Building a Future is advancing prosperity in Kansas by engaging the unique capabilities of the state's public higher education system to grow the economy and benefit Kansans and our communities.
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Intentional Economic Development |
Community Benefits |
The Kansas Board of Regents is implementing a number of promising practices to advance these strategic objectives.
Key Initiatives
- State university prosperity plans to facilitate intentional economic development
- Support for human health
- World class treatment and research for Kansans at the KUMC Cancer Center
- Facilities renewal initiative
- Blueprint for Literacy
Results
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Intentional Economic Development |
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Kansas universities are implementing plans to leverage their strengths for economic development |
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Kansas colleges and universities have partnered with other agencies and organizations on large economic development projects | |
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Community Benefits |
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Kanas universities are partnering on initiatives to improve health outcomes across the state |
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Blueprint for Literacy will help 90 percent of Kansas students read at or above grade level by 2033 |
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Facilities Initiative |
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Anticipated $1.1 billion investment to renew state university facilities over a 10 year period |
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Strategic demolition of obsolete buildings has reduced campus footprint by 626,000 square feet |
K.S.A. 71-222 requires each community college in Kansas to publish an annual Taxpayer and Student Transparency Data Reports. The table below provides a link to the page on each community college website where these reports are published.
Please direct questions about the content of any of these reports to the respective community college.
Updated Annually (Last updated Dec. 20, 2024)
On June 26, 2024, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) announced that Kansas would join the Complete College America (CCA) Alliance.
Kansas-CCA Launch Event
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025 KBOR and CCA will host a launch event at Washburn University. This convening will provide attendees with an opportunity to explore data on student outcomes in Kansas and the nation and review progress on the state's efforts to improve student success and attainment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many representatives can an institution have?
Institutions may bring up to five representatives to the launch event.
Who should the representatives be?
Representatives should include a mix of leadership, faculty, and staff involved in implementing student success initiatives on your campus, such as math pathways and English initiatives. Examples might include members of your Executive Implementation Teams, such as presidents, provosts, deans, department chairs, math or English faculty, registrars, or advisors.
Can an institution request to bring more representatives?
Yes! On the registration form, institutions can indicate if they’d like to bring additional representatives. If space is available after the priority registration deadline of January 17, we’ll notify you.
CCA Alliance
The CCA Alliance is a national coalition of states, systems, institutions of higher education and other organizations committed to increasing the number of students who successfully complete college and attain degrees and credentials. Joining the Alliance aligns with the Board's strategic plan, Building a Future, to ensure the Kansas higher education system is maximizing the benefits it is providing to Kansas families, businesses and the economy.
The work with the CCA Alliance is part of a statewide push to expand access to higher education and economic mobility, particularly for students from under-resourced families. Through this partnership, CCA will assist the state in convening higher education institutions together to craft and align policies with evidence-based student success strategies proven to boost on-time college completion.
As an Alliance member, Kansas will join with other states working collaboratively to advance policies and practices designed to improve student success and college completion, particularly for students from historically-excluded backgrounds and from under-resourced households. Higher education leaders in Kansas will be able to share new learnings and receive guidance and support in crafting policies aligned with the state’s priorities.
Senate Bill 438 was signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly on April 25, 2024. This bill established the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy and established an advisory committee to develop a plan for the creation of six Centers of Excellence in literacy across the state.
WHY CENTERS? – The challenge we face today is that forty percent of Kansas students are not proficient in reading and not reading well. The Centers create a network of supports, resources, and education so we can all be part of solution and achieve our 90% reading goal.
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Vision: Deliver world-class education and educator training in the Science of Reading. The Centers ensure Kansas teachers and school leaders are highly skilled in the application of the Science of Reading, in the support of families, and in providing community-based interventions designed to meet the unique needs of the Centers’ catchment area. |
Purpose: The Centers will prepare and support educators; provide on-going professional learning, literacy coaching, evaluation, assessment, and intervention; and support for families in their communities and catchment areas. |
The Centers of Excellence in Literacy ensure teachers and school leaders are highly skilled in the application of the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy, and support families and communities.
The vision for these six Centers for Excellence in literacy is to deliver world-class education, and educator training in the Science of Reading. With this vision in mind, we can begin the work towards achieving the overall Kansas Blueprint for Literacy goal - to have 90 percent of Kansas students reading at or above grade level by 2033.
The Centers of Excellence will serve as both a place and a network of resources and partnerships to provide families with easy access to support, and educators with professional learning opportunities.
The Advisory Committee has created a framework that outlines the expectations and requirements established for Centers. This framework describes the standards that prospective centers will need to meet, along with the expectations for partnerships, quality assurance, and data review.
| Centers for Excellence in Literacy Framing Document |
| Catchment Map |
The Advisory Committee has received seven proposals for consideration of the Centers of Excellence. These proposals were submitted by Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, the University of Kansas, Washburn University and Wichita State University. The committee has reviewed all materials and made recommendations to the Kansas Board of Regents.
Below you will find The Plan for The Centers of Excellence in Literacy that was presented to the Kansas Legislature.
| Plan for the Centers of Excellence in Literacy |
Background
Higher education institutions have traditionally relied on standardized testing to place students in gateway English and math courses. While these assessments have their place, using test scores as the sole placement tool provides a limited evaluation, as they measure a student’s abilities based on one test taken on a single day. A more comprehensive approach incorporates multiple measures for course placement, such as ACT/SAT subject scores, completion of specific high school courses, and high school GPA. Research shows that using multiple measures is a more accurate predictor of student success and helps reduce unnecessary placements in developmental education.
In addition to overreliance on standardized tests, Kansas colleges and universities have historically operated with independent criteria for determining whether a student is eligible for gateway math or English courses. This lack of uniformity has led to up to 32 different standards across the state's higher education system, creating confusion for students, high school teachers, and counselors regarding college readiness expectations.
To address this, KBOR updated its policy on May 17, 2023 (Ch. III.A.14.), embracing a more cohesive and holistic approach to course placement.
KBOR policy (Ch. III.A.14.b.vii.) states:
“Systemwide course placement measure” is a high school performance grade standard, requisite ACT/SAT score, or other common assessment mechanism that is recognized by all coordinated and state university institutions to determine if a student is eligible to enroll in a gateway English or math course. These measures are informed by recommendations from the Systemwide Course Placement Math and English Committees and will require approval from the Board of Academic Affairs Standing Committee.
Systemwide Math Course Placement Committee
A Systemwide Math Course Placement Committee was first convened in February 2024. President Flanders attended the first meeting and charged the Committee with developing recommendations for systemwide multiple placement measures for three gateway math courses: College Algebra, Elementary Statistics, and Contemporary Math. The Committee convened on seven occasions this year (February 28, March 22, April 19, May 17, June 10, June 26, July 22) to reach consensus on the proposed recommendations.
The recommendations from the Committee, approved by BAASC in September and communicated by VP Monhollon, can be found in this issue paper.
AY 25 Systemwide Math Course Placement Measures Committee
- Kindra Wells - Emporia State University
- Keith Dreiling - Fort Hays State University
- Mat Johnson - University of Kansas
- Gabe Kerr - Kansas State University
- Tim Flood - Pittsburg State University
- Stephen Brady - Wichita State University
- Sarah Cook - Washburn University
- Marc Malone - Garden City Community College
- Bethany Chandler - Butler Community College
- Nicole Dick - Garden City Community College
- Marcelle Cooper - Johnson County Community College
- Willis Ryan - Coffeyville Community College
- Brian Koch - Manhattan Area Technical College
- Talelia Schroeder - WSU Tech
Summary of Decisions
Per KBOR policy, each student who meets either a systemwide course placement measure OR an institutionally designated* course placement measure is eligible to enroll in a gateway course without developmental support. Each student meeting neither of the above shall be placed into the gateway course with developmental support.
College Algebra
Math ACT: 22 or higher OR
Math SAT: 540 or higher OR
ALEKS PPL: 46 or higher OR
Accuplacer QAS: 263 or higher OR
HS GPA and Course Grade: 3.25 cumulative GPA (unweighted) and B- or higher in Second semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3 OR
Institutional Measure* (including professional discretion)
Contemporary Math and Elementary Statistics
Math ACT: 19 or higher OR
Math SAT: 510 or higher OR
ALEKS PPL: 30 or higher OR
Accuplacer QAS: 255 or higher OR
HS GPA and Course Grade: 3.00 cumulative GPA (unweighted) and C- or higher in Second Semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3 OR
Institutional Measure* (including professional discretion)
*Institutionally designated course placement measure is any course placement measure that is not included in the systemwide course placement measures and is used to determine eligibility to enroll in a gateway English or math course. These measures could include, but are not limited to, vendor-based assessments, homegrown assessments, or an evaluation of non-cognitive factors such as motivation and workplace experiences. These measures are approved at the institutional level and only apply in cases in which the student did not meet any of the applicable systemwide course placement measures (Ch. III.A.14.b.v.). This category also provides institutions the professional discretion to place students in the gateway course by considering scores on multiple measures as well as non-cognitive factors known to the institution.
