1 of 19

Kansas Leads the World in the Success of Each Student.

www.ksde.org

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

2 of 19

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

- John F. Kennedy

Creating a Vision for Kansas

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

3 of 19

Student Success

Kansas needs 71% of workers to have a post secondary certificate or degree.

Approximately 36% need to be bachelor degrees or higher

Approximately 35% need to have a certificate or associate degree

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

4 of 19

Postsecondary Evidence

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

5 of 19

KANSAS CHILDREN KANSAS’ FUTURE Tour

Community Conversation

Business and Industry

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

6 of 19

Respondents’ Occupational Roles

Role	#
● Students	99
● Parents	95
● Education Administrators	199
● School Board Members	95
● Higher Education Professional	110
● Business Professional	7
● Legislator or Public Official	77
● Community Member	69
● Press, Media Professional	12
● Educators and Para-educators	852
● KSDE Staff	69

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

COMMUNITY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

7 of 19

From the first set of focus group responses, what characteristics of success were most frequently cited?

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

COMMUNITY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

8 of 19

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY �Focus Groups by Organizational Size (number of employees)

# of employees	# of businesses at this level	%
0	2	1.8
1 - 10	28	25.2
11 - 50	28	25.2
51 - 100	8	7.2
101 - 150	6	5.4
151 - 200	6	5.4
201 - 500	14	12.6
> 500	19	17.1

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

9 of 19

The business and industry focal groups cited non-academic skills with greater frequency than the community groups:

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

10 of 19

What is the role of K-12 education in achieving this future?

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

11 of 19

What themes made up the strategic activities?

Career planning items called for individual goals and planning, of classes, pathways, further education, transitions, and careers. Some items included the family in the planning. When career planning should begin—middle school? 8th grade?--wasn’t clear.

School climate activities were diverse and sometimes conflicting. Some advocate creating an environment of high expectations, while others recommend realistic expectations, or a positive supportive culture.

Family engagement items complemented the career planning items, but the partnership between schools and families started early—birth through preK in some items. Some advocate joint planning for the child’s future, and others, opportunities for family participation and family education.

Community collaboration items emphasized mutual obligations between students and the community and better social networking. �Some advocate student community service, sometimes as a requirement; others, partnerships with local businesses and social agencies, especially early childhood agencies.

Individualized instruction and experience varied in intensity, from career interest diagnostics to universally required individual plans that the student must personally defend. The timing varied from beginning in Kindergarten, to middle school, to 8th grade.

Project-based learning items emphasize the learning and demonstration of applied skills, sometimes in contrast to standardized curricula and assessments. Some suggest projects as part of community service, a qualification for graduation, or a better way to teach or measure personality skills.

Early childhood strategies include strengthening the foundations of language and social skills at this sensitive stage, and the early establishment of parental collaboration.

Real-world instruction items advocate for concrete, real-life, relevant problems to solve, sometimes including their social dimensions. Some suggest integrating academics with applied skills, to improve motivation. Timing? As early as preK.

Less frequently cited strategies:

teaching techniques

human capital

accountability

prevention

funding

college collaboration

extracurricular activities

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

About the less frequently cited strategies:

Teaching techniques as strategies included integrated, collaborative teaching; teacher as facilitator; engaging students; teaching teachers how to teach soft skills, among others.

Investments in human capital suggested increasing the number of counselors (which fits with the suggestion for more individual career planning), and more professional development for elementary math teachers.

The more striking suggestions in the accountability recommendations included more autonomy for teachers, aiming to meet the Rose Standards, linking drivers’ licenses to graduation, and allowing for greater individual differences in student development.

College collaboration and extracurricular activities were relatively few, which is surprising with the larger initiatives to prepare students to be college and career ready, and the ideal of teaching more social-emotional skills.

12 of 19

Creating a Vision for Kansas

Student Achievement does not always equate to Student SUCCESS!

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

13 of 19

A few take-home lessons

Re-designing the curriculum

New roles are suggested for school counselors

More integrated coordination with businesses and community organizations

What is the role of K-12 education in achieving the future?

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

There is a suggestion of a structure of social opportunities—opportunities for experience, particularly real-world experiences—that students need to practice applied skills, both practical and social.

1. Re-designing the curriculum - around individualized goals, planning, instruction, and experience, around incorporating real-life problems and projects into the curriculum, and experiential learning is heavily suggested.

2. New roles are suggested for school counselors - in deeper individual career planning, and perhaps in coordinating internships and work experiences with business and community organizations.

3. The large proportion of instrumental skill training that included some experiential training, (e.g. internships; concrete, realistic practice, job shadowing, etc.) suggests much more integrated coordination with businesses and community organizations.

14 of 19

What are community focus groups saying about measures?

Non-cognitive, social-emotional measures, like conscientiousness and school climate, are important, but how they can be measured isn’t clear.

Project and task performance, individual planning, curriculum designed for realistic experiences, internships and work experiences are more important measures than traditional assessments.

Post high-school measures: Credentials, employment, well-being are also important measures of K-12 success.

How should K-12 measure indicators towards success?

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

15 of 19

Kansas College and Career Ready

An individual has the

academic preparation,
cognitive preparation,
technical skills, and
employability skills

to be successful in postsecondary education, in the attainment of an industry recognized certification or in the workforce, without the need for remediation.

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

16 of 19

A NEW Vision for Kansas….

Kansas leads the world in the success of each student..

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

17 of 19

Creating a Vision for Kansas

State Level Outcomes will drive our Vision!

High School Graduation Rates
Post Secondary Completion/Attendance
Remedial Rate of Students Attending Post-Secondary
Kindergarten Readiness
Individual Plan of Study Focused on Career Interest
Social/Emotional Growth Measured Locally

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

Among the outcomes being considered by the state board are:

High School Graduation Rates
Post Secondary Completion/Attendance
Remedial Rate of Students Attending Post-Secondary
Kindergarten Readiness
Individual Plan of Study Focused on Career Interest
Social/Emotional Growth Measured Locally

Education Commissioner Randy Watson and members of the State Board of Education will meet with business, education and state leaders to build agreement on how we will work together to achieve this vision for Kansas education.

Kansas schools are already doing tremendous work to address the needs of individual students, but in order to achieve this new vision we cannot expect schools to go it alone. This requires a unified effort with businesses, communities, parents, higher education, and elected officials working with educators to help provide the supports and experiences Kansas students need for their future success.

18 of 19

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org

19 of 19

KANSAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | www.ksde.org