Tag: KSDE
KSDE finance chief Harwood wrong on the constitutionality of school funding
Deputy Commissioner for Fiscal and Administrative Services Dr. Frank Harwood inaccurately told the Kansas State Board of Education that an…
Proposed performance level descriptors are designed to continue hiding bad student outcomes
Which of the following provides a clear understanding of student achievement in Kansas: 33% of Kansas students are below grade…
U.S. Department of Education DEI letter to be discussed in KSBRC webinar Wednesday
The future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Kansas schools and the potential loss of federal funding from those…
KSDE shows disregard for student achievement, claiming at-risk spending and BNA laws aren’t about improving outcomes
With only 18% of Kansas graduates college-ready (ACT) and about 150,000 students reading below grade level, one might think the…
KSDE halts state assessment waiver request pending State Board vote
At the February 11 State Board of Education meeting, Commissioner of Education Randy Watson told board members that he is…
2024 education spending out-paces inflation, but instruction spending stays flat
According to data from the Kansas Department of Education, school districts statewide increased total spending by about 4% in the…
ACE scholarship program shows remarkable progress for low-income students
ACE Scholarships, a program that provides partial funding for lower-income families to send their children to a private school of…
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…