School Improvement
Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA)
Kansas utilizes systems accreditation, which provides school districts leverage to address systemic issues by identifying underlying causes, then implementing structures and behaviors necessary to affect sustainable change. It creates an atmosphere of accountability within and among schools across the system, turning individual excellence into collective progress.
Schools conduct Needs Assessments using rubrics and data. Systems (i.e. districts) then compile school information to determine goals for system-wide focus during the five-year cycle. Schools and system leadership develop specific goals and accompanying action plans which correlate with district goals, yet speak to each building's autonomy. The Kansas State Board of Education grants each system an accreditation rating (accredited, accredited-conditional or not accredited) at the end of each five-year cycle of school improvement.
“Kansas has always performed well academically, but the remediation rates tell us that we need to make sure our students are learning at the depth needed to be academically ready for whatever path they choose after high school,” states Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson. “The shift toward the higher standards is in direct response to the increased demands of the workforce and post-secondary education. We want Kansas students well prepared and through the adoption of higher standards and better academic measures, Kansas schools are meeting that challenge.”