Cindy Kennedy
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) Spotlight
“I have the credentials to teach a student to read. However, there have been students for whom I have not made the difference I wanted to make. I have signed up for training after training, trying to find something that would make a difference for the students.
"This is the training I have been seeking for decades. I am having light-bulb moment after light-bulb moment. I also have had my previous notions destroyed by some of the information. Now that I know better, I will do better. There were some strategies I had been taught that do not help these students learn, so I am letting go of those!
"This training isn't giving me fancy materials or curriculum, but it is giving me something much more valuable: insight. This training gives insight to the brain and how it processes the sounds, symbols and conventions that go together to create meaningful communication.
"Every teacher should have this training. It is, hands down, the best training I have ever received. It does take time, which makes it very difficult because it is hard to make time for anything else during the school year. BUT, this training is well worth making time to take. This is the training that will help us help our students. I am so glad I signed up.”
– Cindy Kennedy, South Livingston Elementary, Livingston County School District
Phase 2 of LETRS Professional Learning Through the Kentucky Reading Academies
Registration for Phase 2 of the Kentucky Reading Academies Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training will open in May.
Individuals who are interested in completing LETRS in Phase 2 may complete this interest form to receive periodic information and updates. They also will be the first to be notified when formal registration opens for Phase 2.
If you are interested in learning more about LETRS training, visit the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage.
For more information, please contact Christie Biggerstaff, KDE's director of early literacy.
Applications Being Accepted for Developing a High-Quality Local Science Curriculum Pilot
According to research, schools that demonstrate increased curricular coherence also show marked improvements in student outcomes (Newmann, Smith, Allensworth and Bryk, 2001). The first step in creating curricular coherence is to translate the standards into a local curriculum anchored in high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs).
While the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) establish what students must know and be able to do, the district is responsible for developing a curriculum that addresses how learning experiences are to be designed and selecting the HQIRs that will assist student learning.
The Kentucky Department of Education is seeking up to nine districts and 27 schools, representative of eight regional cooperatives, to implement the Curriculum Development Process as they develop their local science curriculum. This would account for the participation of 2-3 schools per district. This two-year pilot will begin in the fall of 2023 and end in the summer of 2025.
The pilot will focus on supporting local implementation of the four phases of the Curriculum Development Process outlined in the Kentucky Model Curriculum Framework.
The application process will be open through April 28 and consists of answering a few questions and uploading artifacts. Districts and schools will be notified of acceptance on or around May 15.
Standards Newsletter Archive
Did you miss last week's Standards Newsletter? You can access all previous editions of the newsletter on the Standards Newsletter Archive webpage.
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