| Check here for the latest news from KASC — announcements about our new programs or services or our statements on important issues facing school councils in the state.
We also use this space to recognize accomplishments by our member schools and our own KASC team. Use the link below to submit information we might include on this page. |
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OUR MEMBERS
IN THE NEWS
Beechwood High and
Highlands High
(Ft. Thomas Ind.) have been chosen as silver medalists among "America's Best High Schools" by US News and World Report.
Bronze medalists include:
Barbourville City School
Brown High (Jefferson Co.)
Harlan High
Jackson City School
Lee County High
Monticello High
Murray High
Paris High
Pikeville High
Click here for full listing.
Ellie Vandivier, a teacher at Mercer County Elementary, has recently been awarded the Kentucky Elementary Science Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs. Vandivier has taught kindergarten the past 12 years at Mercer County Elementary.
Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Wins 2007 Innovative Nonprofit Award
Jerry Parks, a Social Studies teacher at Georgetown Middle School, was named to the All-USA Teacher Team, sponsored by USA Today. The annual honor is given by a panel of judges selected by the national newspaper. Each year 20 teachers are selected for the nationwide team.
KASC has selected 3 outstanding leaders in education as recipients of the 2008 Vision Award:
Leslie Robertson
A master teacher committed to results, who believes success is about teaching every child, every day, and never accepts less than her students' best.
Sylvester Moore
A dedicated parent and strong advocate for youth, working in Christian County for the good of the community, and serving on school councils for seven years.
Mike LaFavers
An enthusiastic principal, who is forthright in his expectations of students and teachers, is committed to positive school culture, and affirms by example that “Attitude is everything.”
SEND US YOUR NEWS
House Bill 406, as approved by the House and Senate on April 2, has now been signed into law. Considering the recent high inflation rate and growing enrollments, Kentucky's state school funding will have less buying power to meet each child's needs in the 2007-2008 school year than in 2008-2009. This analysis shares an estimate of the impact per student. See the full article.
TASK FORCE TO REVIEW STATE’S ASSESSMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
(FRANKFORT, Ky.) - A statewide task force of policymakers and experts in the field will review Kentucky’s Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS), with the primary goals of providing a blueprint for the system’s progress in the future and ensuring that the system meets the best interests of public school students. See the full article.
>BLUE RIBBON PANEL TO MEET
The Commisioner's Blue Ribbon Panel on intervention strategies will hold its first meeting Monday, February 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. EST in the auditorium of the Capital Plaza Tower in Frankfort. See the full article.
>DISTRICTS TO RECEIVE FEDERAL IMPROVEMENT FUNDS
The U.S. Department of Education has approved Kentucky's application for School Improvement Funds authorized under Section 1003(g) of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. This is the first year that Congress has appropriated funds under Section 1003(g) to assist schools that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
See the full article.
>US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
America's Best High Schools
The November 29 issue of US News & World Report provided a listing of the publication's first-ever selections for the best public high schools in the country. The listing included rankings and “medals” to the top contenders out of the more than 18,000 public high schools in the U.S. The 100 schools that did the best in the magazine's analysis were awarded gold medals. The next 405 schools earned silver medals, and more than 1,000 additional schools earned bronze medals. No schools in Kentucky received gold medals, but there were several silver and bronze recipients. See the full article.
>EMERSON SELECTED AS 2008 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Chandra Holloway Emerson, a teacher at Oldham County Middle School, has been named 2008 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. See the full article.
>PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS
The Commissioner's Parents Advisory Council (CPAC), a group formed to advise the state commissioner of education on policy issues, has issued a set of recommendations to improve family and community involvement in Kentucky's public schools. See the full article.
>STATEWIDE HIGH ATTENDANCE DAY
(August 20, 2007) The Kentucky Directors of Pupil Personnel (KDPP) is once again sponsoring the 2nd Annual High Attendance Day held through out the state on Tuesday, September 11. The event is meant to encourage and stress the importance school attendance. Attendance is directly correlated with the students’ opportunity to succeed, and this event is meant to foster positive attitudes about the importance of school. See the full article.
>CONGRESS PASSES NEW 'COMPETITIVENESS' BILL
Congress approved legislation August 3, 2007 that would establish several new federal math and science programs and expand existing ones. The competitiveness bill seeks to bolster mathematics and science education through improved teacher recruitment and training and promote successful classroom practices. See the full article.
>NEW WORKSHOPS SET FOR COUNCILS, PD
KASC is now booking two all-new workshops for experienced school council members. The association is also offering three new professional development sessions for teachers.
The new sessions for council members cover areas vital to school success:
> Budget Basics focuses on ways that schools can use financial and other resources to help students succeed. The workshop looks at the council’s role in budget issues, what money the council controls, and other important resources that come into play. The training includes policy guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions. Practices from successful Kentucky schools are also shared and discussed.
> Steps to Student Proficiency hones in on student achievement. The council is accountable for making sure all students are learning and reaching proficiency. This session focuses on the council leading a school by setting high expectations and implementing a system for assessing students regularly through the year. The workshop also looks at using resources to help students reach proficiency and supporting the school staff as they work to meet the needs of individual students. Practices from successful Kentucky schools will be shared and discussed.
New professional development sessions for 2007-08 are available for individuals, groups, or participants who will share the information in their own school or district professional meetings:
> All-Star Strategies pulls together key strategies from 10 of the most-used school-improvement books and presents them in a way for participants to see how they can be used in schools and classrooms.
> Multiple-Choice and Depth of Knowledge helps teachers learn how to develop quality multiple-choice questions and strategies for students to use in answering this kind of question, which will determine at least 50 percent of school’s scores on each subject on Kentucky’s Core Content Tests, except writing.
> Continuous Assessment to Change Instruction explores ways to use classroom assessment to monitor progress toward academic goals and meet student needs.
For more information on the full catalog of KASC training titles or to schedule sessions, call (859) 238-2188 or e-mail our training staff at training@kasc.net.
> RESPONSE TO COUNCIL AUTHORITY ISSUE
(DEC. 8, 2006) School-based decision making councils exist to improve student achievement. If a school's students aren't meeting state standards, a 2004 Kentucky law allows the school council's authority to be removed.
Here's how the law works: Schools subject to a scholastic audit (based on low CATS scores) receive a review of council effectiveness. After that audit, plans will be made to strengthen the council. Two years later, schools that haven't met testing goals for four years total are subject to a second audit. If the council is again found to be ineffective in meeting its CATS goals, either the superintendent or a highly skilled educator can be recommended to take over the council's work.
The audit team must also recommend whether the school council will continue to act in an advisory capacity until its authority is restored when the school meets its goal for a two-year accountability cycle. The school council can ask the Kentucky Board of Education to reconsider a take-over and present supporting materials to make its case.
When a school's performance leads to the school council having its authority removed, it doesn't mean the council is the cause of the problems; it means the council hasn't been able to find solutions. The parents, the teachers, and the principal on the councils at these schools care deeply about their students, as do all the council members across the state.
KASC wants to help build the capacity for these school councils to lead the school to success in the future. We hope the councils facing this situation will support new efforts to turn around their schools. This is an opportunity to learn and grow, not give up. Councils need to embrace all the help available, because making sure their students learn is what matters most. See the full law