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Shawnee Mission leaders outline KESA/KISA school-improvement actions focused on instruction and professional collaboration
Summary
District leaders presented the Kansas accreditation (KISA) action plan emphasizing quality instruction, professional collaboration, a new walkthrough tool and quarterly monitoring with the Kansas State Department of Education.
Pam Lewis, representing the district leadership and learning team, introduced the Shawnee Mission presentation on the Kansas accreditation system (KISA) at the board workshop Monday and said the district will align its school improvement actions with the KISA model.
Lewis said the district’s “bull’s eye” framework centers the portrait of a graduate and that the presentation would focus on the KISA system. Dr. Matt Anderson, assistant director of curriculum and instruction and the district’s KISA lead, described the accreditation determinations the state evaluates: compliance, school improvement implementation and outcomes.
Steve Yellman, principal at Belinder Elementary School and a member of the district leadership team, summarized the team’s decision to prioritize “quality instruction with professional collaboration as our structure.” Yellman said the district will use a new SMSD walkthrough tool to provide teacher feedback and to encourage collaborative conversations.
The KISA school-improvement model the presenters described uses four fundamentals — structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessment and quality instruction — along with educator professional behaviors, lead indicators and measures of progress. District leaders said they will monitor progress quarterly and meet with a Kansas State Department of Education representative in October to review the action plan. The district will take part in a second school-improvement day with neighboring districts on April 1 to evaluate progress and plan for the 2026–27 school year.
Dr. Dennis (role provided in the presentation) connected the KISA work to the district strategic plan and districtwide professional learning communities, including the district’s tiered response-to-intervention approach. Presenters said building-level staff and instructional coaches were engaged in developing the plan.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how KISA activities map onto the district’s strategic-plan goals and teacher professional development. Presenters said the KISA actions are integrated with existing strategy teams and that the focus this year is on implementing the action plan and producing measurable progress.
The presenters closed by saying the district leadership team will meet quarterly to monitor implementation and report back to the board.
