Members of the Kansas State Board of Education are slated to vote on updated state assessment performance level descriptors during their monthly meeting, May 13-14, in Topeka. 

The following descriptors were presented to board members at their April meeting and are on the May agenda for final action: 

• A student at Level 1 shows a limited ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) grade (ELA, math, science) standards.    
• A student at Level 2 shows a basic ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) grade (ELA, math, science) standards.  
• A student at Level 3 shows a proficient ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) grade (ELA, math, science) standards.  
• A student at Level 4 shows an advanced ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) grade (ELA, math, science) standards. 

In Oct. 2022, the Kansas Assessment Advisory Council (KAAC) began discussing what recommendations they would make to revise the performance level descriptors for the state assessments that were originally created in 2015. In March 2023, the council made several recommendations regarding the descriptors that included defining “proficient” and ensuring the descriptors clearly describe what the assessments measure. 

Board members will also hear a presentation on standard setting, the process of setting new cut scores for the 2025 state assessments. A group of K-12 educators across Kansas will meet in June to set cut scores on the state assessments for English language arts and mathematics for grades 3 through 8 and 11. The group will also set cut scores for grades 5, 8, and 11 in science.    

Other items on the board’s May agenda include: 

• Acting on recommendations for approving preschool-aged at-risk programs for the 2025-26 school year. 
• Receiving information on the evidence-based at-risk program list. 
• Receiving recommendations for a modified emergency substitute license. 
• Receiving an addition to the Seal of Literacy list. 
• Hear a presentation on the board’s role in the distribution of federal and state funds. 
• Receiving a bullying prevention procedure to be displayed prominently on all district/school websites or handbooks.   
• Hearing a presentation on data collected by the Kansas State Department of Education, longitudinal data and KSDE’s cybersecurity processes.

Click here for the full May agenda and materials.