 Holly Bloodworth, member of the Kentucky Board of Education, explores information about the science of reading shared by Lexia LETRS at the Read to Succeed pre-conference session in June. Bloodworth is a former K-12 educator of over 30 years and one of the 6,000+ Kentucky educators who have completed or are enrolled in LETRS. She continues to serve Kentucky schools as a senior instructor in the College of Education and Human Services at Murray State University.
Registration for the fourth Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) cohort will remain open through August 22, 2025.
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 or are participating in LETRS.
Two different courses are being offered through the Kentucky Reading Academies: LETRS for Educators and LETRS for Administrators. A description of each is below:
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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 support to early readers.
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LETRS for Administrators Cohort 4: This course is recommended for instructional coaches who have completed LETRS for Educators, district leaders and building administrators.
PLEASE NOTE: Limited licenses are available for Cohort 4. Registration will be first come, first served. Once we reach capacity, registrants will be placed on a waitlist and invited as licenses become available. Registration does not guarantee enrollment into the professional learning. 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.
For questions about the Kentucky Reading Academies, please email KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff.
 Welcome Back!
The Division of Early Literacy (DEL) wants to welcome you and your students back to the classroom for the 2025-2026 school year. We recognize the complexities of teaching are vast and that you teach through many challenges each day. We value your dedication and want to thank you for your commitment to meeting students’ needs.
New Kentucky Reading Improvement Plan Form Now Available in IC
A new version of the Reading Improvement Plan, titled “Kentucky Reading Improvement Plan Form” is now available in Infinite Campus (IC) for use in the 2025-2026 school year. The word “Template” has been removed from the title per district request, otherwise the form itself is exactly the same as the prior version. The new form has added functionality in that information entered into the fields on the form will populate into a database making it possible for schools and districts to run a report that consolidates all Reading Improvement Plan forms assigned to students in one place for quick and easy review. The KDE is currently developing this report and further communication will follow with how to use the report once it is completed.
Very important note: Both the new form and the old form will be available during the 2025-2026 school year. If your district would like to use the new form only, you may end date the old forms titled “KY Reading Improvement Plan.” These forms will be sunset for new use on June 30, 2026.
It is recommended to clearly communicate with educators that will be completing the forms the name of the form they should use (i.e. “KY Reading Improvement Plan” or “Kentucky Reading Improvement Plan”).
Please reach out to Caryn Davidson by email at caryn.davidson@education.ky.gov with any questions about the new form.
New Resource Supports KyMTSS: A Tool Every Reading Improvement Team Should Consider
An important part of strengthening an effective Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is maintaining a clear, organized inventory of the academic and behavioral interventions in place across the school and district. To support this effort, the new KyMTSS Intervention Inventory is now available. This tool provides a systematic way to compile, analyze and plan for all interventions of the tiered delivery system.
This inventory includes customizable Excel templates and guiding questions beyond reading. Mathematics and social-behavioral domains are also included. The inventory serves as a planning resource to help MTSS teams make strategic decisions to maximize learning for all students.
Reading Improvement Teams may use this tool when they are developing a student’s Reading Improvement Plan. Teams who have completed the KyMTSS Intervention Inventory - or similar process - for reading will be better equipped to make decisions about the student’s implementation plan, which is Section 2 of the KDE Reading Improvement Plan template.
Utilize the KyMTSS Intervention Inventory to:
- Identify intervention for Tiers 1, 2 and 3;
- Determine if interventions are evidence-based, aligned with student needs and implemented with fidelity;
- Guide professional learning and resource allocation; and
- Inform data-based conversations during intervention planning meetings.
ICYMI: The Kentucky Reading Research Center: Supporting Literacy through the Research Clearinghouse
The Kentucky Department of Education’s partner, the Kentucky Reading Research Center, offers a comprehensive research clearinghouse to support education stakeholders in learning how evidence-based research can inform effective literacy instruction. The clearinghouse offers summaries of research studies, making it easier for educators and caregivers to be aware of the latest literacy research. As the clearinghouse is further developed it will include practical tools for bridging the gap between research and classroom practice. The center recently released a short video explaining how the center’s clearinghouse works. Stay up-to-date on new releases and more information by subscribing to the Kentucky Research Center’s e-newsletter Bookmark at kyreadingresearch.org.
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