It’s not uncommon for education administrators to make easily debunked claims about student achievement or school finance from the safety of a board room where no one can challenge them. They also know it’s rare for mainstream media to question their claims, which only bolsters the tendency to stretch the truth.
If there is a media follow-up, it’s typically handled in an emailed word salad. So the Kansas Department of Education was flummoxed when KSNT-TV in Topeka requested an on-camera interview to defend allegations that they reduced proficiency standards on the state assessment.
KSDE first tried to get the station to talk to Game On for Kansas Schools, a Johnson County advocacy group, rather than speaking with KSDE officials about lowering proficiency standards. KSDE eventually met with KSNT, but they refused to go on camera.
We know all this because KSNT asked Kansas Policy Institute to explain the basis for our belief that KSDE and the State Board of Education reduced proficiency standards. We readily agreed, of course, because the facts speak for themselves. We also agreed to a joint discussion with Judith Deedy, a spokesperson for Game On, but she refused.
The standalone interview she did demonstrates why she (and KSDE) hide from people who know the difference between facts and fertilizer.
Inside Kansas Politics examines new proficiency standards
KSNT’s weekly public affairs program, Inside Kansas Politics, interviewed Judith Deedy and me separately on the November 23, 2025, episode.
I shared this chart in my interview, tracking 8th-grade reading proficiency on the Kansas state assessment and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) since 1998. The red line shows NAEP results held steady in the mid-30s through 2017, then began dropping, reaching 25% in the most recent report for 2024.
The blue line shows that the state assessment results were nearly identical to NAEP in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, however, state assessment proficiency leapt from 34% to 65%. Students didn’t suddenly become a lot smarter; the Kansas State Board of Education approved lower proficiency standards. It’s like saying 90 to 100 is an “A” one year, then dropping the standard to 70 to 100 the next year.
Proficiency standards were changed again in 2006 and remained in place through 2013 (no test was given in 2014 because of technical difficulties). The State Board of Education reinstated high standards in 2015, and 8th-grade reading proficiency plummeted from 85% to 30%. Students didn’t suddenly forget how to read; the grading scale reverted to being more like 90 to 100 to earn an “A.”
The state results again closely resembled the NAEP results through 2024, but proficiency on the state assessment jumped from 22% to 40% this year as a result of standards being dumbed down.
Deedy parroted KSDE’s talking points, which are easily refuted. For example, she said the previous proficiency standards “were set too high” and that KSDE called them “aspirational standards.”
While KSDE makes those claims, you can decide if the facts support them.
The definition of Level 3, which was the minimum to be considered proficient under the previous standards was: “shows an effective ability to understand and use the skills and knowledge needed for postsecondary academic readiness,” with academically prepared for postsecondary defined as “having the academic preparation, cognitive preparation, technical skills, employability skills and civic engagement to be successful in postsecondary education, in the attainment of an industry recognized certification or in the workforce, without the need for remediation.” (emphasis added)
Is having an effective ability (less than excellent ability, which was Level 4) to perform with the need for remediation an aspirational, too-high standard, or is it a reasonable goal?
Deedy admitted that the former Kansas definition of proficient met the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), but she believes NAEP to be “a very high standard and does not mean what most parents and educators think of as proficient.”
Again, you decide.
NAEP proficient “represents solid academic performance for each grade assessed. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter.”
Compare that to the next level down, NAEP Basic, which “denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at a given grade.”
Is ‘solid academic performance’ an unreasonable expectation for students? Should ‘partial mastery’ be the mission-accomplished goal we want for students?
KSDE redefines “success” for its own benefit
Kansas Department of Education officials may have been the inspiration for the saying, “Oh, what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive.”
KSDE defines student success in terms of preparedness (having effective ability without the need for remediation), but it measures the success of the education system based on something that it can manipulate to look good.
School districts receive awards for Postsecondary Success based on the degree to which their Success Rate exceeds the KSDE-predicted success rate, thereby lowering the bar for success. But that is only part of the deception.
A district’s Success Rate is based on students meeting one of four outcomes:
- Earning an industry-recognised certification while in high school, or
- Earning a postsecondary certificate, or
- Earning a postsecondary degree, or
- Enrolled in postsecondary in both the first and second years following high school graduation.
Shazam! You are a ‘successful’ student if you are enrolled in a program. A student doesn’t have to be able to perform without remediation or even complete a program…just be enrolled for two years.
For the 2025 school year, KSDE handed out 10 Gold Awards and 40 Silver Awards to school districts for Postsecondary Success, but zero Gold Awards and only 18 Silver Awards for Academic Preparedness for Postsecondary work.
State education officials might say ‘it’s all about the kids,’ but in reality, it’s all about making KSDE and the state school board members who approved reducing proficiency standards over the last 25 years look good, while students suffer.
And now you know why KSDE hides from TV cameras and people who can call out their attempts to deceive parents and legislators.
Dave Trabert – The Sentinel
Dave Trabert is director of The Kansas Policy Institute, which owns The Sentinel. See more at: www. sentinelksmo.org
