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Frequently Asked Accreditation Questions

What is KCPS’s current accreditation situation?
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the State Board of Education voted to remove the district’s accreditation. The loss of accreditation became official on January 1, 2012.

Does unaccredited status affect students’ diplomas?
Students who graduate from an unaccredited school district will still receive diplomas. Presumably, they will have completed the coursework required by the state and met the local district’s requirements for graduation. As far as state education officials are concerned, the diploma of a student who graduates from an unaccredited school district is valid.

What about eligibility for scholarships?
This issue is not addressed by the law. Students who graduate from an unaccredited school district should still be eligible for any scholarship for which they would otherwise qualify. An unaccredited rating reflects the performance of a school district, not the qualifications or accomplishments of any individual student.

Does loss of accreditation mean the state is taking over KCPS?
The immediate answer is no. State law defines several circumstances under which the State Board of Education may intervene in the governance and operation of a local school district. In most cases, a district must be unaccredited for two full school years before the state would have authority to intervene.

How does KCPS plan to proceed?
The district will continue implementation of Phase II of the Transformation Plan, a blueprint to improve education for students. The district is working closely with state officials on what actions are needed to make progress toward full accreditation. KCPS administration and officials from DESE (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) are holding monthly Regional School Improvement Team meetings every month at Manual Career Technical School, 1215 E. Truman Road. The purpose of the meetings is to provide DESE with an update and work collaboratively to restore the district’s accreditation.

What if I have additional questions?
Please call the Office of Public Relations and Marketing at 816-418-7406 for more information.

Accreditation Links

  • 2013 APR Targets

    The Kansas City Public Schools' APR targets and best case projection

    /cms/lib6/MO01001840/Centricity/Domain/134/KCPS 2013 APR Targets.pdf
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  • DESE School District Accreditation

    DESE's explanation of what happens when a school district becomes unaccredited

    http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/unaccredited.html
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  • DESE news release

    DESE news release announcing the decision to classify KCPS as unaccredited

    http://www.dese.mo.gov/news/2011/kcmsdaccreditation.htm
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  • Second Accreditation Town Hall

    The KCPS Leadership Team answers questions from the community during the second Accreditation Town Hall on Sept. 22, 2011, at Manual Tech.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NV13VFWxNk
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  • Q&A

    Question and answer session from the first town hall meeting

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnjq7Eh8Uc
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  • Accreditation Town Hall Meeting

    Interim Superintendent R. Stephen Green, Acting Board President Derek Richey, and state Board of Education member Rev. Stan Archie make opening comments at the Accreditation Town Hall meeting on Sept. 21, 2011 at Paseo Academy.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTsRrdupK6o
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  • Accreditation Press Event

    Interim Superintendent R. Stephen Green and Acting Board President Derek Richey offer commentary about the state Board of Education's decision to classify KCPS as unaccredited.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63xQZyDP3oQ&feature=youtu.be&a
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