Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will learn more during their Jan. 13-14 meeting about the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) efforts to highlight high quality instructional materials (HQIM) as part of the new school improvement model aimed at increasing student academic success. 

During the board’s December meeting, Dr. Renee Nugent, deputy commissioner of the KSDE division of learning services, presented information about the agency’s initiative to identify instructional resources and materials that align with board-approved standards. This included an overview of survey data collected in October from districts and accredited private school systems of their curriculum materials for Tier 1 instruction for K-12 English language arts, math and K-8 science.  

According to information included in the data report, research has shown instructional materials can be “one of the most cost-efficient and effective school improvement measures” and states that have increased access to HQIMs have reported “significant gains in student achievement in reading and math proficiency, mastery of mathematics standards, teachers’ perceived support, improved alignment to state standards, and student engagement.”  

Nugent’s presentation to the State Board on Jan. 14, will also include sharing samples of HQIMs and information about selection guidance.  

Other action items included on the board’s January agenda include the following: 

• Act to disorganize Southern Cloud USD 334 and have the territory and real property, if any, attached to Clifton-Clyde USD 224, North Ottawa County USD 239, Beloit USD 273, Concordia USD 333, and Clay County USD 379. 
• Act on guidance regarding access to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy in schools. 
• Act to approve a contract with Pittsburg State University to administer science of reading structured literacy training with remaining ESSER funding. 
• Act on recommendations of the Kansas School for the Deaf task force. 
• Act to approve the negotiated agreement between the Kansas School for the Deaf and the Kansas National Education Association. 
• Act to approve language that requires the State Board to approve contracts and grants of $25,000 or more. Currently the threshold is $10,000 or more. 
• Act on the requests from 11 school districts to hold bond elections and from 12 districts to receive capital improvement (bond and interest) state aid. 
• Act on the Evaluation Review Committee’s recommendations for higher education standards for visually impaired, technology and engineering. 
• Act on initiating the request for proposal (RFP) for the Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS). 
• Act on the Professional Practices Commission’s recommendations. 
• Act on eliminating a requirement that districts submit to KSDE a professional development plan that is separate from the plan that is embedded in their school improvement work.   

Board members will also receive the following presentations: 

• The R.I.S.E. program, a partnership of Great Bend USD 428 and the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas (ESSDACK) that focuses on classroom behaviors in one of the district’s elementary schools. 
• An update about the 2026 legislative session, including several education-related bills that have been pre-filed prior to the beginning of the legislative session on Jan. 12. 
• The second part of a presentation about KSDE’s dyslexia initiatives, including an overview of the protocols and expectations for screening, diagnostic assessments, instruction, and intervention and how these initiatives are supported by the KESA school improvement model.  
• The Special Education Advisory Council’s (SEAC) annual report. 
• Student officers of several Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) in Kansas will speak to the State Board as part of CTSO Citizenship Day. 
• An update on the events planned for the 250th anniversary of the United States. 
• Dr. Reginald Eggleston, of Geary County USD 475, and 2026 Kansas Superintendent of the Year, will address the State Board. 
• Artificial intelligence (AI) in education. 

The board will meet in the first floor board room in the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka. Click here for the full agenda and meeting materials. Click here to view the livestream.