The Kansas State Department of Education has reported an increase in student literacy rates from the state assessments that were conducted last spring.   The Department is also reporting a drop in absenteeism.

The Department said fewer students scored at Level 1, the lowest level, in reading assessments.  This was the second straight year that the number has decreased.

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson said in a press release,  “This is good news as one of the state board of education’s goals is to move more Kansas students out of the lowest level of reading.  While the decrease in Level 1 reading results is slight, this is the second year in a row that measure has improved, which tells us we’re on the right track. We expect these results will continue to improve as more teachers transition to structured literacy.”

 The Kansas assessment student performances are scored using four levels:

• A student at Level 1 shows a limited ability to understand and use the skills and knowledge needed for postsecondary readiness.

• A student at Level 2 shows a basic ability to understand and use the skills and knowledge needed for postsecondary readiness.

• A student at Level 3 shows an effective ability to understand and use the skills and knowledge needed for postsecondary readiness.

• A student at Level 4 shows an excellent ability to understand and use the skills and knowledge needed for postsecondary readiness.

Students in the third through eighth grades and 10^th grade take the reading and math state assessments annually each spring.

• The 2024 ELA assessment results show that 33.6% of all students assessed scored at Levels 3 and 4, an increase from 33.2% in 2023 and 32.1% in 2022.
• The 2024 ELA results show a decrease in the number of students scoring at Level 1 to 32.8%. That’s down from 32.9% in 2023 and 33.9% in 2022.
• The 2024 math assessment results show 31.6% of all students scored at Levels 3 and 4, an increase from 31.3% in 2023 and 29.4% in 2022.
• The 2024 math assessment results also show 33.2% of students scored at Level 1, a slight increase from 33.1% in 2023 but down from 34.2% in 2022.

The State Board of Education invested $15 million in early literacy programs three years ago and committed an additional $10 million in 2024 to fund structured literacy training for Kansas teachers.

Chronic absenteeism rates saw a three-year decline, going from 24.5% in 2022 to 21.8% in 2023 and 19.7% in 2024. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the total number of days enrolled during the school year. It includes both excused, unexcused, out-of-school suspensions and in-school suspensions that last more than one-half of the school day.