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Standards Newsletter: Aug. 6, 2025

Kentucky Department of Education sent this bulletin at 08/06/2025 12:04 PM EDT

Aug. 6, 2025

Introducing the NEW KY Learning Hub: Your One-Stop Destination for free KDE High-Quality Professional Learning

The Kentucky Department of Education is proud to launch the KY Learning Hub, a new, centralized platform designed to support educators across the Commonwealth with high-quality professional learning opportunities. Kentucky educators will use their district email and password, making access to the platform seamless.

Whether you're looking to deepen your instructional practice, explore innovative strategies, complete required training or connect with offerings from leading education organizations, the KyLearningHub.org brings it all together in one easy-to-access hub location. In addition to curated KDE content, the platform features a Professional Learning Bulletin Board catalog, offering listings of learning opportunities from partner organizations.

Watch this short video to learn more about how the KY Learning Hub can support your professional growth and help you stay connected to the latest in teaching and learning.

NEW VPA Standards

The Getting to Know the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Visual and Performing Arts 3-Part Module is available now. This module is designed to build knowledge and capacity around the new Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) standards and to capitalize on the opportunity to improve teaching and learning aligned to the KAS for Visual and Performing Arts. It can be implemented either in a school-based setting or as a self-paced experience through the following platforms:

School-based (KYStandards.org): VPA teachers, district leaders, school administrators, instructional specialists/coaches, department chairs, teacher leaders, and pre-service teaching faculty may all lead or engage with this module. To support reflection and deeper exploration of the standards, facilitator notes are embedded within the PowerPoint presentation and complemented by an accompanying note catcher document. The school-based module materials are available on KyStandards.org.

Self-paced (KY Learning Hub): The self-paced version of the module allows VPA teachers to explore individually or collaboratively at their own pace. All module materials are available on KDE’s KY Learning Hub by visiting catalog.kylearninghub.org.

Ready to Rethink Assessment in Social Studies?

Today’s social studies standards go beyond memorization by asking students to think critically, ask meaningful questions and apply their learning to real-world issues. This shift demands an equally bold reimagining in how we measure learning because meaningful learning deserves meaningful assessment.

Access the asynchronous Performance Assessments in Social Studies professional learning module series on kystandards.org to explore how to design engaging, authentic tasks that reflect the work of civic leaders, economists, geographers and historians. You will learn how to move beyond traditional tests and create opportunities for students to analyze, create and explain as they investigate enduring questions, synthesize ideas across disciplines, and craft compelling, evidence-based conclusions that showcase deep, rigorous social studies learning.

This isn’t just about improving assessments. It’s about supporting student growth, making learning more meaningful, and building classrooms where students take ownership of their learning and develop the skills to engage deeply with the world around them. This learning will support educators in guiding students to think like civic leaders, economists, geographers and historians—empowering them to apply their knowledge in ways that truly matter and inspire change in their communities and beyond.

Calling all Mathematics Educators: Apply now for the Series 2 - Cultivating Vibrant Learning Experiences in Mathematics Workshop for Teams!

The Cultivating Vibrant Learning Experiences in Mathematics Workshop for Teams- Series 2 seeks to deepen content knowledge and pedagogy, clarifying what to teach and how best to teach it through the use of high-quality instructional resources being used in Kentucky classrooms. The workshop will specifically elevate connections across:

The Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Mathematics;
Evidence-based Instructional Practices, specifically the Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices outlined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM); and
High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) in Mathematics.

Series 1 took place last year and focused on Effective Mathematics Teaching Practice 1: Establish mathematics goals to focus learning. Those materials and recordings have been published along with a Facilitator’s Guide for instructional leaders to provide local opportunities to deepen educators’ content knowledge in mathematics. Learn more and access materials on the Cultivating Vibrant Learning Experiences in Mathematics page on KYStandards.org.

This NEW workshop series, Series 2, centers on Effective Mathematics Teaching Practice 2: Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving.

Who Should Apply?

This virtual workshop series provides K-12 educator teams with the opportunity to learn and grow together as both learners and practitioners through a series of 2-hour synchronous sessions. Participants will experience an adult learning environment designed to mirror the classroom experience, utilizing high-quality instructional resources and videos featuring Kentucky classrooms. The workshop series will include small group discussions in breakout rooms, whole-group discussions and meaningful connections with mathematics educators from across the state. Special emphasis will be placed on exploring teaching and learning within specific grade bands (primary, intermediate, middle and high).

Teams can be structured differently depending on the local context. Teams may include, but are not limited to, mathematics educators from the same or different grade levels, instructional leaders, such as instructional coaches, ideally from within the same school or district. Individual applicants are also encouraged to apply. If selected, they will be placed on a team with other individual applicants. Complete the application by September 3.

Session Schedule

There will be four sessions in this workshop series, selected teams will have two options each month to register to attend before each meeting.

A more in-depth description along with meeting materials will be provided in advance of each session.

Session 1: How can we implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving? Let's share ideas.

Option 1: Monday, Sept. 22, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET

Option 2: Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET

Session 2: Why is lesson internalization important? Let's move beyond planning.

Option 1: Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET

Option 2: Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. ET

Session 3: How do we analyze and respond to student thinking? Let's move learning forward.

Option 1: Monday, Nov. TBD

Option 2: Thursday, Nov. TBD

Session 4: What have we learned together? Let's reflect.

Option 1: Monday, Dec. TBD

Option 2: Thursday, Dec. TBD

Application Details

There are a limited number of spots available for this workshop. Teams interested in this opportunity should complete the Series 2: Cultivating Vibrant Student Learning Experiences in Mathematics Workshop for Teams application, no later than September 3, 2025.

Selected teams will be notified no later than Wednesday, September 10, 2025.

Questions? contact us at kdemath@education.ky.gov

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Family Resources for Back to School

Start off back to school relationship-building with students and families with these three helpful resources: Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) Family Guides, A Family’s Guide to Understanding Student Assessment and the Read at Home Plan Family Guide.

The KAS Family Guides were developed to help families familiarize themselves with the concepts of each grade level’s standards and include suggestions for how families can reinforce standards content at home. Each guide contains a standards overview for reading and writing, mathematics, science and social studies. Guides are available for grades K-8 and high school and even come in Spanish for Spanish-speaking families.
A Family’s Guide to Understanding Student Assessment was made to help families understand how assessment can support student learning. The guide includes information about formative, diagnostic, interim and summative assessment and gives teachers and families common language to use when discussing student assessment.
The Read At Home Plan Family Guide includes learning experiences families can have with children at home to support their reading skills development. Additionally, the guide includes information about Senate Bill 9 (2022), the Read to Succeed Act, Reading Improvement Plans and the key role families play in student success. A glossary of literacy terms and general tips for reading at home also are included. The at-home learning experiences contained in this document are organized into the five essential components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension).

Countdown to Cohort 4: Register NOW for Kentucky Reading Academies LETRS Professional Learning

Registration for the fourth Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) cohort of the Kentucky Reading Academies will remain open through Aug. 22, 2025.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will continue the exciting partnership that brings the LETRS professional learning to educators across the Commonwealth, called the Kentucky Reading Academies. This course of study was chosen because of its demonstrated success on a national scale in bringing significant increases in literacy achievement. 

The Kentucky Reading Academies is a comprehensive no-cost professional learning opportunity open to all K-5 public school educators. More than 6,000 Kentucky educators and administrators have participated or are currently participating in the LETRS professional learning opportunity.

Two different courses are being offered through the Kentucky Reading Academies: LETRS for Educators and LETRS for Administrators. Descriptions of each are following:

LETRS for Educators Cohort 4: This course is recommended for K-5 teachers, interventionists, reading specialists, instructional coaches and anyone providing reading instruction or intervention supports to early readers.

LETRS for Administrators Cohort 4: This course is recommended for instructional coaches who have completed LETRS for Educators, district leaders and building administrators.

Interested educators and administrators can register on the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage through August 22. Registrants will indicate which course they are enrolling in when completing the registration form.

PLEASE NOTE: Registrants will receive an email from Christie Biggerstaff indicating their enrollment status mid to late August.

Also of note: Cohort 3 participants will not need to register for Cohort 4 as they are already enrolled in the professional learning.

Find out more about the Kentucky Reading Academies on the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage. 

For questions about the Kentucky Reading Academies, please email KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

standards@education.ky.gov

Kentucky Department of Education
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