Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025 | Issue 156

In This Week's Edition

Feature Stories

Reporting and Operations

Standards and Instruction

Student Health and Nutrition

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Feature Stories

Kansas Education Commissioner

Dr. Randy Watson announces retirement

TOPEKA – Dr. Randy Watson announced Wednesday he will be retiring as the Kansas Education Commissioner, saying his retirement will not be immediate as he will serve until the Kansas State Board of Education names his successor.

“I will be happy then to step aside, whatever time that is, and serve you in any capacity until that time,” Watson told the board at the conclusion of their September meeting in Topeka.

“For ten years, it’s been my pleasure to serve the board,” Watson said after the meeting. “They’ve done remarkable work and have had many accomplishments over that time. I’m proud to have been a small part of that.”

State Board gets further explanation of cut scores and concordance tables

Members of the Kansas State Board of Education were presented with additional information about the 2025 state assessment cut scores during their monthly meeting, Sept. 9-10, in Topeka.

Staff members of the Kansas State Department of Education’s career, standards and assessment services team, told board members individual student, building and district-level results of past spring’s new summative assessments are now available on the Kite® educator portal. These updated reports provide insights into student performance relative to grade-level learning standards in English language arts (grades 3–8, 10), mathematics (grades 3–8, 10), and science (grades 5 and 8).

KSDE Insight Podcast - Raising Readers: What every parent should know

Every parent wants their child to be a confident reader. But what really helps children learn to read?

In this episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson talks with literacy experts about the Science of Reading, the research that explains how the brain learns to read and why it matters for your child.

"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

Important reminders from the KSDE Special Education and Title Services (SETS) team

The KSDE Special Education and Title Services (SETS) team provides the following deadline reminders:

Local Consolidated Plan (LCP) annual reports must be finalized as soon as possible.
LCP applications are due Sept 30.
Private school consultation forms are due Sept. 30.
Schoolwide forms are due Sept 30.
All forms must be submitted to complete the LCP application for review.

For additional information, click here: https://www.ksde.gov/Agency/Division-of-Learning-Services/Special-Education-and-Title-Services/Title-Services/Local-Consolidated-Plan-LCP

Contact your LCP contact found in the Kansas ESEA programs director’s handbook with questions about the LCP annual report or application: https://www.ksde.gov/Portals/0/Title/TitleI/KansasESEADirectorsHandbook.pdf

Reminder: KSDE teacher licensure provides

update for mentoring stipend

Mentoring continues to be a licensure requirement for initial license upgrade in Kansas. However, systems are not required to enter mentors for stipend reimbursement requests this year. The Kansas legislature did not provide funding for the mentor stipend program for the 2025-26 school year.

Contact Leslie Bruton, Leslie.bruton@ksde.gov, with questions.

Reminder: Civic Advocacy Network application resubmission deadline is Sept. 30

KSDE recently experienced an unexpected technical issue that resulted in the loss of Civic Advocacy Network applications submitted earlier this year.

While the files cannot be recovered, we are committed to moving forward in a way that is fair to all applicants. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and partnership.

Standards and Instruction

From left: Amanda Anderson, Beloit PAT parent educator; Hilary Koehn, KPATA executive director; Ashley Eck, KPATA Kansas Parent Educator of the Year; Lisa Williams, coordinator, KSDE early childhood team; Amanda McGuire, Beloit PAT program coordinator; Breanna Brown, Beloit PAT parent educator. Photos submitted by Lisa Williams

Beloit USD 273’s Ashley Eck named 2025 Kansas Parents as Teachers Parent Educator of the Year

By Lisa Williams, coordinator, KSDE early childhood team

As the school year gets underway, it's the perfect time to celebrate the excellent work happening in early childhood home visiting profession — and to honor the dedication behind it. The Kansas Parents as Teachers Association (KPATA) has announced Beloit USD 273’s Ashley Eck (pictured left) has been selected as the 2025 Kansas Parents as Teachers Parent Educator of the Year.

This marks the first year KPATA has presented this statewide honor.

Reminder: Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot

window closes Sept. 22

By Amanda Petersen, director, KSDE early childhood

The deadline is approaching for all Kansas elementary schools to partner with families of incoming kindergarten students to collect kindergarten-entry data using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires^®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2). The window to screen 2025-2026 kindergarten students closes Monday, Sept. 22.

Student Health and Nutrition

KSDE CNW to host School Nutrition

Program Director’s Forum on Oct. 3

KSDE Child Nutrition & Wellness (CNW) will be hosting a School Nutrition Program (SNP) Director’s Forum, 1-5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3.

The event is open to all SNP Directors and will be held in conjunction with the School Nutrition Association of Kansas (SNA-KS) Annual Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport Hotel.

Make plans to attend the meeting to hear updates from KSDE and connect with other directors. Register here by Sept. 26: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3CKWVFW

Contact Holly Steinlage, holly.steinlage@ksde.gov, with questions.

School Nutrition Program Jump Start training scheduled for Oct. 7-8

A two-day training opportunity for new school nutrition program directors (authorized representatives and/or food service directors) will be Oct. 7-8, in Manhattan.

This orientation training will provide an overview of program responsibilities to new directors with less than three years of experience. Participants will receive valuable tips, guidance, and ideas from KSDE child nutrition consultants while also meeting other new directors.

Contact Holly Steinlage, holly.steinlage@ksde.gov, to register and for more information.

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Final reminder: Third grade students invited to virtual mock trial on Sept. 17

to celebrate Constitution Day

Olathe USD 233 and Judge Robert J. Wonnell of the Kansas 10th Judicial Court, in Olathe, invite all Kansas third grade students to participate in a nationwide virtual live mock trial at 10:30 a.m., on Sept. 17, to celebrate Constitution Day.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch will be a guest at this event.

Click here to watch a video featuring Judge Wonnell and Lynne Sheffield, a third grade teacher at USD 233’s Forest View Elementary, who describe how the mock trial will further their understanding of the U.S. Constitution’s core tenets.

ICYMI: Kansas Volunteer Commission hosts

Civic Engagement Conference, Nov. 4-5

By Jessica Dorsey, director, Kansas Volunteer Commission

The Kansas Volunteer Commission is excited to announce the 2025 Civic Engagement Conference, to be held on Nov. 4-5 at Washburn University’s Memorial Union. Each day of the conference will function as its own standalone event, but we encourage participants to attend both days for maximum impact.

The conference will bring together individuals, schools and communities to learn, share and network. The theme of the conference is “Empowering Kansans through Civic Engagement.”

Save-the-Date: 12th Annual Northeast Educators Rising Conference slated for Nov. 5

The 12th Annual Northeast Educators Rising Conference will be 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., on Nov. 5, at MidAmerica Nazarene University, in Olathe.

The cost is $8. Stay tuned for registration information that will be provided later this month.

Contact Dr. Jill Gonzalez-Bravo, jegonzalezbravo@mnu.edu, with questions.

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

As part of the KSDE partnership with Renaissance, districts can now schedule virtual sessions at no cost covering FastBridge topics of their choosing. These are one-hour sessions and must be held prior to December 31, 2025. These sessions will be open to other districts as well.

To sign up, go to the Professional Learning Survey, respond to questions 1 and 6, and Jeff Lancial, the customer success manager for Kansas, will contact you.

Renaissance Learning is also offering FastBridge virtual trainings for Kansas educators in September.

Calendar

September

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

15: Higher education program reviewer training registration deadline. Register here for the Oct. 20 and 23 virtual trainings. Contact Catherine Chmidling, catherine.chmidling@ksde.gov, with questions.

17: Constitution Day virtual mock trial for third grade students,10:30 a.m. Go to https://www.olatheschools.org/mock-trial to register and access instructional materials to prepare for the mock trial at no cost. Contact #Johnson-ConstitutionDay@kscourts.gov with questions.

18: Fall Vacancy Report (FVR) training; virtual, 9:30 a.m. Contact Leslie Bruton, leslie.bruton@ksde.gov , to receive the Zoom link and more information.

18: Ages & Stages Questionnaire® virtual training, 1–3:30 p.m. Register here: https://ksdetasn.org/events/c3iEmg. Contact Stacy Clarke, stacy.clarke@ksde.gov, with questions.

22: Count Day. Contact Fiscal Auditing, 785-296-4976 or auditing@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.