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Dear Colleagues,
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has received numerous emails and phone calls related to information requests and enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or one of its associated agencies (e.g., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on school property.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe found that all children, regardless of actual or perceived immigration status, have an equal right to a free public education. This has been interpreted as meaning school districts may not require or collect proof of immigration status. However, schools can require proof of residency within the district and proof of age for enrollment.
If an immigration enforcement officer arrives at a school, it is recommended that school districts develop and implement procedures to verify the identity and legal authorization of the officer or officers.
Our goal each day is that any disruption to student learning is minimized to the greatest extent possible, so KDE has developed guidance on responding to immigration issues in schools. It offers recommendations for how your district can handle these situations, while also clarifying how other regulations – including Title VI and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – factor into these situations. The guidance document can be found on KDE’s Title III - English Learner and Immigrant Students webpage.
National Assessment of Educational Progress
Results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, were released this morning and they show a lot of promising signs for Kentucky students.
Our 4th-grade math students saw a statistically-significant increase in their scores, something only 14 other states made during this testing cycle.
The rest of Kentucky’s scores in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math and reading held steady, marking the first time students in the Commonwealth have progressed or held steady on NAEP since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commonwealth’s students also were above the national average in both 4th- and 8th-grade reading, as well as 4th-grade math. More information can be found by visiting the Kentucky 2024 NAEP results article on Kentucky Teacher.
I know our educators have been hard at work to make an impact on the lives of our students, especially in the years following COVID-19, and your work is truly appreciated. This isn’t a trend just yet, but I am encouraged to see signs that our students are recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
As always, thank you for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference Date Announced
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Division of Early Literacy invites you to the second-annual Kentucky Reads to Succeed Summer Conference on June 13.
The conference, which will require registration but will be free to Kentucky's K-12 public school educators, will offer focused learning paths to meet the needs of teachers and administrators. Attendees will learn from KDE Office of Teaching and Learning consultants and partners about:
- Evidence-based instructional shifts for literacy;
- The benefits of structured literacy;
- Why high-quality instructional resources matter; and
- Available resources for implementing the Read to Succeed Act.
Mark your calendar for this June 13 event and stay tuned for registration information coming soon.
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. 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
- Feb. 27: Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 904 W. Rose Road, Ashland, 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:
- 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
Regional Sessions on Educator Apprenticeships
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is hosting three regional sessions on educator apprenticeships in March.
Discover how apprenticeships are being utilized to create a sustainable pipeline of new K-12 and pre-school educators! Learn from districts, community colleges and education preparation providers on how they created partnerships to implement their successful models.
There will also be breakout sessions on how Teaching and Learning and Early Childhood Education programs play an important role in this initiative. Information will also be provided regarding funding opportunities.
The sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations:
- March 10: Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Springfield campus
- March 11: Hopkinsville Community and Technical College
- March 13: Big Sandy Community and Technical College
Due to space constraints, we ask that you limit registration to two attendees per organization. Learn more and find links to register by visiting the Regional Sessions on Educator Apprenticeships flyer.
Tentative 2025-2026 Title I, Part A Census Poverty and Hold Harmless Rates Available
An explanation of tentative census poverty data and tentative hold harmless rates can be found on the Kentucky Department of Education Title I Part A Documents and Resources webpage. These numbers, used in part to allocate Title I, Part A funds, can now be used to produce an estimate of your 2025-2026 school year Title I, Part A allocation.
Carefully review the information included in the document and bear in mind that all data provided is tentative and is provided for planning purposes only. It does not represent your district’s final Title I, Part A allocation for the next school year. An overview of the notification was included in the December 2024 Title I webinar.
For more information, contact your Title I, Part A consultant.
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.
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