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Representatives of Wichita USD 259, Wichita State University, the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Board of Regents met before presenting, “Beyond Summer School: A New Model for Literacy Acceleration,”to the Kansas State Board of Education during their August meeting this week. 

Members of the Kansas State Board of Education learned more during their August meeting about a reading camp earlier this summer for K-2 students in Wichita. 

The initiative, “Beyond Summer School: A New Model for Literacy Acceleration,” was created as a pilot in collaboration among educational professionals in Wichita USD 259, the Kansas State Department of Education and Wichita State University. Twenty-five high-risk students were selected from three USD 259 elementary schools to attend the three-week reading camp, which included a half-day of literacy instruction, and a half-day of activities provided by community partner organizations.  

Instructors for the camp included USD 259 teachers who have received their Seals of Literacy, special education teachers, WSU literacy faculty members and 26 WSU teacher candidates. The K-2 students received intensive whole group and individual, one-on-one reading interventions.  

Dr. Laurie Curtis, KSDE assistant director of teaching and learning for literacy, said the project was modeled after a similar Goddard USD 265 reading program. She said former Kansas education commissioner Dr. Randy Watson contacted Wichita USD 259 superintendent Dr. Kelly Bielefeld to see if the project could be replicated as a pilot for USD 259 early readers.      

Curtis said the most impactful part of the project was when all the instructors and WSU students would meet and discuss what had happened at the end of each day.  

“They spent 30 minutes debriefing and looking at data from that day to decide what to do the next day, so it was truly daily data-driven instruction,” she said. 

Watch this video to learn more about the collaboration among Wichita USD 259, Wichita State and KSDE that made this pilot program possible. 
 

The State Board also heard the following presentations: 

• Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Jake Steel delivered his Commissioner’s Report that included progress made on the board’s goals, specifically about quality school improvement, KSDE reorganization and the focus on the Four Fundamentals. As part of the structured literacy fundamental, he said a single, statewide universal reading screener will be implemented during the 2027-28 school year. He also reported 14,455 Kansas educators have earned the Seal of Literacy to date.  

• Dr. Zach Conrad, KSDE deputy commissioner of accountability and technology, provided a briefing on the waiver the U.S. Department of Education recently approved that allows KSDE, working with six districts, to pilot a through-year alternative assessment. 

• John Calvert, KSDE head of school safety, presented information about HB 2534, passed during the 2026 legislative session, regarding “key considerations for active shooter drills and active shooter simulations in school environments.” 

• Tanya Ramesh, a sophomore at Wichita Collegiate, shared information about the rural healthcare access project that helped her place fourth in the 2025 National Civics Bee. 

• Gabrielle Hull, KSDE legislative coordinator, briefed board members on the federal funds that KSDE receives. 

• Ashley Stites-Hubbard, most recently Gov. Laura Kelly's deputy chief counsel, was introduced as KSDE's new general counsel. 

Board members approved the following action items: 

• The KSDE general counsel will be the hearing officer for student walkout complaints. 

• For accreditation for the state's six special schools, the life and employment skills assessment will be used as an alternative metric, rather than graduation. 

• The recommendations from the Accreditation Review Council (ARC) to grant full accreditation status for all participating Kansas districts with the exception of two systems that were approved for accreditation with conditions.  

• The science state assessment cut scores 

• The items on the consent agenda.. 

Board members conducted a work session on Wednesday morning of this week at the Docking State Office Building to discuss potential policies regarding district-issued and classroom technology.  

The State Board will meet Sept. 8-9, in the first floor boardroom in the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka.