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Dear Colleagues:
Today was a big day for students in Leslie County and Perry County’s Buckhorn School and A.B. Combs Elementary. They started back to school for the first day of the 2022-2023 school year, a much-needed move toward normalcy for students who have been so affected by the eastern Kentucky flooding in July.
And if everything goes as planned, by the end of September we expect all of Kentucky’s students will be back in school. We were so excited to hear during our weekly superintendents huddle on Sept. 1 that Jenkins Independent, Knott County and Letcher County have all officially set start dates for later this month.
Last week, Kentucky Board of Education Chair Lu S. Young and I were able to visit seven of our flood-impacted districts. On Aug. 30, we visited Jenkins Independent, Knott County and Letcher County to see the damage caused by flooding firsthand and to provide support to superintendents and staff. And on Aug. 31, we visited Breathitt County, Hazard Independent Schools, Jackson Independent and Perry County Schools.
While I was in Breathitt County, I was able to see all the damage to the Breathitt County Area Technology Center (ATC), which will likely be a complete loss. For now, the center is operating as part of Hazard Community and Technical College’s Lees College campus. In the coming days and months, we are committed to making sure Breathitt County students and our staff have a fully functioning ATC once more.
Spending time in eastern Kentucky has inspired me greatly. To see the ways the communities have come together to recover has given me renewed sense of hope for the future of the children and families they serve. Our superintendents and school staff are invested in their communities and are working hard to ensure they are providing the necessary supports to their students and families.
It’s been a long road for our students, educators and staff in many of our eastern Kentucky districts. The start of the school year is just one step – albeit a big one – in getting people’s lives back in order. We know there will be many social-emotional needs in these districts that may outlast the construction and repair of buildings. Please know that KDE will be by your side for the entire journey and we will work tirelessly to see that your needs are met.
But for now, let’s celebrate this significant milestone with a hearty “Welcome Back!” to more of Kentucky’s students.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner and Chief Learner
Registration Open for First Cohort of the Kentucky District Leadership Network
PBLWorks is now accepting registrations for its first cohort of the Kentucky District Leadership Network (DLN), scheduled to begin in October.
Part of the Kentucky Department of Education’s commitment to creating more vibrant learning experiences for students has been to partner with PBLWorks to strategically and effectively roll out and implement gold standard, project-based learning in interested schools and districts across the state. To support district leaders in leading project-based learning in schools, PBLWorks is offering an exclusive opportunity for district leaders in Kentucky to engage in a year-long leadership network at no cost.
Meeting Dates
All meetings will be held virtually from 2-3:30 p.m. ET
- Meeting 1: Oct. 20
- Meeting 2: Jan. 19, 2023
- Meeting 3: March 16, 2023
- Meeting 4: May 18, 2023
Visit the PBLWorks website for more information about this unique opportunity. The deadline to register is Monday, Sept. 19.
For more information, email Kypblinfo@pblworks.org or Jodi Dempsey.
Adding a District Title V, Part B Coordinator Role in Person Role Manager
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) emails information regarding the Title V, Part B Rural Education Achievement program to all district Title V, Part B coordinators throughout the year. These communications include important announcements and deadlines for funding and programmatic needs, new and updated resources, newsletters, and professional learning and training opportunities.
The list of recipients for these emails is generated by a program called Person Role Manager. The district web apps admin point of contact (WAAPOC) can update the personnel listed in this program. The district contacts listed in Person Role Manager feed into the Open House website.
Districts participating in the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and Rural Low-Income Schools (RLIS) programs must update the name of the Title V, Part B coordinator for their district to ensure the correct person receives communication from KDE in a timely manner. Rural districts not receiving SRSA or RLIS program funds may add a contact to ensure the district receives information regarding resources and training opportunities.
To add a Title V, Part B coordinator for your district, the Role Status must be set to “active” and a Role Start Date entered. Also ensure an email address is entered on the demographic screen. This should be done via KDE Web Applications | Person Role Manager.
For more information, email Shashawna Williams or call (502) 564-3791, ext. 4077.
FY22 Mathematics Achievement Fund Mini Grant RFA
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Teaching and Learning issued a request for applications (RFA) for the fiscal year 2022 Mathematics Achievement Fund Mini-Grants. Kentucky public school districts must apply on behalf of individual schools. The Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf also are eligible to apply.
The RFA can be found on the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage.
As specified in KRS 158.844, the Mathematics Achievement Fund (MAF) was created to provide developmentally appropriate diagnostic assessment and intervention services to students, primary through grade 12, to help them reach proficiency in mathematics. The MAF mini grant will provide funding for purchase of materials needed for modification of instruction (tier one, tier two and/or tier three) in mathematics and pay for extended time or release time for teachers to engage in professional learning of the new mathematics materials purchased.
A district/school shall use funding to purchase instructional materials for mathematics (including intervention programs and diagnostic assessments) that are high-quality instructional resources, which the KDE defines as being:
- Aligned to the Kentucky Academic Standards for Mathematics;
- Research-based and/or externally validated;
- Comprehensive to include engaging texts (books, multimedia, etc.), problems and assessments;
- Culturally relevant, free from bias; and
- Accessible for all students.
Important Dates
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Sept. 15, 10-11 a.m. ET: Technical assistance webinar via Microsoft Teams meeting. Attending or watching this recorded session is recommended.
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Sept. 22, 4 p.m. ET: Deadline for questions. All questions must be sent to KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
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Oct. 18, 4 p.m. ET: Application submission deadline. All applications must be sent to KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
- Review the links within the RFA for further guidance when writing the submission. If you have any questions, contact KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
- Please pay close attention to the blinding/redacted language within the RFA. Improperly blinded grants WILL be deemed non-responsive and NOT eligible for award.
Revised Curriculum Development Process, Toolkit and Professional Learning Modules Now Available
A revised Curriculum Development Process (CDP) (a component of the Model Curriculum Framework), an accompanying CDP toolkit and professional learning modules are now available.
The CDP was revised due to the year one experience of the 12-district high-quality instructional resources (HQIR) pilot and ongoing feedback from stakeholders. The central focuses for revision were:
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Increasing coherence by providing greater clarity and tighter alignment of the CDP’s four phases to the overall objective;
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Making the document more product-oriented so explanatory content serves each phase’s key artifacts toward developing a local curriculum supported by a primary HQIR; and
- Creating a more navigable structure and visually engaging layout.
CDP Toolkit and Professional Learning Modules
In addition to revisions to the CDP document, it now includes two new supports to aid districts in the process:
- A Curriculum Development Process Toolkit can be found in Appendix A. It contains sample artifacts to show examples of key products and video clips featuring districts that participated in the pilot speaking about their experiences.
- A self-reflection tool to help districts accurately locate themselves within the process and then inform next steps for engaging with it.
- A series of professional learning modules – each with a video, slide deck, participant handout and facilitation suggestions – to support district work with the CDP.
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