Question of the Week
Q: When will the recorded February DAC Training videos and resources be released?
A: February District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) Training videos and resources are now available. Each training has been recorded by staff in the Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS), College Board and Pearson assessment partners. The trainings include Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), Kentucky Alternate Assessment, Accommodations, High School, Test Security, and the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application. Additional trainings from College Board on Scores and Reporting and Pearson on Operational Testing and TestNav are also available. The individual videos may be accessed from the KDE DAC Training Series.
PowerPoints and other referenced resources, which include the February DAC Training (FDT) check sheet, for the February DAC Training may be accessed on the Meetings and Trainings page.
The 2025-2026 Kentucky Assessment and Accountability Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) contains questions and answers for the different assessment programs, the SDRR application, test security and accommodations. This FAQ document is another valuable resource for testing staff.
Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit will be offered for the February DAC Training Videos. EILA credit will not be provided for the February DAC Q&A sessions. The expectation for districts will be to review the recorded training videos prior to the hybrid Q&A sessions. DAAS staff has prepared a Q&A Checklist to assist in preparing for the Q&A sessions. Information on how to receive the EILA credit will be provided in an upcoming Monday DAC Email.
For questions on any of the resources, please contact DAAS by email or phone at (502) 564-4394.
Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration – State Data Management System (SDMS) Opens
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Building Assessment Coordinators (BACs), DACs, and other identified school staff will receive an invitation email from the College Board inviting access to SDMS to verify registrations uploaded by KDE. Coordinators should log in to SDMS to review student rosters and confirm appropriate accommodations, and DACs should initiate any necessary transfers within or across districts.
Test Day Toolkit, the test administration system, will open the week of Feb. 2 to create test rooms and add proctors. A separate email will be sent to coordinators with access information for the Test Day Toolkit.
If an email is not received and the individual is identified in SAT Suite Ordering and Registration as the primary test coordinator or district test coordinator, the junk or spam folder should be checked first before contacting Kentucky College Board Support.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration – College Board Online Test Staff Training Available
Online, self-paced training for all test day staff is now available for the Spring SAT Junior Administration at College Board Training for SAT Suite of Assessments. Testing staff must use a College Board professional account to log in. Coordinators may share the link with other test day staff. The courses are assigned based on the role the educator selects upon login. If testing staff have administered the SAT within the last year, a test-out option is available after the new information for Spring 2026 is presented. Training for all test staff must be completed by Friday, Feb. 27.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
K Screen Data File Update
KDE has identified an error in the K Screen data files released on Jan. 12. Upon identification, all files were promptly reviewed to ensure accuracy.
The review process is currently underway, and corrected files are being updated and will be reuploaded to the Kentucky Secure Web Application. A Special DAC email will be sent to DACs once the updated files are available.
KDE appreciates the patience and understanding of district partners during this process. For questions or additional assistance, please email Tiffany Christopher.
KDE Seeking Feedback
The following press release was sent out Friday, Jan. 23 and may be of interest to District Assessment Coordinators:
Feedback sought on Kentucky draft Mathematics Standards and assessment blueprints
(FRANKFORT KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is seeking feedback on the draft Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Mathematics and the assessment blueprints.
KRS 158.6453 calls for KDE to implement a process for reviewing all academic standards and aligned assessments beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. The schedule calls for one or two content areas to be reviewed each year and every six years after that on a rotating basis.
Standards outline what students are expected to learn in each grade to successfully transition to the next level of learning. The curriculum, including the instructional methods and resources used to teach the standards, is a separate issue and is determined at the local level per KRS 160.345.
To provide feedback on the draft KAS for Mathematics, please use this standards public comment survey. Participants are provided with the opportunity to give feedback on all standards or self-selected areas of interest.
Questions on the standards review survey can be directed to standards@education.ky.gov.
Stakeholders may also review the corresponding assessment blueprints for mathematics and share feedback and suggestions regarding the alignment of assessments to the draft mathematics standards.
To provide feedback on the mathematics assessment blueprints document, please use the assessment blueprints public feedback comment form. Feedback and comments will be thoughtfully considered, and any needed revisions will be made to align the blueprints to the newly revised standards.
Questions about the assessment blueprints document can be directed to dacinfo@education.ky.gov.
Due to the amount of text within the survey, it is recommended that surveys be completed on a full-size computer or laptop screen. Feedback on the draft mathematics standards and mathematics assessment blueprints will be collected by American Institutes for Research through Feb. 27.
KDE Accepting Public Comment
The following press release was sent out Monday, Jan. 26 and may be of interest to District Assessment Coordinators:
KDE accepting public comment on revisions to Kentucky’s Consolidated State Plan
(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is accepting public comment on revisions to Kentucky’s Consolidated State Plan to implement the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Public comments must be received by 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 30. The public can review the revised plan on KDE’s website.
KDE also has submitted the plan to Gov. Andy Beshear for review.
Amendments to Kentucky’s plan are necessary to ensure alignment with federal and state laws. Several edits are made to align with Kentucky House Bill 298 (2025 Regular Session) which amended KRS 160.346 to require KDE to annually identify schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). Previously, KDE identified schools for CSI every three years. Changes to the plan since April 25, 2025, are indicated through track changes.
Historical background information from Kentucky’s original ESSA plan has not been updated; revisions include changes only to address the statutory requirement and programmatic updates to the current school accountability system.
In 2022, KDE applied for a Competitive Grant for State Assessment and was awarded $3 million over the next four years. The funds are supporting a grassroots effort to design a reimagined assessment and accountability system. Legislation related to this redesigned system has been introduced in the 2026 legislative session, and KDE anticipates that updates to all areas of Kentucky's Consolidated State Plan may be required pending the outcome of the 2026 regular legislative session. Updates to all areas of Kentucky's Consolidated State Plan may be required at that time.
Under federal law, state education agencies are required to submit a plan detailing the implementation of the law and how federal education dollars will be spent. After public comments and the governor’s review, the state plan must be resubmitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for review.
Since the initial plan approval, updates have been made when required to align with federal and state law. The public is being invited to provide feedback on this latest update to the plan.
Comments may be emailed to kdecommunications@education.ky.gov or submitted to Todd Allen, General Counsel, Kentucky Department of Education, 300 Sower Blvd, 5th Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601.
Comments also may be submitted via fax at (502) 564-9321. All comments that are received by the deadline will be considered before submission of the revised state plan to USED.
Assessment Scores in Infinite Campus
The KDE strives to publish student results data in Infinite Campus (IC) as it becomes available. Last week, KDE published 2025-2026 scores for Kentucky Online Testing (KYOTE) scores.
Please email KDE data services inbox with any questions.
Reminder: Process for Requesting AKSA Visual Impairment (VI) Materials for Window 2
KDE will provide tactilely enhanced supplemental materials (e.g., maps, graphs) for some grades on the Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Attainment Tasks (ATs) to students who have verified visual impairments in their Individual Education Programs (IEPs). Districts should verify that a visual impairment is clearly marked on the current IEP and that the student meets all of Kentucky’s eligibility criteria for taking the alternate assessment as indicated in the current IEP. Once districts have verified the student’s eligibility, districts should complete the Visual Impairment (VI) Order Form. If a district has more than one eligible student, the form provides the opportunity for the district to add more students to the form.
Orders submitted for Window 1 are not used for Window 2. If a student needs VI materials for Window 2, and received VI materials for Window 1, an order must be submitted for Window 2 in order for all students with verified visual impairments to receive VI Materials for the second window.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 6, to ensure districts receive materials for Window 2 of the AKSA. For any additional questions or concerns, please contact Krista Mullins. For questions regarding completing the VI Materials Request Form, please contact dacinfo@education.ky.gov.
Reminder: Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration – Office Hour #3
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) and College Board will host an office hour on Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 1- 2 p.m. ET focused on the Test Day Toolkit (TDTK) and State Data Management System (SDMS). The office hour will be hosted via a Microsoft Teams meeting. While the content reviewed will focus on TDTK and SDMS, OAA and College Board encourage testing staff to join and ask questions at this time. Attendees will not have to register for office hours, and office hours will not be recorded.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Reminder: 2026 Feb. DAC Training Question and Answer (Q&A) Session Registration Information
The Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS) looks forward to the annual Feb. DAC Q&A hybrid meetings to prepare for the spring administration of state assessments.
To make the most of the allotted time, the Q&A sessions will not include full presentations of the content covered in the recorded videos. Staff from the DAAS, other KDE offices, Pearson and College Board representatives will be available to assist with questions.
For in-person Q&A Sessions, participant sign-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will be followed by the Q&A Sessions scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon (local meeting location time).
Dates, times and registration links to the Feb. DAC training Hybrid Q&A Sessions are below. Registration is now open. Everyone planning to attend must register. Please carefully consider the in-person or virtual option and register just once for the appropriate session. In the event of inclement weather, the Q&A session will become an all-virtual session. Meeting links will be sent out via email to registrants containing details on attending virtually.
Feb. 3 In-Person Registration: KDE, 300 Sower Blvd. Frankfort (Capacity 85) – No virtual option for this location
Feb. 11 In-Person Registration: Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KDEC) in Ashland (Capacity 85) or Feb. 11 Virtual Registration: KDEC
Feb. 16 In-Person Registration: Southeast/South Central Education Cooperative, 55 Waco Drive (SESC) in London (Capacity 40) or Feb. 16 Virtual Registration: SESC
Feb. 18 In-Person Registration: Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) in Bowling Green (Capacity 65) or Feb. 18 Virtual Registration: GRREC
We welcome BACs to attend, but please keep in mind that DACs will receive preference in the event that a venue is booked to the total capacity.
The DAAS believes the safety of participants is of utmost importance. If a cancellation occurs, the hybrid sessions will be moved to a fully virtual format. A Special DAC Email will be sent with the appropriate links and additional details.
EILA credit will be offered for viewing the Feb. DAC Training videos. EILA credit will not be offered for Q&A Session attendance. More details on the EILA credit will be shared soon.
Please contact Christen Roseberry with any questions or concerns regarding the Feb. DAC Trainings.
Final Reminder: 2025-2026 CTE EOP Assessment and TRACK Pre-Apprenticeship Assessments – Critical Deadline Feb. 1
The 2025-2026 Career and Technical Education (CTE) End-of-Program (EOP) Assessment and TRACK Pre-Apprenticeship Assessments (Carpentry, Electrical and Welding) Testing Window is Feb. 23 - March 27.
The CTE EOP Assessment Coordinator and Test Administrator Manuals and CTE EOP Online IT Requirements are now available. Visit the CTE EOP Assessment web page for more information.
Feb. 1 Critical Deadline: Schools must meet CRITICAL DEADLINES for students to be eligible to test. A student must be identified as a “concentrator” and have at least two credits in the pathway in the Technical Education Database System (TEDS) data by the Feb. 1 deadline to be eligible to test and receive a test ticket in 2025-2026 in the CTE EOP Assessment or TRACK Pre-Apprenticeship Assessments (Carpentry, Electrical, Welding). Refer to the CRITICAL DEADLINES link for more details.
Technical Education Database System (TEDS): Review the December 2025 and subsequent TEDS Monthly Notes for more information related to upcoming critical deadlines related to testing. TEDS Monthly Notes are available on the TEDS website.
Assessment Regulations Training: All individuals participating in the administration of CTE EOP Assessment shall comply with 703 KAR 5:080, Administration Code for Kentucky’s Educational Assessment Program (August, 2024) and 703 KAR 5:070, Inclusion of Special Populations in the State-Required Assessment and Accountability Programs. The required assessment regulation trainings must be completed prior to the administration of CTE EOP Assessment at the local level. Nondisclosures and Group Signature Sheets verifying training should be kept on file locally.
Please contact KDE EOP Support or Sherri Craig, Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE), or 502-564-4286 ext. 4226 with any questions.
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