The 2020 General Assembly is underway, and you can turn to KET on air and online to follow the legislative process, policy discussions, committee meetings and chamber sessions.
Senate and House chamber sessions and committee meetings can be watched live on:
The Kentucky Channel, KET KY (over-the-air and cable statewide)
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 four-year, $160,000 scholarships Georgetown College this week offered to all Scott County students admitted during the next 10 years also will be offered to students in Owen and two other counties yet to be announced.
Kentucky students have lost ground in 4th grade reading, according to results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress released today. The percent of students meeting or exceeding NAEP proficiency standards has declined from 40% in 2015 to 38% in 2017 to 35% in 2019, and the drop from 2015 to 2019 is statistically significant. Results for 8th grade reading and 4th and 8th grade math did not show significant change.
At some point most every school day, Marissa Atha, a 7th grader at Spencer County Middle School, said she can’t wait for the final bell to chime.
She finds math and science tough to absorb, but once school is out, she feels confident that she can get things straight and also have fun with friends — all before dinner.
“How I do in class is improved,” Marissa said, crediting the school’s thriving afterschool program, Grizzlies Beyond the Bell, which everyone calls G.B.B.
There have been at least eight school shootings in 2019 resulting in injuries or deaths, according to Education Week’s 2019 School Shooting Tracker. In 2018, there were 24 school shootings in the United States that resulted in the loss of 35 lives and injury to 79 people.
STUDENTS TAKING THE ACT next year will have the option to retake individual sections of the college entrance exam instead of the entire exam, making it easier for students applying to college to submit a higher score.
(FRANKFORT, KY) – Four Kentucky mathematics and science teachers are among 213 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), which is awarded to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process at the state level.
Councils were created to help schools find the best ways to prepare students to meet academic standards and be ready for success in college and careers. Encouraging students to be involved citizens and know how to propose solutions to problems develops important skills. In preparing students to become engaged leaders, councils should consider:
Kentucky Safe Schools Week is set for October 20–26, 2019. This year's theme is “Our Safety Story!” KASC and the Kentucky Center for School Safety stands on the belief that everybody should enjoy school equally and be treated with respect. Community members, educators, students and parents are encouraged to get involved during Kentucky Safe Schools Week.
Every school has its own cast of characters weaving the fabric of its own Safety Story. As in the film Toy Story 4, Woody, Buzz, and Bo along with a host of others, welcome a new friend, Forky, and help him find his purpose. Our schools are composed of students/staff who are a host of likely characters with a variety of interests and talents. Remember the words of Buzz Lightyear, “The important thing is that we stick together.” We ask that you join us across Kentucky, each and every school, as we embrace unity, kindness and empathy to enhance “Our Safety Story” ...‘cause you got a friend in me.’
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:
Registering to vote is a simple process that ensures your voice is heard in critical local, state, and national elections.
The deadline to register to vote for the 2019 General Election is Monday October 7, 2019.
There are three (3) options when registering to vote: In Person, Via Mail, or Online. Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons with TDD can call (502) 573-7100 for questions.
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.
Getting your fellow parents involved in true partnerships and activities focused on improvement goals is demonstrated in council meetings, work with council colleagues, and interaction with others at school. Here are some ideas for parents to help your school strengthen the way parent involvement complements student learning:
Nominate a business leader striving for education excellence
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) is accepting nominations for the Kelly Award for Business and Education Partnership. The award honors a Kentucky businessperson who has partnered with a public school or district to provide outstanding leadership that promotes school improvement and student success.
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.
A recent NKU Alumni Spotlight article has illuminated Kentucky Center for Mathematics impact on elementary pre-service math teachers! KCM Faculty Associate, Funda Gonulates, was recognized for her work as a professor of the Teacher Education Department's "Teaching Elementary Mathematics" course, which was revealed to be a favorite by NKU Alumni.
Kentucky Academic Standards Family Guides Available in Spanish The Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) family guides were developed to help families familiarize themselves with the content of each grade level’s standards. Each guide contains a standards overview for reading and writing, mathematics, science and social studies. The guides are now available in Spanish and can be accessed on the Standards Family Guides & Resources webpage on the KY Standards website.
KDE announces Go Teach KY