Commissioner's Weekly Message

Jan. 15, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

I know the severe winter weather has caused a lot of disruption to the beginning of the new semester. I want to reiterate that if your district needs any help or resources, please reach out to us here at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and we will do the best we can to address your needs.

With that being said, one of the critical roles our schools play is providing students with nutritious meals. As you know, this is difficult to accomplish when students are not in the building during non-traditional instruction (NTI) days, but there are options to help.

For the 2024-2025 school year, KDE requested and received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to grant waivers allowing sponsors to provide NTI or unanticipated closures. Details on applying for these waivers are available on SponsorNet.

If you would like to provide non-congregate meal service, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• If your district is operating NTI, you must operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), because NTI is considered a school day. You can only provide meals to enrolled students.
• If your district is closed unexpectedly, meaning no instruction and the closure was unanticipated, you can either operate the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). You can provide meals to enrolled students and other community children aged 18 and younger. You must be approved in advance though, and retroactive approvals will not be given. If you ever choose to provide meals through SFSP, you need to contact Cathy Gallagher and she will be happy to help you. 

Non-congregate feeding is optional, and consideration must be given to several factors, including whether there is a demonstrated need, is there sufficient inventory available for the production of meals, and are staff available and able to come to work safely given what the road conditions are like at the time.

The safety part is tough given the weather we have had this month. If you determine that feeding can be done safely, I would strongly encourage it, but please make sure you are not putting anyone in harm’s way.

Despite the weather, we are still moving forward with our plans at the department to gather input on key issues affecting our schools. I am excited to begin our assessment and accountability town halls at the Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative in Lexington on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. ET, and I hope to hear plenty of feedback on our latest assessment and accountability framework. Details can be found on the Reimagining Assessment and Accountability - Framework 2.0 webpage, while the dates are listed in this bulletin. You should have also received this information in an email from us yesterday that includes more technical information about the framework.

It is important that we get as much feedback as possible on the new framework to help ensure the final proposal will meet the needs of Kentucky’s students, families and communities. We encourage you, your staff and families to attend one of our town hall sessions.

As always, thank you for being …

All In,

Robbie Fletcher

Commissioner of Education

School Report Card Suite - Final Reminders

Thanks to all school and district staff who contributed to the deployment of the 2023-2024 Kentucky School Report Card (SRC) Suite Dashboard site.

The SRC Preview webpage has reopened for schools that need to add or revise previously entered collection data. Collection data is entered and updated through the Submit Collection Data tool. Updates must be made by Jan. 21. At that point, the tool will close and all data will be final for 2023-2024 reporting.

Please remember, as a final step, to ensure local SRC sharing requirements are met. Districts must:

• Post SRC links to school and district webpages (all previously posted URLs need to be updated to link to the new school or district SRC).
• Share the SRC link with parents; and
• Publish a link in the newspaper with the largest circulation in the county.

AnLar continues to work on accessibility, mobile-ready and other SRC Suite Dashboard features. Districts and schools are welcome to provide general feedback on the new School Report Card through the feedback tool located in the Help/Contact Us section of the SRC Suite Dashboard site. The feedback will be shared with AnLar to help drive improvements to the new SRC Suite Dashboard site.

Summer Grocery Benefits for Kentucky’s Students

The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (SEBT) program was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 as a permanent, nationwide program. The federal nutrition program is operated in Kentucky by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) with support from the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The program provides grocery benefits of $120 per eligible child to families during summer.

The first year of SEBT in Kentucky successfully concluded last year, with 384,345 children receiving more than $46,000,000 in benefits. This monumental effort to support the nutritional needs of our students when they are on summer break could not have been achieved without the support of every district.

SEBT 2025 benefits will be based on eligible student enrollments during the 2024-2025 school year and provided to families beginning in May. District directors of pupil personnel (DPP) have recently been provided with information and instructions, including the specific Infinite Campus report to run and necessary Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) steps for compiling and submitting the necessary data to DCBS to support this valuable program again.

We’re happy to share that DCBS will compensate each district this summer based on student enrollment numbers to offset district administrative expenses. The payment contract information has also been shared with DPPs; an electronic signature from each district will be required to receive the funds. Additional program information is available on the DCBS SEBT webpage. 

Kentucky Numeracy Counts K-3 HQIR Grant

The Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE’s) Office of Teaching and Learning has issued a request for application (RFA) for the Kentucky Numeracy Counts K-3 HQIR grant.

Kentucky public school districts, along with the Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf, are eligible to apply. Districts that have been previously awarded other KDE high-quality instructional resource (HQIR) grants for mathematics may apply for funds. 

The RFA can be found on the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage.

As specified in KRS 158.843, the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Fund grant shall only be used to purchase approved high-quality research and evidence-based curriculum aligned to kindergarten through grade three (3) academic standards in mathematics and expenditures for curriculum-based professional learning to implement a new curriculum.

Per KRS 158.8402(5)(b), “Each superintendent or public charter school board of directors shall adopt an evidence-based curriculum along with high-quality instructional resources for mathematics that is determined by the department to be reliable, valid, and aligned to Kentucky academic standards for mathematics required by KRS 158.6453 for kindergarten through grade three (3).”

This grant opportunity will provide $70,000 for up to 40 districts to purchase mathematics HQIRs and/or support Curriculum-Based Professional Learning for grades K-3. 

KDE will host a technical assistance webinar on Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. ET. The deadline to submit an application is March 6 at 4 p.m. ET.

Assessment and Accountability Town Halls

Join Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher and the Kentucky United We Learn Council for a series of community conversations to shape the future of education in the Commonwealth, including a review of the proposed assessment and accountability system framework. Attendees also will see what innovative things are happening in surrounding districts to provide Kentucky’s students with vibrant learning experiences.

Attached is an agenda outlining the topics that will be explored during these sessions.

• Jan. 15: Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 2331 Fortune Drive, Suite 180, Lexington, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 16: Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, 412 Roy Campbell Drive, Hazard, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 21: Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, 230 Technology Way, Bowling Green, 5-7 p.m. CT
• Jan. 22: Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 904 West Rose Road, Ashland, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 27 (Hybrid Spanish-language Town Hall): Dishman-McGinnis Elementary, 375 Glen Lily Road, Bowling Green, 5-7 p.m. CT
• Jan. 29: Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, 219 7th St., Shelbyville. 5-7 p.m. ET
• Jan. 30: West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 435 Outlet Ave., Eddyville, 5-7 p.m. CT
• Feb. 4: Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative, 55 Waco Drive, London, 5-7 p.m. ET
• Feb. 12: Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, 5516 E. Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, 5-7 p.m. ET

SEEK Roadshow Schedule

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is preparing for cooperative visits to offer district training on the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding program and tackle the main challenges associated with SEEK funding.

Our aim is to improve outreach by partnering with cooperatives to deliver training sessions for superintendents and finance officers. We will conduct a three-hour workshop that will feature a presentation by KDE representatives, followed by an extensive Q&A session. Each cooperative will provide registration details.

Please plan to attend one of the following educational sessions:

• Jan. 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET, Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) – 412 Roy Campbell Drive, Hazard
• Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon ET, Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) – 100 Alpine Drive, Shelbyville
• Feb. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT, Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) – 230 Technology Way, Bowling Green,
• Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon ET, Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative (CKEC) – CKEC Training Center, 2331 Fortune Drive, Suite 110, Lexington
• Feb. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET, Northern Kentucky Educational Cooperative (NKEC) – 5516 E Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring
• Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT, West Kentucky Educational Cooperative (WKEC) – WKEC Conference Center, 435 Outlet Ave, Eddyville

Updated Guidance for Parent and Family Engagement Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The nonregulatory guidance document, Parent and Family Engagement under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, has been updated.

The document consists of technical updates to the guidance originally issued in April 2004 to ensure the guidance reflects parent and family engagement requirements under ESSA. Please refer to the updated version for the latest insights and recommendations.

If you have questions about the document or parent and family engagement requirements under ESSA, please contact Erin Sudduth or your district’s Title I consultant.

Updated Guidance for Parent and Family Engagement Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The nonregulatory guidance document, Parent and Family Engagement under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, has been updated.

The document consists of technical updates to the guidance originally issued in April 2004 to ensure the guidance reflects parent and family engagement requirements under ESSA. Please refer to the updated version for the latest insights and recommendations.

If you have questions about the document or parent and family engagement requirements under ESSA, please contact Erin Sudduth or your district’s Title I consultant.

Age of Learning to Implement Kentucky’s Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Project

The Kentucky Department of Education is pleased to partner with Age of Learning to provide a new, no-cost, online educational experience for preschool-aged learners who may not be attending state-funded preschool programs across the Commonwealth.

Age of Learning will provide tablets, mobile internet, and a subscription to their online learning platform, My Reading Academy, for eligible preschool learners to increase kindergarten readiness.

Age of Learning will contact school districts and other early childhood partners to find and enroll eligible students. School districts are encouraged to work with Age of Learning to find and enroll eligible students into this home or childcare-based learning opportunity.

For more information, contact Kay Vines, senior customer success manager with Age of Learning.

Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Communication Plan

To improve messaging and collaboration with local Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) contacts and avoid duplicate messages, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will send all CRDC information to the CRDC district contact and CRDC school contacts as locally designated in the People Role Manager app.

It is essential to keep these contacts up to date. To verify your CRDC contacts, visit the Open House District and School Directory, search for your district and schools, and scroll down to see the CRDC contacts. To make any updates to your contacts, please reach out to your district’s web app administrator point-of-contact (WAAPOC).

Messages relevant to superintendents will continue to be distributed in the Commissioner’s Weekly Message. If you have any questions about the CRDC contacts for your district, please contact KDE Data Services.

Schools and Districts Encouraged to Submit Best Practices

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Best Practices and Sustainability webpage is open for submission of best practices from schools and districts.

The Best Practices website is designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school/district processes. Any aspect of a school or district system that can impact student outcomes through improved instruction or operations can be submitted as a best practice.

Best practices should be submitted to the Best Practices database by May 9 to be considered for acknowledgement at the Continuous Improvement Summit, scheduled for Sept. 22-23.

For more information, email Natasha Stein.

KDE’s Communication Skills for School Leaders Series

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Communication Skills for School Leaders Series, facilitated by Mike Rutherford, consists of three one-day conference experiences offered in Lexington at the Central Bank Center and in Bowling Green at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time.

The Lexington sessions are scheduled for Feb. 25, March 18 and April 30. The Bowling Green sessions are scheduled for Feb. 27, March 19 and May 1.

Each conference experience is designed for optimal engagement, relevance and applicability. The conference series comes at no cost to participants.

Communication skills are learnable. Everyone can become a better communicator. This three-part series will engage school leaders in a rigorous and lively examination of the skills necessary to be a clearer and more compelling communicator.

Topics will include public speaking; presentation skills; interpersonal skills; difficult conversations; communicating with individuals, small groups and mixed groups; communicating with varied constituent groups; communicating with print, social and on-camera media; how to interview and be interviewed; how to advocate for a cause; how to be a keen listener; how to be more influential and persuasive; how to facilitate learning for adult professionals; and even how to talk to yourself in a more positive and productive way.

The three sessions will be interactive, engaging and filled with opportunities to practice skills with immediate feedback in a safe, supportive environment.

Registration for the Communication Skills for School Leaders Series is required by Feb. 17. Questions regarding the training should be directed to Haley Ralston.

Cognitive Coaching Registration Now Open

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support will be offering its third cohort for Cognitive Coaching certification for classroom, school and district leaders.

This free, eight-day intensive training supports leaders in learning how to produce self-directed persons with the cognitive capacity for excellence. Participants will utilize intentional structures and tools for planning, reflecting and problem resolving, developing higher levels of efficacy, consciousness, craftsmanship, flexibility and interdependence. The coaching tools of pausing, paraphrasing, posing questions, the use of effective feedback and mediating thinking through conversational structure and data will be the main focus.

The trainings will take place on Feb. 3-4 at the Scott County Public Library, 104 S. Broadway Lane in Georgetown; Feb. 12-13 at the KDE office located at 300 Sower Blvd. in Frankfort; March 12-13 at the KDE office and April 14-15 at the KDE office.

To register, please complete the Cognitive Coaching Registration Form. Priority will be given to schools designated for comprehensive or targeted support and improvement, or those requiring more rigorous intervention. If you have any questions, please contact Educational Recovery Director Shannon Gullett.

Last Opportunities to Earn Initial Certified Evaluation Training for 2024-2025

There are two remaining Initial Certified Evaluation training sessions for the 2024-2025 school year.

The two-day training, including the corresponding assessment, is required for all new evaluators of certified personnel prior to completing a formative or summative evaluation per KRS 156.557 and 704 KAR 3:370.

Remaining dates are Jan. 22-23 and Jan. 29-30. For details and to register, visit the Initial Certified Evaluation training session registration webpage. 

Those receiving this at the Kentucky School for the Blind and the Kentucky School for the Deaf, please make sure all employees receive it. Also, Area Technology Center (ATC) principals are asked to forward it to their staffs.

Please send your questions, comments and suggestions on the Commissioner's Weekly Message to Joe Ragusa by 4 p.m. Monday to be published that week.