English Learner Educator Connect: June 15, 2026

July 20, 2026

Kentucky English Learner Leadership Summit Brings Leaders Together!

Through two event days in Owensboro and Lexington, 100 leaders from 60 districts of various sizes across Kentucky came together to learn, collaborate and strengthen support for English Learners (ELs). Participants heard from the Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE) cross-agency EL team on topics designed to support and enhance local programs.

Leaders participated in breakout sessions focused on KDE's newly published English Learner Program Guidebook, providing opportunities for deeper learning, discussion and planning around effective program implementation. 

"One of the highlights of the summit was being able to connect in person with KDE leaders and ML professionals from many districts. It was a great opportunity to share ideas, learn from each other and network with colleagues. We're excited to bring those insights back to our work."

– Beth Cook, Multilingual Learner Coordinator, Shelby County Public Schools

Important Dates

July 31: Title III applications are due in GMAP

Sept.1: WIDA ACCESS and Alt. ACCESS trainings open in WIDA Secure Portal

Sept. 21-22: Continuous Improvement Summit in Lexington, Ky

Oct. 12: Immigrant Data extracted from Infinite Campus 

Nov. 1: EL Data verification in Infinite Campus

Quick Links

Find key EL program information, timelines, newsletter archives and support documents on KDE’s Title III – English Learner and Immigrant Student website.

Explore tools and resources to support EL program implementation on KDE’s English Learner & Immigrant Resources website.

Visit KDE’s WIDA ACCESS website for training videos, resources and important WIDA links.

“The Leadership Summit was a great opportunity. I gained meaningful insight into effective Title III practices and funding requirements, which will help ensure our district continues high-quality programming while maintaining compliance with federal regulations.”

– Jeanie Hopkins, Director of English Learner and Federal Programs, Warren County Public Schools.

You can read more about the Summit in this Kentucky Teacher article.

The KDE EL team appreciates the commitment of Kentucky's educators and leaders to ensuring English Learner students have access to high-quality instruction and the support they need to succeed.

New KDE English Learner Program Guidebook Now Available!

The Kentucky Department of Education has released a new English Learner Program Guidebook, an updated resource designed to support district program leaders, English Language Development (ELD) teachers and general education teachers in serving EL students. The guidebook provides practical tools and resources to support effective EL programming and compliance with state and federal requirements.

The guidebook includes several resources that will be especially helpful at the beginning of the school year. Chapter 2 provides clear direction for enrolling, identifying and screening new students, including an enrollment flowchart and enrollment scenarios document found in the appendix. Chapter 3 offers support for developing Program Service Plans (PSPs) and notifying parents. The appendix also includes new guidance for assigning instructional accommodations, while Chapter 5 provides a comprehensive list of instructional scaffolds to support ELs in the classroom.

The guidebook serves as a clear and consistent resource for supporting effective services for ELs across Kentucky schools. Educators are encouraged to explore the guidebook and use it to inform their work with ELs throughout the school year.

Get Ready to Administer WIDA Screener for 2026-2027 School Year

The 2026-2027 WIDA Screener training courses and test administration materials are now available in the WIDA Secure Portal. Contact your EL Program Coordinator, Building Assessment Coordinator (BAC), or District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) for support. Updates this year include:

• The WIDA Alternate Screener is now available in Kentucky for incoming students in kindergarten through grade 12 who have been identified as having the most significant cognitive disabilities. 
• The WIDA Screener Online Writing Prompts are no longer available in the WIDA Secure Portal. Find these resources in the Screener Scoring application in WIDA Assessment Management Systems (WIDA AMS).
• Check out updated WIDA Screener Online test demos and test practice. Access these resources on the WIDA AMS login page or by logging in to WIDA AMS and selecting Public Test Resources at the bottom of the landing page.

Register for LETRS Cohort 5 by Aug. 21 

English Language Development (ELD) teachers, this is for you too! LETRS for Educators offers powerful strategies to strengthen literacy instruction with evidence-based literacy practices that are highly applicable to multilingual learners. Visit the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage to learn more. Review enrollment information and complete the registration form.

Please note: Limited licenses are available for Cohort 5, and registration will be first-come, first-served. 

Also of note: Cohort 4 participants will not need to register for Cohort 5, as they are already enrolled.

Questions about the Kentucky Reading Academies may be directed to KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff.

Data Standards

The 2026-2027 English Learner Data Standards and Immigrant Data Standards have been posted. Please share with appropriate staff in the district responsible for EL and Immigrant data entry and reporting. KDE will extract EL as of October 1 for federal reporting purposes on November 1. EL data is also extracted for ACCESS testing rosters in October. Immigrant data is extracted the second Tuesday in October to determine allocations.

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