Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson cited several improvements in his annual report to the Kansas State Board of Education in October. These include state academic assessments, chronic absenteeism rates, completion of college courses, and passing advanced placement exams. He also described a range of initiatives to support students, teachers, and leaders. 

“The good news is that our post-pandemic recovery continues to progress,” Watson said, noting improvements in leading measures like test scores and advanced courses. But he says lagging measures like postsecondary success and graduation will take longer to reflect improvements.

Watson said schools experienced a gradual loss of freshmen and sophomore students in the early years of the pandemic. “We now see those losses reflected in the 2024 cohort graduation rates and, in turn, our postsecondary achievement rates.” Compounding this issue has been declines in college enrollment. Watson said schools are working to reverse these trends through individual plans of study, career and technical education offerings, and career exploration opportunities.

Mixed Trends in Key Outcomes

State Reading and Math Assessments

Since 2015, Kansas state assessment results for each student have placed them in one of four levels of skills for postsecondary success. From 2015 through 2018 performance decreased. Many school leaders say years of school funding not keeping up with inflation and frozen block grant funding contributed to this decline as positions and programs were cut. When the Legislature began a six-year phase-in of increased funding in 2018 following the Gannon school funding case, assessments stabilized. Pandemic disruptions caused a decline in 2021 and 2022. However, by 2024 the percentage of students performing at the lowest level decreased by about one percent in both reading and math, and the percentage at the two highest levels increased by two percent in math and one percent in reading.

Absenteeism

The loss of learning time from missing class is believed to impact academic achievement. Chronic absenteeism (missing 10 percent or more, excused or unexcused) was about 14 percent statewide leading up to the pandemic. In 2021 the rate jumped to 17.5 percent and peaked at 24.5 percent in 2022. Since then, the rate has dropped to 21.8 percent in 2023 and 19.7 percent in 2024.

Graduation Rate

Since establishment of the current formula, the overall Kansas graduation rate increased from 80.7 percent in 2010 to 89.1 percent in 2022. The overall rate had a slight dip to 88.0 percent in 2023. Most student groups with traditionally lower graduation rates have increased faster than the overall rate. In 2023 Black, free-lunch eligible, and Limited English Proficiency students reached their highest rate ever.

Postsecondary Effective Rate

Since this rate was established it has risen from a five-year average of 44 percent for 2011-15 to 52 percent in 2016-20. The rate reflects the percentage of seniors that graduate high school within four years and have earned or are working toward a degree or certification two years later. 

The rate dropped to 50 percent for 2018-22. This likely reflects the drop in enrollment of over 8 percent (over 14,600 students) at Kansas public postsecondary institutions from 2019 to 2022. However, enrollment has rebounded by over 10,000 students since 2022. Because the postsecondary effective rate has a two-year lag, the enrollment increase is expected to show up in future rates.

Advanced Coursework

The number of college credits earned by high school students rose between 2017 and 2020 then dropped slightly in 2021. By 2024, however, it had reached an all-time high. Likewise, the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses and receiving a passing score reached a new high in 2024.

New and Expanded Efforts to Improve Results

“Members of the Kansas State Board of Education and educators have worked nonstop these past four years to recoup learning loss created by the pandemic,” said Watson. Some of these efforts include:

Improving reading skills

With the Legislature and Kansas State Board of Regents, the State Board and Department of Education have worked to improve how reading is taught in Kansas. This includes requirements for schools to use science of reading principles with the structured literacy approach along with changes in teacher education, training, and licensure.

Preschool for Kindergarten Readiness

Out of 286 school districts, 267 now have approved at-risk preschool programs, and many allow non-at-risk children to attend at low or no cost.

Addressing student mental health

Since its creation by the Kansas Legislature in 2018, the Mental Health Intervention Team initiative has brought additional mental health resources into schools. The number of students served has increased from 1,708 in 2018-19 to 6,954 in 2023-24.

Pathways for Career Skills

Career related pathways in Kansas schools (36 different CTE Pathways) have increased four consecutive years. In 2023, over 55,000 students participated and more than 30,000 earned at least two credits in a pathway while meeting at least 70 percent technical skill proficiency.

New Graduation Requirements

In May, the State Board approved new minimum high school graduation requirements, beginning for the class of 2028 (current freshmen). Changes include an additional required STEM elective, a half credit for financial literacy, and 4.5 elective credits aligned with an Individual Plan of Study (IPS). Students will also have to meet at least two criteria based on attendance, leadership, ACT score, WorkKeys level, apprenticeship participation, or community service.  

New Focus in School District Accreditation

During 2023-24, the Board approved transition to the second phase of the Kansas Education System Accreditation (KESA) process. The new model is based the fundamentals of structured literacy, standards-aligned curriculum, balanced assessments, and high-quality instruction. It is focused on the outcomes of academic preparation, graduation rate, and postsecondary effective rate. This year, schools are developing action plans for school improvement with local input from parents, the board, and the community.

Increasing Teacher Supply

KSDE launched the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP) in the fall of 2023. The program allows individuals to earn a teaching degree while servicing as a paid apprentice.

Strengthening Superintendent Development

The State Board, KSDE, the Kansas Association of School Boards, and the United School Administrators of Kansas have partnered to launch the Kansas Executive Development for Superintendents (KEDS) program, providing training in leadership competencies.