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Dear Colleagues,
Raising the bar in literacy and mathematics education across our districts is a task we need to do together as our students need these skillsets for lifelong success.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support continues to provide support for educator training through events like the annual Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 23-24 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington.
I, along with the staff here at KDE, have a strong commitment to providing our teachers with the tools, resources and support they require to empower our kids with research-based literacy practices and develop into competent readers.
During this event, participants will join thousands of educators across the Commonwealth to enhance their professional learning, make new connections, build upon existing relationships with peers across Kentucky, and hear up-to-date information from KDE leaders, including assessment and accountability updates.
These sessions are designed for elementary and secondary educators, administrators and central office staff with a focus on continuous improvement at both the district and school levels.
Topics will include data-driven decision-making, high-quality career and technical education, community schools as an improvement strategy, the role of leaders in multi-tiered system of supports, among other timely topics.
I believe literacy is essential to both academic achievement and lifelong learning so creating opportunities like the Continuous Improvement Summit allows us to invest in our students and teachers' bright futures.
The Kentucky Reading Academies also opened registration for the third cohort of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning.
I've heard many of your personal stories about LETRS and it's always fascinating to learn about the newfound knowledge and abilities you have gained in teaching and leading.
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 every young reader.
LETRS 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.
Registration for the third cohort closes Aug. 30, so you have a few days to still join!
On Tuesday, we will have our first Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council meeting for this school year here in Frankfort. I am excited to get to know the students and meet all our new council members this year.
Student feedback is critical when it comes to our state's education and after looking at the agenda, I am excited to hear their thoughts on items like career and technical education and chronic absenteeism.
Thank you for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
Success Stories of Effective Partnerships with Families
During its 2023 term, Family Partnership Council (FPC) members conducted an in-depth analysis of the latest research on family partnerships and collaborated to create the Family Partnership Council’s recommendations to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
These recommendations would:
- Support every school’s effort to form effective partnerships;
- Promote greater alignment of KDE’s and outside organizations’ family partnership initiatives; and
- Set the goals of the FPC for the next two years.
One of the four recommendations noted that KDE should encourage districts and schools to develop local web pages that include more robust relationship-building and communication metrics regarding meaningful family and community engagement. KDE is seeking to fulfill this recommendation by highlighting districts and schools that are doing family partnerships well and what they are doing with a special focus on innovative practices.
KDE is encouraging all Kentucky districts and schools to utilize the Success Stories of Effective Partnerships with Families form to share their stories of creating trusting relationships with families as partners that are making a positive impact for both students and families. Stories will be shared as a resource and inspiration to other schools across the Commonwealth as we seek innovative and successful ways to partner with our parents, families and our communities.
To learn more about the FPC, please visit the Family Partnership Council website.
2024-2025 Comprehensive Improvement Planning for Districts and Schools
Improvement planning for the 2024-2025 academic year is underway. A collaborative process involving multiple stakeholders is essential to identifying priority needs and the resources and actions to best address them.
The process and timeline for comprehensive school and district improvement planning outlined in 703 KAR 5:225 remain unchanged as outlined on the Comprehensive Improvement Planning webpage. While comprehensive improvement planning is a continuous process and plans may be reviewed and revised at any time, the timeline identifies the diagnostics included in each phase of the planning process and their statutory due dates.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) continues to utilize the Cognia Continuous Improvement Platform (CIP), and the 2024-2025 diagnostics are now available. Schools and districts must annually review, revise and develop an improvement plan and therefore must complete new diagnostics.
When creating and completing your diagnostics within the CIP, please ensure that the user works within the correct dashboard (district or school) and creates the correct level of diagnostic (system or school). While there are no new diagnostics this year, minor revisions have been made. Please be sure to choose the current year’s version.
2024-2025 will also be a transition year for trauma-informed plans. Pursuant to KRS 158.4416, each local board of education must develop a plan for implementing a trauma-informed approach in its schools.
Senate Bill 2 requires that the trauma-informed plans be reviewed and updated annually, incorporated into the annual Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) and submitted to KDE. This process should be included as part of your improvement planning.
Districts are strongly encouraged to use the template developed by KDE to ensure their trauma-informed plans address all the required components identified in KRS 158.4416. More information on requirements as well as the Trauma-Informed Toolkit can be found on KDE's Trauma-Informed Practices website.
A survey, due Nov. 1, will serve as a temporary collection for 2024-2025 school year and the plan will be incorporated into the CDIP process in the Cognia platform for the 2025-2026 school year. For more information, please contact Christina Weeter, division director in the KDE Office of Continuous Improvement.
We hope you will join us for the Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 23-24 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington to learn more about improvement planning and continuous improvement.
For additional information about the CIP, contact Veronica Boller. For more information regarding improvement planning, visit the Comprehensive Improvement Planning webpage.
KYTC Holding 2nd Annual Paint the Plow Program for Students
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is holding its second annual statewide Paint the Plow program to promote safe driving during snow and ice season, and they are inviting you to participate.
Paint the Plow is an opportunity for high school art students to paint one of the state's snowplow blades. The number of available blades varies by district. Therefore, the program is only operated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Anyone who receives an email to confirm participation will need a design for the blade for KYTC. Before the blade can be dropped off at the student's school, the design must be approved by KYTC staff.
Faculty may assist in creating the design, but only students should participate in painting the design without alteration.
Consider the following for design to the blade:
- The blade is approximately 12’ wide and 4’ high.
- The top foot of the blade is blocked from view due to a rubber strip.
- Use enamel paints with bright backgrounds.
- A final clear coat will help extend the life of the painting.
- No materials other than paint can be applied to the plow blade.
- Schools are responsible for purchasing paint and supplies.
Follow these guidelines when creating your design:
- The approved design must be applied with no modifications.
- Designs and messages should focus on road safety and winter weather.
- The design can include the school logo and school colors.
- Please include your school’s name if using the mascot/logo.
- Consider the following slogans for a snow and ice theme:
- No Device in Snow and Ice;
- Slow in Snow; and
- Slick Drivers Slow Down in Snow and Ice.
- The designs must be PG in nature.
- They will not include political, partisan, violent or lewd images.
- No copyright, pop-culture references, movies, songs, celebrities, etc.
Anyone interested in participating should fill out a Paint the Plow application.
Those selected to participate will receive confirmation of their participation status from a KYTC representative and will have until Sept. 27 to submit via email to have a design approved. Once the design is approved, KYTC will coordinate a drop-off and pick-up time with the student's point of contact.
The deadline to schedule a blade drop-off is Oct. 4. The blade will be picked up no later than Nov. 8.
KDE Workshops Available to Help Understand Postsecondary and Career Readiness Opportunities
In an effort to promote the use of postsecondary readiness opportunities, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Career and Technical Education, in cooperation with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), is sponsoring three workshops throughout the commonwealth.
The workshops are for administrators, counselors and career and technical education teachers to learn about postsecondary and career readiness opportunities, including articulated credit, dual credit, work-based learning, and Tech Ready Apprenticeships for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK).
The participants will learn how to promote and enroll students in these programs, offering students opportunities to best prepare for postsecondary and career opportunities. Participants will receive four hours of Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit.
A box lunch will be provided and registration is limited to the first 75 who register. The registration forms, location, dates, and times are as follows:
If you have any questions, please contact John Paise in the KDE Office of Career and Technical Education.
Accepting Applications for Diagnostic Review Team Members
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia are accepting applications for diagnostic review team members to serve during the 2024-2025 school year.
The Cognia diagnostic review process is a performance-driven approach that relies on data from student performance, stakeholder feedback, classroom observations and a review of documents, artifacts and school practices.
Diagnostic reviews yield a comprehensive analysis of an institution in an extensive report intended to energize and guide continuous improvement planning for underperforming schools/districts.
All diagnostic review team members must have experience or expertise in the following areas:
- School or system administration with a specific emphasis on instructional leadership such as superintendent, principal, instructional supervisor, director of curriculum and instruction, assessment, special education, etc.
- Leading or supporting turnaround/ improvement initiatives at the school, system or state department levels.
- Familiarity with the analysis and use of data as a driver for improvement.
Diagnostic review team members are required to complete specialized training. While there is no compensation for participating as a diagnostic review team member, all expenses associated with travel for an onsite visit will be reimbursed by Cognia.
If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please begin by submitting your contact information on the diagnostic review team member interest form.
We will send next step information to support you through the training process. We will have multiple training options available throughout the next few months in preparation for reviews scheduled for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have questions, please email the Cognia team.
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