Commissioner's Comments
Dear Colleagues:
As you know, Gov. Andy Beshear has suspended all in-person instruction in Kentucky schools beginning today. A decision like this is not easy and was made after many tough conversations about the safety of our students, teachers and school staff.
The announcement came following another record-breaking week of COVID-19 cases. The positivity rate announced by the governor yesterday stood at more than 9%.
I want to thank you all for the great job you have done so far managing COVID-19 in your buildings by following the Healthy at School guidance. But even with the good work you have done, the rapidly increasing virus levels in our communities are making normal school operations impossible and we must consider the escalating risks. When you look at the COVID incidence rate map, nearly the entire state is in the red.
While the executive order suspends in-person instruction, it still allows schools to provide in-person targeted services to small groups. I encourage your schools to think about how to use this tool to reach your students.
Elementary schools (grades K-5) are allowed to reopen for in-person instruction beginning Dec. 7, as long as the school is not in a red zone county and follows all the safety expectations found in the Healthy at School guidance document. Middle and high schools (grades 6-12) will transition to non-traditional instruction and will not resume in-person learning before Jan. 4.
Of course, we should remember that while we hope that all our schools will be able to return to in-person instruction in January, that is dependent upon our infection numbers heading in the right direction. Right now, we’re not heading that way and the holidays will probably only increase our infection rates.
COVID-19 is causing us to do some complex calculations on a regular basis about when the infection rate is too high to risk exposing our students, teachers and staff. I understand the disruption that these constant stops and starts create, but all of these decisions are done with the intent of protecting all of the Commonwealth’s residents.
With a vaccine on the horizon, it is my hope that we will be able to go back to in-person instruction in the foreseeable future. Until that time, it is critical that we continue stressing the importance of social distancing and wearing a mask to our families, friends and community members. If we want to get our students back in school, we must practice what we preach.
I also want to ask you to participate in a survey being conducted by KDE’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Equity Officer Thomas Woods-Tucker. The Equity and Inclusion Scan will help us begin to understand how we can better support you in ensuring Kentucky’s schools are safe havens where all students and staff – regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, national origin, or ability – feel safe, respected and welcomed.
Stay safe, stay thankful and stay optimistic. I am confident that better days are ahead for all of us and the students and families we serve. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner & Chief Learner
Records Transfer of Students in Foster Care under HB312
Children and youth in foster care represent one of the most vulnerable student groups in the country. They experience much higher levels of residential and school instability than their peers. Provisions under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by Every Student Succeeds Act, emphasize the importance of limiting educational disruption. To further promote the educational stability of children and youth in foster care in Kentucky, HB 312 (2020) includes legislative expectations and timelines for requesting and releasing student records. Under this legislation, the receiving school shall immediately enroll foster care students, even if the child is unable to produce records required for enrollment, including but not limited to academic records, medical records and proof of residency.
The receiving school shall immediately request student records from the student’s previous school. The previous school shall provide the new school with all records in the student information system by the end of the working day on the day a request is received. This legislation also requires KDE to review and report on protocols for collection and transfer of student records among schools and districts.
A new Student Records Transfer report is available and located under KY State Reporting/KDE reports in Infinite Campus (IC). Appropriate district staff must be granted access to this report by the district IC administrator.
The report provides the count of calendar days from the date of enrollment to the date of the records request, and the count of calendar days from the date of the records request to the date records were released for all students and the student group of foster care. The quick reference card for this report provides information regarding criteria for the report, detail and aggregate report samples and suggested uses. This report should be run and used locally to monitor and help improve processes for requesting and releasing student records.
It is important for districts to review the timeframes to request records transfer as well as the time it takes to release records. Ensuring students are enrolled and records are requested and transferred in accordance with HB312 helps students receive all appropriate services in their new school as quickly as possible. By monitoring timeliness of records transfer requests and releases, districts also can identify any potential need for additional staff training or guidance.
For questions about the educational stability requirements of students in foster care, email Sharma Aitken. For questions regarding the Student Records Transfer report, email KDE data services.
CTE Coordinators, Principals and Contacts
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) has partnered with the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) to build and launch a new interactive data system that allows employers to connect with all Kentucky CTE programs. The system was requested by business and industry partners who were interested in finding programs related to the occupations in their geographic areas.
In the new Employer Connector Tool, there are three pieces of information for each school for each pathway – the total active enrollment, the number of 12th-graders with three or more credits in the pathway and the total number of students that have three or more credits in the pathway. This data will be updated twice a year. The tool is populated with end-of-year data from the 2019-2020 school year, but will be updated to 2020-2021 data as soon as it is available in the Technical Education Data System (TEDS).
KDE also has been using this system to conduct asset mapping, program viability evaluations and gap analysis reviews with districts. This system allows you to look at a specific zip code to find information about CTE programs located between 10-50 miles from the zip code. KDE wanted districts and schools to be aware of this tool before business and industry partners reach out to you.
The tool does not provide a contact name for your school, only your school’s address and phone number. This will give your school a better chance to connect with partners.
KDE also is advising districts to use this as a part of its Perkins Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment and your CTE program advisory committee meetings. OCTE Assistant Director Kiley Whitaker will soon be recording a webinar that will provide an overview of this new tool.
Please feel free to explore this tool and determine how you and your partners can utilize this resource to its fullest potential. For more information, email Whitaker.
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