Question of the Week
Q: How has Senate Bill 158 impacted Kentucky’s school accountability system?
A: The passage of Senate Bill 158 (2020) introduced significant changes to Kentucky’s statewide school accountability system. The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) has developed a Comparison of SB158 Changes document that provides graphic representation and side-by-side comparison of the current accountability system with changes introduced by Senate Bill 158.
All modifications made to the assessment and accountability system must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) through Kentucky’s ESSA Consolidated State Plan.
As details are finalized, more information, additional resources, and training materials will be shared.
Upcoming Q&A Webinar
Join World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA’s) Assessment Team for the following ACCESS for ELLs webinar:
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ACCESS Speaking Domain with Scoring (Online) Tuesday, July 21, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. CT
More information and login details can be found on the WIDA Q&A Webinar Schedule. Can’t make it? WIDA Q&A Webinars are recorded and posted to the Secure Portal Download Library approximately one week after they are presented.
2020-2021 WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement
With only a few minor tweaks (no major changes were made to the content), the 2020-2021 Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement is available on the WIDA website.
School Profile Report Collector Tool Open, Due by Oct. 1
On July 13, information was shared with districts about the release of the School Report Card Collection Tool. To help support the completion of the tasks and provide clarity for meeting the timelines, please see information below. Please share this information with principals in your district.
As a reminder, the collection tool can be accessed through the SRC approval site. Additional information on the School Profile Report is available in the SRC Resource Page with the guidance documentation.
Statutory Requirement
KRS 158.6453 (Senate Bill 1, 2017) requires all principals to complete the School Profile Report by Oct. 1 each year for visual and performing arts, health and physical education (practical living), career studies and world languages.
The School Report Card is used to meet the requirement of, “The department shall include a link to each school’s profile report on its website.” The link to the school profile is at the bottom of the organizational landing page of the School Report Card.
The School Profile Report responses should reflect information from the 2019-2020 school year.
School Profile Report Timeline
July 15 – Collection Tool opened
- Principals can begin completing the items for the School Profile Report based on information from the 2018-2019 school year.
- School Profile Report items are numbers 26-54 in the "School Report Card – Collector Items" document shared with the July 15 release notification and available with the other guidance document’s referenced above.
Aug. 5 – The course and teacher data will be populated by KDE and then the School Profile Report can be generated from the secure School Report Card website.
- Review additional data points that will be loaded and available (courses offered, staffing) to ensure quality of data.
- Refine data entered to complete School Profile Report.
- Approve data as displayed within the Education Opportunity/General Coursework.
After ensuring accuracy, print the School Profile Report for signatures.
- Senate Bill 1 (2017) requires the School Profile Report be approved by the school-based decision making (SBDM) council and include signatures of all SBDM members, the principal and the superintendent. If the school does not have an SBDM, it should be signed by the principal and superintendent.
- Once complete, schools should post the document to its school website.
- A hard copy must remain on file at central office and be available upon request.
All collection items are due no later than Aug. 31.
Email questions related to Education Opportunities/General Education Coursework (School Profile Report) to the KDE Standards mailbox.
Dr. Michele Reynolds is the Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer for Jessamine County Schools in Nicholasville. Jessamine is one of the fastest growing counties in the state with about 8,400 students enrolled in preschool through grade 12. There are fourteen schools in the district: a preschool and kindergarten early learning center, six elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools, an alternative school, a Methodist Home, and a locally-operated career and technology center.
The mission of Jessamine County Schools is centered around three major areas: meeting each student’s learning needs, helping students find their passion and purpose in life, and providing a safe and healthy culture. These areas are the focus of daily work and are encompassed by the district motto which is Tradition and Innovation.
Jessamine County School District’s focus is on developing sustainable systems and structures through intensive strategic planning, then implementing the strategic vision through 30-60-90 action plans at both the district and individual school levels. The district has also developed a strong Teacher Leader Network that meets monthly, along with identified Process Owners throughout the district to guide district initiatives. Recent continuous improvement work has centered around an integration between Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning practices and Classroom Learning Systems to ensure rigorous and equitable instruction for all students.
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions presented in the article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
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