Area students improve on new state tests

Kansas state assessment test scores in Jackson County’s three school districts increased from the 2024-25 school year to 2025-26, but there is still improvement to be made to keep up with the rest of the state in many areas, according to information provided by the school districts.

Data provided by officials in all three districts showed that in many grades across the districts, more students are scoring in the upper two levels of the four-tiered scoring system in the state assessment’s three tests — English language arts (ELA) and math, given to students in third through eighth grades and 10th grade, and science, given to fifth and eighth grades — while some students continue to struggle with the tests.

“The state legislature has determined that the goal is to get students to levels three and four, though level two is also an appropriate level of readiness for success after graduation,” Holton USD 336 Superintendent Trevor Ashcraft said in reference to the four-tiered state scoring system, including limited (Level 1), basic (Level 2), proficient (Level 3) and advanced (Level 4) levels of knowledge.

But while administrators at Holton, Jackson Heights and Royal Valley are, for the most part, pleased with the progress that their students are making in assessment scores, they note that either there are some areas where improvement is needed, or changes in the state assessments have had a negative effect on scores.

“Typically, in the old scoring system, we would have had more grade levels above the state average. So the renormed and new assessments had an adverse effect for us,” said Noah Slay, Royal Valley director of curriculum and instruction, at the Royal Valley school board’s November meeting. “We’re used to being above the state average in most areas, so for us to be below is a little bit odd.”

Jackson Heights superintendent Jim Howard, on the other hand, said he preferred to look at the progress students in his district are making from year to year on the tests.

“Our students typically score at or above the state average in most subject areas,” Howard said. “Last year, we met or exceeded the state average in 11 of these 16 tests. This marks excellent growth from the previous year, when we met or exceeded the average in only nine of 17 tests.”

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