Understanding how your child performed on the state assessments and how their scores relate to their academic success is the focus of the current episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast titled, “Taking the Test: What parents should know about their child’s state assessment scores,” available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.    

As parent-teacher conferences get underway in October, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson and his guests describe what questions parents can ask about their child’s results on the annual spring tests. They also discuss what tools the Kansas Assessment Program provides to families to understand the assessments and how to interpret their child’s scores in reading, math and science.   

“We often think of assessments as high stakes, but that isn’t always the case,” Dr. Renee Nugent, deputy commissioner of the KSDE division of learning services, said during the discussion. Watson and Nugent were joined by Dr. Dan Gruman, director of assessment and research at Shawnee Mission USD 512.   

Given the timeliness to football season, several comparisons to the sport were made. Watson compared football coaches evaluating what worked and didn’t work during a game and then adjusting.  

“And that adjustment is exactly what teachers do in the classroom based upon the feedback,” he said.  

At the end of the episode, Watson and his guests discussed other assessments geared toward high school students such as the ACT, WorkKeys, and pathway exams that provide certificates.