Topeka — KSDE leaders outlined a statewide push to move school improvement from compliance to a coherent, implementation-focused model anchored by four fundamentals: structured literacy, standards alignment, a balanced assessment system and high-quality instruction.

Deputy Commissioner Renee Nugent said the agency will prioritize "clarity, coherence and depth" and align planning, supports and evaluation so districts can focus implementation. "We're moving from a compliance-only model to an aligned, coherent model that supports districts in going deep, especially in quality instruction," she said.

Implementation and results: Jay, KISA implementation lead, reported 36 school improvement days completed across nine service-center sites, about 144 districts participating so far and roughly 870 district leadership team members engaged. He said many action plans selected one primary fundamental; standards alignment and structured literacy currently lead the list of district priorities. "If we can be really good at four of those things we're gonna start to see results," Nugent told the board.

Support for districts: KSDE described a toolkit of supports, including implementation specialists who observe school teams' presentations and provide standardized indicators of implementation (stakeholder engagement, professional learning, tiered supports). Nugent urged using third-party reviews and state guidance to select high-quality instructional materials and recommended pooling insight among similar districts to reduce costs and improve professional development.

Next steps: KSDE plans to keep collecting action plans, develop portal access for curriculum/adoption data, and return with further implementation measures and examples of district supports at future meetings and school improvement days.