Committee hears roundtable on KISA 2 accreditation, literacy training and district implementation

Legislative staff and a panel of superintendents, board members and education stakeholders briefed the Committee on Education on KISA 2, a proposed accreditation and continuous-improvement model that would require annual school- or district-level reviews, development of action plans and targeted assistance when performance does not improve.

The discussion focused on how accreditation criteria, assistance and timelines would work, how outcomes would be measured and what supports districts would need to implement improvement plans. Committee members asked for clearer definitions of measures, timelines for assistance and the role of state versus local control.

Elena Rudder of legislative research presented a table comparing surrounding states and other models, noting that as of January 2023 about 26 states had some form of accreditation system and roughly 20 required accreditation for public K-12 schools or districts. "Every state has an accountability system. Not every state has an accreditation system," she said, and listed options for accrediting agencies including state departments or outside agencies such as Cognia.

Randy Watson, Commissioner of Education, described KISA 2 as a…