KSDEweekly: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 | Issue 170

In This Week's Edition

Feature Stories

Olathe Students Care program addresses community needs while teaching life skills
Coming soon: KSDE Insight Podcast - How Kansas Funds Schools and Why It Matters for Families

Reporting and Operations

Kansas Division of Early Childhood mini-grant applications are due Jan. 5

Accountability, Accreditation and Assessments

Standards and Instruction

Student Health and Nutrition

ICYMI: Marysville USD 364's Farm to Plate program harvesting great impact

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Feature Stories

Students at Santa Fe Middle School, Olathe USD 233, pitched their proposal for addressing a community need as part of the Olathe Students Care program to a panel of judges in November. (Submitted by The Table KC)

Olathe Students Care program addresses community needs while teaching life skills

Students in Olathe USD 233 middle and high schools participated in a competitive pitch contest on in November for a share of $50,000 to address needs in the Olathe community as part of the Olathe Students Care (OSC) program. (Photo: Olathe Public Schools Facebook)

The start of the new year means many Olathe USD 233 middle and high school students have more than just a spring semester of schoolwork to look forward to.

Students in six of the district’s middle and two high schools will be tackling a range of community needs as part of Olathe Students Care (OSC), funded by The Table Leaf Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The foundation is part of The Table KC ministry, a community partner of several Olathe USD 233 schools.

COMING SOON: KSDE Insight Podcast -

How Kansas Funds Schools and

Why It Matters for Families

School funding can feel complicated and disconnected from the classroom, but it plays a major role in the opportunities students experience every day.

In January’s episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast, we break down how school funding works in Kansas, where the money comes from, and how funding decisions affect class sizes, programs, and student supports.

"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

Kansas Division for Early Childhood

mini-grant applications due Jan. 5

The Kansas Division for Early Childhood (KDEC) is offering up to three mini-grant awards totaling $1,000 each to support innovative projects that enhance services and learning experiences for young children with disabilities and their families.

The KDEC invites proposals that include the following:

Services or learning opportunities for young children with disabilities and their families.
The generation of new or improved practices.
Staff training and professional development.

Accountability, Accreditation and Assessments

Qualitative Star Recognition

application process update

By Myron Melton, KSDE accreditation and design team

The Kansas State Department of Education is updating the Star Recognition program, which continues to recognize system improvement and highlights the important work occurring in schools across Kansas.

In 2025, enhancements were made to the qualitative Star rubrics in Kindergarten Readiness, Social Emotional Growth, Individual Plans of Study, and Civic Engagement. These updates establish a new baseline for recognition and more accurately reflect the quality, depth, and impact of efforts to support student success and well-being.

ICYMI: Revision to the KESA action plan template; other KSDE accreditation and design updates

By Jay Scott, KSDE accreditation and design team

Information about a revision to the KESA Action Plan template, 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

Alternate assessment justifications

due Jan. 9 in KIAS

Superintendents and special education directors were notified in early December of the Jan. 9 deadline to complete alternate assessment justifications in the Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS) authentication application.

These justifications are for districts that tested over 1.0% of their students on the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment in one or more subjects during the 2024-25 school year.

Contact Cary Rogers, cary.rogers@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-0619 with questions.

Text to speech applications for

state assessment due Jan. 31

District test coordinators must submit all applications by Jan. 31 - in one combined .pdf - for TTS for Passages and Graphics Application for students to receive Text to Speech accommodations for the passages and graphics on the state assessment.

The combined .pdf must be sent to TTSpassages@ksde.gov by end of day on Jan. 31.

Contact Cary Rogers, cary.rogers@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-0619 with questions.

The Kansas Association for Career and Technical Education (K-ACTE) was recently recognized as a 2025 bronze winner of the ACTE Quality Association Standards. Pictured from left: Clelia McCrory, Heather Campbell (KSDE), Jerica Thorne (Highland Community College), Carrie Miller (Highland Community College), Kevin Bronson (KSDE), K-ACTE President Laurali Masterson (Graham County USD 281), K-ACTE Executive Director Jamie Manhart, Marla Sterling (Coffeyville Community College), Cathy Mong (Wichita USD 259), ACTE President Robert Torres, and Natalie Clark (KSDE). Photo submitted by Natalie Clark.

K-ACTE receives bronze award for

ACTE Quality Association Standards

The Kansas Association for Career and Technical Education (K-ACTE) and other state CTE associations were recently honored during the leadership breakfast of the national Association for Career and Technical Education’s CareerTech Vision 2025 conference in early December.

Kansas was an ACTE Quality Association Standards 2025 bronze winner. The purpose of the Quality Association Standards (QAS) is to provide benchmarks for state associations to determine levels of performance and satisfactory service to their members and prospective members.

Reminder: Educator preparation

program reviewers needed

The Kansas State Department of Education is seeking KSDE-trained program reviewers to review several educator preparation programs this coming spring.

Higher education institutions must have approved programs for all areas for which they wish to make licensing recommendations, so these reviews are vital to maintaining strong educator preparation in Kansas.

Student Health and Nutrition

ICYMI: Marysville USD 364 's Farm to Plate program harvesting great impact

Left to right: Phil Vering, an area producer, delivers watermelons to Marysville USD 364 food service staff members Sarah Hormann, Erica Caswell, Tabitha Cramer and Annissa West as part of the district's Farm to Plate program. (Submitted by KSDE CNW)

By Eryn Davis, KSDE child nutrition and wellness team

Marysville USD 364 is growing the district’s Farm to Plate program, offering students and staff locally-produced foods and supporting local producers.

Since the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, the district has incorporated local sweet corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, bell peppers, lettuce, beef and pork into their menus.

Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Dexter USD 471 teacher receives

national Rural Schools Collaborative grant

Chelsy Champlin, an agricultural educator and FFA advisor at Dexter High School, Dexter USD 471, has been selected as a Rural Schools Collaborative, Grants in Place 2026 cohort awardee.

According to the Rural Schools Collaborative’s website, Champlin and her family raise beef cattle and poultry. They also enjoy gardening and are active in their local community and 4-H. Her project, Farm to Fork – Chickens, “will immerse students in the world of raising poultry and connect them to local food systems.”

ICYMI: Kansas FFA students shine

on national stage

By Anthony Meals, KSDE career, standards and assessment services

Hundreds of Kansas FFA members received national recognition at the 98th National FFA Convention this fall for their engagement in their school-based agricultural education programs.

Here are a few of the student success highlights:

Six top 10 national finalists in agriscience fair projects; these intensive research projects spanned topics in social science and plant systems.
Six bronze division teams in career and leadership development events.
Ten silver division teams in career and leadership development events.

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 Jan. 30.

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

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

Jan. 6: FastBridge Basics – New Teachers (2nd semester), 10 - 11 a.m. Register here.
Jan. 8: Using FastBridge & eduClimber, 3 – 4 p.m. Register here.
Jan. 13: FastBridge Open Q&A, 3 - 4 p.m. Register here.

Contact Jeff Lancial, jeff.lancial@renaissance.com, with questions.

Calendar

January

1: KSDE offices closed.

1: Licensed Personnel Report (LPR) data submission opens in the Educator Data Collection System (EDCS). Contact Leslie Bruton, leslie.bruton@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-8011.

1: Spring Vacancy Report (SVR) data submission opens in the Educator Data Collection System (EDCS). Contact Leslie Bruton, leslie.bruton@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-8011.

2: Request for February federal funds (Form 240) opens if funds available; closes Jan. 15. Contact Amanda Williams, amanda.williams@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-2020.

2: Kansas Pre-Kindergarten Pilot (KPP-TANF) second quarter expense reimbursement payment request opens; closes Jan. 15. Contact Amanda Williams,

amanda.williams@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-2020.

2: Preschool-Aged At-Risk approval forms available. Contact Natalie McClane, natalie.mcclane@ksde.gov, or (785) 296-5081.

5: KIDS Collection SMSC - Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) funding submission deadline. Contact KSDE Helpdesk, (785) 296-7935, with questions.

5: Kansas Division of Early Childhood (KDEC) mini grants application deadline.

Contact deckansas@gmail.com with questions.

KSDE| https://www.ksde.gov

KSDEweekly is a weekly external email newsletter distributed to subscribed parties.

What would you like to see in KSDEweekly? Email us at ksdeweekly@ksde.gov

Click here to have KSDEweekly sent to your inbox.

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.