Dear Colleagues:
Our Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council meets tomorrow with 17 new members for the 2022-2023 school year. The council meets regularly and provides valuable student feedback on critical issues impacting students and schools.
The Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council is not just window dressing for the idea of student voice. I attend their meeting every month and have seen them consider weighty topics such as teacher recruitment, various academic standards and school safety.
Just last week, several former and current members of the student advisory council presented information about student mental health and their recommendations to the Interim Joint Committee on Education along with Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. Those students worked with the lieutenant governor to hold Student Mental Health Action Summits in the fall of 2021. The roundtable summits were created to hear from students directly and collect data that could be used to better address students’ mental health.
Hunter Combs, an 11th-grader at Knott County Central High School and a student advisory member, wrote a column for Kentucky Teacher last week that provide great insight into the recent flooding in eastern Kentucky. It was a thoughtful and heart-tugging piece about how this tragedy has been impacting our students.
A key part of United We Learn – Kentucky’s vision for the future of education – is student voice. It is important for all of us to find ways for students to provide meaningful input for the education they receive. At the state level, we have not only the student advisory, but also a student who sits as a non-voting member on the Kentucky Board of Education.
I urge all of you to find ways to increase student voice in your district. There is a lot we can learn from our students if we are willing to listen. And if you’d like to listen to the Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council tomorrow, you can watch it live on the KDE Media Portal from 9 to 11:30 a.m.ET Tuesday.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner and Chief Learner
Results of FY 2020-2021 Audit Review Sent to District Auditors
The Auditor of Public Accounts, under contract with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), has reviewed the FY 2021 audit report(s) for technical compliance and adherence to reporting standards and contract requirements.
An email was sent to each districts’ auditor, superintendent and finance officer in July/August 2022 notifying them of their results. Auditors must correct and reissue any FY 2020-2021 audit report classified as technically deficient, as required by the audit contract.
The audit contract also requires auditors to ensure all deficiencies are not repeated in the FY 2021-2022 audit reports they are currently performing. KDE encourages districts to review and discuss the report with their auditor so findings are not repeated in the current fiscal year audit report.
For more information, email Kim Carter or call her at (502) 564-3846, ext. 4440. You also may email Becky Walsh or call her at (502) 564-3846, ext. 4410.
AP Exams Fees for the 2022-2023 School Year
The state of Kentucky is excited to announce financial support for students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams during the 2022-2023 school year.
The College Board charges $88 per standard fee exam and $136 per standard fee exam for Advanced Placement Capstone™ exams (AP Seminar and Research), however, the state is paying the majority of these costs for all students. See below for highlights from this story about AP fees on the Kentucky Teacher website:
- The final fee for any AP exam (including AP Seminar and AP Research exams) for fee-reduced students is $0 during the 2022-2023 school year.
- The final fee for any AP exam (excluding AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A exams) for standard-fee students is $10 per exam, or $19 per exam if the school does not forego its $9 rebate during the 2022-2023 school year. This rebate is optional for all AP programs.
- The final fee for an AP CSP or AP CSA exam for any public school student in Kentucky is $0 during the 2022-2023 school year.
KDE Seeking School to Design 2022 White House Christmas Ornament
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is looking for a public high school to represent the Commonwealth in the 2022 National Christmas Tree display.
Students from the selected high school will join 57 other schools across the country in creating one-of-a-kind ornaments for the National Christmas Tree display on the Ellipse in President’s Park in front of the White House. Marion County High School represented Kentucky in 2021; Dishman McGinnis Elementary (Bowling Green Independent) was chosen to represent Kentucky in 2020.
The ornaments will adorn 58 smaller trees that surround the National Christmas Tree, which represents each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia as part of the America Celebrates display.
For more information, email KDE Chief Communications Officer Toni Konz Tatman.
School Counselor and School-Based Mental Health Service Provider Use of Time Updates
Senate Bill 102, KRS 158.4416 has been updated regarding what information superintendents shall report by Nov. 1 annually. It includes school counselors, with the addition of any school-based mental health providers. The form and other information may be found within this guidance document.
KDE, Infinite Campus Offering Free Campus Analytics Training
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is partnering with Infinite Campus to offer free training to all Kentucky districts on the new Campus Analytics tools. This premium suite is available to all Kentucky districts through a statewide purchase by the KDE.
Important topics and tools covered include early warning, data validation/visualization, new premium survey options, teacher engagement check-ins and more.
Learn to effectively use Infinite Campus tools for more accurate analysis, reporting and prediction of students at risk. Choose from two webinar times on Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. ET. Please help encourage participation. Register now to participate in the Infinite Campus training.
2022-2023 KDE/Cognia Diagnostic Review Team Member Invitation
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia are accepting applications for Diagnostic Review team members to serve during the 2022-2023 school year.
Distinguished practitioners support the Diagnostic Review process by serving alongside KDE and Cognia staff to examine school/system data, leadership, learning conditions, policies, practices, curriculum and culture that promote student learning.
By using current practitioners – those who currently are serving or have served within the past three years – statewide leadership capacity is built to accelerate student performance, enhance school and system effectiveness and realize a common strategic goal of college and career readiness for every student.
Practitioners eligible to serve include the following:
- Principals, assistant principals, all school-level administrators, supervisors and coaches;
- Superintendents, assistant superintendents, all district-level administrators, supervisors and directors;
- Teachers;
- Parents or legal guardians; and
- University representatives.
Diagnostic Reviews are three-day, on-site visits and team members are expected to stay on site for the entirety of the review. To apply, please complete the Smartsheet form. For more information, email Natasha Stein or Ruth Swanson.
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