Shawnee Mission reports rising ACT and improved Kansas assessment outcomes; district readies interim-measure goal-setting

Shawnee Mission Board of Education members heard Jan. 22 that the district’s ACT and Kansas assessment results showed gains in 2024 and that district leaders will rely on interim assessments to guide building-level improvement work.

‘‘Our test scores are up,’’ said Dan Gruman, Director of Assessment Research, as he opened the board’s annual review of ACT and Kansas assessment data. Gruman and other leadership staff framed results alongside shifting state and college testing policies.

District results: Gruman reported the district ACT composite for the class of 2024 at 22.0, a rebound from the lower averages seen in recent years as testing patterns changed during and after the pandemic. The portion of students who self‑reported completion of a college‑preparatory ‘‘core or more’’ sequence rose to about 42% for the 2024 cohort (up from approximately 40% the year prior), presenters said.

Participation patterns continue to influence averages, presenters said. The district told the board that the share of students taking the ACT only once peaked in recent cohorts after the state offered a free eleventh‑grade administration; the 2024 cohort showed a partial return to prior patterns, with 55% of ACT participants taking the test once and 45% taking it more than once.

Kansas assessment program: District staff said Shawnee Mission improved for a third straight year on Kansas ELA and mathematics assessments. The district reduced the percentage of students scoring at the lowest performance level (level 1) and increased the share scoring at performance levels 3 and 4 in both ELA and math. Staff noted Shawnee Mission continued to outperform statewide averages, usually by roughly 9–12 percentage points depending on the subject and measure.

Planning and measurement: Because the Kansas Assessment Program will use revised item sets and new performance‑level descriptors for 2025, the state’s cut scores and final 2025 labels will not be available until later in the year; KSDE will finalize those through summer committees and the results will be publicly released in the fall. In the meantime the district is adopting interim Kansas assessments as a lead measure to provide more frequent instructional checkpoints and to guide professional‑learning‑community work in buildings.

At the building level, Highlands Elementary Principal Laura LaHue described how teachers use district curriculum maps, common formative assessments and interim measures to identify standards-based needs, plan immediate interventions and set schoolwide goals. Associate Superintendent Pam Lewis tied that classroom practice to the district’s Wildly Important Goal: increase student achievement through targeted interventions with a grade‑level focus.

Board discussion touched on college admissions and testing trends. Members asked how test-optional policies affect students’ postsecondary choices and scholarship opportunities, and whether community colleges and Kansas Regent institutions still use ACT data for placement and some admissions decisions. Gruman and district staff said test‑optional policies vary by institution and some scholarships or placements still use scores; the Kansas Board of Regents historically references a 21 composite threshold for certain admissions/scholarship considerations.

Ending: District staff said they will continue to use interim assessments and professional learning communities as lead indicators while awaiting the state’s finalized 2025 cut scores; the board took the update as informational with no vote required.