Commissioner's Comments
Dear Colleagues:
Last week, I think we can all agree, was an interesting week in the education world.
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) voted unanimously on Aug. 28 to send the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s (KHSAA) Board of Control a letter urging them to consider alternative options, guidance and further clarification on holding high-contact fall sports amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter, which is being released today, asks the Board of Control to provide further guidance for districts about things like what is a school district’s responsibility for enforcing previously released KHSAA guidance. It also asks the Board of Control to develop new guidance for school districts and coaches on spectator attendance at practice and competition, and clear guidance to school districts and coaches on how to best provide resources and mental health supports to student athletes who are unable to play.
The day after the meeting was announced, the department received about 12,000 phone calls and more than 700 emails from parents and other community members expressing their opinions about what they perceived the board’s actions would be. Word had mistakenly traveled around social media saying that the KBE was going to overrule the Board of Control’s decision to begin practice and playing sports. That was never on the agenda.
As many of you probably know, I’ve always been a student of government. I viewed the conversation KBE held last week as an example of how good government is supposed to work. The KHSAA Board of Control serves as an agent of KBE in interscholastic athletics. While it serves as the board’s agent, the KBE members also have responsibility for anything that concerns the health and safety of all of Kentucky’s public school students.
This meeting recognized the Board of Control’s authority, but also was a very good and deep discussion to better explain the rationale behind the Board of Control’s decision and the impact their decision to restart high-contact athletics could have. This is how good government is supposed to work. The Board of Control did its job; the KBE fulfilled its oversight role and even the public fulfilled their role of providing input.
I also want to thank all of you for the role you fulfill every day in your communities. The decisions made in education are always high profile and often emotional. We understand that last week was a taste of what you deal with daily. I want to thank you for your hard work and your dedication to the public school students of Kentucky.
Also, please join us for the weekly Special Superintendents' Webcast 2-4 p.m. ET Tuesday. The topics will include an update from the Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE) Division of Communications; new COVID-19 guidance about English learner programs; information about the non-traditional instruction support webpage, a Healthy at School update and another Q & A with KDE and Department for Public Health.
Thank you for all you do for Kentucky’s children. I am proud to be part of #TeamKDE and #TeamKentucky.
Kevin
Here are some helpful links to resources you might find useful:
New High School Feedback Reports are available for review
The Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYStats) is providing High School Feedback Reports (HSFR) for the graduating class of 2018 for district review. The review window is through September, with the public release planned for October.
This year, districts are asked to review the report on college going and success for the high school graduating class of 2018. The report compares: student outcomes including college-going rates, types of schools attended, how students performed in their first year at in-state public colleges and universities and financial aid received by students.
Access to these reports is through a KYStats weblink provided to district assessment coordinators (DACs). DACs can download these reports and share with principals and superintendents. These reports should be considered DRAFT; all district reports are currently viewable through the link but reports may change if data issues are found. These draft reports are for internal review only and should not be shared until public release.
Previous reports may be viewed on the KYStats website. Email Barrett Ross for questions about your district’s report.
Title I, Part A Carryover Waiver
Section 1127(a) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) places a carryover limitation on Title I, Part A funds. No more than 15% of the funds allocated to a district for any fiscal year may remain available for obligation for one additional fiscal year.
Districts must ensure that at least 85% of school year 2019-2020 (FY20) Title I, Part A funds (project 310F) are obligated for activities that occur no later than Sept. 30, 2020.
As stated in Section 1127(c) of ESSA, this carryover limitation does not apply to districts that receive less than $50,000 in Title I, Part A funds for the fiscal year.
Section 1127(b) of ESSA allows the state to waive this carryover limitation if:
- It determines that a district’s request is reasonable and necessary; or
- Supplemental appropriations for this subpart become available.
Typically, districts may apply for this waiver once in a three-year period. However, the CARES Act provides relief from this requirement for 2019-2020 funds (project 310F), allowing districts to request a carryover limitation waiver more than once within that period. Any district may apply for the carryover waiver for 2019-2020 funds, even if it has been approved for such within the past three years.
Any district wishing to request a carryover waiver for 2019-2020 funds may do so no later than Sept. 30 by submitting an email to David Millanti. The email must:
- State the district requests a waiver of the 15% carryover limitation;
- Contain the reason for the excess carryover; and
- Describe the district’s plan for effectively using carryover funds.
Questions may be directed to Millanti or your district’s Title I, Part A consultant.
2020-2021 Comprehensive Improvement Planning Timeline for Districts and Schools
eProve will continue to serve as the platform for all comprehensive improvement planning work for the 2020-2021 academic year. When logging into eProve, administrators and users will notice that previous years’ diagnostics are still visible. To clarify those next steps for schools and districts and to ensure accurate reporting and compliance, KDE recommends taking the following steps:
- Prior to opening the new diagnostics for 2020-2021, please rename previous years’ diagnostics to include the year (i.e. 2019-2020 Title I Annual Review, 2019-2020 Closing the Achievement Gap, 2018-2019 Title I Annual Review, 2018-2019 Closing the Achievement Gap, etc.). In addition to renaming any documents to include the corresponding year, please lock the diagnostics to prevent additional changes. Modifying the name to include the year and locking the diagnostic will help to alleviate any confusion when attempting to distinguish this year’s diagnostics from any previous years. For additional tips on renaming and locking diagnostics, consult the eProve User Manual.
- After renaming and locking any previous year’s diagnostics, begin new diagnostics by following the steps outlined on pages 8 through 10 of the eProve User Manual. After beginning the new diagnostics, rename them to include the current school year to help distinguish these from the archived diagnostics (i.e. 2020-2021 Title I Annual Review, 2020-2021 Closing the Achievement Gap, etc.). Schools and districts must annually develop an improvement plan and therefore must begin new diagnostics.
The process and timeline for comprehensive school and district improvement planning outlined in 703 KAR 5:225 remain unchanged. Following the 2020 legislative session, a few new diagnostics have been added to the process. Additional information regarding each will be forthcoming from the KDE. Diagnostics in the eProve system have been identified by phases and include the following:
Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP)
Phase One (Aug. 1 – Oct. 1)
- Continuous Improvement Diagnostic for Districts
Phase Two (Oct. 1 – Nov. 1)
- Needs Assessment for Districts
- District Assurances
- District Safety Report
Phase Three (Nov. 1 – Jan. 1)
- Professional Development Plan for Districts — New
- Comprehensive District Improvement Plan
- Executive Summary for Districts
- The Superintendent Gap Assurance
Phase Four (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31)
- Continuation of Learning Plan for Districts (Due May 1) — New
- Progress Monitoring
Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP)
Phase One (Aug. 1 – Oct. 1)
- Continuous Improvement Diagnostic for Schools
Phase Two (Oct. 1 – Nov. 1)
- Needs Assessment for Schools
- School Assurances
- School Safety Report
Phase Three (Nov. 1 – Jan. 1)
- Professional Development Plan for Schools — New
- Comprehensive School Improvement Plan
- Executive Summary for Schools
- Closing the Achievement Gap Diagnostic
Phase Four (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31)
Due to current restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and out of an abundance of caution, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), in partnership with Cognia, has canceled its 2020-2021 Continuous Improvement Summit previously scheduled for Sept. 28-29 at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington. Planning already is underway for the 2021-2022 Continuous Improvement Summit to be held at the Lexington Convention Center on Sept. 22-23, 2021. Please mark your calendar and save the dates. We look forward to seeing and learning with you in person.
Prior to beginning planning work in eProve, please consult the “COVID-19 2020-21 Improvement Planning: Living Continuous Improvement” guidance document.
If you have questions related to eProve and improvement planning, please visit the Comprehensive Improvement Planning website or email Natasha Stein or Ruth Swanson.
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