Kansas State Board of Education members will receive proposed changes to the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) model and will act on the Kansas Standards for Library and Information Literacy during their November meetings.

The state board will meet Tuesday, Nov. 14, and Wednesday, Nov. 15.

Deputy Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor and Dr. Jay Scott, director of the Kansas State Department of Education's (KSDE) Accreditation and Design (AD) team, will propose the following changes to the 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, in addition to student data and compliance, for being accredited.
• Establish an improved annual accreditation system featuring more opportunities for systems to obtain feedback on their progress from their peers, experts and KSDE.

The board will hear from two systems, Haviland Unified School District 474 and Honey Tree and Branches Academy in Wichita, that earned silver stars in the category of academically prepared for postsecondary as part of the 2023 Kansans Can Star Recognition Program. The program recognizes districts that are achieving at high levels in the outcome areas identified by the board in 2015.

Trish Backman, school mental health coordinator on KSDE’s Special Education and Title Services (SETS) team, will provide an update on the School Mental Health Advisory Committee. Her update will include the purpose of the advisory committee, past and future meetings, a list of current members and accomplishments.

There will be two student showcases during Tuesday’s meeting. Students enrolled in the College Prep Academy, Topeka USD 501, will share their experiences and how they are shaping their postsecondary aspirations. Students from the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers (TCALC), Topeka USD 501, will discuss their experiences studying within the Teaching as a Profession pathway and how the program has impacted their postsecondary plans.

State Board of Education members are scheduled to act on:

• Accreditation Review Council’s (ARC) October Recommendations for KESA.
• Recommendations of the Evaluation Review Committee (ERC).

Other items to be presented at the meeting include:

• Receive the updated Kansas Early Learning Standards (KELS). This document provides information and guidance to early childhood providers and teachers on the developmental continuum of learning from birth through kindergarten. A collaborative group of Kansas early childhood partners worked together to review and complete this fourth revision of the KELS. In December, the State Board will have the opportunity to approve the updated standards.
• A proposed partnership with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to elevate the role high-quality instructional materials play in strong instruction.
• A proposed partnership with Hanover Research to provide advisory services as KSDE develops criteria for KESA 2.0.
• Partnerships with private colleges in Kansas.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Board members will act on the Kansas Standards for Library and Information Literacy as presented. This was a receive item at the September board meeting. Board members will now be asked to approve the updated non-assessed model 2023 Kansas Standards for Library and Information Literacy. The standards were up for public comment, and based on the feedback, two changes were made.

Board members also will discuss the legislative priorities they want to focus on for the 2024 session.

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

To watch the livestream, click here.