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Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will hear an in-depth presentation during their Aug. 11 meeting, in Topeka, on the innovative through-year assessment pilot the U.S. Department of Education recently approved.

Board members will meet in the first floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka.

Dr. Zach Conrad, deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) division of accountability and technology, will update the State Board on the five-year pilot that will begin during the 2026-27 school year. The first six districts in the pilot phase are Kansas City, Kansas USD 500; Olathe USD 233; Geary County USD 475; Dodge City USD 443; Great Bend USD 428 and Humboldt USD 258. These districts will continue to meet federal assessment and accountability requirements regarding assessments. KSDE plans to add more participating districts each year as the assessment demonstrates technical quality, comparability, accessibility and effectiveness. 

Other presentations the board will hear during their Aug. 11 meeting:

• Representatives from Wichita USD 259 and Wichita State University will present information about the collaborative summer literacy intervention project in which KSDE was a partner.
• Tanya Ramesh, a sophomore at Wichita Collegiate and winner of the 2025 Kansas Civics Bee, will discuss her work to improve access to rural healthcare.
• KSDE staff will provide a review of active shooter guidance outlined in House Bill 2534, the Students Safe at School Act, approved during the 2026 Kansas legislative session.
• KSDE staff will provide a review of the federal financial assistance reports required to be provided to the legislature in accordance with HB 2513 and HB 2618, both of which were passed during the 2026 legislative session.

The following action items are on the board’s Aug. 11 agenda:

• Student walkout complaint adjudication
• Life employability skills assessment for special purpose schools
• Science state assessment cut scores
• Accreditation Review Council (ARC) recommendations for accreditation status of school systems

Click here for a full agenda and livestream of the Aug. 11 meeting.

State Board members will meet on Wednesday, Aug. 12, for a work session at the Docking State Office Building, 915 S.W. Harrison Street, Room 346, in Topeka. They will continue their discussion on potential policies regarding classroom technology.

The Aug. 12 work session is open to the public and will be livestreamed here.

Please note: The Aug. 11 meeting and Aug. 12 work session have two separate livestream links.