Kentucky recognizes 219 new National Board Certified Teachers

(FRANKFORT, KY) – A total of 219 Kentucky educators were recognized Feb. 11 for recently obtaining the highest possible certification in the teaching profession, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Nominations open for 2021 Kentucky Teacher Awards

The Kentucky Department of Education and Valvoline Inc., sponsors of the Kentucky Teacher Awards, have opened nominations for the 2021 Kentucky Teacher Awards.

Nominations may be submitted electronically by visiting the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year website at kentuckytoy.com. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 15. Any full-time public school teacher in the state with at least three years of experience is eligible. Teachers may be nominated by students, parents, teaching peers, principals, superintendents or anyone from the community who has an interest in honoring an outstanding educator.

The Montgomery County schools are putting a priority on bullying prevention without putting a burden on their teachers.

New 5-star accountability system launches;
little improvement shown overall

(FRANKFORT, KY) - After nearly four years of development following the December 2015 passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Kentucky’s new 5-star accountability system for public schools is now live. The system can be viewed in the form of an online dashboard on the Kentucky School Report Card, where reports for each school and district will show graphics displaying the overall identification of one to five stars, federal classifications, the performance on indicators (from very low to very high), and any statistically significant achievement gaps.

For the 2018-2019 school year, 89 schools (by level) received one star; 251 received two stars; 643 received three stars; 233 received 4 stars; and 56 received 5 stars. A breakdown of the schools’ star rating by level is as follows:

School Level	Total Number of Schools	1-star	2-star	3-star	4-star	5-star
Elementary	725	46	132	364	146	37
Middle	319	23	65	159	60	12
High	228	20	54	120	27	7
Total	1272	89	251	643	233	56

The star ratings and federal classifications are based on 2018-2019 K-PREP (Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress) assessment data and other indicators released today by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The system does not rely solely on students’ proficiency on state standardized examinations. Instead, as recommended by the many stakeholders who have had a hand in designing the system during the past four years, the diverse accountability indicators factor into a school’s overall five-star rating include:

(FRANKFORT, KY) – The U. S. Department of Education (USED) named five Kentucky public schools as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools, based on their overall academic excellence.

The five Kentucky schools and their districts are:

‘Alignment Tools’ Webcast Recording and Slides

 

Undergraduate students enrolled in educator preparation programs can receive up to $5,000 per semester for up to four semesters over the course of three academic years and receive no more than $20,000 total. They must be enrolled in an educator preparation program or have an application on file with a Kentucky university.

Students in an initial certification master’s educator preparation programs are eligible to receive up to $2,500 per semester for up to four semesters over the course of three academic years and receive no more than $10,000 total. They must be admitted to a MAT educator preparation program or have an application on file with a public Kentucky university. Eligibility requirements and an online application can be found on the Go Teach KY website and on KDE's website.

In a presentation to the Kentucky Budget Review Subcommittee on Education, Commissioner Wayne Lewis and Associate Commissioner David Horseman called for legislators to create a unified system for delivering quality career and technical education (CTE) for students in the Commonwealth.

“At best, we have a bifurcated system, but arguably, we lack a system for delivering career and technical education in Kentucky,” said Lewis.

Lewis said the state operates 53 area technology centers (ATCs), with numerous locally-operated centers spread throughout the state. Only some local centers receiving state funding. The funding for both state ATCs and local centers is too low to deliver quality programs based on regional workforce needs.

(FRANKFORT, KY) – Children will be given free books at several lunch programs being held across the state this summer as a part of the Kentucky Department of Education’s summer reading and math initiative, Stride Don’t Slide!

Beginning in mid-June, Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) officials and members of the Kentucky Board of Education will travel the Commonwealth, offering free reading activities and book giveaways as part of a national initiative through READ Up: Stop the Summer Slide℠ and The Children’s Reading Foundation.

“Although the summer months provide a much-needed break for students and teachers, studies show that up to three months of regression in reading and math can happen during the time off. The threat of regression is greatest for students not participating in summer learning and enrichment activities,” said KDE Commissioner Wayne Lewis. “With this initiative, our goals are to encourage parents to read to their youngest children for 20 minutes a day, encourage older students to read daily and promote summer-long learning for all students.”

The Kentucky Department of Education presents
Stride Don't Slide: Tips to Fight Summer Reading & Math Regression

Research has shown students, on average, lose two months of mathematics and reading learning during summer vacation when they don't practice the skills they have learned during the school year. Your child worked hard in math and reading this school year. Help him or her make strides this summer by using the resources listed by the Kentucky Department of Education.