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State Board to receive 2026 spring assessment data, 2025-26 KSDE annual report during October meeting
Oct 8, 2026
by Angela Deines, KSDE communications
Members of the Kansas State Board of Education will receive results of the spring 2026 state assessments and other information in the Kansas State Department of Education’s annual report during their monthly meeting, Oct. 13-14, in Topeka.
Dr. Zach Conrad, KSDE deputy commissioner of accountability and information technology, will present board members with the results of the English language arts and math assessments taken by Kansas third- through eighth grade and 10th grade students this past spring. He will compare the 2025-26 scores to those from 2024-25. Kansas introduced a new assessment in the spring of 2025, and as is standard practice, cut scores were developed accordingly. This presentation also will include information about the relationship between school improvement supports and student performance over time.
Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Jake Steel will also present “What Matters Most,” the 2025-26 annual report compiled by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). This report includes the State Board and agency’s commitment to high-quality instruction, the most recent assessment results, progress in strengthening the Kansas educator workforce and other key initiatives.
During their October meeting, board members also will receive and discuss the draft policy regarding instructional technology. The document directs each public school district and accredited nonpublic school to adopt and implement a policy governing the effective and intentional use of instructional technology in elementary and secondary schools. The board is expected to vote on the final version of the policy in November.
Other presentations State Board members will hear during their October meeting include the following:
Commissioner Steel will provide information about the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) strategic plan to ensure educators have the tools, resources and support they need to provide high-quality instruction to Kansas students every day.
Dr. Frank Harwood, KSDE deputy commissioner, will report on the results of a recent survey of school districts on the number of recess and lunch time minutes they provide for their elementary students.
Dr. Jeanice Swift, superintendent of Lawrence USD 497, will present information about her district’s use of technology in elementary school classrooms.
Several district child nutrition professionals will receive Farm to Plate certificates in child nutrition management.
Quality instruction presentations will include information about agricultural education initiatives, a theatre performance from Wamego USD 320 high school students and the director of IKEducation sharing Dwight D. Eisenhower’s letters on education.
Other action items on the board’s October agenda include voting on three positions for the Professional Practices Commission (PPC) and acting on a PPC recommendation for a license revocation.
The State Board’s meeting begins at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the first floor boardroom of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka. The full agenda, meeting materials and livestream can be accessed here.
