Math & reading standards and testing in Kansas
Updated June 2026
Kansas uses its own Kansas Academic Standards for ELA and math, revised from the original Common Core. Students in grades 3-8 and 10 take the KAP tests each spring.
Does Kansas hold kids back in 3rd grade for reading?
No. Kansas has no statewide test-based 3rd-grade retention mandate; promotion is local.
Standards
Kansas Academic Standards
Kansas sets its own grade-level expectations rather than using Common Core, though the core math and reading skills are similar grade to grade.
The key test
The Kansas state test
Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) covers both math and reading in grades 3-8, 10.
Reading the results
Spring.
Levels 1 to 4: Limited, Basic, Proficient, Advanced.
On grade level means Level 3 (Proficient) or above on KAP ELA.
What's distinctive about Kansas
KAP frames its upper levels around future college readiness with fixed scale-score cut points across grades.
Practice the skills, by grade
Whatever Kansas calls its test, the underlying math and reading skills are grade-level. Practice them directly:
Practice the skills behind the test
Kansas writes its own standards. What a third grader has to do does not change: multiply, find the main idea, read a paragraph and say what it meant. KangarooKiddo drills those skills in daily sessions of a handful of questions that end on their own. You see where your kid actually stands, they earn rewards you set up and approve.
Source: Kansas Department of Education. Verified for the 2025-26 school year; policies can change, so confirm with your school.