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Dear Colleagues,
I hope you all have had a wonderful semester and a successful school year overall. There's a lot of emotion this time of year as many of our students are graduating. I’d like to thank all of you for the extraordinary work you do to help students while they are in your classrooms and communities.
There's a sense of pride you feel when you shake hands with students on the graduation stage. Seeing them get to the finish line after overcoming the various challenges they faced toward getting there is really a rewarding feeling.
Our students put in an amazing amount of work, taking the knowledge they learn in class and applying it to their daily lives. They learn to overcome challenges with guidance from their teachers. Our students make an impact on schools and teachers the same way our school leaders and teachers make an impact in students’ lives. Through incredible collaboration happening across our state, everyone learns from each other.
As students move on to their next phase of life, they will use the knowledge they learned in class to navigate a complex world. Their school experiences help shape their lives and we all have important jobs in helping them succeed.
I also want to congratulate each of the superintendents across the Commonwealth and our staff at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) on some exciting news regarding education recovery.
Kentucky recently ranked among the nation’s best in terms of academic recovery in reading and mathematics, according to the 2026 Education Scorecard. The Education Scorecard provides insight on where students’ academic recovery stands, combining state test results for grades 3–8 students nationwide with national assessment data to describe changes in local communities.
Kentucky ranked 8th out of 38 states in academic growth in mathematics and 5th out of 35 states in reading between 2022 and 2025. Part of this success can be attributed to investments in new, innovative methods of improving instruction in literacy and numeracy.
Specifically, I’d like to congratulate districts highlighted in the report that excelled in both reading and mathematics – Anderson County, Perry County, Marion County, Ohio County, Pike County and Corbin Independent. Some districts that excelled in math are Paducah Independent, Harlan County, Grayson County, Franklin County, Johnson County and Boyd County. In the area of reading, Clay County and Davis County excelled.
Thank you all for your incredible efforts in improving literacy and numeracy instruction. We look forward to continuing to help teachers in this area and we appreciate your support.
As always, thank you for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
Kentucky Educator Preparation Provider Effectiveness Survey
Kentucky education preparation providers are seeking feedback on the preparation of new teachers.
Participation in the survey is optional and the survey can be found by visiting the Kentucky Educator Preparation Provider Effectiveness Survey webpage. Please forward the survey link to building administrators.
The survey will remain open until Wednesday, July 15.
2026 Kentucky Incentives for Prevention Survey to be Administered in October
Kentucky will administer the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) Survey statewide in October 2026.
The KIP Survey is Kentucky’s most trusted source of information on student substance use and mental health. The data help districts and communities:
- Track student needs
- Identify disparities and emerging trends
- Guide decisions that support student well-being
- Identify challenges early
- Strengthen prevention efforts
- Guide school and FRYSC planning
- Access and compete for grant funding for prevention and mental health efforts
Your district’s participation matters. Without broad involvement, Kentucky cannot fully understand student needs or direct resources where they’re most needed. Participating gives your district high-quality, local data that supports decision-making and helps shape statewide planning.
The 2026 KIP Survey will be open from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15. It is an online survey for students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. Student answers are completely anonymous and are not linked to names or any personal information. Caregivers will receive clear information about the survey from the school and students may only participate if a parent or caregiver gives permission. Each district will receive its own results, and district-level data are not publicly shared. There is no cost for districts to participate in the KIP Survey.
We encourage your district to take part in the 2026 KIP Survey. Your leadership helps ensure every student’s needs are understood and supports a stronger statewide prevention system.
More information and previous statewide results are available on the KIP Survey website and on the KIP Survey fact sheet. If your district plans to participate or has questions, please contact KIP Survey Administrator Lisa Crabtree via email.
Infinite Campus Reminder
Districts should finalize decisions now and ensure Infinite Campus has been notified by June 1, if they no longer plan to use Campus Learning (CL) and/or Online Registration (OLR) for the 2026-2027 school year.
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) additional budget request was not approved by the legislature so districts must pay to keep using these tools for the 2026-2027 school year. Please note that if you choose to cancel Campus Learning, the grade pass back function will not be available for 2026-2027. This impacts any grade imports you may have set up from 3rd-party systems into Infinite Campus (i.e., LMS, Google Classroom).
Districts should already have their 2026-2027 Infinite Campus invoices; these are typically emailed to the district financial contact. Please review your invoice carefully to confirm that only the tools you plan to use and pay for are included. If CL or OLR are not shown on your invoice and you do not plan to use them, no further action is required. If there are tools the district plans to use that are not included on the invoice, you will need a new contract to continue use.
To add services, contact Kent Willette by email. To cancel services, submit an Infinite Campus support ticket. Infinite Campus invoices are issued early so districts can choose to pay with funds from the current or upcoming year. Contact Lisa DeGaris if you cannot locate your invoice. Payments are due no later than Aug. 15. To avoid late fees; please ensure approval at board meetings is completed timely to meet this deadline.
General questions can be directed to KDE data services.
House Bill 257, Section 7 Middle School Mathematics and Advanced Mathematics Coursework Opportunities Study Survey
Section 7 of House Bill (HB) 257 requires the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to submit a study report, by Nov. 1, 2026, to the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education on middle school mathematics and advanced mathematics coursework opportunities within the Commonwealth.
Per Section 8 of HB 257, KDE has been authorized to collect the information required within this survey to fulfill the legislatively required report. Your prompt attention to this survey is greatly appreciated, so the most accurate information can be provided to state legislators.
KDE has developed a survey tool designed to gather the specific information required in HB 257. The link to the survey will be shared with district curriculum and instruction leads and will remain open from May 4 to June 12.
If you have any questions regarding Section 7 of HB 257, please contact Sarah Medley. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Caryn Davidson.
New Teacher Survey for 2025-2026 Academic Year
As part of the annual data collection required under KRS 161.031 regarding district new teacher induction and mentoring programs, we need your support.
Action steps:
- Please designate one district representative to complete the district Kentucky Educator Mentorship Program Survey. This response will provide an overview of your district’s program.
- Share this New Teacher Survey with school-level leaders in your district so they can distribute it to new teachers and mentors who directly participated in the induction/mentoring program.
- Important: Administrators should not complete this survey. Only new teachers and mentors involved in the program should respond.
The surveys will remain open until Aug. 14. The collected data will be compiled into a report for the Legislative Research Commission by the Oct. 1 deadline.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring accurate and timely data collection. For questions, please contact Kentucky Department of Education program consultant Allie Green via email.
Free Leadership Development Through National Institute for School Leadership
The Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support has partnered with the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) to implement its National Institute for School and System Leadership (NISL) program.
This nationally recognized leadership development program was designed to help school and district leaders transform schools into high-performing learning environments and has been in place in Kentucky for the past 15 years. NCEE’s NISL program is the most widely used research-proven professional learning program for school leaders in the country.
Built on decades of research into the world’s highest-performing and most rapidly-rising education systems, NISL equips leaders with the skills, strategies and vision to drive meaningful and sustainable change. This experience prepares leaders to explore global education trends, set a clear strategic vision and design rigorous instructional systems and build a culture of continuous improvement, ethical leadership and long-term school success. The monthly interactive experience focuses on the key themes for capacity-building and for transforming the school as an organization while improving student success.
School and district staff interested in participating in this free professional learning are encouraged to complete the NISL interest form no later than June 1. Questions regarding the training opportunity should be directed to Charlotte Jones.
NEW NTI Regulation Webinar and Technical Support
To provide technical support, the Kentucky Department of Education will host a nontraditional instruction (NTI) webinar on June 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET. This session will provide an overview of key changes, implementation expectations, and available supports. Districts are encouraged to submit specific questions through the webinar registration form to ensure the presentation addresses your local needs.
To register for the webinar and submit your questions, please visit the NTI Webinar Registration form.
Should you have immediate questions, reach out to NTI Program Consultant Steven Kissinger.
School Resource Officer Funding – Notice of Intent to Participate
Appropriations of $11.5 million in general funds and $11.5 million in restricted funds in both fiscal years, 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, have been set aside in House Bill 500 and Senate Bill 197 this year to assist local school districts and nonpublic schools in funding salaries for certified full time school resource officers (SRO).
The appropriation bills state: “The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) shall reimburse local school districts and nonpublic schools up to $20,000 in funding salaries for each full-time certified school resource officer.”
Please note: The language in the legislation has changed from previous years. Districts can fund salaries for full-time certified school resource officers regardless of assigned location within the district. There is no longer a requirement that an SRO be assigned on a full-time basis to a single campus.
In order to meet the requirement outlined above, KDE is asking districts that will seek reimbursement to complete the School Resource Officer (SRO) Funding – Notice of Intent to Participate by June 1.
Completion of this Notice of Intent to Participate form is a prerequisite to receiving any award. However, completion of this Notice of Intent to Participate form does not guarantee receipt of an award. The information contained within this Notice of Intent to Participate form will be used by the KDE for the following:
- Determine the total number of full-time certified SROs that potentially qualify school districts and non-public schools for an award;
- Determine whether the total appropriation is sufficient to make awards of $20,000 per full-time certified school resource officer, or whether awards will be made on a pro rata basis; and
- Establish a contact directory to communicate with school districts and non-public schools the next steps in applying for an award.
No school district or non-public school will be eligible to submit additional forms or requests related to this award if the Notice of Intent to Participate is not submitted by the deadline stated above.
For questions, please contact Karen Wirth or Lalah Brewer.
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