District assessment staff told the board on Nov. 5 that Kansas administered new ELA and math state assessments in 2024-25 and that the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) set new cut scores after a standard-setting process.

"The simplest explanation is new test, new cut scores," said Andrea Tidi as staff summarized KSDEs standard-setting work, which used panels of Kansas educators to define performance descriptors and numerical cut scores. Under the new scale, staff said assessment scores range roughly from 400 to 700; KSDE established a cut score near 510 for the transition from level 2 to level 3 (and a cut near 540 for level 3), while level-4 cut scores vary by grade and subject.

Assessment director Shannon Molt reviewed district screening and interim assessment practice: district screeners (myIGDIs, FastBridge, Ready) are given multiple times a year to identify students who need follow-up diagnostics or supports; interims and mini-tests are used to check progress and to prioritize instruction. Early-learning social-emotional screeners were reported in low/moderate/high risk buckets (e.g., internalizing behaviors: ~72% low risk, 18% moderate, 10% high risk). Middle- and high-school FastBridge and Readiness data were presented with breakdowns by risk tiers and course groupings.

Staff emphasized that direct numerical comparisons between 2024 and 2025 state results are limited because of the new test and cut-score definitions; the state has issued concordance tables to "link" but not equate prior scores. District leaders said teachers are using interim results and area-performance reports to identify focused standards for classroom and school-level adjustments.

No board action was required; staff said the next steps are building-level conversations, additional interim cycles and elementary/secondary reports at future meetings.