District Spotlight: Perry County Embraces High-Quality Instructional Resources to Drive Student and Teacher Success
During the summer, while most elementary school halls were quiet, West Perry Elementary in Perry County buzzed with conversation and excitement about the upcoming school year. New and experienced teachers, instructional coaches, and leaders gathered to work on the district's curriculum maps - a key step in the district's ongoing Curriculum Development Process. This collaborative energy reflected a significant shift from just a few years ago, when the district's approach to curriculum planning looked very different.
 Addressing the Need for Change
At the close of the 2021-2022 school year, both teacher feedback and academic data, such as the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) and iReady reports, revealed discrepancies in student performance across schools. “We knew we weren’t on the same playing field,” said Kristie Gorman, Perry County’s Assistant Superintendent. “While the district had a common pacing guide in place, it lacked fidelity in implementation and consistency. We lacked a common resource that all teachers knew was research-based and proven.”
When the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) introduced the Designing High-Quality Local Curriculum Reading and Writing Pilot, it provided the perfect solution for the district’s needs. “We jumped in with our best and brightest staff leading the discussions,” Gorman explained. The pilot aimed to help districts develop an understanding of the local curriculum development process, create a local standards-aligned Reading and Writing curriculum and adopt a High-Quality Instructional Resource (HQIR). Districts would then implement the local curriculum and HQIR in pilot schools, provide ongoing professional learning to support the implementation and then scale the work to non-pilot schools and other content areas.
Collaborative Curriculum Development
True to its collaborative nature, Perry County engaged teachers, instructional leaders, and stakeholders at every step of the curriculum development process. Teacher leaders from various grade levels and subjects played a central role, ensuring classroom perspectives guided decision-making. Additionally, the district gathered input through surveys and roundtable discussions, ensuring broad stakeholder engagement. Through this input and collaboration, Perry County developed their Instructional Vision and identified their HQIR for ELA.
 Communication was transparent, grounded in a clear goal of improving student outcomes. “The data doesn’t lie about where your areas for improvement are,” Gorman emphasized. Acknowledging these areas, no matter how uncomfortable, was key to moving forward. “Buy-in was there from the start because we asked for input in making these decisions.”
HQIR Implementation and Professional Learning
The implementation process for the HQIR was systematic and well-supported. The district’s summer curriculum work became a cornerstone of the initiative, setting the tone and building strong staff commitment. Teachers were paid stipends for their summer collaboration, which contributed to a positive start to the school year. “We wanted all materials and training prior to the school year beginning, plus follow-ups at key points in the year,” explained Gorman.
New teachers, experienced teachers, instructional coaches and members of the administration team, worked together each summer to develop and refine a common curriculum document. This document contained pacing information, links to resources, notes about implementation and assessments. Teachers were able to use this living document to guide their instruction while they focused on how to best deliver and differentiate the content for their students.
 Emily Duke, principal at West Perry Elementary, explained that this process was not easy at the beginning. “There were tears the first year,” she said. “We trusted the process and put supports in place to ensure teachers had what they needed as they began to implement the new resource. Our admin team was present in classrooms each day and teachers had support from our instructional coaches through planning and weekly PLCs.”
Throughout the year, district-wide Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) also ensured ongoing support and allowed adjustments as needed. These PLCs brought together teachers by grade level across different schools, creating a space for sharing insights, asking questions, and fine-tuning the pacing guide. This structure not only supported the HQIR implementation but also fostered a sense of community among educators.
Tiffany Combs, a district instructional coach, shared that the implementation of the district-wide HQIR created consistent instruction within the district and when implemented with fidelity, the resource allowed teachers to have common conversations about instruction and student learning. She said, “During district PLCs teachers were able to look at the common curriculum document together, analyze data they collected and ask questions. They could have open conversations about what was working, what was not working and next steps they needed to take.”
 Impact on Teachers and Students
The adoption of the HQIR significantly enhanced teachers’ professional experiences. Teachers were eager to participate in the summer curriculum work and enjoyed contributing their input. Conversations among staff became more intentional, with a clear focus on the same high-quality resources. Teachers also expressed confidence in the effectiveness of their work, feeling empowered by the tools and support they received.
For students, the HQIR set clear expectations in the classroom, and while the adjustment to more rigorous material was initially challenging, particularly for primary students, progress was evident. “Our data is slowly improving,” Gorman shared. While growth takes time, the district saw positive trends in student achievement, engagement, and confidence.
Autumn Shepherd, a 4th grade ELA teacher at West Perry Elementary shared that implementing the new curriculum the first year was intimidating. “It was rigorous, but we knew we could do hard things. We had high expectations for students that year and we saw a lot of growth in their work ethic, vocabulary and reading skills over the course of just one school year.”
Looking Ahead
Perry County’s adoption and implementation of an English Language Arts HQIR not only transformed literacy instruction but also provided a model for implementing high-quality resources across other content areas. Moving into year 3 of their work, both teachers and students are seeing the benefits - educators are more confident in their instruction, and students are adjusting to the rigor of the curriculum and closing gaps. As the district continues to refine its approach, the commitment to collaboration, data-driven decisions, and continuous improvement remains central to their success.
ICYMI: Structured Literacy Beyond Early Literacy Instruction: Developing Skilled Middle and High School Readers Webinar Series Session 3 Materials and Recording Available Now!
Do you know middle and high school teachers supporting students who are not yet skilled readers? If the answer is yes, the Developing Skilled Middle and High School Readers Webinar Series for grade 6-12 teachers and instructional coaches may be of interest.
This series shows how the structured literacy practices that are transforming early literacy instruction in Kentucky - as a result of the Read to Succeed Act (SB 9, 2022) and the Kentucky Reading Academies’ LETRS professional learning - can positively impact middle and high school reading and writing instruction.
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, learning materials will be posted on the adolescent structured literacy webpage to provide evidence-based strategies and practices for developing skilled middle and high school readers and writers. These include:
- Monthly recordings of webinar sessions (Sessions #1 and #2 available NOW);
- Corresponding participant guides
To help us support literacy development at every grade level, share this information with grade 6-12 teachers and instructional coaches.
Please contact ELAteam@education.ky.gov with questions.
Kentucky Awarded the Federal 2024 Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Kentucky a five-year, $54.9 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant to enhance literacy skills across the state. Renamed Kentucky Comprehensive Literacy 2025 (KyCL 25), the program will provide competitive funding to districts, focusing on underserved students, including those in poverty, English learners, and students with disabilities. This funding aims to improve literacy through high-quality instructional resources and curriculum based professional learning for all levels.
To learn more about the grant and the application process, read the full article here.
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