Commissioner's Monday Message

Feb. 5, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) will hold its regular meeting on Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. ET. Many board members plan to attend in person at the Kentucky Department of Education. As a reminder, you are welcome to watch the meeting in person in the State Board Room or a live stream of the meeting will be available on the KDE Media Portal.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit directly with superintendents. I met with the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) in Shelbyville as well as the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services (NKEC). I spoke with educators on various topics including the Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE’s) interactions with the legislature, public education funding and the commissioner’s search.

I appreciate those who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with me and I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication to education. I know it is not an easy role, but you are making a significant impact on the lives of students. I look forward to meeting with additional cooperatives and the superintendents that comprise their membership in the upcoming months.

On Thursday, Feb. 8, there will be a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) recognition and pinning ceremony at Kentucky State University. The event is a wonderful opportunity for us to recognize the time and dedication educators put into their work to achieve this prestigious recognition.

The process requires nearly 400 hours of time and effort producing multiple submissions within a detailed portfolio, a reflective piece on student assessment and learning, and then taking a rigorous exam to demonstrate they have mastered the content of their chosen certification area.

Kentucky continues to be a leader with National Board Certified Teachers: we have 103 new NBCTs in the Commonwealth this year, which now makes 4,373 total in Kentucky. I look forward to participating in the NBCT event this week. Please join me in congratulating the teachers in your district who have worked so diligently to attain this special certification.

Sincerely,

Robin Fields Kinney
Interim Commissioner of Education

Register Now for the 2024 March 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. The regional educational cooperatives, in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, will host in-person meetings in March for district and school leaders to explore new resources available to support effective implementation of local curriculum supported by high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs).

The purpose of the meeting is to provide the following:

• HQIR Implementation Support
• Curriculum Implementation Framework
• Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Guidance Document
• Structuring Professional Learning Cycles
• Kentucky Academic Standards for Science Resources
• Science Instructional Resources Consumer Guide
• New Science Module
• Academic Standards Update
• KAS for Visual and Performing Arts 
• KAS for Health Education and Physical Education

Click on the date to learn more and register for the live, in-person three-hour session of your choice:

• March 5: London, Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
• March 7: Louisville, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
• March 11: Lexington, Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
• March 21: Ashland, Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 9 a.m. ET
• March 22: Hazard, Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative, 9 a.m. ET
• March 26: Cold Spring, Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, 9 a.m. ET
• March 28: Bowling Green, Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. CT
• March 29: Eddyville, West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 9 a.m. CT

Participants will need to bring a personal device to access documents from the digital meeting folder.

Kentucky Teacher of the Year Applications due Feb. 23

Applications for the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards Program have been emailed to nominated educators. Presented by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), these awards celebrate some of Kentucky’s most outstanding educators.

KDE invites eligible candidates to submit a formal application by Feb. 23 to be considered for the award. Email awards@education.ky.gov to request an application. Refer to the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.

Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference Date Announced

The KDE Office of Teaching and Learning, Division of Early Literacy invites you to the Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference on June 20, 2024, at the Central Bank Center, formerly the Lexington Convention Center.

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 Educator Writers Association (EWA) Public Service Award in 2019 and the 2017 Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association.

The conference will require registration but will be 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 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 please 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?
  • How do we know?
• Are our strategies and activities meeting the needs of learners?
  • How do we know?
• 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.

KDE Seeks Feedback From Schools, Districts

Every year, the Kentucky Department of Education seeks feedback from school and district leaders so that we can better understand how well we are meeting your needs.

The department would greatly appreciate your participation in the 2024 KDE Customer Survey and ask that you share it with your staff and school principals so that we can reach as many people as possible. It should only take about five minutes to complete.

Should you have any difficulty or questions concerning the survey, please reach out to our KDE Data Analyst Leslie McKinney.

New Resources to Support Curriculum Implementation Now Available

Research shows effective curriculum implementation is essential to supporting high-quality instruction and improving the student experience and student outcomes.

To further support districts in effective implementation, anchored in a high-quality instructional resource (HQIR), outlined in Phase 4 of the Curriculum Development Process, the Kentucky Department of Education released the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Guidance Document.

This guidance document:

• Defines curriculum-based professional learning (CBPL);
• Describes the learning to occur across the three stages of implementation (launch, early and ongoing); and
• Includes key questions and tools specific to each stage. 

Additionally, in response to feedback from Kentucky instructional leaders regarding the need to help districts envision what CBPL looks like at the local level, KDE has added the Structuring Professional Learning Cycles to the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Guidance Document. This resource shows how CBPL may be organized to target key components of quarterly professional learning cycles over a school year to address local needs in implementing a HQIR and supporting high-quality instruction.

Kentucky Association for Gifted Education (KAGE) Annual Conference

KAGE will hold its annual conference at the Griffin Gate Hotel in Lexington on Feb. 26-27. Pre-registration is required for the Monday sessions.

TRS Board of Trustee Nominations Now Open

The Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) Nominating Committee is accepting nominations to fill one active teacher trustee seat on the TRS Board of Trustees. The active teacher trustee must be an active, contributing participant in TRS who is currently employed in a Kentucky public school system.

All trustee candidate nominations must be submitted through this portal and will be accepted until 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 12. Nominees may self-nominate or be nominated by another person. Nominees for the active teacher trustee position will be verified as participants of TRS.  

The TRS Nominating Committee will review all nominees who meet eligibility requirements at its meeting on Feb. 17. The committee will select two candidates for the active teacher trustee seat who will be placed on the ballot. The seat is currently occupied by an incumbent who is eligible for re-election. Voting for the TRS Board of Trustees will occur during April and May.

NOTE: The nomination form requires you to upload a recent resume, provide a short statement of interest and provide a recent headshot, which will be used on the ballot if selected.

For more information, please email Margaret Hockensmith or call (502) 848-8504, or email Eric Wampler or call (502) 848-8505.

Gifted Education Proclamation

February is Gifted Education Month in Kentucky. To kick off the month, there will be a Gifted Education Proclamation Ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda at noon ET on Feb. 6.

Gov. Andy Beshear, Kentucky Department of Education Interim Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney and President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate David Givens have been invited to speak. Students from the Craft and Gatton academies will speak and perform. All are invited to attend. 

Save the Date: Continuous Improvement Summit 2024

Save the date for the annual Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 23-24 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia™ are inviting you to the summit, where you will have an opportunity to explore a variety of topics and engage in conversations that will enrich your understanding of continuous improvement.

During this two-day event, you will enhance your professional learning, make new connections and build upon existing relationships with peers across Kentucky, hear up-to-date information from KDE leaders, and learn how Cognia can help you address your unique challenges in your journey of continuous improvement.

Those receiving this at KSB and KSD, please make sure all employees receive it. Also, ATC principals are asked to forward it to their staffs.

Please send your questions, comments and suggestions on the Monday Message to Jennifer Ginn by 10 a.m. Friday to be published in the upcoming week.