Kentucky Teacher

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

Associate Commissioners Ken Draut, Dewey Hensley and Felicia Cumings-Smith speak to the Kentucky Board of Education regarding the new assessment and accountability system. Photo by Amy Wallot, Dec. 7, 2011

If approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Kentucky schools and districts will have an annual improvement goal under a revised version of the state’s Unbridled Learning assessment and accountability system.

Under previous versions of the plan, schools would have received a score and been placed in one of three categories: needs improvement, proficient or distinguished. But they would not have had an annual improvement goal for accountability. However, waiver guidelines from federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act regulations requires the state enact annual measurable objectives (AMOs) for schools and districts.

Staff from the Kentucky Department of Education briefed the Kentucky Board of Education on the requirements of the waiver during the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.

In addition to AMOs, other changes caused by the waiver include new designations for schools and districts based on how they perform under the requirements of Unbridled Learning; inclusion of student growth as a component of the state’s teacher and principal evaluation system; and removing specific accommodations for students with special needs previously allowed during testing of reading and mathematics.

The new accountability model includes student data from testing, gap, growth, college/career readiness and graduation rate (Next-Generation Learners); principal and teacher effectiveness (Next-Generation Professionals); and Program Reviews (Next-Generation Instructional Programs and Support). Scores from each of the three areas ultimately will be totaled for an overall score. Continue Reading

Kimberly Shearer

A minute per question. That’s the time I was given to answer 120 multiple-choice questions on my Praxis test this morning.

This spring, I’ll be graduating with my Rank I in Library Media Education, and the Praxis test is just one part of the certification process. A minute per question is actually more time than my juniors have for each passage on the ACT Reading test, and as I frantically bubbled my Praxis answer sheet, I suddenly felt very close to my students. 

Part of that closeness came from my frustration. Two years of my life were suddenly reduced to 120 multiple-choice questions. The evidence of my Rank I coursework and its effects on my instruction couldn’t be found in the pages of that test booklet. Sure, I could rattle off Dewey classes, taxonomies and tips for creating a library budget, but where were the blogs that my Rank I classes helped me create with my English III students? Where were my students’ persuasive digital stories or their annotated bibliographies?

The ways I’ve grown as a teacher, the ways my Rank I education helped my students — none of it was there. The lasting results of my coursework all existed outside of what a standardized test could capture. But the clock was ticking, so I kept bubbling. Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Education has released final regulations that amend the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The changes to FERPA regulations are aimed at improving access to data, which will help states evaluate educational programs, allocate limited resources, increase accountability and transparency, and support a culture of innovation and continuous educational improvement.

More details on the changes are available here.

FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive federal funds. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records, and those rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level.

Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.

Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information. Continue Reading

Kathleen Reutman Bryant received the third annual Dr. Johnnie Grissom Award (Strive for Achievement Through Instructional Equity) from Kentucky Board of Education chairman David Karem and Education Commissioner Terry Holliday during Wednesday's KBE meeting. Bryant is executive director of Student/Community Services for the Boone County school district. Photo by Amy Wallot, Dec. 7, 2011

Kathleen Reutman Bryant received the third annual Dr. Johnnie Grissom Award (Strive for Achievement Through Instructional Equity) from the Kentucky Board of Education on Wednesday.

Bryant is executive director of Student/Community Services for the Boone County school district. She was nominated by Karen Cheser, Boone County’s assistant superintendent for Learning Support Services.

“There are few educators in Kentucky today as passionate about helping all children as Kathleen Reutman Bryant,” said Cheser in her nomination letter, “and none as tirelessly and quietly persistent in working as an advocate for their needs.”

Kentucky Board of Education Chair David Karem presented the award.

“In her current position, Kathy goes above and beyond in many ways, such as finding resources for the growing number of homeless students; ensuring that limited funds are spent on the neediest students through Title I; and championing the rights of the youngest students, even before they come to school,” Karem said. 

The Dr. Johnnie Grissom Award is presented annually to an individual or group with outstanding accomplishments to help all students achieve at high levels through instructional equity and to closing the achievement gap. Continue Reading

The Digging Deeper for the Gold workshop is scheduled for Dec. 10 in Frankfort.

At this workshop, Deborah Lord Campisano will offer advice for determining a research objective and preparing a research strategy for solving family history mysteries. Case study examples will illustrate methods for getting the most from census records and court records including wills, administrations, court minutes, land records and tax records.

Presented by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) and the Kentucky Genealogical Society, the free family history workshop series takes place each month at the Center for Kentucky History. Topics range from how to begin documenting ancestry to specialized resources for experienced genealogists.

To make a reservation, contact the KHS Reference Desk at (502) 564-1792, ext. 4460 or KHSRefDesk@ky.gov. The registration deadline for this workshop is noon on Friday, Dec. 9.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holiday will conduct the next superintendents’ webcast on Dec. 16 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET. The webcast will include updates on the budget and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver request.

Those who have topics that should be included in this broadcast should e-mail them to Mary Ann Miller.

The links for the broadcast will be e-mailed closer to the actual date of the webcast.

The Kentucky National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project is offering five regional Energy Education Workshops for classroom teachers (K-12).

The workshops actively engage teachers, modeling hands-on activities that deliver core content in the area of energy in a fun and exciting way. Substitute reimbursement is provided and all attending teachers will have access to free Science of Energy kits and K-12 energy curriculum.

For more information, go to www.need.org/calendar and select one of the following workshop locations:

January 24 – Louisville

January 26 – Owensboro

February 2 – Frankfort

February 9 – Ashland

February 23 – Bowling Green

Pam Sexton speaks to the Kentucky Board of Education after accepting the annual Dr. Samuel Robinson Award for her late husband Robert Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Photo by Amy Wallot, Dec. 7, 2011

At its meeting in Frankfort Wednesday, the Kentucky Board of Education presented the annual Dr. Samuel Robinson Award to the late Robert Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. The award was accepted by Sexton’s wife, Pam.

Since 2004, the Dr. Samuel Robinson Award has been conferred on an individual or groups in Kentucky for outstanding leadership, commitment and service in promoting equity and opportunity to learn at high levels for all Kentucky students.

In their nomination letter, Cindy Heine and Albert Smith, Jr. of the Prichard Committee noted that Sexton was a champion for Kentucky’s children.

“Bob never ran for political office. He didn’t invent a new machine, captain a financial empire or run a giant corporation. We honor him as a social entrepreneur. He tackled the most important challenge of our time, which is how to help Kentucky kids become competitive in a knowledge economy.”

Kentucky Board of Education Chair David Karem presented the award.

“Bob Sexton’s entire career was focused on improving education in Kentucky at all levels,” said Karem. “He brought education leaders together to hammer out policy and strategy issues on which the groups could agree and then promoted them with policymakers. Over the years, he generated bipartisan support for legislative initiatives that helped to move Kentucky’s education system forward.”

Lu Young

Lu Young, superintendent of Jessamine County Schools, has been selected as the 2012 Kentucky Superintendent of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators.

Young will now compete for the National Superintendent of the Year Award given by the American Association of School Administrators. She was presented with the award during a surprise ceremony November 30 at the Jessamine Career and Technology Center Multipurpose Room.

Jessamine County Board of Education member said in her letter of nomination that “Lu is a superintendent who is leading the way for education in Kentucky,” and attributed increased student achievement, graduation rates, and community involvement to Young’s leadership.

Since Young became superintendent, the district’s dropout rate has decreased from 7.6% in 2004 to 2.54% in 2010. She has also led her district to increased scores in reading and math, particularly among students with disabilities, and has reduced district spending by over $2.5 million in the last two years.

“I have followed Lu’s career for more than 25 years and have always found her to be totally dedicated and committed to improving the educational opportunities for all children in Jessamine County. I am always proud to call her ‘my superintendent’ when introducing her to my colleagues in Frankfort,” State Representative Robert Damron said in his letter of recommendation. Continue Reading

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Jennifer Fritsch, executive producer for Q102 in Cincinnati, talks with 8th-grade student Zania Rogers as part of Operation Preparation at Campbell County Middle School. Fritsch has committed to volunteer as a mentor for the spring program. Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 14, 2011

Martha Layne Collins High School (Shelby County) teacher Stephanie Robinson was nearly beside herself with excitement. Recently, while her related arts business class was researching careers as part of their work on the Individual Learning Plan (ILP), one of her students proclaimed, “So, this ILP stuff isn’t just for school, it’s for life.”

“It was music to my ears,” Robinson said. “He gets it.”

Schools and districts across Kentucky are hoping more students “get it” as the result of Operation Preparation, a community-based, volunteer, college-/career-advising week scheduled for March 12-16, 2012. 

“The earlier students make the connection between school and their future, the better their chance for success and the more likely they are to graduate from high school college-/career-ready,” said Sharon Johnston, a program consultant in the Office of Next-Generation Learners with the Kentucky Department of Education.  

College/career readiness is the goal for all Kentucky students. Effective advising is one of the strategies identified to help schools and students reach that goal.

“Operation Preparation will focus attention on the importance of planning for college and/or career by engaging students, parents, schools and communities in the process of effective advising,” Johnston said. Continue Reading