Some Things That You Should Know About School 22

Educational opportunities in Kansas tin can exist among the best in the nation if we focus on students, learn from the example of states similar Florida, and motion by the partial truths and talking points of "supporting public schools." Since much of what has been written most Thousand-12 education is either misleading or but non true, Kansas Policy Constitute is providing the following 5 things you demand to know.  The facts nosotros cite are all provided past the Kansas Section of Teaching, the U.S. Department of Teaching, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Act.org, and a review of Kansas laws.

#1 – Low achievement levels on the state cess

Country assessment tests administered past the Kansas Dept. of Education (KSDE) reflect much lower accomplishment than parents have been led to believe.  In fact, many districts have more 10^th-graders below grade level in math than are on runway for college and career; statewide, 47% are beneath grade level, a 3rd are at grade level but demand remedial preparation, and just 20% are on track for college and career.

Even in Johnson Canton, 35% are below grade level and only 31% are on track for college and career.  Achievement levels now are generally worse than in 2015, the offset twelvemonth of the electric current country cess model.

#2 – College readiness is low and declining

The average2021 Human action score in Kansas declined for the fifrth sequent year, to 19.9, and the turn down in higher-readiness to 21% marked the 6th consecutive drib.  Kansas is now beneath the national boilerplate, which fell from 20.half-dozen to xx.3.

Only 21% of Kansas students did well enough to be considered college-prepare in English language, Reading, Math, and Science on the 2021 ACT.  That'southward down from 27% in 2019 and again beneath the national boilerplate, which is 25%.

State boilerplate scores are skewed past two major factors – demographic differences among us and participation rates (the per centum of students taking the ACT in each state).

Participation rates affect average state scores because in states where the ACT is non mandatory, merely students planning to nourish higher are likely to take the test and that will artificially increase average state scores over states where the Human activity is mandatory for all students.  The

Kansas Legislature recently approved paying for all students to have the ACT and the state's participation charge per unit jumped from 72% in 2019 to 82% in 2020, but then dropped to 79% in 2021.  The higher participation rate wiped out some of the land's artificial advantage and partially contributed to the lower score.

Large achievement gaps between white students and students of color, and between low-income students and anybody else, as well skew state average scores.  States with college portions of minorities and low-income kids will announced to have lower boilerplate scores because of achievement differences.

Act doesn't publish income-based demographics only the achievement gaps in Kansas betwixt White, Hispanic, and Blackness students are significant and persistent.  Simply 5% of Blackness students are college-ready compared to ix% for Hispanic students and 25% for White students.

#3 – Kansas is not in the Top Ten

The Kansas Association of School Boards routinely declares Kansas to be among the ten all-time states for educatee achievement, but that has never been true.  In fact, Kansas hasn't had a single Top Ten ranking on any of the demographic measurements on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) since first participating in 1998.

The state's best ranking in 2019 is #xix (four^th-form students who are non depression-income in math).  Five rankings are in the 20s and two are in the 30s, with the everyman ranking for four^th-grade depression-income students in reading, at #34.

Past the way, NAEP is considered the 'gold standard' for comparing performance beyond states by education researchers.

#4 – Spending money does not cause achievement to ameliorate

Reverse to claims by school officials, Supreme Court judges, and others, spending more than money does not cause educatee achievement to ameliorate.

Per-student spending has grown much faster than inflation over the years, only achievement on the Human action and NAEP declined a bit.  If per-educatee spending had been increased for inflation, it would have gone from about $7,000 in 1998 to less than $11,000 this year, but KSDE estimates spending volition exceed $sixteen,000.

Meanwhile, reading proficiency for eight^th-graders in Kansas dropped from 36% to 32% in 2019, the most recent NAEP results.  Reading proficiency for 4^th-graders remained flat at 32%.

Nineteen states had the same or better NAEP viii-score composite in 2019 than Kansas and spent less per student (quaternary-course and 8th-grade Reading and Math for low-income kids and students who are not depression-income compared to 2018 spending per U.Due south. Demography, adapted for cost of living).

#v – Florida achievement skyrockets while Kansas is stagnant

In 2003, Kansas led Florida on half-dozen of the eight primary NAEP measurements; there was one necktie and Florida was ahead in measurement. Just in 2019, information technology was merely the opposite; Florida won six measurements, at that place was one necktie, and Kansas was ahead on 1.

It wasn't coin that made the difference; the about recent 2018 information shows Florida spent nigh $four,000 less per student than the national average, and well-nigh $three,000 less per student than Kansas.

Equally explained in "Giving Kids a Fighting Risk," Florida educators, parents, and legislators aspect their gains to a combination of choice, transparency, and accountability.

Florida has the most robust school choice offerings in the nation, including charter schools, education savings accounts, and taxation credit scholarships; Kansas has ane small tax credit scholarship that the didactics anteroom wants to be eliminated.

Florida adopted an "A through F Grading System" so parents can run into a letter class on every public school and track its progress; the Kansas instruction lobby, equally shown earlier, distorts achievement to make parents think it is much college.

Florida has accountability measures like their 3^rd-Course Reading Initiative.  The 3^rd grade is disquisitional because, in the first three years, students are learning to read; thereafter, they are reading to learn.  Florida law specifies reading requirements for third-course students and promotion to fourth grade.

In Kansas, local schoolhouse boards and administrators are not held accountable for improving student accomplishment or for spending money in students' best interests.  State assessment results show many students are persistently below course level and country audits have shown money isn't existence spent as intended by the Legislature, yet in that location are no consequences imposed.

The lack of accountability creates a perverse disincentive to assist students improve.  School lobbyists and lawyers say that having and then many students beneath grade level somehow 'proves' that schools don't get enough funding; the court arrangement agrees and orders billions more be given to schools, but accomplishment doesn't change.  A few years subsequently, schools become back to courtroom with the aforementioned claim and ask for even more than money.  Improving student accomplishment would undercut their claims of being underfunded.

2 accountability measures beingness considered by the Legislature would address these problems.  Senate Bill 362 requires school districts to publish their building needs assessments and identify barriers to improved achievement, the related budgetary changes they will brand, and declare the number of years it will take to get all students to grade level under their plan.

House Bill 2550 creates education savings accounts for students who are financially or academically determined to be at-risk by school districts, thereby creating an incentive for districts to at least become students to grade level.

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Source: https://kansaspolicy.org/5-things-education/

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