Dear Colleagues,
As many of you know, a child’s ability to read is a critical predictor of both educational and lifelong success. Today I was honored to join Kentucky State Sen. Stephen West and Rep. James Tipton along with incoming Commissioner Dr. Robbie Fletcher in Bourbon County to provide an update on literacy instruction across the Commonwealth, in addition to unveiling a new statewide reading research center being established at the University of Louisville.
With these resources, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) looks forward to creating a space for students to have every opportunity to gain and strengthen their skills, as well as teachers being equipped to best support their students.
Senate Bill 156 (2023) called on KDE to use a competitive bid process to find the next statewide reading research center. Our department looks forward to partnering with the center to determine annual goals and a comprehensive research agenda, evaluating early reading models, instructional resources and evidence-based practices needed to accelerate student performance toward proficiency in reading.
The KDE Office of Teaching and Learning continues to provide support for educator training and has opened its registration for the 2024 Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference. The conference will take place on June 20 at the Central Bank Center.
The conference requires registration but is free to Kentucky K-12 public educators and will offer focused learning paths to meet the needs of teachers and administrators. If you all are available, I encourage you to take this opportunity to attend. The division has worked hard to make sure those in attendance will gain knowledge and high-quality instructional resources.
The Kentucky Reading Academies also opened registration for the third cohort of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning from now until Aug. 30.
Through LETRS, teachers gain essential knowledge to master the fundamentals of literacy instruction required to transform student learning and create a more vibrant experience for each and every young reader.
This program is a comprehensive, no-cost professional learning opportunity open to all K-5 public school educators. Two different courses are being offered through the Kentucky Reading Academies: LETRS for Educators and LETRS for Administrators.
I’ve heard many of your personal experiences with either yourself or a colleague who has taken the LETRS program and it is always exciting to hear the knowledge and skills you gain in leading and teaching techniques.
Together we are raising the bar in literacy and mathematics education, preparing our students for their futures and careers outside of our schools.
I hope you all have a wonderful week,
Sincerely,
Robin Fields Kinney Interim Commissioner of Education
New High School Feedback Reports Are Available for Review
The Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) is providing High School Feedback Reports (HSFR) for the graduating class of 2022 for district review. The review window is through June 28 with the public release planned for early July.
This year, districts are asked to review the report on college going and success for the high school graduating class of 2022. The report compares student outcomes including college-going rates, types of schools attended, how students performed in their first year at in-state public colleges and universities and financial aid received by students.
Access to these reports is through a KYSTATS weblink. District assessment coordinators (DACs) are being provided the URL and password to access the reports and are asked to download these reports and share with principals and superintendents for review.
These reports should be considered a draft; all district reports are currently viewable through the link but reports may change if data issues are found. These draft reports are for internal review only and should not be shared until public release.
If you have questions, please contact Barrett Ross at KYSTATS.
COVID-19 Testing Supply Program Update from KDPH
The Kentucky Department for Public Health’s (KDPH’s) COVID-19 Testing Supply Program for K-12 schools will conclude with the 2023-2024 school year. While the last day for school districts to request COVID-19 antigen testing supplies from KDPH is June 15, a new opportunity to provide free tests for your school district has become available.
For the 2024-2025 school year, Kentucky K-12 school districts are encouraged to order over-the-counter rapid antigen COVID-19 self-tests made freely available directly from the federal government through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Education and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
To register, school districts should designate one primary contact to complete the registration form to include the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) District ID found on the NCES’ Search for Public School Districts webpage. The primary contacts will receive two emails: one to activate HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s Health Partner Ordering Portal account and one with training on how to order test kits.
Please email KYCOVIDTesting@ky.gov if you have any questions.
Verification of Successful Early Graduation Program Students Due June 30
KRS 158.142 establishes the Early Graduation Program (EGP), an optional program in which a student may receive a high school diploma, Early Graduation Certificate and scholarship award from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) upon successful completion of all program requirements provided in 704 KAR 3:305, Section 5 in three academic years or less.
KRS 158.142(7)(d) requires each public high school to report all Early Graduation Scholarship Certificate recipients by July 1 for the previous academic year to the KHEAA.
In order for students who successfully completed the Early Graduation Program to receive the scholarship award, information must be correctly entered into Infinite Campus no later than June 30. The KDE will forward all qualifying recipients to KHEAA on July 1.
FY 2025 Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance Now Available in GMAP
The FY 2025 Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance is available in the Grants Management Application and Planning System (GMAP) in the District Document Library. The deadline to submit the assurance is Sept. 30, 2024.
Instructions for uploading the Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance is available in GMAP under KDE Resources.
Ken Greene will email the FY 2025 Federal Cash Request (FCR) form to the districts by June 30. KDE is requesting that local education agencies (LEA) begin using the new FCR spreadsheet as of July 1. Requests made with the old form after this date will be rejected.
The instructions for the FCR process are located on the form. Please be aware, the release of FY 2025 federal funds is contingent upon the following:
- District Funding Assurances completed and statement uploaded in GMAP;
- Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance uploaded in GMAP;
- KDE approved GMAP Application:
- Consolidated Application (310L, 314L, 345L, 345LI, 350L, 401L and 552L);
- IDEA B Application (337L and 343L); and/or
- Perkins Application (348L).
If you have any questions about an application, please contact the following:
- Consolidated Application:
All FCR’s must be submitted to the FCR inbox at fcr.requests@education.ky.gov. Remember don’t let your Outlook default this email address. It might want to auto populate it and if it does make sure it doesn’t say oldfcr.requests@education.ky.gov. You can check this by double-clicking the address.
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