KSDEweekly: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025 | Issue 167

In This Week's Edition

Feature Stories

Reporting and Operations

IT & Cybersecurity

ICYMI: Updates to KEDS have been released

Accountability, Accreditation and Assessments

Updates from the KSDE accreditation and design team

Standards and Instruction

Kansas celebrates 11 new Blue Ribbon Parents as Teachers programs
Reminder: Public comment on draft higher education preparation standards closes Dec. 17
Reminder: Remaining 2025-26 virtual update sessions for CTE and Perkins coordinators to be on Teams

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Feature Stories

From left: Jennifer Fuller, Milken Family Foundation; Lexcee Oddo, 2025 Kansas Milken Educator; Tara Hudson, Turner Elementary principal; Dr. Jason Dandoy, Turner USD 202 superintendent; Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson and Tamla Miller, KSDE communications and recognition programs.

Turner USD 202 teacher named

2025 Kansas Milken Educator

Lexcee Oddo, a teacher of English language learners (ELL) in Turner USD 202, has been named the 2025 Milken Educator for Kansas.

“I'm still taking it all in,” Oddo said just after the announcement at Turner Elementary on Dec. 4. “I mean, truly, all my coworkers, I wouldn't be here today without them and the collaboration, especially within our district. We are a smaller district, so being able to know everyone and collaborate with everyone has been really beneficial to my group.”

School improvement alignment focus of

State Board’s December meeting

During its Dec. 9-10 meeting in Topeka, the Kansas State Board of Education will receive an update on the agency’s school improvement initiative designed to boost student academic success.

Dr. Renee Nugent, deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education’s Division of Learning Services, will provide an overview of KSDE’s emerging School Improvement Framework, which is grounded in Kansas’ Four Fundamentals: Structured Literacy, Standards Alignment, Balanced Assessment and Quality Instruction.

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson spoke at the Kinders Can! conference on Dec. 4, at the Greenbush Education Service Center, in Lawrence. He told the attendees their work as educators of young children is important, especially for building their literacy skills.

Learning early language skills vital

for laying foundation for reading

Preschool-aged children learning essential language skills lays the foundation for building their literacy skills as they move through their early school years.

“It lights up those language processing centers on the left side of the brain, which is where reading happens,” said Janea Gray (pictured right), who was the keynote speaker for the Kinders Can! conference on Dec. 4, in Lawrence. “It's getting that great vocabulary in there, which is a huge part of structured literacy.”

Gray, of ESSDACK in Hutchinson, works in several school districts as a Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling® (LETRS®) structured literacy trainer. Her central message to the early childhood, elementary school teachers and Parents as Teachers educators gathered at Greenbush Education Service Center was “when we’re having conversations with kids, we’re automatically making them better readers.”

Coming soon: KSDE Insight Podcast -

Civic Engagement Matters: Preparing Kansas Students for Life Beyond Graduation

This month on KSDE’s Insight Podcast available on Dec. 11, we’re talking about something that affects every child’s future: civic readiness.

Across the country, there’s growing momentum to give students richer opportunities to engage with real issues, collaborate with others, and contribute to their communities — and high-quality civic learning is helping make those meaningful experiences a reality.

"Ask the Commissioner" podcast segment answers parents’ questions about education

Have a question about your child’s education? Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson wants to hear from you.

Each month on the KSDE Insight Podcast, Dr. Watson will answer parent questions in his “Ask the Commissioner” segment.

Encourage parents to email their questions to insightpodcast@ksde.gov — and it could be featured in the next episode!

Reporting and Operations

Grants available for districts to lower costs for propane fueling dispensers

Kansas school district transportation departments and local jurisdictions can apply for grants that lower the costs of installing propane dispensers for the operation of paratransit bus fleets through the Propane Marketers Association of Kansas (PMAK) Foundation.

Webinars available Dec. 10 for Kansas Preschool Pilot grant applicants

By Natalie McClane, KSDE early childhood team

The application window for the 2026-27 Kansas Preschool Pilot grant is open until Jan. 21, 2026. Two informational webinars (the same information provided during each session) are available on Wednesday, Dec. 10, for applicants.

The Kansas Preschool Pilot grant provides school districts and their community partners with funding to provide preschool services. Eligible applicants include Kansas unified school districts (USDs) and other entities partnering with school districts.

IT and Cybersecurity

ICYMI: Updates to KEDS have been released

By Christopher Fletcher, KSDE IT team

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) continues to move forward with the modernization of their state longitudinal data system (SLDS) through the implementation of the Kansas Education Data System (KEDS).

Accountability, Accreditation and Assessments

Updates from the

KSDE accreditation and design team

By Jay Scott, KSDE accreditation and design team

The December KESA virtual update, along with information about the 2026-27 School Improvement Days and the protocols for the cancellation of School Improvement Days due to inclement weather are included in the following update from the KSDE accreditation and design team.

Standards and Instruction

Kansas celebrates 11 new Blue Ribbon Parents as Teachers programs

By Lisa Williams, KSDE early childhood team

The Kansas State Department of Education is proud to celebrate 11 additional outstanding Kansas Parents as Teachers (PAT) programs that have achieved the prestigious Blue Ribbon Endorsement from the Parents as Teachers National Center (PATNC). A total of 42 Kansas PAT programs have now achieved Blue Ribbon status.

This national honor places the following programs among the highest-performing home visiting programs in the entire Parents as Teachers international network—a remarkable achievement that reflects exceptional dedication to Kansas children and families.

Reminder: Public comment on draft higher education preparation standards

closes Dec. 17

Draft revised educator preparation standards for Business Education 6-12 are now available for public comment until Dec. 17.

These standards will be used by Kansas colleges and universities to train future educators for the Business Education license area. They have been updated to reflect current language and needs.

The draft and crosswalk are available here:

https://www.ksde.gov/Agency/Division-of-Learning-Services/Teacher-Licensure-TL/Educator-Prep-Landing-Page/Public-Review-and-Comment-for-KS-Educator-Licensure-Standards

Contact Catherine Chmidling, catherine.chmidling@ksde.gov, with questions.

Reminder: Remaining 2025-26 virtual update sessions for CTE and Perkins coordinators

to be on Teams

The remaining 2025-26 virtual monthly updates for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Perkins coordinators will be on Teams. These updates will continue to provide the latest CTE and Perkins news, deadline reminders and the opportunity to share information and ideas.

The Teams meetings will be from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on each of the dates below. Join the Teams meeting here ; Meeting ID: 255 722 129 620 4; Passcode: qw74Qm3o

Dec. 16
Jan. 20
Feb. 17
March 24
April 21
May 5

Contact Barbara Bahm, Barbara.Bahm@ksde.gov, or (785) 291-3538 with questions.

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Reminder: EDCS training sessions

on Dec. 10 and 15 will be on Teams

There are two remaining sessions, Dec. 10 and 15, in the series for district staff who are new to the Educator Data Collection System (EDCS).

Note: These trainings will be on Teams.

KSDE school transportation safety unit offers two December training opportunities

The KSDE school transportation safety unit is offering two no-cost training opportunities in December.

These workshops are open to any public or private school transportation directors, transportation supervisors, school transportation contractors, and other school officials involved with school transportation. No vendors, please.

Dec. 18: Transportation Basics workshop for transportation directors/supervisors, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Kansas City USD 500 Central Office, Central Office

2010 North 59th Street (east wing), third floor.

Reminder: 2026 Great Ideas in Education Conference slated for July 27-29

The 2026 Great Ideas in Education Conference will be July 27-29, at the Hyatt Regency and Century II Convention Center, in Wichita.

Join educators, leaders, and innovators from across Kansas for two and a half days of inspiration, collaboration, and forward-thinking ideas in education.

Kansas Technical Assistance System Network  training opportunities

The Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN) provides evidence-based professional learning and technical assistance, grounded in the federal requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

View upcoming professional learning opportunities on the TASN events calendar.
Learn more about TASN projects.

Contact Michele Hayes, mrhayes@pittstate.edu, with questions.

Renaissance provides FastBridge virtual trainings to districts and Kansas educators

There are still available slots as part of the KSDE FastBridge partnership for district-specific

virtual sessions at no charge to the district. These sessions must be held prior to Dec. 31.

Contact Jeff Lancial, jeff.lancial@renaissance.com, to sign up.

Renaissance Learning is also offering the following FastBridge virtual trainings for Kansas educators in December and January:

Calendar

December

5: ESEA program administrator webinar series, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. Register here: https://ksdetasn.org/events/VfjTiw. Contact Twyla Sprouse, twyla.sprouse@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-6714, with questions.

8: KESA 2.0 virtual monthly update, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Join the meeting here. Contact Jay Scott, jay.scott@ksde.gov, with questions.

9: Secondary transition webinar, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Registration required. Contact Stacie Martin, Stacie.Martin@ksde.gov, with questions.

9-10: Kansas State Board of Education monthly meeting, Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

10: Kansas Preschool Pilot grant informational webinars (These are two separate webinars with the same information). Join the 10 a.m. webinar here. Join the 2 p.m. webinar here. Applications for the 2025-26 KPP grant are due by 5 p.m., on Jan. 21. Contact Natalie McClane, natalie.mcclane@ksde.gov, or Amanda Petersen, amanda.petersen@ksde.gov, with questions.

10: Educator Data Collection System (EDCS) training, Part 3, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., virtual. J oin the Teams session here. Contact Leslie Bruton, leslie.bruton@ksde.gov, with questions.

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The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: KSDE General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, KSDE, Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612, (785) 296-3201.