Question of the Week
Q: When will the 2026-2027 Transition Attainment Record (TAR) Training and Quiz be available?
A: The 2026-2027 TAR training and online quiz are now open. The Administration Guide is currently available to print or download. The TAR Quiz will remain open until Tuesday, Dec. 22. The PowerPoint training and video are available on the Kentucky Alternate Assessment Combined Resources site. TAR administration begins Monday, Oct. 12 and will end Wednesday, May 26.
For any questions, please contact Krista Mullins by email or by phone at (502) 564-4394 ext. 4759.
Checking K Screen Data in BRIGANCE Online Management System and Infinite Campus
District BRIGANCE contacts should conduct periodic checks to ensure data is entered correctly and in a timely manner. Two reports are available in the BRIGANCE Online Management System (OMS) for checking data entry. Each report should be exported as a CSV file for optimal functionality.
The Group Screening Summary Report lists every student with submitted data, which will be reported to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) after the Thursday, Oct. 15 deadline. Use this report to find students with duplicate entries by unchecking the box “Include only the most recent.” When the data is exported as a CSV file, the district BRIGANCE contact can arrange the student names in alphabetical order and check for duplicates. Students should only have one entry. If duplicates appear, delete the duplicate entry in the BRIGANCE OMS. Detailed instructions can be found in the Guidance for Updating/Removing Duplicate Screen Entries in the OMS.
The Screened/Not Screened Report lists every student in the school or district and shows whether the students have data saved but not submitted or data submitted. This report also shows if students have no screening data entered.
An additional report is available in Infinite Campus (IC) called the Early Learning Prior Settings Report, which is most effective when exported as a CSV file. To search for students with no prior setting data, set filters in the spreadsheet and search for blanks in the “Type” field. The students displayed have no prior setting data entered.
Please note: This report shows every kindergarten student in the district, including those who have been retained. Retained or repeating Kindergarten students MUST include prior setting data. The category “Kindergarten” is now a choice in IC for those students.
Please contact Tiffany Christopher with any questions.
Kentucky Alternate Assessment Program (KAAP) IC Pull for the Student Registration Database (SRD) and Career Readiness Database (CRD)
KDE will conduct an IC data pull on Friday, Oct. 2 to populate the SRD with students identified for the Alternate Assessment. This IC pull will also provide a list of students in grades 12 and 14 working toward Career Work Experience Certification (CWEC) and the Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR).
To ensure accurate student records, districts must complete all updates in IC by close of business on this date. Specifically, districts should:
- Verify that all students who meet Kentucky’s Alternate Assessment Criteria are correctly marked in IC.
- Confirm that Individual Education Programs (IEPs) are locked to ensure proper population into the SRD and CRD.
For any additional questions or concerns, please contact Krista Mullins.
WIDA ACCESS Online Technology Webinars
Please join WIDA and DRC to learn about the following topics:
- WIDA ACCESS Technology Installations: Part 1 Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. CT
- WIDA ACCESS Technology Installations: Part 2 Thursday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. CT
- WIDA ACCESS Technology Support and Online Preparedness Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. CT
Don’t forget: Join WIDA and DRC this Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 1:00 p.m. CT for an assessment webinar on WIDA ACCESS Software Updates and Tech Readiness Checklist.
Learn more and add these upcoming webinars to your calendar on the Webinars page (login required). WIDA Assessment Webinars typically take an hour.
Can’t make it? The recordings for Assessment Webinars are posted to the WIDA Secure Portal on the Webinars page within a week of the presentation. Technology-related webinar links can also be found in WIDA AMS. On the landing page, select Documents and filter the Document Type by Memos/Documents.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
WIDA Accessible Pathways Project: Seeking Observation Sites
The Accessible Pathways project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is conducting site visits to learn more about how educators support language development for Multilingual Learners (MLs) who are blind or have low vision or are deaf or hard of hearing. This project invites classroom educators who currently teach these MLs to apply to participate in this study.
Participants in the site visits will be observed in their classrooms and will complete a post-observation interview with members of the study team. Classroom observations will not be recorded. The focus of the observations is on instructional practice and is not an evaluation of job performance or student performance. No identifying information about educators, students, schools or districts will be collected, and study results will be reported only in aggregate.
Participating educators will receive a $50 gift card after completion of the site visit. It is optional for districts or schools in Kentucky to participate. If a school or district that has MLs who have low vision or are deaf or hard of hearing wants to participate, please complete the survey by Oct.12 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
Contact Accessible Pathways with any questions.
WIDA Consortium Webpage Gets a Makeover
WIDA recently redesigned a key webpage to better communicate the value of WIDA Consortium membership and improve the user experience for educators.
The WIDA Consortium Benefits for Educators page helps educators understand the resources available to them through the SEA’s membership in the consortium.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
New Tool from the WIDA Marco DALE
El Marco de los estándares del desarrollo auténtico del lenguaje español de WIDA (Marco DALE) guides the teaching of Spanish language development in grades K-12 within a bilingual education context. The Role of Translanguaging Through the Key Language Uses of the Marco DALE is designed to help educators leverage students’ full linguistic abilities and has practical examples for incorporating translanguaging into instruction through KLUs and the three modes of communication. This tool is written in Spanish.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
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