Tutoring in Kansas
Kolu is software. Nobody from Kolu will drive to your house in Kansas, and we have no office there. If you want a person, this page says how we would look for one. If the question is which skill is missing, we can help with that part.
State testing in Kansas is finished before May. The Kansas Assessment Program, KAP, opens March 22 and closes April 23 in 2026-27. English language arts and math are tested in grades 3 through 8 and again in grade 10. Science is tested in grades 5, 8 and 11. That leaves ninth grade with no state test, sophomores with English language arts and math, and juniors with science. Separately, the state pays for every public school junior to take the ACT once, along with the WorkKeys job-skills tests. Taking them is recommended and not required, and the ACT score is one a student can send to colleges.
What Kansas tests, and when
| Grade | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing | KAP | KAP | KAP | KAP | KAP | KAP | Not tested | KAP | Not tested | Not tested |
| Math | KAP | KAP | KAP | KAP | KAP | KAP | Not tested | KAP | Not tested | Not tested |
| Science | Not tested | Not tested | KAP Science | Not tested | Not tested | KAP Science | Not tested | Not tested | KAP Science | Not tested |
- KAP (Kansas Assessment Program): reading and writing, math, grades 3 through 8 and 10
- KAP Science: science, grades 5, 8 and 11
- Main testing window
- late March to late April
- Standards
- Kansas Curricular Standards
- Paid for by the state
- ACT, grade 11, on a school day
Graduation rules change with the class of 2028. Those students need 21 credits and at least two postsecondary assets from a list set by the State Board of Education, so it is worth asking the high school early which assets it offers.
Is there a graduation test in Kansas?
No, Kansas does not require a passing score on any state test to earn a diploma.
Kolu finds the missing skill and goes back to it
It starts with a skill check, a short test that gets harder or easier depending on the last answer. The result is a map of the subject broken into skills with their prerequisites drawn in, each one marked as solid, still being learned, or a gap.
After that, each session is a handful of activities picked for that student, usually something due for review, a gap to repair and one new skill. When an answer is wrong, Kolu looks at which earlier skill the mistake points to and goes back to it. Here is what that looks like for a sixth grader who can't divide fractions.
The problem on the page
3/4 ÷ 2/5
Dividing fractions
Grade 6
Multiplying fractions
Grade 5 · rests on the one below
Equivalent fractions
Grade 4 · usually where it started
Multiplication facts
Grade 3
Kolu does not call a skill mastered after one right answer. That takes correct work on different kinds of problems on different days, and a skill that fades gets brought back.
Kolu is not test prep for KAP. It has no bank of released questions. It teaches the skills the test draws on, and it will not do tonight's homework.
When to hire a person instead
Some students need a person, and software is the wrong purchase for them. That includes a child who shuts down when the work gets hard, a student with a learning disability who needs someone trained in it, and anyone with an exam in ten days.
Ask the school first. Teachers know who tutors, and a counselor can tell you what the district already offers at no cost. A nearby college is the next place to look, since students there took these courses recently and usually charge less than an agency.
Whoever you hire, ask one question before the first session: how will you find out what my child doesn't know? If the answer is that they will go over the homework, keep looking.
Free for one subject, $15 a month for 5
Kolu is free for one subject at a time, with one full skill check every 30 days and up to 4 sessions a day. Plus is $15 a month, or $120 for a year, and covers 5 subjects at once with unlimited skill checks. A learner under 13 needs a parent or guardian to set up the account.