Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 | Issue 116

In This Week's Edition

Feature Stories

Celebrating American Education Week, Nov. 18-22

Kansas Teacher of the Year team members highlight why now is the time to be a teacher
High school students aspire to teach, hoping to inspire future generations of Kansans

Reporting and Operations

Accountability, Accreditation and Assessments

Standards and Instruction

Reminder: Kansas Preschool Pilot grant application now open

Student Health and Nutrition

Reminder: Apply for Fiscal Year 2024 Farm to School grant by Nov. 29
Kansas district nutrition and child care staff attend Heartland Farm to School & Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

There will not be a KSDEweekly sent out next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Feature Stories

Celebrating American Education Week,

Nov. 18-22

Maegen Stucky, second from left, a member of the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year team, has some fun with high school students who competed in the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference earlier this month at Mid-America Nazarene University, in Olathe.

Erik Stone, left, and Amber Pagan, right, members of the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year team, practiced for a presentation about teaching to high school students who competed in the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference on Nov. 6.

Kansas Teacher of the Year team members highlight why now is the time to be a teacher

The week of Nov. 18-22 is American Education Week, a time to celebrate the positive impact of public schools across the U.S. So, why is now an important time to be a teacher? That question was asked recently of several members of the new 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY) team.

Ryan Mellick, an industrial arts teacher at Bonner Springs High School, Bonner Springs USD 204, said this is a critical time to be a teacher.

“Kids need to see people who care about them and who want to see them succeed in a world where things aren’t going everybody’s way,” he said. “As teachers, we care about what direction these kids are going.”

High school students attended the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference earlier this month and competed in categories including lesson planning and teaching; TED talks; children’s literature; impromptu speaking; and interviewing.

High school students aspire to teach, hoping to inspire future generations of Kansans

As the daughter of a former elementary school teacher, Adlyn Mieras, a senior at Blue Valley West High School, Blue Valley Unified School District 229, said she’s known from a young age she’s wanted to be a teacher because, as a student, she has “wanted to learn all the time.”

“I felt being a teacher and helping others to find that similar passion for learning is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I want to be a teacher for a long time.”

Mieras and dozens of other Kansas high school students attended the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference earlier this month where they competed in categories including lesson planning and teaching; TED talks; children’s literature; impromptu speaking; and interviewing. Future Teachers of America Day was celebrated this week, along with American Education Week.

Reporting and Operations

Data reports required of districts and schools opting into IXL Math

Districts that have opted into the KSDE and IXL Math contract to receive IXL Math at no local cost are required to provide data on math practice for the 2024-25 school year twice a year.

Two built-in IXL reports will allow you to create and submit your KSDE reporting in just a few minutes.

To submit your required data for the second semester, follow the instructions related to your IXL account by clicking here. (Pages 1-2 are instructions for districts; pages 3-4 are instructions for schools).

Data submissions for the fall semester will include data from your first day of school through your last day of the fall semester.

Contact kansas@ixl.com if you’re unsure which instructions to use or need help with submitting your data.

Reminder: Data entry for Emergency Safety Intervention reports begins Nov. 30

The reporting for Period 1 for incidents of restraint and/or seclusion using emergency safety interventions (ESI) began on July 1 and ended Nov. 20.

District staff should begin entering this data into the Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS) as soon as possible after Nov. 30, but before the submission window closes on Dec. 30.

Click on the following links for more information:

KSDE Emergency Safety Intervention
ESI data reporting guide
Emergency Safety Intervention regulations
Seclusion evaluation tool for 2023 regulations - The purpose of the evaluation tool is to help educators work through various scenarios to determine whether their interventions result in the seclusion of a student.

Contact Trish Backman, tbackman@ksde.org, with questions.

Accountability, Accreditation and Assessments

KESA 2.0 action plan virtual office hours

scheduled for Dec. 4

The next virtual office hours for systems to get feedback and ask questions about their KESA 2.0 action plans will be Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Systems can review the KESA application, locate resources, discuss the action plan components and guidelines, and address specific questions they may have.

Questions can be submitted within 24 hours of the virtual meeting by completing this survey. This will assist KSDE staff in preparing a meaningful agenda to address the most frequently asked questions and to develop further supporting guidance.

Click here for the Zoom, 3-4 p.m., on Dec. 4.

Mark your calendars for the following future office hours:

Jan. 8
Feb. 5
March 5
April 2
May 7
June 4

Contact Hayley Steinlage, hasteinlage@ksde.org, with questions.

Reminder: School improvement process survey completion required for KESA 2.0

In an effort to evaluate the impact of KESA 2.0, the KSDE Research and Evaluation team has developed the school improvement process survey to be taken by district leadership teams (DLTs). Completing the survey is required for each DLT member after the system’s action plan has been submitted to KSDE.

To assist each DLT member in completing this survey after the action plan has been submitted, KSDE has created School Improvement Process Survey FAQs.

If a DLT is getting together to finalize and submit an action plan, that would be an ideal opportunity for each individual member to complete the survey.

The survey can be found in the KESA application and requires a district-level authenticated applications account. Click here for instructions to gain access to the KESA application and the different user-levels for the application.

Contact Hayley Steinlage, hasteinlage@ksde.org, with questions.

Standards and Instruction

Reminder: Kansas Preschool Pilot grant application now open

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is seeking applications for 2025-26 Kansas Preschool Pilot (KPP) grants to provide preschool services.

Eligible applicants include Kansas unified school districts (USDs) and other entities partnering with school districts. At least 50% of children served by KPP grant funds must meet criteria to be at risk of entering kindergarten socially, emotionally or academically unprepared for success.

Two important dates to remember:

Dec. 10: KSDE will host a Kansas Preschool Pilot grant webinar at 10 a.m. to discuss this funding opportunity.
Jan. 16: Applications for the 2025-26 KPP grant are due by 5 p.m.

Student Health and Nutrition

Reminder: Apply for Fiscal Year 2024

Farm to School grant by Nov. 29

Child Nutrition Program (CNP) sponsors looking to advance the local foods served in meals and snacks can apply for up to $10,000 to support Farm to Plate initiatives.

The subgrants are available to School Nutrition Program (SNP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors for activities like gardening, chicken houses, raising livestock, garden towers and more.

Two funding tracks are available:

Up to $2,500 for expansion of current farm to CNP projects.
Up to $10,000 for new projects implementing farm to CNP. Funding priority will be given to those with 40% or more of program participants eligible for free or reduced price meals.

The application is available at https://cnw.ksde.org, then click on Farm to Plate, then What’s New.

Contact Barb Depew, bdepew@ksde.org, with questions.

Members of the KSDE Child Nutrition and Wellness team, along with nutrition representatives from Clearwater USD 264, Coffeyville USD 445, and Child Care Links, in Hutchinson, and Quality Care Services, Inc., in El Dorado, and their coaches attended the Heartland Farm to School and Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute in Nebraska earlier this month. (Submitted by KSDE CNW)

Kansas district nutrition and child care staff attend Heartland Farm to School & Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute

The Heartland Farm to School and Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute was held Nov. 13-15, in Nebraska City. The institute was offered in collaboration with ECE partners from Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. 

Three Kansas teams from Clearwater USD 264, Coffeyville USD 445, and Child Care Links, in Hutchinson, and Quality Care Services, Inc., in El Dorado, were chosen from applications submitted to attend the institute.

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

High school students invited to celebrate Virtual Kansas Cybersecurity Education Week with special event, Dec. 9-14

Kansas high school students are invited to participate in a special event, Dec. 9-14, to sharpen their cybersecurity skills while having fun.

Hosted by the Kansas State Department of Education in partnership with EnterpriseKC’s Heartland Cyber Range and Wichita State University, a virtual “Capture the Flag” (CTF) event offers a thrilling, hands-on way to dive into topics like encryption, network security, reverse engineering, and programming. Plus, who knows what other surprises might pop up?

Save-the-date: 2025 Great Ideas in Education Conference moves to July 27-30

KSDE is already in the early stages of planning the 2025 Great Ideas in Education Conference since the date of the event has been changed to July 27-30, at the Hyatt Regency, in Wichita. Click here to watch a video from this year's Great Ideas in Education Conference: Lighting the Path Forward.

School systems are strongly encouraged to begin planning to send district leadership teams to the annual conference. Learning and collaboration opportunities will emphasize the fundamentals of structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessment, and quality instruction.

Stay tuned to KSDEweekly for more information in the coming months and save the dates for the 2026 and 2027 Great Ideas in Education Conferences:

July 26-29, 2026
July 25-28, 2027

Contact Pat Bone, pbone@ksde.org, with questions.

Reminder: Structured Literacy training sessions scheduled

This professional development opportunity is for educators to explore what balanced literacy is and how structured literacy is different.

Attendees will learn the “why” and “how” to make the instructional shifts necessary to teach reading and writing in a way that allows more students to be successful.

Reminder: English Language Arts training sessions scheduled

During training sessions scheduled for December and January, English language arts (ELA) teachers for grades 3–12 will learn what text complexity is, why complex text is vital to assist in raising the rigor for our students, and how best to scaffold learning using evidence-based strategies. Structured literacy demands teachers present students with appropriately complex texts, explicitly teaching students to grapple with them.

Attendees will practice identifying appropriately complex text for their students and explore how to effectively scaffold to leverage productive struggle and student success.

Reminder: Transportation basics workshop

set for Dec. 19

The KSDE School Bus Safety Unit will host a free transportation basics workshop for transportation directors and supervisors, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., on Dec. 19, at Bishop Professional Development Center, 3601 S.W. 31st Street, in Topeka. Register here.

These workshops will provide a brief overview of the fundamentals and responsibilities associated with the position along with recent updates, changes and developments in school transportation.

Science Teachers for Rural America scholarship available

In an effort to encourage teaching science in a rural area, Fort Hays State University is offering a scholarship to individuals who have earned a bachelor's degree in science and are considering a career in teaching.

This competitive award program will award recipients a $24,066 stipend to complete coursework that will lead to full teaching licensure.

Click here for the application and more information about the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Scholarship.

Contact Ann Noble, amnoble@fhsu.edu, with questions.

Spanish immersion retreat offered by Johnson County Community College

Spanish teachers are invited to a retreat, April 11-13, to immerse themselves in the Spanish language for a weekend.

The objective is to duplicate the experience of spending the weekend in a Spanish-speaking country engaging in pedagogical activities completely in Spanish. Colombia is the theme for the 2025 retreat.

New participants are encouraged to register between now and Dec. 31. Registration for those who participated in the retreat earlier this year will open Jan. 1.

The cost of the retreat is $80. Click here to register and for more information.

Contact Samuel Sommerville, ssommerv@jccc.edu, with questions.

Future Ready National Game Tournament: Transforming how Kansas students make themselves valuable to any employer

By Robert Feeney, Chief Vision Officer, Knowledge as a Service, Inc. (KaaS)

Knowledge as a Service Inc. (KaaS), the Wichita-based company behind Future Ready, has a mission to equip the next generation with vital employability skills by developing programs that reach students and workers across Kansas. The most recent development of the tournament is its Competency Report which provides real-time scoring and badging on vital behaviors.

Professional learning available to support your FastBridge implementation

As of Nov. 18, Jeff Lancial has been supporting Kansas with FastBridge after joining Renaissance Learning in July. His career includes serving as a teacher, coach and administrator in public schools and leading large-scale, high-stakes, statewide assessment programs. He is committed to continuing the great support educators in Kansas received from his predecessor Sheleena Clark. Contact Jeff at jeff.lancial@renaissance.com.

Reminder: Many districts have virtual hours they can use to schedule a session from the Professional Learning Catalog. See if this applies to you by watching the recording  at the 1:37 time stamp. You do not need to hold the session by Dec. 31, but you do need to schedule it before then so that it does not expire.

Calendar

November

30: Data entry for Emergency Safety Intervention (ESI) reports begins. Contact Trish Backman, tbackman@ksde.org, with questions.

December

3: Kansas MTSS & Alignment preschool team’s standards-based make it-take it event for preschool teachers, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., KU Edwards campus. Contact Lea Harding at lea@kanasmtss.org with questions. (Registration is closed.)

3: Kansas MTSS and Alignment regional reading road show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Dodge City, Boot Hill Casino & Resort. Contact Vicki Cooper, vicki@kansasmtss.org, with questions. (Registration is closed.)

5: Question, Signal, Stem, Share and Assess (QSSSA) deep dive, 6-7:30 p.m., virtual. Contact Heather Musil, hjmusil@fhsu.edu, for more information.

5: Kansas MTSS and Alignment regional reading road show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Wichita, Hyatt Regency. Contact Vicki Cooper, vicki@kansasmtss.org, with questions. (Registration is closed.)

6: Deadline to apply for the 2025 Heartland Farm to School Institute. Click here to apply no later than 11:59 p.m., CST. Contact Eryn Davis, edavis@ksde.org, (785) 296-5060, with questions.

9: KESA 2.0 monthly Zoom update, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Click here for the Zoom link.

10: Kansas Preschool Pilot (KPP) grant technical assistance webinar, 10 a.m. Contact Natalie McClane, nmcclane@ksde.org, and Amanda Petersen, apetersen@ksde.org, with questions.

10-11: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

11: Science collaboration for new science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

12: Question, Signal, Stem, Share and Assess (QSSSA) deep dive, 6-7:30 p.m., virtual. Contact Heather Musil, hjmusil@fhsu.edu, for more information.

17: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

18: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

19: Transportation basics workshop for transportation directors and supervisors, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Bishop Professional Development Center, 3601 S.W. 31st Street, in Topeka. Register for free here. Contact Keith Dreiling, kdreiling@ksde.org, with questions.

January

8: Science collaboration for new science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

9: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Rebate Program applications due by 5 p.m. CST. Click here for more information. Contact CleanSchoolBus@epa.gov with questions.

14: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

14-15: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

15: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

16: Kansas Preschool Pilot grant application due. Contact Natalie McClane, nmcclane@ksde.org, and Amanda Petersen, apetersen@ksde.org, with questions.

18: Deadline to register for Innovate Next Steps: Pre-K-12 Learning conference, Feb. 8, at Bethany College. Click here to register. Contact Alan English, englishAE@bethanyLB.edu, or (785) 227-3380, with questions.

28: Local Consolidated Plan (LCP) quarterly meeting #3, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., virtual. Register here. Contact Twyla Sprouse, tsprouse@ksde.org, or (785) 296-6714, with questions.

28: Local Consolidated Plan (LCP) quarterly meeting #3, 1-4 p.m., virtual. Register here. Contact Twyla Sprouse, tsprouse@ksde.org, or (785) 296-6714, with questions.

30: 2025 Virtual Health Care Career Day, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Zoom instructions will be sent out the week before Jan. 30. Click here to register at no cost and click here for the agenda. Contact Jaron Caffrey, jcaffrey@kha-net.org, or (316) 640-9570 with questions.

February

7: Kansas MTSS & Alignment preschool team’s standards-based make it-take it event for preschool teachers, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, Salina. Register here. Contact Lea Harding at lea@kanasmtss.org with questions.

11-12: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

12: Science collaboration for new science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

18: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

19: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

24-25: Kansas Math Project professional development, Hays, Hilton Garden Inn, 221 W. 43rd Street. Click here to register. Click here to enroll to complete asynchronous modules at your own pace. Contact kmp@kansasmtss.org with questions.

26-27: Kansas Math Project professional development, Topeka, Sunflower Nonprofit Center, 5820 S.W. 6th Street. Click here to register. Click here to enroll to complete asynchronous modules at your own pace. Contact kmp@kansasmtss.org with questions.

March

11-12: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

12: Science collaboration for new science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

18: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

19: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

April

3: Kansas MTSS & Alignment preschool team’s standards-based make it-take it event for preschool teachers, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City. Register here. Contact Lea Harding at lea@kanasmtss.org with questions.

8: Local Consolidated Plan (LCP) quarterly meeting #4, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., in-person, Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center, Hays. Register here. Contact Twyla Sprouse, tsprouse@ksde.org, or (785) 296-6714, with questions.

8-9: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

9: Science collaboration for new science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

10: Local Consolidated Plan (LCP) quarterly meeting #4, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., in-person, Aloft Wichita, 3642 Oliver, Wichita. Register here. Contact Twyla Sprouse, tsprouse@ksde.org, or (785) 296-6714, with questions.

15: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

16: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

28-29: Kansas Math Project professional development, Hays, Hilton Garden Inn, 221 W. 43rd Street. Click here to register. Click here to enroll to complete asynchronous modules at your own pace. Contact kmp@kansasmtss.org with questions.

April 30-May 1: Kansas Math Project professional development, Topeka, Sunflower Nonprofit Center, 5820 S.W. 6th Street. Click here to register. Click here to enroll to complete asynchronous modules at your own pace. Contact kmp@kansasmtss.org with questions.

May

13-14: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.

14: Science collaboration for new science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

20: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.

21: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, 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.