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Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will consider approving American Sign Language (ASL) as part of the higher education educator preparation standards for Pre-K-12 world languages during their monthly meeting, Sept. 10-11, in Topeka.
A committee of ASL educators and world languages educators convened to review the world languages preparation standards and revise them to include features of ASL, such as expanding references to speaking to include signing, and identifying a minimum proficiency level for ASL educators. This was after the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) received inquiries from an ASL task force about Pre-K-12 ASL teacher qualifications as a content area for which the KSDE teacher licensure program didn’t have an established license.
With growing interest from students who want to learn ASL, the review committee was able to identify a process to incorporate ASL into the revised world languages standards and create a pathway to licensure with the intent of attracting skilled ASL signers to the education profession.
In other business during their September meeting, board members will receive an update on the list of eligible, evidence-based at-risk programs as well as the districts that will participate in the at-risk accountability plan pilot.
At its Feb. 2024 meeting, board members approved an updated programs and practices list that includes 72 programs and 78 practices.
These have peer-reviewed evidence to support at-risk students and may be used to provide students with additional educational opportunities, interventions and services above and beyond regular education services. Click here for more information about at-risk funding and other aspects of the at-risk program.
The following are a few of the other items on the board members’ September agenda:
Click here for the full agenda and meeting materials for the September meeting.
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
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To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.