Kentucky Teacher

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, left, Gov. Steve Beshear and ACT, Inc. recognized Hazard Community and Technical College President Dr. Stephen Greiner, Layfette High School (Fayette County) senior Devin O’Neil Morton, Murray High School (Murray Independent) Principal Teresa Speed and Citi Vice President of Public Affairs Crystal Gibson for their college and career readiness efforts during a press conference this week at the Capitol.
Photo by Amy Wallot, April 15 , 2013

Gov. Steve Beshear and Education Commissioner Terry Holliday teamed up with ACT, Inc. this week to celebrate Kentucky’s progress toward the goal of college- and career-readiness for all students and recognize those who embody or advance the state’s commitment to preparing students for success.

“From preschool to career, getting students ready to take the next step is vital not only to their future but Kentucky’s future,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our ability to create and maintain an energetic and highly trained workforce depends on that preparation. Education is the single-biggest factor in determining long-term success for our state – whether success is defined by the quality of life for our people, the stability of our economy, or the competitive strength of our business sector.”

The event was part of the ACT College and Career Readiness Campaign that celebrates achievement and creates awareness around the goal of college and career readiness for all.

Kentucky is one of seven states (others are Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin) invited to participate in the national campaign’s inaugural year. Read the full story

Guidance counselor Neal Tindle and senior Kathy Sanders explore her ILP at Frederick Fraize High School (Cloverport Independent). Sanders plans to study culinary arts at Sullivan University. Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 4, 2013

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

Neal Tindle, guidance counselor and technology teacher at Frederick Fraize High School (Cloverport Independent), likes to ask seniors what they are researching on their iPads when he passes them in the library or hallways.

“Often it’s a search for scholarship money for college,” Tindle said. “That typically makes me smile.”

Tindle said students browsing online planning their futures is a good reflection of Frederick Fraize’s emphasis on the Individual Learning Plan (ILP).

“We enjoy the ILP experience, and our students enjoy it, too,” Tindle said. “I’m glad its (technology has) been continually funded throughout these years, and I certainly hope that it continues to be for many, many more years.”

This marks the first year that a graduating class in Kentucky will have had access to the ILP from 6th grade through graduation.

“It’s a wonderful milestone,” said Sharon Johnston, program consultant for Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Office of Next-Generation Learners.

“We’re very excited to add a new component to the ILP this spring. It is called Ability Profiler and is an optional assessment for students age 16 and older.

The Ability Profiler aids students in identifying their strengths and how these strength match up with certain careers. Read the full story

Wayne County High School sophomore Trevor Shearer, volunteers Shannon McCracken and Keli Carter and sophomore Cheyenne Chaney look over Carter’s newborn photography during Operation Preparation at the school last spring. Photo by Linda Jones/Wayne County school district 

By Susan Riddell

susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Districts across Kentucky participated in Operation Preparation last year for one week. This year, when the event returns in March, it will be a monthlong initiative.

“We can’t wait,” said Katherine Kidd, the 21st century coordinator for Wayne County Middle School. “We know this is really preparing our students for the future.”

When Operation Preparation began last year, schools worked closely with community partners, who met with 8th and 10th graders across the state to talk about college and career planning and options.

Kidd said the Wayne County school district tried to make the 2011-12 event insightful for students, and also fun. She said this year’s participants can expect more of the same.

“We wanted a meaningful event, and we felt it would be more memorable if it was fun, too,” Kidd said.

To kick off last year’s program, Wayne County schools held a big pep rally in the gym, which was decorated with streamers and college banners, to get students excited about the notion of college. A student-made video was shown that featured students “operating” on another student. The “patient” given a dose of better attendance and “more rigor” during the pretend surgery. When the patient woke up, he was prepared with what he needed to succeed in high school and beyond.

On the second day, teachers wore college shirts or hoodies from the college they attended.

“We wanted to springboard conversations about college,” Kidd said. “We also blew up a map of Kentucky and pinpointed everywhere in the state where there is a place of higher learning.”

Wayne County rounded out the week with counseling and breakout sessions. Special rooms were designated for different entrepreneurs and students who were deemed on the fence regarding college and career were targeted with one-on-one sessions. Kidd said of those 25 students chosen for the personal counseling, only one said afterwards they weren’t sold on going to college.

Community volunteer Joe Tipton talks about career plans with sophomore Aaron Neal at Wayne County High School last school year during Operation Preparation.
Photo by Linda Jones/Wayne County Schools

“We had some very successful people come in and talk to our kids,” Kidd said. “I think we did a good job matching them up. If we had a kid who liked to be outside, we paired him up with a forest ranger, for example. We really focused on the interests of the students.”

Franklin County school district Superintendent Chrissy Jones said her district – like Wayne County – embraced the Operation Preparation experience a year ago, and looks forward to the opportunity to participate again.

“The focus for 8th graders was on preparation for high school whereas the focus for 10th graders was preparation for college and/or career,” Jones said.

High school sessions centered on: advising time with community volunteers; 21st century job skills; a panel of high school graduates and educators from Kentucky State University (KSU); and preparing for postsecondary life (college, technical school or military.)

Jones said that preparing for postsecondary life included student-selected sessions on college fair/admissions; financial aid at the KSU office; and a testing center booth.

Middle school students attended mentor sessions with community volunteers and a panel of former high school students.

“The life after high school panel featured a diverse group of high school graduates who shared what life was like after graduation, mistakes to avoid and what they wish they’d done (differently) in high school,” Jones said.

Kentucky State University’s Career Center offered a session on soft skills, problem-solving skills and communication skills to 10th graders.

Jones said her district was very thankful for assistance it received from community volunteers and KSU.

“We have a strong relationship with KSU, and I feel that Operation Preparation strengthened the partnership,” Jones said. “KSU was instrumental in making this happen for our students. I cannot begin to say how much I appreciate all they did and continue to do.”

Last year 122 districts, the Kentucky School for the Blind and the Kentucky School for the Deaf, as well as 10 youth detention centers participated in Operation Preparation, according to Sharon Johnston, program consultant in the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Office of Next-Generation Learners.

“We are hoping to have more schools participate this year, particularly since we have new statewide partners – the Kentucky Masons and the Kentucky Area Health Education Centers – who will serve as advisors in local schools,” Johnston said.

The KDE website has a host of resources and toolkits related to Operation Preparation, the Individual Learning Plan and college and career advising.

Feedback from Operation Preparation 2012 led KDE to add new resources to the Operation Preparation toolkit including a video on using Individual Learning Plan data to match students with advisors, Johnston said.

MORE INFO…
Operation Preparation
Sharon Johnston, sharon.johnston@education.ky.gov, (502) 564-2106, ext. 4517
Chrissy Jones, chrissy.jones@franklin.kyschools.us, (502) 695-6700
Katherine Kidd, katherine.kidd@wayne.kyschools.us, (606) 348-6691

By Tim Thornberry
tim.thornberry@education.ky.gov

Alice Boblitt, the Computer Aided Drafting teacher at the Nelson County Area Technology Center works with student Morgan Ballard on a digital drawing. She said many of her students go on to be quite successful in a variety of careers including engineering. Ballard plans to attend the University of Louisville and study engineering.
Photo by Tim Thornberry

There is a direct connection between the academic classroom and career and technical education (CTE) programs, according to Alice Boblitt, the Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) instructor at the Nelson County Area Technology Center (ATC).

If her track record of nearly 20 years of teaching is any indication, she is right.

Boblitt has weathered the transition from old-school drafting boards to high-tech computer programs that allow her students to visually and virtually create almost anything they can imagine. She has seen many of her students achieve great success through engineering programs at both the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering and the University of Kentucky.

Many of her students have also gone the community college route or gained the necessary skills to go directly into the workforce after high school.

All these options make her classroom, and most like it, magnets for students of all backgrounds with one desire: to be Read the full story

The Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) will be providing regional workshops for guidance counselors and administrators interested in learning more about career pathway options that lead to college and career readiness. 

The workshops will focus on career and technical education (CTE) career majors and emphasize best practices for scheduling students.  Other topics will include the Individual Learning Plan (ILP), CTE offerings and programs, Kentucky Occupational Skill Standards Assessment (KOSSA), and valid industry certifications available for students in Kentucky.

The registration form includes workshop dates, locations, and times. 

Please contact Laura Arnold at laura.arnold@education.ky.gov for questions.

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday’s recent blog entry focuses on the improvement that occurred in our college and career readiness (CCR) rates and recognizes the top 10 districts for CCR as well as the top 10 most improved districts.

Congratulations to these districts for this achievement.

The commissioner’s blog can be found at the following link: http://kyedcommissioner.blogspot.com/.

REL Appalachia is sponsoring a Kentucky Bridging Event on Oct. 23 at Berea College.

Bridging Research to Practice: Helping Students Navigate the Path to College is a partnership between the Kentucky Department of Education, the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the CCR Alliance at Eastern Kentucky University, the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and GEAR Up at Berea College.

The event will explore recommendations in the IES Practice Guide Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do. Participants will compare practices in their schools to the recommendations and hear from Kentucky practitioners as they share their experiences preparing students for college.

EILA credit is available. For more information, contact CTL’s Deborah Walker.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday and Gov. Steve Beshear talk during a press conference at Locust Trace AgriScience Farm (Fayette County), where the governor signed an executive order that unites the state's two career and technical education (CTE) systems under the Kentucky Department of Education. Photo by Amy Wallot, Aug. 28, 2012

In a move to help produce the skilled workforce businesses require today and in the future, Governor Steve Beshear signed an executive order Tuesday that will overhaul the state’s career and technical education (CTE) system.

The order unites the state’s two CTE systems under the guidance of Kentucky’s Department of Education. The goal is to create a unified, more relevant and efficient system to educate and prepare students for the world of work in a real-life setting.

“It is our responsibility to prepare students for higher education as well as for the workplace,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today’s employers require a workforce that is skilled, adaptable and equipped to compete in the global marketplace. Our students need an education system that provides job-training and learning opportunities that will put them on a career pathway. Transforming and elevating CTE is essential to this process. We must create a career and technical education system that is a first choice, not a last chance.”

The executive order is part of a larger effort to prepare students for a wider range of career options through high-quality CTE programs. Educators, businesses and administrators across the state are working together to make these programs more Read the full story

Derrick Graham taught social studies at Frankfort High School (Frankfort Independent) for 27 years. He recently retired from teaching, but is still serving District 57 as a state representative. Graham said balancing his teaching job and his state representative duties was one of his biggest challenges the last 10 years. Photo by Amy Wallot, Aug. 3, 2012

For the past ten years, Derrick Graham has led a double life of sorts, serving both as a full-time high school social studies teacher and an elected state representative.

The two roles are definitely not mutually exclusive. Graham says he has always been a student of politics and government, participating in political campaigns as early as his junior and senior years in high school.

He would come to share that love of government and politics with his students, teaching social studies at Frankfort High School (Frankfort Independent) for 27 years, until his retirement  at the end of this past school year. 

Graham, a graduate of Frankfort High, Kentucky State University and Ohio State University, was not just content to teach his students about politics and government. He also practiced it, campaigning and winning several elected positions, including his current one as state representative for District 57. The Frankfort Democrat is serving his fourth term.

During his time in the General Assembly, Graham has chaired the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education. He’s also a member of several other legislative committees. Read the full story

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

Andrew Arnold leads the class in a motivational chant from his desktop during Elizabeth Wolf's 8th-grade English class at Holmes Middle School (Covington Independent). Photo by Amy Wallot, May 15, 2012

At Holmes Middle School (Covington Independent), disco balls and baseball bats are routine academic tools.

Characters like Tara Bullvoice show up to rap about five-paragraph essays.

And students will listen to Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” before defining irony and explaining two examples in the song.

“It’s not your traditional stand-and-lecture series,” said teacher Travece Turner, who teaches 8th-grade language arts. “This allows me to be creative as a teacher and really push myself to think outside the box.”

Turner and other teachers in the Covington Independent school district recently wrapped up their second year using the Ron Clark Academy teaching approach. This approach focuses on unique, creative approaches to presenting content while addressing student confidence and focus.

“My favorite thing about using Ron Clark’s method is the excitement and passion for learning that I see in my students,” 8th-grade English teacher Elizabeth Wolf said. “They are more engaged and really seem to enjoy learning. The methods also motivate students to be more creative and involved in the learning process.” Read the full story