Southeast Receives Kansans Can Star Recognition
TOPEKA — More than 100 school districts excelling in outcomes established around the vision for education in Kansas were recognized during the Kansas State Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, November 9, 2021.
The vision for education in Kansas – Kansas leads the world in the success of each student – was announced in 2015 by the State Board of Education and the Kansas State Department of Education. A new accreditation model, Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA), was announced shortly after. KESA accredits at the system level to create systemic change among school buildings in a district.
The Kansans Can Star Recognition Program is designed to support the KESA process by providing a level of recognition that helps districts identify where they want to focus their improvement efforts.
The program recognizes district success in the outcome measures Kansans said they value. These outcomes, categorized as either quantitative or qualitative measures, are serving as a roadmap to help Kansas reach its educational vision.
Districts have to apply for recognition in the qualitative measures area.
District recognition in the quantitative measures area is automatically calculated by KSDE based on collected district data. No application is necessary.
Districts can receive gold, silver, bronze or copper stars in the qualitative measures of:
- Social-emotional growth.
- Kindergarten readiness.
- Individual Plan of Study.
- Civic engagement.
Districts can receive gold, silver, bronze or copper stars in these quantitative measure areas:
- Academically prepared for postsecondary.
- High school graduation.
- Postsecondary success.
USD 247 Cherokee (Southeast) was awarded Bronze in the area of High School Graduation for 2020 with 92.7%, just .3% away from earning Silver. This is an increase from our 2019 graduation rate of 88.6%. (Awards are given based on the previous year’s graduation rate. For instance, what is awarded in 2021 is from the graduating class of 2020.)
Requirement:
To be eligible for this recognition, a district must be performing at or above its predicted postsecondary effectiveness rate (allowing for a -.4 variance).
“I’m proud of our students and staff for working together to earn this recognition. Doorways to future careers are first opened with a high school diploma. Hard work and the willingness to grow, will keep you in the room.” – Larry Malle, Southeast High School Principal
“Getting students to the graduation line takes the hard work of all families, teachers, and support staff from PreK through 12th grade working together for many years. The district is very proud of our graduation rate and will continue our efforts to ensure even more students achieve this milestone in their life. Success Through Excellence: Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday!” – Dr. Brad Miner, Superintendent of USD 247 Schools
USD 247 Southeast Lancers 