On Tuesday, June 14, 2016, the Kansas State Board of Education voted to approve Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA).
Kansas Statute charges the Kansas State Board of Education with the accreditation of schools, a process that provides official recognition of the school as having met a defined set of standards. Current accreditation regulations in Kansas are based on a school accreditation model called Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA), which was aproved in 2016.
All public schools in the state of Kansas are required to participate in the state accreditation process. On the other hand, private schools are not required to do so. However, ALL private schools are required, through Kansas Statute to register with KSDE.
Private schools operating in Kansas that do participate in the state's accreditation process are referred to as "Accredited Private Schools." Private schools that do not participate in the state accreditation process are referred to as "Non-Accredited Private Schools (NAPS)." Click here for more information about NAPS in Kansas.
The State Board receives recommendations concerning K-12 accreditation from the KSDE Accreditation Advisory Council, a group of representatives from all facets and levels of education and from all regions of Kansas.
The previous accreditation regulations were based on a model called Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA), which relied on a combination of the individual school's performance on state assessments and its ability to meet 11 Quality Assurances. The system was developed in 1992 and was modified in 2005.
A SUCCESSFUL KANSAS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE has the academic preparation, cognitive preparation, technical skills, employability skills, and civic engagement to be successful in postsecondary education, in the attainment of an industry recognized certification, or in the workforce without the need for remediation.” Adopted by the Kansas State Board of Education, January 2016
Director of Teacher Licensure & Accreditation Mischel Miller 785-296-8010 mmiller@ksde.org
Jeannette Nobo, Assistant Director 785-296-4948 jnobo@ksde.org David Barnes, KESA Coordinator 785-368-7356 dbarnes@ksde.org
Stephanie Hill, KESA Consultant 785-296-2198 shill@ksde.org
Accreditation Email accreditation@ksde.org
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The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at ogc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.