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Dear Colleagues,
This week I wanted to touch on a topic that is important to all of us – data quality and maintaining a healthy “data diet.”
I know that at times, it can seem as if we are all drowning in reporting information generated locally to the state and to the U.S. Department of Education (ISED). Even though it can seem overwhelming, we must keep an eye on both the quality and security of the data we are collecting because of its importance.
Sometimes you are asked to provide data that is simply useful to KDE or to USED, such as when you are asked to respond to a survey. However, most times these requests are for data required to be provided by state or federal statute or regulation. For example, the reporting of incorrect daily attendance numbers could negatively impact your allocation from SEEK.
When we use the phrase “data diet” here at KDE, we’re referring to not collecting sensitive information if you don’t need it. We all know that K-12 education is one of the primary targets of data thieves. Each day, our data systems fend off thousands of attacks from bad players across the world. If we limit the amount of data we collect to only necessary items – especially when we are referring to personally identifiable information like Social Security numbers and addresses – we make ourselves less attractive to those bad actors.
In 2014, the KDE published the Kentucky K-12 Data Quality Study, which at that time was the most comprehensive study on K-12 data governance, data quality and data stewardship in U.S. history. Many of those 10 recommendations we published a decade ago are still applicable today, including:
- KDE and districts always need to be on a healthy data diet. This includes being very strategic, frugal and selective. Each program area at KDE and in our districts should annually evaluate each data element that they are the data steward for and give a thumbs up or thumbs down on if that data element still needs to be collected at all, collected less often or needs to be defined differently.
- If there is agreement that a specific data element needs to be collected, checked for completeness and accuracy, then everyone who depends upon that data for reports or decision making needs to agree on the level of precision (e.g., 99.5% or 90%), the frequency that it is collected (e.g., annually, quarterly, etc.) and the specific date of the year it needs to be collected. Many times there is a statute or regulation that helps you answer these questions.
- Greater time and focus on a data element’s quality should improve its accuracy. Less time and focus will certainly lead to a lower degree of accuracy. We understand the many hats that district personnel wear makes this challenging, but the benefits of accurate data are many – from financial to avoidance of unfavorable public criticism.
We appreciate your continued encouragement to your staff on the importance of good, quality data and the benefits it brings to your district, as well as a regular review of data you are collecting. If you need assistance with best practices or preventing data breaches, please feel free to reach out to your contacts here at the department
Switching gears, I want to share some news on the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) principal search. After numerous discussions, we have modified the minimum requirements for the position to find the perfect leader for the campus. Based upon input from our school staff and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, we have modified our original posting to include required experience in Deaf education and a sign language proficiency interview rating of advanced or higher.
We look forward to finding the next great principal to lead our staff and students at KSD. We understand the importance of this position for students that you entrust to us from your district. If you know someone who would be a candidate for this position, I would appreciate you letting them know of this wonderful opportunity and encouraging them to apply on the KSD job posting website.
Sincerely,
Robin Fields Kinney
Interim Commissioner of Education
FY24 Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Fund Mini Grant RFA
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Teaching and Learning has issued a request for applications (RFA) for the fiscal year 2024 Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Fund Mini-Grants. Kentucky public school districts must apply on behalf of individual schools. The Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf also are eligible to apply.
The RFA can be found on the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage.
As specified in KRS 158.792, the Reading Diagnostic and Intervention fund was created to help teachers and library media specialists improve the reading skills of struggling readers in kindergarten through grade 3. The Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Fund mini grant will help districts adopt High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) that support the implementation of structured literacy practices for tier 2 and/or tier 3 reading instruction in kindergarten through grade 3.
Primary, or tier 1, HQIRs rated green on EdReports are recommended instructional resources for tier 1 and 2 instruction. Therefore, HQIRs rated green on EdReports may be considered for purchase with mini-grant funds for the purpose of implementing tier 2 instruction.
A district/school shall use funding to purchase instructional resources to support the implementation of structured literacy practices, supplement – not replace – the classroom comprehensive reading program and align with the KDE’s definition of HQIRs as listed below:
- Aligned with the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Reading and Writing
- Research-based and/or externally validated;
- Comprehensive to include engaging texts (books, multimedia, etc.), tasks and assessments;
- Based on fostering vibrant student learning experiences;
- Culturally relevant, free from bias; and
- Accessible for all students.
Important Dates
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Jan. 31, 10-11 a.m. ET: Technical assistance webinar. Attending or watching this recorded session is recommended.
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Feb. 7, 4 p.m. ET: Deadline for questions. All questions must be sent to KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
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March 19, 4 p.m. ET: Application submission deadline. All applications must be sent to KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
Review the links within the RFA for further guidance when writing the submission. If you have any questions, contact KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
Please pay close attention to the blinding/redacted language within the RFA. Improperly blinded grants WILL be deemed non-responsive and NOT eligible for award.
LRC Requesting Student Information
As discussed during the Jan. 16 Superintendents Webcast, the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) is requesting student information from all districts for the purpose of completing the annual graduation citations for 8th- and 12th-grade students from Kentucky legislators in your communities. The graduation citations are typically handed out by schools during graduation ceremonies and recognize the academic achievement of your students.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) also addressed this LRC request with district chief information officers and EdTech Leaders during the Jan. 16 EdTech Webcast. KDE will be sending a communication to each district’s Kentucky Student Information System (KSIS) point of contact regarding this LRC request.
LRC is requesting the following student information: name, grade, district, district number, school, school number and academic year for all 8th- and 12th-grade students. KDE previously provided this information to LRC. However, upon further review of the applicable federal law, KDE determined that this information should instead be shared directly by districts to the LRC using the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Kentucky Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (KYFERPA) directory information exception. See 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, 34 C.F.R. 99.31(a)(11), and KRS 160.720(2).
To meet this LRC request, KDE has developed a standard ad hoc reporting tool that will be available starting Jan. 23 in the Infinite Campus (IC) system for each district’s KSIS point of contact to use to gather the data for the graduation citations. Each district’s KSIS point of contact must verify that the exported data aligns to their local definition of FERPA directory information and remove the students that are opted out of the district disclosing directory information before sharing the CSV file with LRC.
The CSV file should be sent to grad.data@lrc.ky.gov. The LRC requests that districts submit the CSV file by March 15 to ensure that they have sufficient time to complete the graduation citations prior to 2024 graduation ceremonies. LRC will send the completed paper graduation citations to each district for distribution to students.
The graduation citations recognize both the hard work of your students and schools by the Kentucky legislators serving your communities. KDE appreciates the commitment of Kentucky legislators to recognize the academic achievement of the Commonwealth’s students and is hopeful all districts will be able to share this information with the LRC so that your students can receive the recognition they deserve.
If you have any questions, you may contact KDE Associate Commissioner David Couch. who can address your technology-related questions or can point you to the right person at KDE or the LRC to answer your non-technology questions.
 Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference Date Announced
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) Division of Early Literacy invites you to the first Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference on June 20.
Keynote speaker and educational journalist Emily Hanford – host of the Sold a Story podcast, the second-most-shared show on Apple Podcasts in 2023 and one of Time magazine’s top three podcasts of the year – has been covering education for American Public Media since 2008. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the EWA Public Service Award in 2019 for Hard Words and the 2017 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association.
Registration will be required, but the conference is free to Kentucky K-12 public educators and will offer focused learning paths to meet the needs of teachers and administrators. Attendees will learn from KDE OTL consultants and partners about:
- Evidence-based instructional shifts for literacy;
- The benefits of structured literacy;
- Why high-quality instructional resources matter; and
- Available resources for implementing the Read to Succeed Act.
Mark your calendar for this June 20 event and stay tuned for registration information coming soon.
Comprehensive District and School Improvement Planning: Phase Four
The last phase of the comprehensive district/school improvement plan process includes the vital step of progress monitoring. Continuous improvement planning requires careful monitoring, which ensures the needs of learners are met and that student outcomes are positively impacted.
During Phase Four, districts and schools may choose a flexible and customized approach to monitoring and implementing the comprehensive improvement plan. During this phase, districts/schools should collect both input and outcome data and ask themselves several key reflective questions regarding their plan:
- Are the planned strategies and activities being implemented as intended?
- Are our strategies and activities meeting the needs of learners?
- Will we adjust or stay the course?
Pursuant to 703 KAR 5:225, comprehensive district improvement plans (CDIPs) and comprehensive school improvement plans (CSIPs) must be posted online. CDIPs must be posted to the district’s website, while CSIPs must be posted to each school’s website.
With Phase Four diagnostics yet to be competed, it’s important to follow local policy regarding the timeline for posting and remember to include any attachments referenced in a diagnostic. Please see below for additional information on what should be posted for each improvement plan:
District’s Improvement Plan:
- Continuous Improvement Diagnostic for Districts
- Executive Summary for Districts
- Needs Assessment Diagnostic for Districts
- District Assurances
- Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (including the Goal Building Template)
- Superintendent Gap Assurances
- Professional Development Plan for Districts
School’s Improvement Plan:
- Continuous Improvement Diagnostic for Schools
- Executive Summary for Schools
- Needs Assessment for Schools
- School Assurances
- Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (including the Goal Building Template)
- Professional Development Plan for Schools
Phase Four Diagnostics
Phase Four of the continuous improvement planning process also includes three district-level diagnostics and a school-level diagnostic that are each due May 1.
The Continuation of Learning Plan will support the district in designing and implementing a plan for a continuation of learning during times when nontraditional instruction may need to be implemented to prevent a loss of learning. This diagnostic will describe the plan for the following school year. For questions regarding the Continuation of Learning Plan, please contact Steve Kissinger or David Cook.
The English Learner Plan for Districts (Lau Plan) diagnostic supports the district’s commitment to ensuring that English learner (EL) students can meaningfully participate in the district’s educational programs and services. It outlines the affirmative steps taken by the district to overcome educational barriers that impede equal participation by EL students in their instructional programs. For questions regarding this district level diagnostic, please contact Kaiman Triplett or Brandy Neal.
The final diagnostic is the Professional Development Plan for both schools and districts. Each school and district must design a professional development plan that supports its efforts to meet the goals established in KRS 158.6451 and addresses the priorities identified in their local needs assessment. The 2023-2024 Professional Development Plan will be implemented in the 2024-2025 school year and incorporated into the improvement plan for that year. For questions regarding the Professional Development Plan, please contact Renee Yates.
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