Chairman Erickson opened the hearing on HB 2482.

Tamera Lawrence, Assistant Revisor, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)

Proponent:

Colleen Englert, Executive Director, Florida Ready To Work, explained that this legislation is an important step in empowering the State Board of Education to select assessments that best align with Kansas expectations for quality and value. Three considerations were given to this legislation and potential future policy specific to foundational career readiness:

• Make career readiness measurement a priority - not optional.
• Focus on the foundational work readiness skills most in demand: soft skills and career contextualized digital literacy
• Support schools through policy, programs, and funding to deliver high quality teaching, learning, and measurement of these essential work readiness skills. (Attachment 2)

John Idoux, ACT Government Relations Director for Kansas, said this bill represents a move toward a vendor neutrality in college and career assessments provided to Kansas students. Kansas statute and policy place clear emphasis on STEM - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and aligning education with workforce needs. As amended, this bill maintains the long-standing statutory distinction between college readiness and career readiness while allowing for vendor neutrality. (Attachment 3)

Allison Smith, Associate Director, Government Relations, College Board, supports this bill because it strengthens Kansas statute by modernizing assessment language and removing vendor-specific references in favor of provider-neutral terminology. This approach better reflects sound public policy and preserves the Legislature's focus on student outcomes rather than commercial products. (Attachment 4)

Proponent Written:

Rebecca Gerhardt, Director of Permanency, Department of Children and Families, Foster Care Report Card (Attachment 5)

Claudia Fury-Aguirre, Manager of Kansas Policy and Outreach, Aligned (Attachment 6)

Discussion followed.

Neutral:

Frank Harwood, Deputy Commissioner of Fiscal and Administrative Services, Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), informed the committee that if ACT is no longer named in statute as the testing provider, KSDE would need to issue an RFP to select one or more test providers. A one-year delay in implementation would ensure that the RFP process can be completed without interruption in providing pre-college and workforce assessments to students. (Attachment 7)

Leah Fliter, Assistant Executive Director of Advocacy, Kansas Association of School Boards, explained the neutral stand on this bill as it springs from the dedication to continuing our state's high learning standards. The committee is urged to insert language beginning on page 3 to clarify "nationally recognized entrance exams" should correspond with state learning standards. KASB urges the committee to amend this bill to ensure any college entrance exam endorsed by state leaders is one that supports student achievement through alignment with our rigorous state standards and expectations. (Attachment 8)

Neutral Written:

Timothy R. Graham, Director of Government Relations and Legislative Affairs, Kansas National Education Association (Attachment 9)

Discussion followed.

Chairman Erickson closed the hearing on HB 2482.