Kansas education officials describe what student data the agency collects and how KSD will secure it as KEDS replaces KIDS

At the Kansas State Board of Education meeting on May 14, Kansas State Department of Education staff outlined what student and educator data the agency collects, why the data are collected, how districts supply it, and the security and privacy controls KSDE applies — including plans to replace the legacy KIDS system with a new KEDS statewide submission platform.

"We collect the data we have to do the things we're required to do," said Dr. Harwood, opening KSDE's presentation and summarizing the agency's view that most collections exist to meet federal and state reporting and school-finance requirements. Kyle Lord, an assistant director in IT, told the board the department’s collections include demographic and identity fields, attendance and membership, program participation and outcomes (including career and technical education), assessment rosters and results, special‑education and graduation reporting, and district and building inventories.

Why it matters

KSDE officials said aggregated and longitudinal student records underpin funding formulas, federal and state accountability reporting, accreditation and audits. Board members raised questions about what the state collects versus what local districts retain, how chronically absent students are counted for federal reporting, and how KSDE shares limited student-level files with outside vendors that administer assessments or return postsecondary matches.

How districts submit data and what will change with KEDS

Lord and other staff described the current work flow: districts export files from local student information systems and upload them to KIDS, KSDE’s long‑standing longitudinal system. That process produces errors and duplicate records because districts often correct uploads in a separate file rather than correcting the district system itself. "This…