State board hears KSDE plan to tighten literacy instruction, boost teacher training and coaching

The Kansas State Board of Education spent the bulk of its March 10 meeting on a draft statewide literacy plan that KSDE officials said aims to translate the “science of reading” into classroom practice through aligned materials, stronger teacher preparation and systemwide coaching.

KSDE’s Dr. Rory Curtis told the board the plan centers on three priorities: ensuring teacher preparation and licensure assessments align tightly to evidence about how students learn to read; creating a scalable set of coaching and observation tools to monitor implementation; and supplying selection and implementation guidance so districts pick instructional materials that match standards. “The science of reading is non‑negotiable,” Dr. Curtis said as she outlined a package of tools KSDE has piloted, including observation templates and a visualization dashboard that lets districts see who else has adopted a curriculum and what they learned.

Why it matters: Board members and KSDE staff framed the effort as an implementation problem rather than a research one — the science already exists, they said, but translating it into daily classroom practice requires coherent systems, coaching and funding for professional learning. KSDE proposes universal screening K–9 (with required spring reporting for K–3 and grade 8 under KISSA compliance), stronger parent‑facing communication for students flagged at risk, and individualized literacy plans to be used for high‑risk K–3 students.

Higher education’s role: Dr. Lane (the Blueprint for Literacy coordinator) told the board higher education institutions have reorganized faculty training to give pre‑service teachers more applied experience in structured literacy, created a literacy fellows program and issued micro‑credentials for middle‑grade/adolescent literacy and multilingual learners. She said universities are building a continuum of clinical experiences so graduates can “exit with competence to implement structured literacy with live children.”

Board discussion and questions focused on monitoring and sustainment: members pressed KSDE about how to judge success — what outcome targets, benchmarks and timeline will show the plan is working — and whether legislative or budgetary steps will be needed to scale coaching networks and fund professional learning. KSDE staff said they will return with implementation benchmarks and that several pilot interventions (including a Wichita State summer tutoring pilot and district coaching pilots) will inform next steps.

What’s next: KSDE asked the board to support continued alignment and to help reduce siloing between KSDE and higher education. Dr. Lane urged the board to make the higher‑education clinical‑practice review part of accreditation so program revisions are sustained. KSDE and the Board signaled they will continue work through the spring and summer to produce a more detailed implementation plan for Board review and public reporting.