Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will hear reports on the 2025 spring assessments during their monthly meeting, Sept. 9-10, in Topeka. 

In August, board members approved new cut scores for the 2025 spring assessments for English language arts, math and science for third through eighth grade and 10th grade students. The cut scores, set by more than 140 Kansas educators in June, align with the new assessment level descriptors (ALDs) the State Board approved in May.  

The updated descriptors more clearly reflect how the assessments can measure a student’s ability to demonstrate their skills and knowledge of grade level content.   

During the September meeting, board members will be shown comparisons between the new 2025 assessment scores and those from the 2024 tests with a concordance table. Although the two assessments tested students on the same standards for English language arts, math and science, the assessments are not identical (there were fewer items on the 2025 assessments than the 2024 tests). The concordance table will show how the 2024 and 2025 scores are linked but are not interchangeable. The data on the concordance table will also be used for monitoring future trends on how Kansas students score on the assessments. 

KSDE staff, along with representatives from Assessment Technology Solutions (ATS) at the Assessment and Achievement Institute (AAI) at the University of Kansas, will share sample student score reports in English language arts, math and science available to parents in the Kite parent portal. They will also share samples of building and district assessment reports and examples of how the data from these reports could be used to evaluate and improve instruction. 

The following action items are on the board’s September agenda: 

• Act on the Accreditation Review Council’s (ARC) recommendations. 
• Act on a request to contract with America Learns for AmeriCorps performance, progress and financial reporting. 
• Act on Evaluation Review Committee’s (ERC) recommendations for higher education program approvals. 
• Act on several districts’ requests to hold a bond election and receive capital improvement (bond and interest) state aid. 
• Act on a request to contract with Kansas State University to support the Kansas Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). 
• Act on the State Board’s dues to the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). 

Board members will also hear several presentations that include the following: 

• Digital health and safety concerns for students, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and student data privacy. 
• A report on computer science education in Kansas. 
• What’s being done to promote excellence in Kansas educational leadership. 
• The practical aspects of starting the school year from an administrator’s perspective. 
• An overview and legislative budget requests from the Kansas State School for the Blind and the Kansas School for the Deaf. Board members will also receive a request to raise out-of-state tuition for both schools.  
• A presentation to honor Clelia McCrory of ESSDACK, in Hutchinson, for her years of service in career and technical education (CTE). 

The meeting will take place in the first floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson. Click here to access the full agenda and meeting materials.