Kentucky Teacher

In a special video edition of Commissioner’s Comments, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday thanks Kentucky teachers for all their hard work this school year, including their efforts to close achievement gaps and incorporate the new Common Core State Standards into thier lessons. He also offers a few words about the upcoming K-PREP tests, and urges Kentuckians to express their thanks to teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Day on May 8.

(Note: Video plays in IE9 and Firefox. It also will play in Chrome using the following plug-in:  http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com/wmp-extension-for-chrome).

Commissioner Terry Holliday

A few short weeks ago we received the news we had been waiting for – Kentucky was selected as one of the first states granted flexibility under No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Since the White House announced the waiver process in September, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) team and its partners have worked many hours to prepare and negotiate the waiver and flexibility from the rigid requirements of NCLB.

The goal from the beginning has been to have one accountability system rather than two — state and federal. Having two accountability systems was confusing to parents and schools. Also, the federal system began to lose credibility due to the details of NCLB.

The waiver will allow schools and districts some funding flexibility with regard to Title I and other federal dollars that were once tied to tutoring and other services mandated by NCLB. This flexibility, which will allow money to be reallocated to other efforts aimed at bolstering student achievement, comes at a very important time. State budgets for education have been reduced, and schools/districts will be looking at ways to redirect existing dollars to address the components of Senate Bill 1. Continue Reading

Commissioner Terry Holliday

Twenty-six million dollars is a big number.

That is the amount some are estimating it will cost Kentucky taxpayers to raise the compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18.

I and the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) have counted such a change as a top priority in past legislative sessions. The 2012 session is no exception.

We believe the change is in line with reform efforts we have been undertaking as part of Senate Bill 1 (SB1) – a piece of legislation passed in 2009 with the overwhelming support of the House and Senate.

That bill has numerous components and directives, but at the end of the day it calls on us to do one thing for all Kentucky students: Prepare them for college or the workplace. In turn, those prepared students will succeed and benefit our commonwealth.

Given that mandate, how can we then deem it acceptable for a 16-year-old to drop out of high school without the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed? How can we turn our backs on the students that likely need us the most? These students may be some of the hardest to reach, but they also are some of the most vulnerable.

There are those who see dropouts not as a problem, but rather a solution that rids our schools of unmotivated students who can be disruptive and uncooperative. (Dropouts, by the way, also rid schools of SEEK funding they would receive had those students stayed in school.) Continue Reading

In a special video edition of Commissioner’s Comments, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday welcomes Kentucky educators back to school after winter break, and offers a preview of  “what’s hot and what’s coming in 2012.” Among the topics highlighted are the Unbridled Learning: College/Career Readiness for All assessment and accountability system; student growth; Kentucky Core Academic Standards; new professional development resources; and the upcoming legislative session.

(Note: Video plays in IE9 and Firefox. It also will play in Chrome using the following plug-in:  http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com/wmp-extension-for-chrome).

Commissioner Terry Holliday

Technology can be a wonderful tool for learning.

It allows access to up-to-date information, increases communication, and offers interactivity and relevance as we prepare ALL students to be college- and career-ready in a global, technology-driven world.

It also holds immense instructional promise for students who, due to financial, physical or learning disabilities and other educational barriers, struggle to achieve their highest potential.

Nationally we have seen how technology is increasingly impacting teaching and learning. In Kentucky, just in the past several months, we announced an iTunes project that offers educators access to high-quality digital content resources; witnessed the emergence of 1:1 tablet projects in school districts that provide digital learning resources and textbooks to students; seen school districts utilize Skype to bridge physical barriers to providing rigorous coursework; and introduced a mobile portal application that enables parents to monitor their children’s progress. Continue Reading

Commissioner Terry Holliday

It was my great pleasure to participate in the 2012 Kentucky Teacher of the Year announcement two weeks ago. 

As I told those who gathered for the ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda, the handing out of the award is my favorite day of the year.

I am proud and grateful for the hard work these and many other educators around the state undertake on behalf of Kentucky’s children.

We ask a lot and expect a lot of our teachers in this state, especially these past few years as we overhaul and increase the rigor of our standards and embrace Kentucky’s Unbridled Learning Accountability System.

While some of those who were honored on Oct. 18 received monetary awards for their work, we know those types of occasions are rare in teachers’ careers. Their work is measured not by their pay checks, but by the impact they have on their students and this state.

It is work that is critical to our children and Kentucky, and it is not work we can expect them to do alone. That is why the Kentucky Department of Education is focused on partnering with teachers, and offering them support and resources through various initiatives, including the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Kentucky survey, the Continuous Instructional Improvement Technology System (CIITS), District 180 and many more. Continue Reading

Commissioner Terry Holliday

Kentucky has made tremendous progress in improving education for all children over the past several decades.

Today our state is seen as an education leader, in a large part due the passage of Senate Bill 1, and our drive and commitment to raise the bar for our students.

Yet, despite our successes, the release of student assessment data last week confirmed what we already knew — a majority of our schools fall short when it comes to meeting federal academic standards, and preparing their students to succeed in college or a career.

There is no doubt: Much more work is left to be done. Continue Reading

Commissioner Terry Holliday

This time of year has always been a period of excitement for me. As a former high school band director, this was time spent in preparation for the upcoming football and marching band season. As a principal, it was time for focusing staff on instruction and expectations for the school year. As a superintendent, it was time to make certain that all systems were functioning smoothly and that funding was in place to meet the needs of our students and teachers.

This year, I am experiencing excitement about the implementation of the Kentucky Unbridled Learning – College/Career Readiness for ALL plan. This plan is an outgrowth of 2009’s Senate Bill 1 and the Governor’s Transforming Education in Kentucky Task Force. 

Unbridled Learning – College/Career Readiness for ALL has a metric of increasing the percentage of college/career-ready graduates of Kentucky high schools from the current 34 percent to 67 percent by 2015. We have been communicating this goal and strategies to reach this goal for months. During the 2011-12 school year, we will begin to see the strategies implemented and begin to see if they yield the results for our students. Continue Reading

Videographer Clint Goins, right, pins a microphone to Education Commissioner Terry Holliday before filming a welcome back message to students and teachers recently. The video was made at Second Street School (Frankfort Independent). Photo by Amy Wallot, July 7, 2011

Kentucky teachers face some changes when they return to the classroom for the 2011-12 school year. In a special video edition of Commissioner’s Comments, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday extends a back-to-school welcome to all Kentucky educators and outlines some of the changes that take effect this school year as the result of the state’s Unbridled Learning initiative.

Welcome back message