Olathe and KSDE seek federal approval to pilot year‑round assessments as alternative accountability
Loading...
Summary
Olathe Public Schools and KSDE asked the board to support applying to the federal Innovative Assessment Demonstration (IADA) to allow a multi‑district pilot using quarterly 'through' assessments as the accountability measure instead of the statewide summative, arguing better instructional alignment and more useful, timely data for teachers.
Olathe officials described a multi‑district effort to replace duplicative testing with a single, instructionally aligned through assessment delivered quarterly and scaled to project state summative scores. Tim Reeves, Olathe’s chief academic officer, said the district has worked with IAS to produce benchmark items aligned to high‑quality instructional materials and to return usable data to teachers within days. "We'd be able to use our internal piece, which are very comparable to those summative assessment scores to that single through assessment that is given throughout the year on a quarterly basis," he said.
Spencer Brown explained the teacher‑facing rationale: more frequent, specific assessments create a continuous feedback loop for instruction — the "taste of soup in the kitchen" analogy — and can reduce end‑of‑year pressure and test‑driven instruction. KSDE staff said the agency will file an intent to apply by March 17 and a formal IADA application by May 1 if the board approves moving forward; the federal review would take 90 days and an approved pilot could last up to five years.
Why it matters: Proponents said the model keeps accountability while making assessment meaningful for instruction, improving teacher clarity about what students need next. Critics and some board members raised questions about comparability, opt‑out impacts and how pilots will affect statewide measurement if struggling students are enrolled in alternate assessment pathways.
Next steps: KSDE plans to return with a formal request to the board next month to pursue the IADA application and to outline which pilot districts would be released from the statewide summative during the pilot period.
