Kansas State Board of Education members will hear presentations on teacher retention and bus safety; will hold a public hearing on the Professional Practices Commission (PPC) regulations; and will hear a presentation on state assessment development and the need for data literacy and analysis in a balanced assessment system.

The state board will meet Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13.

Dr. Bret Church, an associate professor at Emporia State University, will share results of the most recent Kansas Teacher Retention Survey. The survey was launched by Emporia State in 2021 to investigate the factors affecting teacher retention across Kansas school districts.

The 2023 Milken Educator Award winners will share some of the innovative programs and strategies they use to foster student achievement in their schools. The winners are Alex Lahasky, Blue Valley West High School, Blue Valley USD 229 and Matthew Mayeske, Gardner Edgerton High School, Gardner Edgerton USD 231.

During the afternoon portion of Tuesday’s meeting, the state board will conduct a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Professional Practices Commission (PPC) regulations. Procedures for any public hearing of the State Board are as follows:

Any person having an interest in the subject of the hearing shall have a right to provide oral and written testimony to the State Board on the subject of the hearing. Any person wishing to speak at the hearing shall sign in prior to the commencement of the hearing by providing his/her name and identifying whether he/she represents an opinion of a group or organization. The presiding officer will conduct the hearing. Speakers shall be recognized in the order in which they signed in. Each speaker will have five minutes or less to make his or her presentation, at the discretion of the presiding officer. If written testimony is submitted, 13 copies should be provided.

The proposed amendments can be found at this link. Board members may act on these amendments during Wednesday’s meeting.

KSDE General Counsel Scott Gordon will present proposed regulatory language for K.A.R. 91-1-35, which establishes the minimum requirements that accredited school districts must include in their graduation requirements for high school students. The primary changes include:

• At least one-half unit of the four units required for English Language Arts must be in Communication.
• The previous requirement for a full unit of physical education is replaced by a minimum one-half unit of physical education and one-half unit of health education.
• An added requirement for one-half unit of financial literacy.
• One unit of advanced science, technology, engineering, advanced math or other similar STEM course.

A public hearing on these proposed changes will be held during the board’s May meeting.

Board members will hear from the Kansas Student Journalist of the Year, Maya Smith, a senior at Lawrence High School, Lawrence USD 497. Smith will share her high school journalism experiences and the selection process for the award, along with how these experiences have shaped her future plans.

During Wednesday’s meeting, board members will hear a presentation on school bus safety, including a discussion on school bus curbside pickup.

Jennifer Hamlet, program manager for mathematics on the Career, Standards and Assessment Services (CSAS) team, will present an update on math assessment data, the Kansas Math Proficiency Project and math in the Four Fundamentals.

Dr. Neal Kingston, a professor at the University of Kansas, will present on how state assessments are developed and the need for psychometric analysis. Dr. Zach Conrad, executive director of data, evaluation, research and assessment at Kansas City USD 500, and staff from Olathe USD 233 will present on the need for data literacy and analysis in a balanced assessment system.

Other items to be presented at the meeting include:

• Evaluation Review Committee recommendations for educator preparation accreditation and program approval for April.
• Information about how schools and childcare centers are incorporating locally grown products as part of STEM education and into their meals.
• An update on the KESA 2.0 school improvement and accreditation model.
• Redetermination recommendations for conditionally accredited systems.
• Kansas Education Framework for Literacy requirements for teacher licensure.
• An update on bills that may impact Pre-K-12 education and other legislative matters.
• A proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the Kansas Board of Regents to establish the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education (KACIE)

Board members may act on recommendations of the Professional Practices Commission (PPC).

The March board meeting begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 12. To see the full agenda, click here.