R12CC is assisting the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to achieve the Kansas State Board of Education’s vision that all schools will be involved in redesign efforts by 2026. Moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” system, school redesign focuses on helping each student develop academic and non-academic capacities needed to be successful in postsecondary education, the attainment of an industry recognized certification, or the workforce.
During Year 1, R12CC supported the KSDE’s Redesign Team to develop and revise data collection tools that will assess participating schools’ progress with redesign, designed and implemented a professional learning program for a cadre of trainers to support local redesign efforts, and initiated a forum to support Kansas school superintendents in sharing and addressing common concerns.
R12CC has designed a 12-month training plan for a cadre of trainers to support districts in advancing and supporting student success. Training sessions focus on developing a shared understanding of personalized learning, competency-based education, and their intersection with redesign principles. Cadre members are examining how standards and competencies can be arranged into pathways for students and methods for measuring students’ demonstration of competencies. Sessions also focus on strengthening local constituency support for educational improvements and applying training content in local contexts with coaching and feedback.
Through an Executive Leadership Forum, R12CC is also supporting superintendents to address common concerns and critical questions relating to leadership, curriculum and assessment, instructional changes, and planning and constituency building—particularly during a period of rapid change. Drawing on research and practices from multiple fields, sessions are designed to help leaders broaden their understanding of better practices, promote trust and collaboration, and identify and replicate bright spots—pockets of success—to achieve better results.
These supports will position Kansas to build capacity and scale-up redesign efforts state-wide.