Thursday, August 27 2026
Informational Items
| Schools/Departments | Description |
| All Administrators | |
| Principals and Building Administrators | |
| Middle and Sumner Academy Principals | |
| Rosedale, F.L. Schlagle, Eisenhower, and Washington Principals | |
| High School Principals | |
| Middle School Principals | |
| Elementary School Principals |
Information Items
All Administrators
Quarterly Assessment Standards (DBA)
Contact Person: Suzie Legg and Jenny Kramer
As we begin using the current DBA process as part of KAP accountability, it will be important for building leaders and collaborative teams to understand which standards are assessed each quarter. This information should help teams plan instruction, monitor pacing, and ensure students have opportunities to learn the assessed standards before each quarterly assessment.
Students in Grade 3 through 10 will participate in quarterly assessments in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. Results from these quarterly assessments will ultimately contribute to the KAP performance level and score, consistent with previous KAP reporting.
The standards assessed each quarter are identified in the corresponding district pacing calendars.
- Mathematics: Up to four standards may be assessed each quarter. A bolded standard indicates that the standard is being reassessed. These are often high-impact standards that are important for success in future grade levels or courses.
- ELA: Each quarter, elementary students will be assessed on two standards using one text type—informational or literary. Secondary students will be assessed on two standards within each text type, informational and literary, for a total of four standards per quarter. Across the school year, text complexity will increase to reflect grade-level expectations and students’ expected growth.
- Science: Science will remain as previously assessed during the spring window. A DBA is not currently in place and no standards have been chosen for this assessment.
As collaborative teams plan and respond to data, the pacing calendars should serve as an important reference for connecting what has been taught, what is being assessed, and what students need next.
For questions, please contact Suzie Legg (K-5) or Jenny Kramer (6-12).
Principals and Building Administrators
District Benchmark Update
Contact Person:Dr. Angela Grant
As we prepare for our first year of participating in the KSDE assessment pilot, DERA will be sharing information here, at Principal’s Nuts and Bolts meetings, and via Building Testing Coordinator meetings. Here are some critical pieces of information for you to know now:
- Terminology
- The pilot has been approved by the federal Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA), so you may hear or read it labeled as the IADA pilot by KSDE or the media
- The benchmark assessments themselves are Through-Year (administered quarterly) Curriculum-Directed (based on our scope and sequence) Assessments, and so you may hear or read about them as Through-Year Curriculum-Directed Assessments by KSDE or the media
- Timeline
- This is a five-year pilot.
- Subjects
- The pilot is limited to ELA and Math.
- Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will continue to take the KAP Science assessment via the KITE platform.
- Students
- Virtual students will continue to take the ELA and Math KAP assessment via the KITE platform.
- Grades 3-10 will participate in the pilot this year. Next year, grades 3-9 will be required to participate, with 10th grade optional. Specifically, 10th-grade students who are retaking a 9th-grade ELA or Math course will have the option to be reassessed in that subject.
- Platform
- Students will take the benchmark assessment in Campfire. Students will be rostered to Campfire via Classlink and will not need to enter a code when taking a test.
- Campfire will provide participation reports.
- Campfire has added a lockdown browser capability for this year to enhance test security.
Additional details will be forthcoming at the Principal Nuts and Bolts meeting, but if you have urgent questions before then, please do not hesitate to reach out.
CLEAR Connect PD 9/2
Contact Person: Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez
CLEAR Connect bridge boxes for classroom use are being delivered to buildings by TIS and the Multilingual Department. To support the rollout of CLEAR Connect, Audio Enhancement will host a virtual training session on Wednesday, September 2 from 2:20-3:30 for all teachers who will have bridges assigned to their classrooms. Participants can use this Calendar Link to join the Google Meet virtual training session.
This session is geared toward the technical use of the devices. Recommended participants are teachers who will have a box assigned to them because they are a sheltered content teacher, have a large number of newcomers, and/or have students at Level 1 on the KELPA. Accounts can be requested through this Google Form.
Principal’s Action Item: Send the 9/2/26 Calendar Link to all teachers in your school who will be using CLEAR Connect.
If you have further questions, please reach out to:
- Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez for instructional or two-way communication support
- TIS for technical support
- Lindsey Schnieder for professional development needs for Audio Enhancement
- Audio Enhancement CLEAR Connect teacher resources
FastBridge Window Extended until 9/18
Contact Person: Nathan Harris
Please communicate with your staff the following:
- FastBridge Reading, Math testing window has been extended.
- The Fall window is now August 24 - September 18.
- iReady Inform Math:
- Kindergarten: Tuesday, September 1st - Wednesday, September 16th
- Grades 1 - 8 (Non Algebra 1 Course): Monday, August 17th - Friday, September 4th
DERA and Curriculum & Instruction encourage buildings to complete the assessment by the original August 28 deadline whenever possible.
Middle and Sumner Academy Principals
Carnegie Learning Professional Learning for all 8th grade Algebra 1 and Algebra 1+ Teachers
Contact Person: Jenny Kramer
Carnegie Learning will partner with our 8th Grade Algebra 1 and Algebra 1+ teachers for professional learning throughout the 2026–2027 school year. All sessions will be held at Central Office, Room 133, on the following dates:
- September 9, 2026
- November 11, 2026
- February 24, 2027
- April 14, 2027
These sessions were developed in response to feedback from teachers and administrators. The learning will address the unique instructional needs of 8th grade Algebra 1 teachers who may also teach i-Ready Mathematics and/or serve students who entered Algebra 1 without completing the 8th grade mathematics curriculum.
Carnegie Learning will provide targeted support to help teachers address these needs while maintaining the rigor and expectations of the Algebra 1 course.
Implementation Instructional Coaches and building administrators are also welcome to participate in these sessions to strengthen their ability to support teachers and students with Algebra 1 implementation.
Thank you for supporting teacher participation and for continuing to share feedback that helps us respond to the needs of our teachers and students.
If you have questions, please contact Jenny Kramer.
Rosedale, F.L. Schlagle, Eisenhower, and Washington Principals
Secondary Social Studies Pilot Support
Contact Person: Jenny Kramer
In support of this semester’s secondary social studies curriculum pilot, our curriculum partners from McGraw Hill and Traverse will be working alongside teachers and staff throughout the pilot process. Their support will provide opportunities to deepen understanding of the materials, strengthen implementation, and gather meaningful feedback to inform the district’s curriculum adoption decision.
Building administrators and Implementation Instructional Coaches are encouraged to participate in these learning opportunities when possible. Leadership involvement will help strengthen support for teachers during the pilot and provide valuable perspectives as we evaluate the materials and consider future adoption.
McGraw Hill Support - Rosedale Middle and F.L. Schlagle High School
| Date: | Support: |
| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 |
HS 1:00-3:00 and MS 1:30-3:30
|
| Monday, September 21, 2026 |
On-Site Classroom Walks Schedule to come later |
| Wednesday, October 7, 2026 |
On-Site for Professional Development HS 1:00-3:00 and MS 1:30-3:30
|
| Monday, October 26, 2026 |
On-Site Classroom Walks Schedule to come later |
| Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
On-Site for Professional Development HS 1:00-3:00 and MS 1:30-3:30
|
| Monday, November 16, 2026 |
On-Site Classroom Walks Schedule to come later |
Traverse Support- Eisenhower Middle and Washington High School
| Date: | Support: |
| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 |
Virtual Professional Development HS: 1:00-2:00 and MS 2:00-3:00 |
| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 |
On-Site Classroom Walks Schedule to come later |
| Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
Virtual Professional Development HS: 1:00-2:00 and MS 2:00-3:00 |
High School Principals
High School Science Budget Information
Contact Person: Jenny Kramer
Beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, each building will receive $100 per science section to purchase materials that support the implementation of science instruction.
Funds will be available under the following budget line:
06-90-xxx-1000-8126-56100, “xxx” represents the school location code.
These funds are intended to support materials directly connected to science instruction, student learning, and lab safety, including:
- Consumable instructional materials aligned with NGSS and district GVCs, such as chemicals and specimens.
- Lab safety supplies, such as nitrile gloves.
- Materials for student exploration, projects, and research, including probes, chemicals, and other supplies needed for hands-on learning.
- Other instructional or safety materials when there is a clear connection to NGSS, district GVCs, or laboratory safety.
High School Chemventory Requirement:
When chemicals are purchased, high school teachers are responsible for adding them to the Chemventory system to maintain an accurate inventory.
The following vendors offer many of the materials commonly needed for science instruction. Vendors marked with an asterisk (*) offer a KCKPS discount:
- Flinn Scientific*
- Carolina Biological*
- Fisher Scientific
- Frey Scientific
Please plan to spend or encumber all funds by February 11, 2027. Any funds needed for second-semester purchases must be encumbered by this date. After February 11, funds that have not been spent or encumbered will no longer be available.
Thank you for supporting science teachers in having the instructional and safety materials needed to provide students with meaningful, hands-on learning experiences. If you have any questions, please contact Jenny Kramer.
Middle School Principals
Middle School STEM/PLTW Budget Information
Contact Person: Jenny Kramer
Diploma+ will once again provide funding to support our STEM/PLTW courses during the 2026–2027 school year. A change this year is that each school will receive $100 per section of Science of Technology to support the purchase of materials needed to implement the curriculum, including the consumable and perishable items used throughout the course.
Funds will be available under the following budget line:
06-90-xxx-1000-8126-56100 “xxx” represents the school location code.
Please plan to spend or encumber these funds by February 11, 2027. Any funds needed to support second-semester purchases should be encumbered by this date. After February 11, any remaining funds that have not been encumbered will no longer be available.
Thank you for helping ensure our Science of Technology teachers have the materials needed to fully implement the curriculum.
If you have any questions, please contact Jenny Kramer.
High Quality Instructional Materials-Amplify ELA Launch Year 1
Contact Person: Jenny Kramer
Curriculum partners from Amplify will join middle school principals during the Thursday, September 3, Nuts and Bolts meeting. This two-hour launch session will provide an introduction to the Amplify ELA materials and build shared understanding to support implementation.
Implementation Instructional Coaches will also be asked to participate in this two-hour learning session alongside building principals.
Elementary Principals
Join Us For Work-Based Learning This September with The Connector!
Contact Person: Chris Hamman
School is off to a running start and we have a great slate of September sessions to support our GVCs and Second Step!
Please share this list of GVC and Second Step aligned sessions with your teachers and counselors as they work to achieve their goal of one or more live Connector sessions per semester.
Thank you for supporting our students as they build Career Awareness!
Please contact Chris Hamman with any questions about Work-Based Learning.
High Quality Instructional Materials Implementation-iReady Year 3
Contact Person: Suzie Legg
Curriculum partners from i-Ready will join elementary school principals during the Thursday, September 3, Nuts and Bolts meeting. This two-hour session will deepen shared understanding as principals analyze their site data, identify implementation priorities, and determine next steps to strengthen implementation and positively impact student outcomes.
Implementation Instructional Coaches will also be asked to participate in this two-hour learning session alongside building principals.