Division of the Budget
Landon State Office Building Phone: (785) 296-2436
900 SW Jackson Street, Room 504 adam.c.proffitt@ks.gov
Topeka, KS 66612 Division of the Budget http://budget.kansas.gov
Adam Proffitt, Director Laura Kelly, Governor


February 16, 2022


The Honorable Kristey Williams, Chairperson
House Committee on K-12 Education Budget
Statehouse, Room 546-S
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Dear Representative Williams:
SUBJECT: Fiscal Note for HB 2685 by House Committee on K-12 Education Budget
In accordance with KSA 75-3715a, the following fiscal note concerning HB 2685 is
respectfully submitted to your committee.
HB 2685 would create the Kansas Student Achievement Accountability Act that would
require students to show grade level proficiency on state assessments before promotion to the next
grade level and would require state assessments to be provided to each grade level in each school
year.
Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, each student enrolled in an accredited school
would be required to pass each core subject matter course at the required standards set by the State
Board of Education to be taught at each grade level and would demonstrate grade level proficiency
at “level 2” or above on each of the annual statewide assessments administered to students. Any
student who does not pass each core subject matter class or demonstrate grade level proficiency
could not be promoted to the next grade level. Any student that would fail to demonstrate grade
level proficiency at “level 2” or above on the final statewide assessments in the 12th grade would
not be certified as having completed the course requirements for graduation.
The State Board would develop standardized state assessments to measure student
academic achievement for each required course in the elementary and middle school grade levels
and for each required course for high school graduation that is not a required elective course.
Academic achievement for each elective course necessary to meet the minimum graduation
requirements would be measured by each course classroom teacher, who would assess whether the
student demonstrates proficiency, or by a student passing a recognized standardized assessment
for a Career Technical Education certificate. Each student who would not demonstrate grade level
proficiency at “level 2” or above on any annual statewide assessment would be given an
opportunity to retake the assessment before the end of the school year. Any school building
principal or district superintendent who promotes a student to the next grade level or certifies that
a student has met the minimum State Board of Education graduation requirements in violation of
provisions of this section would be decertified and the State Board would revoke the principal’s
or superintendent’s leadership license.
The Honorable Kristey Williams, Chairperson
Page 2—HB 2685

Prior to the beginning of each semester, the State Board and each school district would
provide an opportunity for any high school student to take the statewide assessment for each
required course before enrolling in the course. If a student achieves a “level 3” or above on the
assessment, the student would be considered proficient in the subject and would not be required to
take or pass the course for graduation. Any student may enroll in any additional elective courses
during the academic year.
The bill would require the state assessments to be administered at three grade levels, as
determined by the State Board, in kindergarten and grades one through 12 by the core subject-
matter classroom teacher to each student enrolled in the teacher’s classroom between March 21
and April 29 of each school year. The State Board would be required to align the performance
levels on the statewide assessments for each grade level with the nationally normed scale and cut
scores established by the National Assessment of Education Progress and ACT college entrance
exam, as applicable. If statewide assessments or scale or cut scores have not been established for
a specific grade level and subject matter, the State Board would contract with the University of
Kansas Achievement and Assessment Institute to develop the assessments and proficiency levels.

Estimated State Fiscal Effect
FY 2022 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2023
SGF All Funds SGF All Funds
Revenue -- -- -- --
Expenditure -- -- $20,955,000 $20,955,000
FTE Pos. -- -- -- 6.00
According to the Department of Education, the agency currently provides a total of 17
various state assessments at an annual cost of approximately $6.0 million from all funding sources,
including $1.4 million from the State General Fund. HB 2685 would increase the number of
required assessments to 65, at an additional cost of $20.4 million, all from the State General Fund.
Additionally, the Department would need an additional 6.00 positions to manage the additional
data and reporting requirements of the bill at a cost of $555,000, all from the State General Fund.
Of these additional administrative costs, $355,000 would be required for 4.00 FTE IT Programmer
positions and $200,000 for 1.00 FTE Assessment Coordinator position and 1.00 FTE Researcher
position, inclusive of fringe benefit costs for all positions. Any fiscal effect associated with HB
2685 is not reflected in The FY 2023 Governor’s Budget Report.


Sincerely,

Adam Proffitt
Director of the Budget
cc: Craig Neuenswander, Education


Statutes affected:
As introduced: 72-5170