Shawnee Mission sees gains in ACT and Kansas assessment results; district sets grade-level focus

Shawnee Mission School District officials on Tuesday told the board the district’s ACT and Kansas assessment results showed improvement and outlined how interim assessments will be used as lead measures for school improvement.

Dan Grama, director of assessment research, said the district’s ACT composite average rose to 22 for the class of 2024 after two years of flatter results, with core-course completers (students who reported the four-year English/three-year math/science/social studies sequence) attaining a five-year high average of 24.8. Grama noted participation and the timing of test events affect averages: after a period in which many juniors took the February/March state-funded ACT and did not retest, the district saw more students again taking the ACT later in high school, which can increase scores.

“Opportunities to learn that college-preparatory material — course consumption — is the strongest correlate with higher ACT scores,” Grama said, summarizing the research base. He cautioned that higher-education admissions policies have shifted in recent years, with many colleges moving to test-optional models or limited test requirements in some contexts; however, he noted test scores can still influence course placement or scholarship eligibility at some institutions.

On state assessments, district presenters said Kansas Assessment Program results improved for three consecutive years in both English language arts and mathematics. Shawnee Mission’s percentage of students scoring at the lowest performance level (Level 1) decreased modestly, while the share scoring at Level 3 or 4 increased; the district continued to outperform statewide averages by roughly 9–12 percentage points depending on the subject and year. District leaders cautioned that Kansas will roll out a revised assessment and new cut scores in 2025; those 2025 results are expected to be released in the fall after the State Board approves new performance-level descriptors and cuts.

Administrators described a district “wildly important goal” (WIG) to increase student achievement through targeted, grade-level interventions. Pam Lewis and Highlands Elementary Principal Laura LaHue described the district’s approach: teacher teams working in professional learning communities (PLCs), district-created curriculum maps and common formative assessments, and a two-tier interim assessment system (short formative checks plus longer predictive interims). LaHue said the systems allow teachers to “intervene immediately, to either enrich or intervene to make sure that we see the growth that we need to have happen.”

Board members asked about subgroup performance and benchmarking. Grama flagged persistent gaps for some student groups and said the district would continue targeting support. Several trustees thanked principals and staff for the data-driven work and the PLC structures that underlie instructional decisions.

No formal board action was taken on the assessment presentation; staff said updated 2025 assessment results will be shared with schools once the state finalizes cut scores and performance-level descriptors.