School Report Card – School Safety Data/Approval Period Ends July 31

The secure School Report Card (SRC) website opened July 15 for districts to review, approve and populate their 2018-2019 School Report Card. The School Safety Data Review and Approval period closes July 31. Please verify completion of this work by that date.

District safe school coordinators and school administrators who are responsible for safe schools reporting should review the district- and school-level safety data and either approve or flag the data no later than close of business July 31. This active validation of safe schools data through the SRC approval site is important. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) reports safety data to the Kentucky Center for School Safety and the Office of Education Accountability in August of each year in accordance with KRS 158.444.

Resource materials that are available to assist with this review include:

• The “Kentucky School Report Card: School Safety Data Approval User’s Guide” provides specifics on how to complete the review process in the SRC.
• The School Report Card filter instructions (using the Infinite Campus Safe Schools Report) can be used to assist with comparing Infinite Campus safe schools data to the SRC data. Each school must review and approve data within the system.
• Video resources:
  • “Kentucky School Report Card Data Approval and Collection Tool – How to Access”
  • “Kentucky School Report Card: Accessing and Viewing Your Data”
  • “Kentucky School Report Card: Approving and Flagging Your Data”

Note: The School Collection Tool will remain open through Aug. 30 for school-level data entry.

For more information, see prior communications available on the SRC Resource Page. Specifics on how to set up users with access to the SRC have been shared in previous communications.

CONTACTS:

• Email Windy Newton for safe schools data questions
• Contact your local district WAAPOC for user account set up. The KETS Service Desk is available to assist WAAPOCs.
• Contact BrightBytes support by email or by phone at (877) 433-4036 with system questions.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

• July 31: Deadline to review school safety data
• Aug. 7: Non-accountability data verification/validation window opens
• Aug. 30: Deadline for entering data into SRC collection tool
• Sept. 6: Deadline for review and approval of non-accountability data
• Late September: Tentative public release
• Oct. 1: School Profile Report should be complete with signatures and available in the district office

School Writing Policy Requirements

Senate Bill 1 (2017) requires each school-based decision making council – or if there is no council, a committee appointed by the principal – to adopt policies that determine the writing program for its school and submit it to the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) for review and comment. 

To meet this requirement, KDE has developed a guidance document, “Guidelines for an Effective Writing Program.” The writing program must incorporate a variety of language resources, technological tools and multiple opportunities for students to develop complex communication skills for a variety of purposes. The "Writing Policy Rubric" provides criteria to ensure alignment of the school’s writing policy to the required components of the writing policy. 

For the 2019-2020 school year, schools must revise their writing policies, complete the "Writing Policy Rubric" and submit them electronically through the Writing Policy Submission page by Dec. 1.

For questions, email Pamela Wininger or call her at (502) 564-2106, ext. 4509.

Career and Technical Education and Student Transition Updates

The Kentucky Department of Education published a Pathway Phase-out Guidance in March 2017 that detailed all of the career pathways that are being phased out. It is important to note that pathways marked for phase-out at the end of 2018-2019 school year will no longer be visible in Technical Education Database System (TEDS) once the rollover occurs to open the 2019-2020 school year.

For detailed information, refer to the Pathway Phase-out Guidance as well as the information posted in the TEDS Monthly Notes. Remember:

• Do not enroll students in new pathways until the start of 2019-2020 school year.
• Make sure you have the pathway you plan to enroll them in for 2019-2020 in your TEDS (review Request to ADD or REMOVE a Pathway).
• The deadline for adding new pathways for 2019-2020 is Sept. 1.
• The pathway enrollment start date for these new pathways must be during the 2019-2020 school year.

2019-2020 Valid Industry Certifications

The list of industry certifications that will be valid for the 2019-2020 school year has been posted to the career and technical education (CTE) website. An industry certificate must be valid for a pathway in the year it is taken. It also must be documented in TEDS during the same year.

The list of valid certifications can be found on the CTE, Accountability and Transition Readiness webpage.

Exceptional Work Experience

There have been updates to the data entry process of Exceptional Work Experience. The Exceptional Work Experience Guidance, along with the instructions for How to Complete an Exceptional Work Experience Form, can be found on the CTE, Accountability and Transition Readiness webpage.

Registration Is Open for Continuous Improvement Summit

Join AdvancED|Measured Progress and the Kentucky Department of Education at the Continuous Improvement Summit Sept. 16-17 for practical information and inspiring stories to drive improvement.

Learn how Kentucky educators and administrators apply research-driven insights to their unique educational environment. Connect school quality to better outcomes for learners. The featured keynote speaker will be education author Anthony Muhammed.

The conference will be 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sept. 16, and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Lexington Convention Center. Visit the AdvancEd website to register. For additional information, see this flyer.

KDE Seeks Applicants for Assessment Item Review

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Office of Standards, Assessment and Accountability is seeking classroom teachers in grades 3-12 and content specialists working in support of teachers to review items for future Kentucky assessments in reading and writing, mathematics and social studies. 

Senate Bill 1 (2017) requires KDE to implement a process to review the Kentucky Academic Standards and the alignment of corresponding assessments for possible revision or replacement. A pool of candidates is being gathered for this critical work, and participants will be notified if accepted. 

Applications are being accepted through Aug. 15. Applicants who are selected will be required to meet in Frankfort or Lexington for multiple days. Substitute teacher expenses and travel will be reimbursed. The timeline of activities will be shared with individuals once they are selected, with work taking place in early fall. Email dacinfo@education.ky.gov for more information.

English Learner/Title III Beginning of the Year Training

Regional trainings for English Learner (EL) and Title III coordinators have been scheduled. The sessions will focus on providing guidance to district coordinators of all levels. Topics covered during training will include changes under the Every Student Succeeds Act for ELs, the civil rights requirements that must be met by all districts regardless of its EL population or funding received, and requirements under federal programs such as Title I, Part A and Title III.

English Learner, Title III and Title I coordinators are strongly encouraged to attend. However, at least one person from each district should attend one of the six training locations regardless of whether the district receives a Title III subgrant or the number of ELs currently enrolled in the district.

Each training will be 9 a.m.-4 p.m. local time. Sessions may be canceled if registration is low. If your training location is canceled due to low registration, you will be contacted in order to select another training location. Register early to help ensure you get the location of your choice.

The dates and locations of each training are listed below along with the registration links.

• July 30 – Bowling Green, Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, 230 Technology Way
• July 31 – Lexington, Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 118 James Court, Suite 60
• Aug. 1 – Ashland, Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, 904 Rose Road
• Aug. 2 – Richmond, Eastern Kentucky University, Perkins Building, 4436 Kit Carson Drive
• Aug. 5 – Eddyville, West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, 435 Outlet Ave.

For questions, email Jessica Sanderson or call her at (502) 564-3791, ext. 4004.

KDE Offering Evaluation Training for Administrators

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is the official provider for the 2019-2020 Initial Certified Evaluation Training for administrators newly assigned to the role of evaluator of certified personnel. The two-day training, including the assessment, is required per KRS 156.557 and 704 KAR 3:370.

All new evaluators of certified personnel are required to attend. Visit the Principal Partnership Project website for information about dates and locations, and to register.

KDE also will provide a separate, one-day, six-hour update training for experienced administrators. Districts may choose to fulfill the requirement by applying for their own EILA certificates and providing the training in their district, but KDE is providing regional options for districts that choose not to do their own in-house training. Six hours of update training is required annually for all experienced administrators per KRS 156.557 and 704 KAR 3:370.

Any experienced evaluator of certified personnel who has completed the two-day Initial Certified Evaluation Training is qualified to attend. Visit the Update Evaluation Training webpage for more information about dates, locations and to register.

There is no fee to participate in either training and the appropriate number of EILA credit hours – six for the update or 12 for the initial – will be awarded. Multiple training sites are located across the state. Advance registration is required.

All trainings are 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. local time.

Those receiving this at KSB and KSD, please make sure all employees receive it. Also, ATC principals are asked to forward it to their staffs.

Please send your questions, comments and suggestions on Monday Message to Jennifer Ginn by 10 a.m. Friday to be published in the upcoming week.