committee meetings. 

During Tuesday’s meeting, State Board members will hear from the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year team with a recap of their year.  

The Board also will hear updates from the Kansas School for the Deaf and the Kansas State School for the Blind. 

Additionally, the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) will present the organization’s annual report of operations, including highlights and challenges of the past year in both activities and athletics. 

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. To see the full agenda, click here.