Dear Colleagues,
This week, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will release assessment and accountability data for the 2023-2024 school year.
This data is required to be released by state statute and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. This is the second year the current accountability system has been in full implementation with status and change as ways to evaluate state indicators.
As you will see in the coming days, there are several areas to be proud of, some areas of concern and some areas in which we as a state have plateaued. We at KDE have been hard at work to implement initiatives and programs in these areas to ensure we are improving outcomes for our students.
The change component plays a critical role in influencing school results. Since this is the second year where change has been implemented, comparisons to last year’s data can be made. Comparisons may be made in assessment performance for the last three years: 2022, 2023 and 2024. Accountability comparisons can be made between schools at each level (i.e., elementary to elementary) to the 2022-2023 data.
I encourage you as school leaders to take time and look deeply into the data rather than just focus on the color ratings.
Though there remains a considerable amount of work to ensure all students demonstrate proficiency on the state assessments, I want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment each of you have for your educators, students and families.
Continuous Improvement Summit
Last week, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at the Continuous Improvement Summit in Lexington. There were 16 awards presented for best practices in schools and districts and I had the honor of meeting with each of those winners.
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 children. Attending events like these are so fulfilling for me because it makes me excited for the future of education when I see the number of teachers and leaders in education dedicating their time to professional learning and gaining the knowledge to support one another and their students.
During the event, participants enhanced their professional learning experience, made new connections, built upon existing relationships with peers across Kentucky, and heard up-to-date information from KDE leaders, including assessment and accountability updates.
I saw firsthand the opportunities the summit allowed attendees to invest in their growth as leaders and educators by offering strategies to make a difference in their work and their students’ experiences.
I believe we as a state must continue to provide opportunities like these for your educators, school leaders and your community members so that we can support you in helping our children learn and gain the skills they need to become successful.
Thank you for all that you do and for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
School Report Card Preview and Approval Tools Open
New tools open today in the School Report Card (SRC) Suite Collection and Approval Portal. The Preview and Approval tools open this week; the Collection tool remains open for districts to enter collection data and print the School Profile Report. These tools will remain open for districts to complete the School Report Card work through Nov. 8 before public release, tentatively planned for Nov. 20.
The Preview tool allows school and district users to review data populated by KDE in the Overview, Education Opportunity, School Safety, and Transition to Adult Life domains. Focus should be on review of the 2023-2024 data. The Career and Technical Education domain will open in October.
The Approval tool is used to indicate approval of the data available in each of the domains. It is also used for tracking outstanding flags and approval statuses. Districts are asked to complete the review process in preparation for public release of the new School Report Card dashboards.
Training and office hours are available to school and district SRC contacts. Training is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. ET. Office hours will be available this week and next to accommodate availability around fall breaks. The AnLar team will be available on Friday, Oct. 4 and Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET to allow districts to pop in and ask questions. Zoom links will be shared with SRC and district assessment coordinator (DAC) contacts prior to training and office hour events. Training will be recorded and available by the end of the week. Quick reference guides are also available to help users navigate the new tools. These tools, along with recorded trainings and other resources are available on the SRC Resource webpage.
This release does not impact the release of assessment and accountability data planned for this week. The embargo period for that data opens Oct. 1, and public release Oct. 3. Assessment and accountability data will be included in the new SRC dashboard views but not at this time.
Immunization Information from the Kentucky Department for Public Health
Here is some information on the Annual School Immunization Survey for 2024-2025 from the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) Immunization Branch:
- The Annual School Immunization Survey is an assessment of the vaccination coverage of children in Kentucky schools, meeting the requirements of 702 KAR 1:160 and 902 KAR 2:060.
- All public or private primary or secondary schools in Kentucky are required to maintain a current immunization certificate on file for each child in attendance by KRS 214.034, unless exempted by KRS 214.036.
- All public or private elementary and secondary schools must electronically submit their immunization results to their local health departments for kindergarten, 7th-grade and 11th-grade students in accordance with KRS 158.037 and 902 KAR 2:055.
- The Annual School Immunization Survey for the 2024-2025 school year launched on Monday, Sept. 9 and should be completed no later than Dec. 31.
Late Submissions: Schools that do not submit reports by Dec. 31 will be contacted by a KDPH Immunization Branch representative.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the KDPH Immunization Branch email or call (502) 229-8597.
KDE seeks nominations from Kentucky schools for 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is seeking nominations from schools for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
This is not a scholarship; however, all scholars will be honored for their accomplishments during the National Recognition Program in June 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Presidential Scholars will be guests of the commissioner of the U.S. Department of Education (USED) during the National Recognition Program and receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials, educators and other accomplished people. To commemorate their achievement, the scholars are awarded the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.
Each school may nominate three high school seniors: one male, one female and one career and technical education (CTE) student of any gender. KDE has more information about the criteria for CTE student candidates.
Schools are encouraged to nominate students who, while demonstrating outstanding scholarship, might not otherwise be nominated through the current ACT/SAT or arts recognition processes. For the arts component, students must participate in the YoungArts program through the National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists.
Considerations for Nomination
- What about the student makes them stand out as having outstanding scholarship?
- What is special about this student’s personal characteristics, leadership and service activities in the fields of academics, career education or the arts?
Staff Recommendations
To apply, school staff should decide who to recommend as Presidential Scholars and then complete the appropriate staff recommendation forms linked below for each student:
As a reminder, a school can recommend only three students: one male, one female and one CTE student.
Student Applications
After completing the staff recommendation form for each student, staff should contact the recommended students and ask them to complete one of the linked forms below:
Important Information
All applications must be submitted to KDE by Friday, Nov. 1. KDE will select and submit the names of 25 students to the USED. Please email Kathie Anderson if you have any questions or call her at (502) 564-4970, ext. 4133.
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.
Application Now Open for Kentucky Innovative Teacher Fellowship
Applications close soon for the third cohort of the Kentucky Innovative Learning Network’s (KY ILN) Innovative Teacher Fellowship! This fellowship provides an opportunity for teacher leaders in your district to create, innovate, and share their work across the Commonwealth while furthering the vision of United We Learn in their classrooms.
Teacher fellows experience professional networking and collaboration, professional learning with innovative national and state partners, the design, implementation, reflection, and sharing of learner-centered projects, and teacher leadership and advocacy opportunities.
Please share the application with exceptional teachers in your network. We are also excited to announce that the fellowship is now open to teachers in all 171 of Kentucky’s districts!
To find more information and apply, please visit the 2024-2025 KY ILN Innovative Teacher Fellowship application.
Applications are due on Friday, Oct. 4 by 4 p.m. ET. Notice of selection will be sent out on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The in-person kickoff event will be held on Friday, Oct. 25. If you have questions you have questions please contact Rob Collins.
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