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Dear Colleagues,
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has begun an exciting initiative in response to this year’s Senate Bill 4 to gather feedback to help shape the future of principal leadership in Kentucky.
KDE’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support has organized a series of three regional listening sessions that are designed to gather feedback on the knowledge, skills and supports that new principals need to succeed. Participant input will directly inform the design of a statewide Kentucky Principal Leadership Development Program.
KDE is welcoming legislators, superintendents, district staff, principals, assistant principals, regional cooperative staff, higher education representatives and other education partners to attend and share their perspectives.
The sessions – which will each run from 9 a.m.-noon local time – will be held across the state to allow people from different areas to attend. The locations and dates are:
- Sept. 14 in Bowling Green;
- Sept. 15 in Lexington; and
- Sept. 16 in Hazard.
We remain committed to building a leadership system that is informed by the voices of practitioners and stakeholders from across the Commonwealth. Hearing directly from the people we serve is an essential part of developing better programs to meet our state’s unique needs.
If you are interested or know anyone who may be interested in attending, please see the Shaping the Future of Principal Leadership flyer, which has a QR code to the registration link for listening sessions. Questions about the sessions may be directed to Nick Pannell.
Thank you all for your work on supporting principals and helping bring life to this initiative. We hope to see you at one of these sessions and I look forward to hearing more of your ideas.
As always, thank toy for being …
All In,
Robbie Fletcher
Commissioner of Education
KDE to Host General Grant Q&A Session
Representatives with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will offer a brief overview of the KDE Request for Application (RFA) process and a time for general questions related to RFA grants offered by KDE during a virtual meeting on Aug. 18 from 10-11:30 a.m. ET.
This session will be recorded for later viewing if you are unable to attend. If you cannot attend but have a question you would like answered, it can be sent to the KDERFP@education.ky.gov email inbox.
Questions related to specific RFAs will not be answered during this session. Please visit the KDE General Grants Training Q&A Session meeting link on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. ET to participate.
Initial Certified Evaluation Training Registration Now Open
The Principal Partnership Project (P3) team is excited to once again offer Initial Certified Evaluation training — and as always, the training is completely free of charge! Registration is open for new evaluators of certified personnel.
Per 704 KAR 3:370 and KRS 156.557, all new evaluators are required to complete Initial Certified Evaluation training and pass the corresponding assessment. The training provides Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit upon completion. Virtual and in-person options are available, so just choose the format that works best for you!
Visit the Initial Certified Evaluation training webpage for more details, including how to sign up. For questions, contact Stacy Noah.
Annual Type 1 Diabetes Information Requirement
Kentucky’s General Assembly recently passed House Bill 141 and Senate Bill 18, creating a new section in KRS Chapter 158 that requires the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to develop and provide Type 1 diabetes informational materials for parents and guardians of students in preschool through 12th grade.
The materials encompass information about Type 1 diabetes, including disease description, risk factors, warning signs, screening recommendations, and guidance on consulting healthcare providers. Local boards of education and public charter school boards are required to distribute this information annually at no cost to families. Materials must be made available through school websites, school entrances, and Family Resource and Youth Services Centers.
The Type 1 diabetes informational materials are available on KDE's Health Services webpage.
School Report Card – SRC Review/Approval Reminder
The School Report Card (SRC) Portal Preview and Approval tools are open for review and approval of School Safety data. Safe Schools administrators must complete their review and, at minimum, approve at the district level by Aug. 12.
The Overview and Educational Opportunity domains will open on Aug. 12. As districts review the data, they should flag any issues with the displayed information and provide a detailed explanation, so the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has what it needs to research the concern. Districts must approve these domains in the Approval tool by Sept. 25.
The Collection tool remains open for district data entry of Collector Items; schools can enter data into the Collection tool; districts can add superintendent messages and track school-level collection and approval statuses. Please note: the School Information collection option is new this year and includes a new field for updating prior-year principal, if different than the current-year principal.
Transportation and House Bill 7
House Bill (HB) 7 permits school districts to install a camera monitoring system on school buses to record stop arm violations for the enforcement of a civil penalty against the operator of a motor vehicle. A stop arm camera violation may be enforced by a law enforcement agency, a certified peace officer, or a school resource officer as defined in KRS 158.441.
Section 7 amends KRS 189.370 regarding when a motor vehicle must stop for a school bus to provide that the stop requirement shall not apply to vehicles approaching a stopped bus from the opposite direction upon a highway of four or more lanes divided by an elevated barrier or unpaved median.
For additional questions regarding HB 7, please contact the Kentucky Department of Education’s Pupil Transportation Branch at (502) 564-5279.
National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program and Application
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA) – formerly the National Title I Association – selects examples of superior, federally funded school programs for national recognition through the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program.
Every year, states can identify up to two Distinguished ESEA Schools in three possible categories:
- Category 1: Exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years
- Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups for two or more consecutive years
- Category 3: Excellence in serving special populations of students (e.g. homeless, migrant, English Learners, etc.)
KDE is now accepting applications for schools for Categories 1, 2 and 3. Schools interested in applying for consideration must complete and submit the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program and Application by the deadline of Aug. 7. If selected as a finalist, KDE staff will conduct a site visit to interview the principal, selected staff and students.
Two National ESEA Distinguished Schools from Category 1, 2 and/or 3 will be notified by email of their selection in November. For more information, email Tara Rodriguez or call (502) 564-3791, ext. 4042.
Comprehensive Improvement Planning in the New Cognia Improvement Platform
Kentucky educators will soon begin accessing improvement planning resources through the updated Cognia Improvement Platform which has been redesigned to create a more user-friendly experience and stronger alignment across the four phases of comprehensive improvement planning.
District and school leadership are invited to join the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) District 180 staff and members from Cognia for a guided walkthrough of the redesigned interface.
During this session, attendees will explore the redesigned platform, learn what’s new and what remains the same for improvement planning processes, review the KDE’s updated comprehensive improvement planning expectations and receive practical tips for using the platform to support high-quality improvement planning.
Please visit the Cognia Improvement Platform session registration page to register for the session that fits your needs. District designees responsible for district-wide improvement planning and other reporting requirements (safety reports, trauma-informed care plan, etc.) should register for one location and time only. Morning and afternoon sessions will be made available from 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 12:30-3:30 p.m. local time.
Regional Innovation Specialists are Partners for Sustainability and House Bill 257 Success
The progress we have seen across Kentucky over the last several years is the result of local vision. With the passage of House Bill (HB) 257, Kentucky formally recognizes that communities are well-positioned to define and measure the quality of their local education system. At the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Division of Innovation, our goal for the 2026-2027 school year is to help you embed these systems - from Portrait of a Learner to performance assessments - into your district’s DNA.
KDE is pleased to offer the continued support of our regional innovation specialist. Funded through June 30, 2027, your regional innovation specialist serves as a sustainability architect to help you engineer the policy, data, and leadership systems for long-term success.
During the 2026-2027 school year, your regional innovation specialist is prepared to partner with you on five key sustainability objectives:
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HB 257 Strategy and Local Indicators of Quality: Assisting with the design process for a set of local success indicators aligned with HB 257.
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Systems Coaching: Coaching a local innovation lead to ensure expertise remains in-house.
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Spreading and Codifying Success: Co-creating strategic implementation plans to transition local pilots to scale and board policy (e.g., embedding Portrait of a Learner into local graduation requirements).
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Evidence Systems: Acting as a “critical friend” to ensure local data collection and assessment systems are rigorous and manageable.
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Professional Learning & Peer Networking: Facilitating collaborative, multi-district professional learning opportunities on topics such as vibrant learning, Portrait of a Learner, performance assessments, and local indicators of quality.
For more information or to connect with the specialist in your region, contact Robert Meacham.
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.
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