Literacy Assessment Flowchart Supports New School Year Planning
As schools prepare for the 2026-2027 school year, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) reminds educators the Literacy Assessment Flowchart is available as a quick reference for planning assessment practices that support informed instructional decisions. The flowchart outlines the who, what, when and why of early literacy assessments, helping educators understand the sequence of universal screening and diagnostic assessment within a comprehensive literacy system. It also includes embedded links to related KDE resources for additional guidance and support. The Literacy Assessment Flowchart can serve as a valuable tool as schools plan to identify student needs early and provide timely, targeted instruction and intervention.
Access the Literacy Assessment Flowchart.
ICYMI Family Resources Available in Time for Back to School Night
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 academic standards and include suggestions for how families can reinforce grade-level content at home. Each guide contains a standards overview for mathematics, reading and writing, science, social studies and visual and performing arts. The family guides for reading and writing align with the new KAS for Reading and Writing. Guides are available for grades K–8 and high school, and they are also offered in Spanish for Spanish-speaking families.
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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).
Strengthen HQIR Implementation with KDE Support
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) has created an intake form for districts and schools to request technical assistance for high-quality instructional resource (HQIR) implementation support. This new HQIR Implementation Support Request Form provides a streamlined process for districts and schools to request targeted support aligned to their specific needs and stage of implementation.
Targeted areas for support include:
- Instructional visioning and HQIR adoption;
- Yearly curriculum implementation planning and monitoring;
- Curriculum-based professional learning and intellectual preparation (unit/lesson internalization, lesson rehearsal, student work analysis); and/or
- Instructional Practice Guide (IPG) observations and feedback support.
The form also will gather important information about HQIR currently in use, grade bands impacted, timelines for support, and existing partnerships or initiatives. Submissions will be reviewed to determine alignment and next steps for providing coordinated, responsive support.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions about Early Literacy, please email the Early Literacy Team.
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