KSDE Newsroom

Posted: Aug 28, 2025
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Have a question about your child’s education? Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson wants to hear from you. 

 

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Posted: Aug 28, 2025
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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.” 

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Posted: Aug 28, 2025
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With the 2025-26 academic year off and running, it’s important to make sure parents understand the impact regular school attendance has on student success. 

Schools are encouraged to share with parents July’s KSDE Insight Podcast - Missing More Than Class: What Parents Need to Know About Chronic Absenteeism on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

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Posted: Aug 21, 2025
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As Kansas children are returning to the classroom for the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the Kansas Commissioner of Education has a message for educators:  

“We’ve got to be so intentional,” Dr. Randy Watson said. “When the kids walk in, we all have to execute at a high level.  If anyone can get this work done, we can do it in Kansas.”  

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Posted: Aug 21, 2025
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A group of 20 Topeka USD 501 high school students recently made significant strides toward becoming teachers by officially committing to the Kansas Youth Teacher Apprenticeship Program on Aug. 15. 

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Posted: Aug 21, 2025
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In this episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson talks with two school leaders about the importance of academic rigor—and why challenging coursework is essential to helping students grow, adapt, and succeed in an ever-changing world. 

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Posted: Aug 14, 2025
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Members of the Kansas State Board of Education voted this week to approve new cut scores for the spring 2025 state assessments for English language arts, math and science.  

The new cut scores were necessary after the 2015 Kansas Assessment Program tests were revised after 10 years. Board members had voted on the changes to the 2025 tests’ performance level descriptors in May that emphasize proficiency. 

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Posted: Aug 14, 2025
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In this episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson talks with two school leaders about the importance of academic rigor—and why challenging coursework is essential to helping students grow, adapt, and succeed in an ever-changing world.

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Posted: Aug 7, 2025
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A large part of the 2025 Great Ideas in Education Conference, hosted by the Kansas State Department of Education, served as an enhanced school improvement day to kick off the second year of KESA 2.0., a slight departure from past conference formats.  

“A lot of people worked long hours to pull that off,” Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson said of the conference, July 28-30, that drew nearly 500 attendees to Wichita’s Hyatt Regency. “I thought the energy was really good. It allowed for more focused time.”  

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Posted: Aug 7, 2025
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In the next episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson will talk with two school leaders about the importance of academic rigor—and why challenging coursework is essential to helping students grow, adapt, and succeed in an ever-changing world.

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