Kansas State Board of Education members are scheduled to act on proposed changes to the current accreditation model, legislative priorities for the 2024 legislative session and more during their December meeting.

The State Board will meet Tuesday, Dec. 12, and Wednesday, Dec. 13.

At the November meeting, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor and Dr. Jay Scott, director of Accreditation and Design, proposed the following changes to the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) model to begin during the 2024-2025 school year:

• Establish the Four Fundamentals (structured literacy, balanced assessment, standards alignment and quality instruction) as the basis for being accredited, in addition to student data and compliance.
• Establish an improved annual accreditation system featuring more opportunities for systems to obtain feedback on their progress in the areas of accreditation from their peers, experts and the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).
   

Board members will act on the KESA 2.0 model in the afternoon portion of Tuesday’s meeting.

Piper Unified School District 203 staff members will discuss the district’s Individual Plan of Study (IPS) process during the Tuesday meeting. Piper earned a gold star in the 2023 Kansans Can Star Recognition IPS category. The outcome area recognizes districts offering continuous, inclusive opportunities for students to develop plans and career skills relevant to their passions, strengths and postsecondary goals.

Superintendent Dr. Jessica Dain, Assistant Superintendent Dr. John Nguyen and Polly Vader, coordinator for Real-World Learning and Career Technical Education (CTE), will describe to board members the district’s IPS process and what they believe has contributed to its success and the success of Piper students.

State Board members may also act on:

• 2024 legislative priorities.
• Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III change request recommendations from the Commissioner’s Task Force on ESSER and EANS Distribution of Money. The task force has the responsibility to provide guidance and oversight of system’s and school district’s plans for expenditure of federal funds.
• Potential partnerships with Hanover Research and The New Teacher Program (TNTP).
• Recommendations of the Professional Practices Commission.
   

Other items to be presented at the meeting include an update on the At-Risk Program and an overview and history of special education funding.

State Board members also will receive updated Kansas Early Learning Standards (KELS). Members at the November meeting received a presentation describing the process to revise the KELS and the proposed updates.

This month, staff will share adjustments made to the proposed updates following feedback received from board members and members of the public. In January, the State Board will have the opportunity to approve the updated standards.

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