Kansas State Board of Education members will hear a presentation on artificial intelligence; receive an overview of a four-day school week; and hear proposed amendments to the Professional Practices Commission (PPC) regulations.

The state board will meet Tuesday, Feb. 13, and Wednesday, Feb. 14.

KSDE staff will share an overview of the Evidence-Based List of at-risk programs and practices that meet the current statutory requirements and those that would be included if there were adjustments to the statutory definition of an evidence-based program or practice. The State Board may make potential recommendations to the Kansas Legislature on adjustments to the statutory definition of an evidence-based program or practice.

The board will hear from the two 2023 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Kansas Schools, Valley Heights Elementary School, Valley Heights USD 498, and Wheatland Elementary School, Valley Center USD 262. Principals from each school will share the factors they have found to be most significant in raising and/or maintaining student achievement at their schools, and their experiences at the national ESEA Conference.

Child nutrition professionals who have completed requirements to earn a Kansas Certificate in Child Nutrition Management will be recognized on Tuesday, along with students from Valley Falls High School, Valley Falls USD 338, who won the KSDE Child Nutrition and Wellness Local Foods Recipe Challenge.

During the afternoon portion of Tuesday’s meeting, Uniontown student Maria Cibrian Vazquez will talk about her experience at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in November. She was the winner of the first ever FFA Invitational Spanish Creed Speaking Contest.

Dr. Glenn Kleiman, senior advisor at Stanford University Graduate School of Education, will present the challenges and benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in schools.

Other items to be presented at the meeting include:

• An update on the Kansas Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program.
• An update on the development of the KESA 2.0 model.
• A legislative update, reporting on bills that may impact Kansas education.

Board members may act on:

• Elementary Pre-K-6 Teacher Preparation Standards.
• ESSER III change requests for use of federal COVID-19 relief funds.

During Wednesday’s meeting, board members will hear a presentation on four-day school weeks from Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson.

Scott Gordon, KSDE’s General Counsel, will present proposed amendments to the Professional Practices Commission (PPC) regulations. The State Board will hold a public hearing on these regulations in March.

The February board meeting begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13. To see the full agenda, click here.