Tag: KSDE
Kansas Education Commissioner wants you to believe all students are at grade level
“Prairie Home Companion” on National Public Radio was about the fictional city Lake Wobegon, which host Garrison Keillor described as…
New state assessment at odds with Legislature’s improvement targets
Deputy Education Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor revealed that a new state assessment plan will be given to students during the…
A-F Grading for Kansas schools results show continued declines in 2023
The new “A-F Grading for Kansas Schools,” based on 2023 state assessment scores, shows nearly half of Kansas public schools…
Education establishment hostile to accreditation requirement to follow state law
The Kansas education establishment is pushing back hard against a bill that simply requires districts to comply with state law…
K-12 bureaucracy ignores flaws in special education funding formula, calls for more money
Despite testimony that some K-12 funding related to special education (SPED) services is not counted toward SPED funding, the Kansas…
Education bureaucracy pushing the status quo in hearings
Legislative hearings over this and last week are focusing on how to improve outcomes in Kansas education, perhaps unsurprisingly, the education…
Recommendations to improve achievement by changing adult behaviors
Testimony submitted this week to the Special Committee on Education crystalized three unfortunate realities: (1) student achievement is low and…
Stanford CREDO study shows charter schools outperform traditional public school
A new study by Stanford University’s Center For Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) shows that charter school students outperform traditional…
KSDE deceives school districts on efficiency and achievement
Imagine 100 students take a test where Johnnie gets a C and only four students had higher grades. That puts…
Kansas schools received $1.25 billion in COVID relief funds
The amount of money Congress borrowed to give away in the name of COVID relief was mind-boggling. Eventually, $190 BILLION…
KS education commissioner claims ‘proficient’ is a made-up term
Kansas education commissioner Randy Watson earlier this week told the State Board of Education that “proficient is a made-up term…
Panel discussion to explore achievement gains in Wabaunsee school district
The Wabaunsee school district has consistently outperformed surrounding districts and the state average on math and reading state assessments tests…
KSDE shirks responsibility to school districts, promotes KASB membership
The Kansas Department of Education purports to be a “dedicated service agency” that provides leadership, resources, and support. But like…
KASB report is a modern-day Emperor’s New Clothes tale
In Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes, two swindlers arrive at the capital city of an emperor who spends…
House fails to override Kelly’s veto of civil rights bills
The Kansas House of Representatives failed on April 28, 2022, to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of two civil rights…
Threat of mask-related accreditation loss appears to be bogus
The latest mask mandate excuse from education officials – ‘we have to follow county orders or we will lose accreditation’…
KSDE conceals low, declining student achievement
The Kansas Legislature’s Special Committee on Education held a hearing on student achievement this week, and the message from the…
Schools ignore legal requirement to conduct needs assessments
State law requires local school boards to conduct annual building needs assessments of each school as part of the budget…
KSDE de-emphasizes instruction in new accounting handbook
The new KSDE Accounting Handbook provides another stark reminder that academics and the importance of instruction are being de-emphasized in…
2021 state assessment results show continued decline
The new state assessment results from the Kansas Department of Education show achievement continuing to decline, with many more high…
Kansas schools duck questions about sex education standards
It has traditionally been a parent’s decision what — and when — their children are taught about sex. New national…
Kansas tries to reduce standards to make achievement look better
The Kansas Department of Education dumbed down achievement standards about 20 years ago under No Child Left Behind, and now…
KSDE denial of critical race theory is just another fairy tale
The rapidly growing backlash against critical race theory yesterday prompted the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) to deny that CRT…
Kansas City Star education deceit throws kids under the bus
The Kansas City Star is notorious for false and misleading claims (see here, here, and here), but even for them,…