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Dear Colleagues:
There was a significant change last week right before the weekend with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID masking guidance. When community levels are classified as high, schools should continue to implement all layers of prevention strategies, including universal masking for all students and staff indoors and on buses.
When community levels are medium or low, schools do not need to implement indoor universal masking in school settings or on buses; however, targeted mask use is recommended during outbreaks or following exposures. See more about the new guidelines below.
I also wanted to share with all of you today a unique opportunity here in Kentucky to forge deeper connections with your community and shape what our next assessment and accountability system looks like.
We are looking for districts that would like to join our third cohort of our Local Laboratories of Learning (L3s). Fifteen districts of all sizes are currently participating in our first and second L3 cohorts, where they are piloting new assessment, accountability and learning approaches.
Our L3s are proving what we always have known, that schools are at the heart of our communities. As part of this opportunity, each district forms a broad and inclusive coalition within their community to help guide their work. The coalition helps guide the work by giving invaluable insight into what is and isn’t working for students and their families in the district, along with assistance in creating a prototype to address a specific challenge.
For many of the districts in our first L3 cohort, this process has been an opportunity for them to capitalize and expand on ideas they already were using. For instance, in Allen County they are designing an experience that includes a student defense of learning system that aligns with their emerging profile of a graduate work. In Shelby County, they are developing a plan to engage every stakeholder in the understanding of their profile of a graduate and what it means for students, families, employers and post-secondary institutions. And in Jefferson County, they are refining their Backpack of Success Skills to include personalized opportunities for all students across grade levels to demonstrate life skills and show mastery of standards in flexible ways.
The exciting thing about this L3 work is that what our cohorts learn is being used to create a new accountability system that gives credit for the outstanding work already being done in our districts to ensure your students have the skills necessary to succeed in life. This is your chance to be in on the ground floor.
While the idea of forming a coalition and doing this innovative work may seem overwhelming, you will not be alone should you choose to become a member of our third cohort. A core team from the Center for Innovation in Education, KDE’s Division of Innovation, the University of Kentucky’s Center for Next Generation Leadership and the Kentucky Student Voice Team are working to co-create inclusive design modules and provide 1:1 advising support to L3 communities.
We have created an L3 Community of Practice, which is a shared learning space where all L3 district and community co-leads come together to prepare for facilitation of local design modules, lean on each other to make choices and learn from what happens in their local meetings. Using ESSER funds, we also have created an additional layer of support of nationally recognized vendors who provide design, consulting and policy services to local education agencies. As L3s identify needs in the areas of assessment, accountability and credentialing of learning design, this collective of providers will work collaboratively to support communities in the design, testing, and implementation of prototypes.
To learn more about the L3 process, be sure to check out the L3 Agreement Form.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner and Chief Learner
DPH Updates COVID-19 Recommendations
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is aligning the Kentucky K-12 School Guidance with new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessing COVID-19 community levels.
- Under the new community-level recommendations, the CDC considers COVID-19 case numbers, hospital admissions and hospital occupancy rates in order to categorize each county as low (green), medium (yellow) or high (red) risk.
- Those levels in turn, determine the prevention measures recommended for each community.
When community levels are classified as high, schools should continue to implement all layers of prevention strategies including:
- Universal masking for all students and staff indoors and on buses.
- Cohorting classrooms and limit mixing between students when indoors, where possible
When community levels are medium or low, schools do not need to implement indoor universal masking in school settings or on buses; however, targeted mask use is recommended during outbreaks or following exposures.
At all levels of community spread, quarantine is no longer recommended following at-school exposures for asymptomatic people. Schools should continue to maintain the following baseline prevention strategies:
- Encourage students and staff to remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Ensure 5-day isolation and 5-day masking for individuals with COVID-19.
- Instruct sick individuals to stay home.
- Promote on-site testing programs for sick or exposed persons.
- Recommend 10 days of masking and testing for asymptomatic persons exposed to COVID-19 at school.
- Allow Test to Stay modified quarantine for persons exposed to COVID-19 outside of school.
For more information, email DPH Deputy Commissioner Dr. Connie White.
2022 Visiting Teachers from Spain
Apply now to host a visiting teacher from Spain for the 2022-2023 school year.
To provide quality instruction in Spanish from native speakers of the language and to promote rich cross-cultural exchange, Kentucky has a formal memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education of Spain that facilitates the placement of visiting educators from Spain in Kentucky schools.
Since 2000, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has worked with the Ministry of Education of Spain to help local school districts fill vacant P-12 Spanish teacher positions, as well as positions for other content areas in schools with language immersion programs. Through this partnership, school districts may hire experienced, certified teachers who are eager for a teaching experience in the United States. The teachers have an approved Education Professional Standards Board one-year-limited teaching certification, which may be renewed for as long as they remain in the country in accordance with federal statute.
KDE facilitates initial interviews in Madrid, Spain, in late March or April from a pool of highly qualified candidates who have been previously screened by the Spanish Ministry of Education. The department sponsors the required J-1 Visa under authority of the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program.
For more information, visit the website of the Ministry of Education of Spain, or watch this video to learn about the Visiting Teachers from Spain program
Reminder: Register Now for Live, Virtual March 2022 Leadership Meetings
In order to provide equitable learning environments for all students, it is important for schools and districts to translate the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) into a guaranteed and viable curriculum. Additionally, it is critical that students receive strong, standards-aligned instruction supported by evidenced-based instructional practices.
The regional educational cooperatives, in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, will host live virtual meetings in March for district and school leaders to examine tools and resources available to create equitable learning environments at the local level.
The purpose of the meeting is to provide updates on the following:
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Model Curriculum Framework
- Revised Section 1: Curriculum Development Process, Summer 2022 release of the “Reading and Writing Instructional Resources Consumer Guide” and ongoing Designing a High-Quality Local Curriculum Pilot
- New Section – Evidenced-Based Instructional Practices
- Kentucky’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports Framework
- Newly released Implementation Guide
- Self-assessment tool
- Professional learning modules
- Standards Revision Process Timeline
- KAS for Science
- KAS for Visual and Performing Arts
The sessions will be:
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