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State Board approves CTE credentials lists, receives teacher vacancy update

State Board approves CTE credentials lists, receives teacher vacancy update

Kansas State Board of Education members during their July meeting approved lists of Career and Technical Education (CTE) credentials, received an update about teacher vacancies and learned about technical changes being made to the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) model for the 2023-2024 school year.

State Board members met July 11-12 in Topeka at the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, Suite 102.

The State Board approved a list of industry-sought credentials, a list of high-value, industry-recognized Career and Technical Education (CTE) credentials, and a list of standard CTE industry-recognized credentials.

Natalie Clark, assistant director of the Kansas State Department of Education’s Career, Standards and Assessment Services (CSAS) team, on Tuesday, July 11, gave a presentation to the State Board on CTE pathway credential recommendations. The State Board acted on the recommendations on Wednesday, July 12.

Three pieces of law and compliance responsibilities relate to CTE credentials, Clark told State Board members:

  • The Excel in CTE Initiative (Senate Bill 155) was the enacting legislation. Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, Kansas high school students qualified for state-funded college tuition in approved technical courses offered by Kanas technical and community colleges. Occupations on the Excel in CTE Initiative (Senate Bill 155) qualifying industry-recognized credentials lists are identified by the Kansas Department of Labor as high-demand occupations with an average annual wage meeting at least 70% of the average annual wage in Kansas on the most recent wage survey.
  • Substitute for HB 2466 required KSDE to conduct a survey of high-value and standard-value credentials and CTE courses offered to students enrolled in public high schools to determine the need for secondary CTE credentialing. The CTE Credentials report was created and submitted to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education before Jan. 15, 2023. Substitute for HB 2466 states on or before July 31, 2023, and each July 31 thereafter, the State Board of Education shall review and approve a high-value, industry-recognized credentials list and a list of standard industry-recognized credentials.
  • Gov. Laura Kelly approved Senate Bill 123 on April 20, 2023, and it was signed into law. KSDE was asked to survey each school district to ask which CTE credentials each school offers that satisfied the definition of “industry-sought credential.” To comply with Senate Bill 123, KSDE emailed superintendents and asked them to review the Excel in CTE Qualifying Credentials List and submit industry-sought credential recommendations via the survey. The State Board of Regents sent a list of credentials, which each institution submitted as part of the Excel in CTE fee review process, to each Kansas technical and community college. The Kansas technical and community colleges were asked to review the list and make any additions, as well as subtractions, they wanted to be made. KSDE and KBOR staff members met to combine the information received from both surveys. The combined list is being reviewed by business and industry, the Kansas Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education (KACCTE) and the Technical Education Authority. The recommended addition to the proposed SB 123 list is Medication Aid under the Health Science Pathway.


The KSDE CTE Credentialing Survey was sent to 286 public school districts and two state schools. There were 273 responses received, which is a 95% response rate.

The top 10 high-value credentials earned are:

  • Certified Nurse Aid (CNA): 4,723
  • ServSafe – Manager: 606
  • AWS Certification: 485
  • NCCER Core and Carpentry Level 1: 353
  • ASE – Maintenance and Light Repair: 281
  • ASE – Automobile Service Technician: 117
  • Phlebotomy Technician: 87
  • NCCER Core and Sheet Metal Level 1: 71
  • ASE – Student Certification (four areas): 65
  • Microsoft Technology Associate – MTA: 58


The amount paid by school districts for students to take credential exams was $126,619 in 2019-2020. During the 2020-2021 school year, the amount was $134,193. In 2021-2022, the amount was $162,247. This is a total of $423,059.

In the future, a CTE Pathway Credential Recommendations Link will be available year-round for pathway credential recommendation submissions, Clark said.

The 2023-2024 CTE cluster reviews include:

  • Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
  • Architecture and Construction
  • Arts, A/V Technology and Communications
  • Education and Training
  • Engineering
  • Finance
  • Health and Bio Sciences


Jay Scott, director of KSDE’s Accreditation and Design (AD) team, shared technical changes to KESA. These changes will begin during the 2023-2024 school year.

KESA is built on the premise that a good process leads to good results, Scott said. It also reflects the priorities of the State Board and is an evaluation of the impact systems are making on those priorities.

In spring 2022, a focus feedback group said KESA should have more clarity, consistency and less redundancy.

In response to this feedback, KSDE developed technical changes to the accreditation cycle; created “learning year expectations;” added a support and accountability model, as well as annual one-on-one reviews; and decided to move from the Outside Visitation Team (OVT) model review to a peer review, which adds third-party accountability.

If the State Board approves the recommended accreditation cycle, the 2023-2024 school year would be a “learning year.” Systems would focus on the Four Fundamentals; present more objective criteria for student outcomes; and implement a regional/cohort model of support for KESA. No systems would be reviewed by the ARC except for redeterminations from the 2022-2023 school year. During the 2023-2024 school year, systems would gather artifacts, meet with the regional executives in their area and meet for a peer review.

The timeline of the “learning year” would be:

  • August 2023 through May 2024: Systems would collect artifacts and evidence focused on the Four Fundamentals.
  • January 2024-May 2024: KSDE review.
  • April 2024-May 2024: Peer review.


The State Board is slated to act on the “learning year” in August. State Board members would receive the KESA framework in November and act on it in December. The State Board would receive accreditation criteria in July 2024 and act on it in August 2024.

If the State Board doesn’t approve the “learning year,” the 17 systems scheduled for an accreditation determination during the 2023-2024 school year would be reviewed using the current criteria.

Shane Carter, director of KSDE’s Teacher Licensure team, shared highlights from the 2022-2023 Licensed Personnel Report.

The Teacher Licensure team collects vacancy data each fall and spring from school districts. In addition, school districts complete a Licensed Personnel data submission each spring on their licensed personnel. The collected data plays an important role in helping determine future needs and recommendations for licensing and recruiting/retention efforts.

The vacancy collection data that was presented includes the fall 2022 collection and spring 2023 collection. Vacancy includes any position that isn’t filled or a position that is filled but the person doesn’t have an appropriate license. Positions filled by teachers on waivers, provisional licenses, restricted licenses, the Wichita State University Teacher Apprenticeship Program, limited apprentice license or limited elementary apprentice program license aren’t considered a vacancy, Carter told the State Board.

The top five vacancies for fall 2022 were:

  • Special education (385)
  • Elementary (329)
  • English language arts (93)
  • Mathematics (85)
  • Science (95)
  • Total: 1,628


During spring 2023, those top five vacancies, along with the number of positions filled and not filled were:

  • Special education (54/377)
  • Elementary (60/289)
  • ELA (13/92)
  • Mathematics (11/94)
  • Science (16/89)
  • Total (262/1,634)


Reasons for vacancies during the fall 2022 and spring 2023 collections include:

  • No applicant (683/683).
  • Not fully qualified based on endorsement area (762/760).
  • Preferred nonqualified over fully qualified (33/45).
  • Budget (6/6).
  • Qualified applicant refused offer (19/12).
  • Personnel (82/70).
  • Not fully qualified based on professional attributes (43/58).


The Licensed Personnel Report (LPR) and licensure data include self-reported data during the 2022-2023 school year, such as entrance and exit data, demographic data, school retention rates of third-year teachers (after two years of mentoring), alternative pathway data and licensure data.

The 2022-2023 LPR and licensure data shows that 86.3% of educators remained in the same district; 5% of educators changed districts; 3.59% of new graduates entered the field from in-state and out-of-state programs; 2.1% of teachers entered the field from business, industry and/or government; 328 educators reported exiting to out-of-state; and 529 educators entered from out-of-state.

Entrance and exit data from school year 2022-2023 shows that 903 educators retired; 985 left the profession; 70 exited because of health reasons; and 29 died.

Demographics show that the average age of educators is 44. The average salary for first-year teachers is $42,356, and the average salary for teachers is $62,646.

The retention rate for teachers in their third year of teaching in 2022 was 86.25% and 88.9% in 2023.

Carter also gave updates on strategic initiatives his team worked on during the 2022-2023 school year, including testing review and the registered apprenticeship program.

State Board of Education members approved the Accreditation Review Council’s (ARC’s) recommendations to accredit 31 public systems and four private systems, and conditionally accredit one public system through Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA). These 36 systems entered KESA in the first year and paused in year four during the 2020-2021 school year.

The ARC can make a recommendation of:  

  • Accredited – Evidence of student success, a quality continuous improvement process and in compliance.  
  • Conditionally accredited – Insufficient evidence of either student success or a quality process and in compliance.  
  • Not accredited – Insufficient evidence of student success and a quality process or not in compliance.  


Accreditation of systems began in the 2017-2018 school year and accredits systems as opposed to buildings. It is a five-year cycle, and systems were able to select what year they would begin their cycle.  

The ARC reviews a system’s accountability and narrative report, as well as the Outside Visitation Team’s (OVT) report, and makes an accreditation recommendation to the State Board. The OVT is an external collaborator that makes the report to ARC.  

ARC recommended, and the State Board approved, the following systems for accredited status: 

  • Republic County USD 109 
  • Riverside USD 114 
  • Hugoton USD 210 
  • Gardner-Edgerton USD 231 
  • Fort Scott USD 234 
  • Twin Valley USD 240 
  • Weskan USD 242 
  • Marmaton Valley USD 256 
  • Mulvane USD 263 
  • Beloit USD 273 
  • Oakley USD 274 
  • Triplains USD 275 
  • West Franklin USD 287 
  • Pretty Prairie USD 311 
  • Onaga-Havensville-Wheaton USD 322 
  • Kingman-Norwich USD 331 
  • Holton USD 336 
  • Oskaloosa USD 341 
  • McLouth USD 342 
  • Macksville USD 351 
  • Pratt USD 382 
  • Ellinwood USD 355 
  • Pratt USD 382 
  • Madison-Virgil USD 386 
  • Ellis USD 388 
  • Hamilton USD 390 
  • Augusta USD 402 
  • McPherson USD 418 
  • Leavenworth USD 453 
  • Burlingame USD 454 
  • Syracuse USD 494 
  • Pawnee Heights USD 496 
  • Independence Bible Elementary 
  • Trinity Lutheran Elementary – Atchison 
  • St. Paul Lutheran 
  • Branches Academy


ARC recommended, and the State Board approved, the following system for conditionally accredited status: 

  • Chase-Raymond USD 401


In June, the ARC met and acted on accreditation recommendations for 29 systems, 21 public and eight private. State Board members received the ARC recommendations for consideration at their August meeting.

ARC recommends that the following systems be accredited:

  • Rawlins County USD 105
  • Thunder Ridge USD 110
  • Norton USD 211
  • Lebo-Waverly USD 243
  • Ell-Saline USD 307
  • Jefferson County North USD 339
  • St. John-Hudson USD 350
  • Sterling USD 376
  • Osborne County USD 392
  • Marion-Florence USD 408
  • Little River USD 444
  • Dexter USD 471
  • Shawnee Mission USD 512
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran Elementary
  • Zion Lutheran Elementary
  • Trinity Lutheran Elementary-Winfield
  • Topeka Lutheran Elementary
  • Faith Lutheran
  • Dodge City Diocese
  • St. Michael the Archangel Catholic


ARC recommends that the following systems be conditionally accredited:

  • Bluestem USD 205
  • Ulysses USD 214
  • Grinnell USD 291
  • Wheatfield (Grainfield) USD 292
  • Kinsley-Offerle USD 337
  • Centre (Lost Springs) USD 397
  • Peabody-Burns USD 398
  • Paradise USD 399
  • Canton-Galva USD 419


The State Board approved the KSDE Teacher Licensure team to collaborate with the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) to submit a Great Public Schools grant proposal. The grant would provide funding to educators who mentor apprentices.

Dr. Anthony Lewis, Lawrence USD 497 superintendent, and Dr. Bill DeWitt, principal of the Lawrence College and Career Academy (LCCA), gave a presentation on alternative education paths.

During the past four years, graduation rates at Lawrence USD 497 have dropped from 84.2% to 82.4% while Kansas has improved. During that same time, Lawrence USD 497’s dropout rates have been above the state average. Also, 75% of students in the district’s directed studies, diploma completion or SOAR were absent for 25 days or more.

The Lawrence College and Career Academy is a program offered through Lawrence High School and Lawrence Free State High School. It is located on a separate campus. LCCA’s mission is to “prepare all students for self-sustainability through learning academic, career, social and emotional skills leading to high school graduation, career path employment and successful completion of a wide variety of postsecondary education opportunities.”

All students at Lawrence College and Career Academy must demonstrate low motivation or disinterest in the regular school program, Lewis and DeWitt said. Fifty percent of students must also demonstrate two of the following criteria:

  • A record of irregular attendance (absent 20% or more of the school year).
  • Behind in credits (at least 2.5 credits behind grade-level peers).
  • Academic underachievement (a grade point average of 2.2 or below).


Deputy Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor gave State Board members an at-risk update. He reviewed the at-risk law and shared findings from a legislative performance audit of at-risk expenditures and statutory compliance.

Proctor outlined the steps KSDE will take to address the findings, which include:

  • Hiring an individual who will be responsible for managing/overseeing the agency’s guidance and agency/field’s compliance with the law. This position will be part of the research team on CSAS.
  • Better understand the research behind every at-risk practice KSDE includes on the list of approved practices. KSDE will be reviewing each item on the list and revising it accordingly. The list will be brought to the State Board for approval every January.
  • KSDE and the State Board will advocate for changes in the current law.


The State Board accepted the recommendations of the Evaluation Review Committee (ERC) for program approval for Baker University, Fort Hays State University, Friends University and Wichita State University.

KSDE’s Catherine Chmidling, assistant director of Accreditation and Design, discussed the 16 recommended programs with State Board members.

Each educator license and endorsement program must be peer-reviewed and approved by the State Board, Chmidling reminded Board members. The educator preparation program reviews take place on a seven-year cycle. All preparation programs offered by a college/university are reviewed as part of the provider’s Education Accreditation process.

Currently, there are 24 Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) and one consortium, Chmidling said, seven public (regents) EPPs and 17 private/independent EPPs. There are 428 currently approved programs.

The Program Review Team is comprised of content experts from pre-K-12th grade and higher education. The team reviews each program’s alignment report, key assessment and data, as well as a team report. The review team then makes a recommendation for program approval to the State Board.

KSDE’s General Counsel Scott Gordon and Deputy Commissioner Dr. Craig Neuenswander discussed the dissolution of a school district with State Board members.

There are two methods to disorganize a unified school district, Gordon said – a petition by a locally elected school board or a petition by election.

Considerations for disorganization include:

  • Available capacity of districts to serve existing or additional students.
  • Condition and age of buildings.
  • Overall costs of building renovation.
  • Cost of busing.
  • Foodservice.


The State Board approved fiscal year 2025 budget recommendations to send to Gov. Laura Kelly.

The State Board voted to fund the law for:

  • Base Aid for Student Excellence (BASE) and State Foundation Aid (SFA).
  • Supplemental State Aid (Local Option Budget State Aid).
  • Capital Improvement State Aid (Bond and Interest State Aid).
  • Capital Outlay State Aid.
  • Juvenile Detention Facilities.


State Board members voted for a four-year phase-in to fund Special Education State Aid. This assumes a 5% annual growth in excess costs associated with special education. With this option, in FY 2025, state aid would be $622,183,593 with an estimated annual cost of $86,664,775. The ending state aid in 2028 would be $882,177,919.

The State Board also voted to:

  • Fully fund CTE transportation at an additional cost of $517,662.
  • Fully fund the Mentor Teacher Program at an additional cost of $1 million.
  • Fully fund Professional Development at an additional cost of $1.9 million.
  • Fund National Board Certification (provides scholarships to teachers seeking National Board Certification and $1,000 stipends to districts that employ teachers with the certification) at its current level of $360,693.
  • Meet federal maintenance of effort requirements for school lunch at no additional cost.
  • Fund Kansas Parents as Teachers state grants at the current level of $9,437,635.
  • Fund the Kansas Preschool Pilot, which currently provides supplemental grant funding to support services for about 4,500 3- and 4-year-old students, including at least 50% who meet certain at-risk criteria, at its current level of $8,332,317.
  • “Adequately fund” Kansas Safe and Secure Schools.
  • Expand the Mental Health Intervention Team (MHIT) pilot program to 15 to 25 more school districts at an additional cost of $3 million.


The State Board will meet again Aug. 8-9 in Topeka.

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Posted: Jul 13, 2023,
Comments: 0,
Author: Ann Bush

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