Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

The deadline to register for this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward,” is Friday, Oct. 11.  

This year’s conference is focused on the Four Fundamentals and supporting structures necessary for KESA implementation and school improvement. There will also be sessions on safe and secure schools and technology. 

Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity for your leadership team to attend. Teams of four will receive a discount on registration.  

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is accepting nominations for the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year. Every school district is encouraged to nominate one exemplary elementary classroom teacher and one exemplary secondary classroom teacher for this prestigious award. 

Not only does participating in this program demonstrate that your district values exceptional teaching, you will be providing critical professional development opportunities for your nominees. Participants say year after year this program is life-changing and has made them better teachers. 

Kansas MTSS and Alignment is hosting a regional reading road show in October and December. 

Attendees will learn about the latest research in Reading for All Pre-K-12th readers and will leave with a plan, resources and practical tools to implement the classroom immediately. 

Virtual sessions will be available in November and December to take a deeper dive into QSSSA, an instructional method for all K-12 teachers who are looking for ways to engage their English language learners in academic discussions.  

These sessions will highlight and explain in detail each component of the QSSSA strategy: question, signal, stem, share and assess. 

Kansas Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Alignment is offering an in-person, no cost training session on Nov. 19 for attendees to learn a 5-step research-based behavior intervention protocol to implement across classroom environments.  

Pre-K-12 educators are invited to participate in training sessions in October to develop students’ language, understanding, fluency and problem solving across Kansas math standards.  

Kansas Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) math specialists and Kansas Math Project facilitators will help participants do the following:  

• Invest in growing grade-level content while learning alongside other professionals. 
• Earn professional development points toward license renewal. 
• Collaborate with other district leaders to develop a plan to scale the learning with capacity constraints. 

Many districts have virtual hours that they can use to schedule a session from the Professional Learning Catalog. See if this applies to you by watching the recording at the 1:37 time stamp. You do not need to hold the session by Dec. 31, but you do need to schedule it before then so that it does not expire.   

Contact scheduling@renaissance.com for more information and/or schedule sessions here. 

October

1-17: CommonApp open for quarterly ESSER reporting. Email esser@ksde.org with questions. 

11: Introduction to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)^® training, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., on Zoom. Register at ksdetasn.org/events.  

14: KESA 2.0 monthly Zoom update, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Click here for the Zoom link. 

14: E-Rate training, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Greenbush South, Girard. Register here. Contact Jenni Marlatt, jmarlatt@ksde.org, with questions. 

15: Deadline for Summer EBT program food benefits online application. Click here for more information that can be shared with families by school districts.