The Kansas State Board of Education voted this week to accept the final report of the Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Student Screen Time that outlines recommended guidance for student use of digital technology in schools.  

Prior to the vote, Melanie Haas of Overland Park, State Board chair, emphasized the board accepting the report was an acknowledgement of the task force’s work, not an endorsement of the recommendations. The board voted to accept the report and authorized the Kansas State Department of Education to release it to districts.  

The task force’s report can be accessed here: https://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/Commissioner/Blue-Ribbon-Task-Force-on-Student-Screen-Time-Report.pdf?ver=2024-12-12-131410-427

This evidence-based report developed by the 36-member task force was written to serve as guidance for local boards who want to create new or modify their current student technology policies. State board members believe local boards, districts and communities should decide what digital policies they want to adopt for their own students.  

During their December meeting, board members also approved their list of priorities for the 2025 Kansas legislative session that begins Jan. 13. The priorities fall into the general categories of academic supports, health and safety, funding, and education policy governance. 

Board members received an update on the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP) from Shane Carter, director of KSDE teacher licensure. Currently, the program has a total of 178 members of the cohort group working toward their bachelor’s degrees to become licensed teachers. The program started as a pilot with 12 cohort members at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. 

Superintendents and human resources directors, representing the Dodge City, Syracuse, Salina and Tonganoxie school districts, told board members the value the RTAP apprentices have had in their districts, since many of them have already been working in their classrooms as paraprofessionals for several years.  

Board members also received an update on the action plans districts are developing as part of KESA 2.0 and the new school improvement model adopted by the board this past summer. 

Dr. Jay Scott, director of KSDE’s accreditation and design, told members 41 action plans have been submitted by districts to date and that KESA 2.0 is an action-based model “focused on coherence” to improve student achievement. Hayley Steinlage, a KSDE education research analyst, spoke about the work the agency’s action plan review team is doing to evaluate systems’ plans submitted through an authenticated application and provide support as systems move through the school improvement model’s process.   

Scott said the action plans are being reviewed for their clarity, how they align to the school improvement model and what data the district is using to decide what action they will be taking to improve student outcomes. 

Dr. Frank Harwood, deputy commissioner for KSDE Fiscal and Administrative Services, updated board members on the at-risk accountability plan pilot outlined by statute in Senate Bill 387. Thirteen school districts are participating in the pilot this school year starting with the development of their district plans. They will then practice implementing their plans during the 2025-26 school year in preparation for all districts having to submit at-risk accountability plans beginning with the 2026-27 school year. 

The pilot districts include Trego County USD 208, Hodgeman County USD 227, Fort Scott USD 234, Goddard USD 265, Burrton USD 369, Sterling USD 376, Riley County USD 378, Andover USD 385, Altoona-Midway USD 387, Bucklin USD 459, Liberal USD 480, Hays USD 489 and Kansas City USD 500. 

Also, during the December meeting, board members: 

• Heard from Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson about the newest LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training cohort group, made up of educators from 15 districts, who have recently completed a round of training so they can train their colleagues on the structured literacy program. 
• Received an informational briefing from the Career Standards and Assessment Services team about balanced assessment systems with an emphasis on formative assessments. Educators will be able to learn more about the different types of assessments that will measure student learning during sessions at the educational service centers across the state. A conference also will be held in March to bring districts up-to-speed on the new tests that will be part of the spring 2025 state assessments.  
• Heard a presentation from Dr. Ben Proctor, deputy commissioner of KSDE’s Division of Learning Services, about the agency’s partnership with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) and how high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) are a lead indictor for quality instruction and part of the school improvement model. 
• Approved the disorganization of Healy USD 468 so the district could be incorporated into Scott County USD 466. 
• Heard a presentation from several Junction City high and middle school students about the achievements they’ve made while participating in the Kansas Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG-K) program. 

The board’s next meeting will be Jan. 14-15, in the first-floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka.