KSDE will begin implementing the Kansas Through-Year Curriculum-Directed Assessment during the 2026-2027 school year with six participating school districts while continuing to meet federal assessment and accountability requirements. The pilot districts are Kansas City, Kansas USD 500, Olathe USD 233, Geary County USD 475, Dodge City USD 443, Great Bend USD 428 and Humboldt USD 258. Over the five-year pilot, KSDE plans to add more participating districts each year as the assessment demonstrates technical quality, comparability, accessibility and effectiveness. Instead of relying solely on one end-of-year summative assessment, students in participating districts will complete brief, rigorous assessments each quarter. During the first year, Kansas City, Kansas and Olathe districts will use the new system in place of the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) summative assessment in participating grades and subjects.