USD 480 to Receive Accreditation Status

USD 480 Public Relations

USD 480 has received word from Dr. Jay Scott, KSDE Director of Accreditation and Design, that the Accreditation Review Council has voted unanimously to recommend USD 480 receive Full Accreditation with no conditions beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. The Kansas State Board of Education will vote in July to approve the recommendation from the Accreditation Review Council to grant USD 480 the status of “Accredited.”

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, the Kansas State Department of Education changed the way school districts received accreditation and tabbed that year as a “learning year” for the new model. They kept the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) as the state’s K-12 accrediting model, but removed the 5-year cycle.

KESA accredits at the System (district) level to create systemic change within and among school buildings across the district. The Kansas State Board of Education identified five goal areas believed to have a direct impact on producing successful high school graduates. This year, school districts were expected to engage in three things: (1) collect artifacts of the district’s work, (2) meet with their KSDE Regional Executive, and (3) engage in a peer review.

The “Accredited” status means USD 480 is in good standing (compliance) with the Kansas Board of Education, and has provided conclusive evidence of growth in student performance. In addition, USD 480 has provided conclusive evidence of an intentional, quality growth process.

“Our strategic plan, district goals, and the KESA accreditation process are integrated and support a unified direction, which was determined by the board, community members, staff, and students in 2021-22,“ said Dr. Todd Carter, USD 480 Superintendent. “Those goals are improving student achievement and school attendance.”

According to the KSDE website, KESA is the K-12 accrediting model for Kansas, dedicated to creating systemic change in school districts by reaching goals in five areas: social-emotional factors measured locally, kindergarten readiness, individual plans of study, high school graduation and postsecondary success. The process encourages redesigning school systems for continuous improvement.

Based on the KSDE Accreditation Review Council report, USD 480 assuredly demonstrated significant gains in meeting the expectations of the Kansas Vision for Education and State Board Outcomes. The recommendation for conditional accreditation was because of an increase in chronic absenteeism and a decline in state assessment scores. Read USD 480’s full Accreditation Summary here.

The USD 480 KESA Team worked together to formulate the best possible approaches to the required changes KSDE had implemented and then took those concepts back to their buildings to be implemented district-wide.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the input from the community, parents, students, and USD 480 employees on the direction for the district,” Dr. Carter said. “This is truly a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our district as a collective.”

USD 480’s final accreditation status for the 2024-2025 school year will be reviewed and voted on by the Kansas Board of Education at their monthly meeting in early July. At that time, USD 480 will receive their official accreditation status from KSDE.

“This unanimous vote for full accreditation from the council is truly a testament to the work that has been put in over the last two years, not just from the KESA Team, but from the district as a whole,” Dr. Carter said. “I am so proud of the work done by our staff, administrators, parents, and our students. This is well-deserved and everyone deserves to share in the credit.”