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Kansas Senate Bill SB48

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB48 Compare Versions

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11 Session of 2025
22 SENATE BILL No. 48
33 By Committee on Education
44 1-21
55 AN ACT concerning education; relating to school district accreditation;
66 requiring school districts to demonstrate improvement in academic
77 performance and be in compliance with federal and state statutes and
88 rules and regulations to achieve or maintain accreditation; amending
99 K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-5170 and repealing the existing section; also
1010 repealing K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-5170a.
1111 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
1212 Section 1. K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-5170 is hereby amended to read as
1313 follows: 72-5170. (a) (1) In order to accomplish the mission for Kansas
1414 education constitutional mandate of intellectual, educational, vocational
1515 and scientific improvement, the state board shall design and adopt a school
1616 district accreditation system based upon that requires conclusive,
1717 measurable evidence of improvement in student academic performance
1818 that and equals or exceeds the educational goal set forth in K.S.A. 72-
1919 3218(c), and amendments thereto, and is measurable. Beginning July 1,
2020 2026, and each school year thereafter, to achieve or maintain
2121 accreditation, school districts shall demonstrate material improvement in
2222 student academic performance from the preceding school year, evidenced
2323 by a significant reduction in the number of students who scored at level 1
2424 on state assessments and a significant increase in the number of students
2525 who scored above level 2 on state assessments, pursuant to rules and
2626 regulations adopted by the state board. The state board shall hold all
2727 school districts and each public school operated by such school districts
2828 accountable through the Kansas education systems accreditation rules and
2929 regulations, or any successor accreditation system and accountability
3030 measures plan adopted by the state board. The state board also shall set
3131 required academic performance improvement targets and ensure that all
3232 school districts and the public schools operated by such districts have
3333 programs and initiatives in place for providing those educational capacities
3434 set forth in K.S.A. 72-3218(c), and amendments thereto. On or before
3535 January 15 of each year, the state board shall prepare and submit a report
3636 on the school district accreditation system to the governor and the
3737 legislature.
3838 (2) The accountability measures established pursuant to paragraph (1)
3939 shall be applied both at the district level and at the school level. Such
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7676 accountability measures shall be reported by the state board for each
7777 school district and each school. All reports prepared pursuant to this
7878 section shall be published in accordance with K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-1181,
7979 and amendments thereto.
8080 (3) The school district accreditation system shall require school
8181 districts and public schools operated by such school districts to be in
8282 compliance with all applicable federal and state statutes and rules and
8383 regulations. School districts and schools that are found to be out of
8484 compliance with one or more applicable federal and state statutes and
8585 rules and regulations shall be notified by the state board of such
8686 noncompliance. Any such notification shall identify the nature and extent
8787 of noncompliance and provide a deadline for the noncompliance to be
8888 corrected. Such deadline shall not extend beyond June 30 of the
8989 succeeding school year. Failure of a school district to correct the
9090 noncompliance by the established deadline shall result in the loss of the
9191 school district's accreditation. The notice of noncompliance shall be
9292 posted on the state board's website and prominently posted on the
9393 homepage of such school district's website until the noncompliance has
9494 been corrected. The state board shall establish a due process procedure to
9595 allow a school district, public school or individual to challenge a
9696 determination of compliance.
9797 (4) If a school district is conditionally accredited, accredited with
9898 conditions or otherwise not fully accredited and, the state board shall
9999 require a corrective action plan is required, which shall be approved by the
100100 state board,. Such corrective action plan, and any subsequent reports
101101 prepared by the state board regarding the progress of such school district
102102 in implementing and executing such corrective action plan, shall be
103103 published on the state department of education's internet website and such
104104 school district's internet website in accordance with K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-
105105 1181, and amendments thereto.
106106 (4)(5) If a school district is not fully accredited for failure to
107107 demonstrate conclusive, measurable evidence of improvement in student
108108 academic performance as required by paragraph (1), the superintendent,
109109 or the superintendent's designee, shall appear before the committee on
110110 education of the house of representatives and the committee on education
111111 of the senate during the regular legislative session that occurs during the
112112 same school year in which when such school district is not accredited.
113113 Such school district shall provide a report to such committees on the
114114 challenges and obstacles that are preventing such school district from
115115 becoming fully accredited and what actions, including, but not limited to,
116116 reallocation of school district resources, are being taken or will be taken
117117 to correct its unaccredited status.
118118 (b) The state board shall establish curriculum standards that reflect
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162162 high academic standards for the core academic areas of mathematics,
163163 science, reading, writing and social studies. The curriculum standards shall
164164 may be reviewed at least every seven years. The state board shall not
165165 substantially revise or update the English language arts or mathematics
166166 curriculum standards that are in effect on July 1, 2024, in a manner that
167167 would necessitate the development of new statewide assessments in
168168 English language arts or mathematics until the state board's long-term
169169 goal for all students submitted to the United States department of
170170 education in the consolidated state plan is achieved such that 75% of all
171171 students score in performance levels 3 and 4 combined on the statewide
172172 assessments in English language arts and mathematics by 2030. Nothing
173173 in this subsection shall be construed in any manner so as to impinge upon
174174 any school district's authority to determine its own curriculum if the school
175175 district's curriculum reflects high academic standards.
176176 (c) (1) The state board shall provide for statewide assessments in the
177177 core academic areas of mathematics, science, reading, writing and social
178178 studies. The board shall ensure compatibility between the statewide
179179 assessments and the curriculum standards established pursuant to
180180 subsection (b). Such assessments shall be administered at three grade
181181 levels, as determined by the state board. The state board shall determine
182182 performance levels on the statewide assessments, the achievement of
183183 which represents high academic standards in the academic area at the
184184 grade level to which the assessment applies. The state board should shall
185185 specify high academic standards both for individual performance and
186186 school performance on the assessments.
187187 (2) (A) On or before January 15 of each year, the state board shall
188188 prepare and submit to the legislature a report on students who take the
189189 statewide assessments. Such report shall include:
190190 (i) The number of students and such number expressed as a
191191 percentage of the total number of students who took the statewide
192192 assessments during the immediately preceding school year disaggregated
193193 by core academic area and by grade level; and
194194 (ii) the percentage of students who took the statewide assessments in
195195 grade 10 who, two years after graduating from high school, obtained some
196196 postsecondary education disaggregated by statewide assessment
197197 achievement level.
198198 (B) When such information becomes available, or as soon thereafter
199199 as practicable, the state board shall publish the information required for the
200200 report under subparagraph (A) on the website of the state department of
201201 education and incorporate such information in the performance
202202 accountability reports and longitudinal achievement reports required under
203203 K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-5178, and amendments thereto.
204204 (C) The provisions of this paragraph shall expire on July 1, 2029.
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248248 (d) Each school year, on such date as specified by the state board,
249249 each school district shall submit the Kansas education system accreditation
250250 report to the state board in such form and manner as prescribed by the state
251251 board.
252252 (e) Whenever the state board determines that a school district has
253253 failed either to meet the accreditation requirements established in this
254254 section, by rules and regulations or standards adopted by the state board or
255255 provide curriculum based on state standards and courses required by state
256256 law, the state board shall so notify the school district. Such notice shall
257257 specify the accreditation requirements that the school district has failed to
258258 meet and, if applicable, the curriculum that it has failed to provide. Upon
259259 receipt of such notice, the board of education of such school district is
260260 encouraged to reallocate shall address the deficiencies identified by the
261261 state board, including, if applicable, reallocation of the resources of the
262262 school district to remedy all such deficiencies identified by the state board.
263263 (f) Each school in every school district shall establish a school site
264264 council composed of the principal and representatives of teachers and
265265 other school personnel, parents of students attending the school, the
266266 business community and other community groups. School site councils
267267 shall be responsible for providing advice and counsel in evaluating state,
268268 school district, and school site performance goals and objectives and in
269269 determining the methods that should be employed at the school site to
270270 meet these goals and objectives, including, but not limited to, participation
271271 in the building-based needs assessment process required by K.S.A. 72-
272272 1163, and amendments thereto. Site councils may make recommendations
273273 and proposals to the school board regarding budgetary items and school
274274 district matters, including, but not limited to, identifying and implementing
275275 the best practices for developing efficient and effective administrative and
276276 management functions. Site councils also may help school boards analyze
277277 the unique environment of schools, enhance the efficiency and maximize
278278 limited resources, including outsourcing arrangements and cooperative
279279 opportunities as a means to address limited budgets.
280280 Sec. 2. K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-5170 and 72-5170a are hereby
281281 repealed.
282282 Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
283283 publication in the statute book.
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