From left: Austin Entress, Amy Huizenga and Jamie Manhart, of Greenbush Education Service Center’s learning and leadership services, talked during a small group discussion activity during a recent training of KESA implementation specialists at the Kansas State Department of Education, in Topeka.

KESA 2.0 now has another tool in the school improvement toolbox: The KESA implementation specialist. 

The Kansas State Department of Education’s accreditation and design team said the KESA implementation specialist’s role “is critical in producing a clear reflection of each system’s school improvement work” and the data they collect “will align the work of the system with the actions of the KESA action plan review team.” 

The KESA implementation specialists will work with district leadership teams (DLTs) during the upcoming 2025-26 Kansas Education System Accreditation (KESA) school improvement days. 

“It's a self-evaluation by the system of how they're implementing (their action plan) and what they can learn from this conversation and interactions with really strong professionals,” said Dr. Jay Scott, director of the KSDE accreditation and design team, describing the role of the KESA implementation specialists with the DLTs. 

About 30 volunteers from KSDE, the education service centers and the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN), were recently trained on how to be KESA implementation specialists during this school year’s KESA school improvement days. A significant portion of their role will be helping DLTs reflect on the answers to the following two questions about their action plans:  

• What about how you implemented your KESA action plan went well over the last year? 
• What didn’t go as well and needs to be improved as you move forward into your system’s next KESA action plan? 

Scott acknowledges the DLTs may ask for their KESA implementation specialist’s input and the implementation specialist may be tempted to provide feedback. However, he said their role is to simply ask clarifying questions and confirm the information shared about how the district or system’s action plan is getting implemented. 

“Building on the fact that KESA really is a support-based process, it kind of just adds another layer of support and validation,” he said. 

Mary Lonker, program consultant on the KSDE career, standards and assessment services team, said as a former teacher, she’ll have to resist the temptation to offer feedback during the reflective portion of the school improvement day in her role as a KESA implementation specialist. 

“It will be hard to not have any positive or negative feedback, in any direction,” she said. “But it’s making sure you don’t have any leaning or bias in any of your conversations (with the DLTs).” 

Austin Entress, of Greenbush Education Service Center’s learning and leadership services, said he likens his role as a KESA implementation specialist with someone who’s looking over a written report and catching words or concepts that need clarification or further explanation.  

“We get to help reflect by just stating verbatim back to them (DLTs), ‘This is what I picked up on. Is that what you’re intending?’” he said. “That’s that integral part, helping them hear back their spoken word. It just lands differently when it’s spoken back to them.” 

The KESA implementation specialists will have optional monthly virtual meetings beginning in October and running through March where they can “stay in sync” and share information about their experiences working with systems during their school improvement days.   

Contact Jay Scott, jay.scott@ksde.gov, with questions about the role of the KESA implementation specialists.