KSDE Newsroom

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.  

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.  

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.

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. 

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.   

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.  

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?