FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2020 – Wichita – Kansas Policy Institute releases A-F Grading of Kansas schools for school year 2018-2019. A-F Grading places a letter grade on the existing Kansas State Department of Education definitions stemming from state assessment exams.
The A-F Grading for Kansas Schools uses state assessment data generated by the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) under the operation of the KSDE and assigns an overall school letter grade much like a student report card.
James Franko, President of Kansas Policy Institute, says, “A-F grading enables citizens and policymakers to understand the academic challenges to overcome as well as recognize the K-12 schools in Kansas that show achievement gains. It provides an opportunity for the public to look to best practices as we all work to improve achievement.”
Franko continues, “A false sense of high achievement has been a major barrier to change and improvement over the years.”
172 of the 1,275 public schools improved at least one letter grade but 275 schools declined. In Kansas high schools, 92% are not on track for college or career and will need remedial training.
The majority of schools (56%) received a “C” which means the majority of Kansas K-12 students need remedial training to be on track. While only 11% of schools earned a “B” which means they have effective understanding of materials and are on track. And 30% of schools received a “D”, which means these students will need even more remedial training to get on track. And 3% of schools received an “F”.
This new reports shows achievement declines as K-12 students move in their education career, indicating students are not getting the foundational skills they need in the early grades.
Dave Trabert, CEO of Kansas Policy Institute remarks, “For the first time, spending at the building level is available, which refutes the notion that spending more money is the key to getting better results.”
Trabert concludes, “No school in Kansas received an A. It’s imperative we work to solve the student achievement crisis. I believe this may be the most important challenge facing our state. Stagnating achievement overall and staggering income-based achievement gaps between students must be addressed if kids are to find the opportunities they deserve.”
To see how your local school building is graded visit KansasPolicy.org and navigate to the “Initiatives” tab located on the main menu.
