Mountain Top View
Recently, I had the incredible joy of watching my daughter marry the love of her life. She waited — sometimes patiently, sometimes not — for the perfect man who embodied all the qualities that mattered to her. While many of her friends walked down the aisle before her, she stayed true to her vision, knowing what she truly wanted. When the day finally arrived, it was nothing short of magical. She married her best friend on a mountaintop with a breathtaking view — a moment that made every ounce of waiting and preparation worthwhile.
As school counselors, we share a similar journey. We all have that dream of a mountaintop view — the dream of building an impactful school counseling program that is comprehensive, student-centered, and transformative. But, like my daughter’s journey, the path to that dream requires persistence, intentionality, and advocacy. The climb may be steep, but the view from the top is always worth the effort.
What does your "mountain top view" school counseling program look like? Maybe it’s one where you are able to provide quality counseling support to all of your students, where data shows your interventions are making a measurable difference, or where your role is fully supported and understood by your school community. Vision matters because it gives us something to work towards and it keeps us centered during hard times.
Small advocacy efforts can have a big impact. National School Counseling Week, Feb. 3-7, is your perfect opportunity to take a few meaningful steps toward your dream. Advocacy is one of the most powerful tools you have to elevate your program and move closer to your "mountaintop view." Take some time to plan how you can use National School Counseling Week to get your school counseling program where it needs to be. When you get there, the "view" is incredible!
Don't forget to use the resources that ASCA provides to help you along this journey.
In partnership, purpose and deep admiration,
Michelle
KY Transition 360
KY Transition 360 For Educators Program is now accepting applications!
The goal of KY Transition 360 For Educators is to enhance the quality of transition programming in Kentucky’s schools, focusing on key areas that support students with disabilities. Educators selected to participate in this Tier I program are eligible for a $750 stipend upon successful completion. The Tier I program is self-paced and features a dynamic, asynchronous online learning experience.
Eligible applicants include general and special education teachers, counselors, job coaches/employment specialists, career and technical education teachers, and school and district administrators. APPLY NOW!
For additional information, or if you have questions, you can contact Jason Wheatley.
2025-2026 Course Codes View Now Available in the Searchable State Course Codes Database within KECS
The Searchable State Course Codes Database (SSCCD) within the Kentucky Educator Certification System (KECS) is now available with an updated view for the 2025-2026 school year.
There are several changes to both career and technical education (CTE) courses and academic courses. For CTE, the program areas of Engineering, Transportation, and Business and Marketing have had inactive courses removed due to their misalignment with current state-approved pathways. New courses in Law and Public Safety, Health Science, and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) have been added to support active pathways and align with industry needs within their program areas. Two new Advanced Placement (AP) courses were added: AP CK Cyber: Security and AP CK Cyber: Networking.
For academic courses, changes were made to courses for English Learners based on district feedback, and changes were made to world languages courses based on feedback from the Kentucky World Languages Association. Additionally, clarifications around which courses can serve as required credits towards minimum high school graduation requirements were made. Several visual and performing arts courses were updated to better align to the revised Kentucky Academic Standards for Visual and Performing Arts. Several other minor changes were made across content areas to better align to intended course purposes.
Please note that 303091 Integrated Science I, 303092 Integrated Science II and 303093 Integrated Science III will be deprecated beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Schools are advised to prepare for this change now.
The name and description of state course code 909995 was updated to reflect its appropriate usage for teaching planning periods.
For a detailed list of course code changes, please visit the Kentucky Uniform Academic Course Codes webpage and access the Course Codes Changes spreadsheet.
Please contact coursecodes@education.ky.gov with any questions.
 Parchment: eTranscripts
Parchment simplifies and empowers your K-12 records administration team and counselors by providing one platform to easily send transcripts for students and alumni and complete third- party graduation verifications.
Unlock future doors today by taking advantage of the sponsorship the Kentucky Department of Education provides.
Securely send digital documents through the network preferred and trusted by higher education and employers worldwide for currently enrolled students at no cost to you.
Additionally, enjoy the API integration that Infinite Campus provides for a more seamless experience (for set-up and training please visit eTranscript data standard).
Contact Raquel Asencio-Garcia (CSM, raquel.asencio-garcia@parchment.com) to get started or answer any questions you may have if you are already a member.
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