Kentucky Teacher

Gov. Steve Beshear yesterday ceremonially signed House Bill 207 that unites the state’s two Career and Technical Education (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.

“Our students need an education system that provides job-training and learning opportunities that will prepare them with the skills today’s businesses require,” said Gov. Beshear. “Recognizing the valuable role that CTE plays is an essential part of building a viable, competitive workforce.”

The legislation, which codifies an executive order signed by Gov. Beshear in August 2012, is part of a larger effort to prepare students for a wider range of career options through high-quality CTE programs. There is a statewide movement to make these programs more accessible earlier, more academically rigorous and better aligned with postsecondary requirements and employer needs.

For example, the Kentucky Board of Education has adopted a college and career readiness measure that includes an academic component and a technical skill component. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) offers dual credit opportunities so that high school students can earn college credit. Kentucky provides funds from the Carl D. Perkins CTE Basic Grant to encourage secondary and postsecondary institutions to develop innovative career pathways.

“Career and technical education directly connects learning and jobs for our students and provides them with engaging real-world opportunities so that they can transition to higher education or Read the full story

South Arts, a regional arts organization that serves nine states in the southeastern U.S., is working in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Arts Council to conduct a research project that seeks to quantify access to and quality of arts education offered at K-12 public schools throughout the South Arts region, including Kentucky.

This research is essential to identify the strengths and gaps in arts education in the south and will provide useful data that will help improve arts education delivery in Kentucky.

The research process involves an electronic survey targeted at principals. The survey is comprised of approximately 30 questions in the areas of access to arts education, quality of arts education, resources and partners, decision-maker perspectives, demographics and other general information.

Today, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) launched a redesigned website that is designed to connect parents, educators, lawmakers and the public with the agency’s vast compilation of data and information.

The new website address is the same – http://www.education.ky.gov– but the setup and navigation are redesigned dramatically.

“The goal of this change is to reach our various audiences more effectively,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. “The revamped site will help individuals find what they are seeking, depending on their interests or needs. The site also is set up in a logical sequence, so that visitors can easily navigate through the many layers.”

 The new KDE homepage provides links for specific audiences, such as administrators, media, students, parents and others. The page also highlights and links to KDE initiatives, such as college and career readiness, the Continuous Instructional Improvement Technology System (CIITS), Effective Teachers, Unbridled Learning and more. The homepage also provides links Read the full story

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

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is moving from serving as a provider of online courses offered through the Kentucky Virtual High School (KVHS) to a partner in assisting schools in learning about full- and part-time online learning options available through multiple statewide providers.

An initiative of KDE and the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) called the Kentucky Virtual Campus for K-12 (KYVC4K12) provides easy access to the state providers and their courses. KYVC4K12’s website — http://www.kyvc4k12.org– will provide expanded e-learning opportunities for Kentucky students.

Beginning this school year, KDE also will provide lists of digital learning resources that schools, classrooms and districts may use to offer multiple e-learning options to students through blended learning. Support and guidance also will be provided to help schools and districts make the best choices regarding the use of digital content and online courses. Read the full story

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) will present the 25th Annual Academically Proficient High School Junior and Senior Diversity Conference June 15-16 at Western Kentucky University.

The primary purpose of the conference is to give Kentucky’s public, private and independent colleges and universities an opportunity to recruit academically promising or proficient students early in their junior and senior years. Approximately 300 students and parents from across the state attended the conference in previous years.

For more information, contact Rana Johnson at (502) 573-1652, ext. 243, or Michael Dailey at (502) 564-1479.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is seeking input on its annual customer service survey to provide feedback on the department’s communications efforts.

To assist with this effort, the following statement will appear in KDE e-mails and written responses:

The Kentucky Department of Education wants your input on the agency’s customer service efforts. Please take a moment to complete an online survey, which may be accessed here. All responses will remain anonymous.

The data collected will be used by KDE staff to assess the department’s responsiveness and make any necessary adjustments.

The survey will run through April 30.

The Kentucky Department of Education is requesting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education from the requirement in Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act to extend the period of availability of FY 2010 School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds for the agency and all of its school districts to Sept. 30, 2013.

The requested waiver and extension of time will increase Kentucky’s ability to implement the SIG program effectively in eligible schools in order to improve the quality of instruction and improve the academic achievement of students in the federal designations of Tier I and Tier II schools.

See the letter of request here. Comments on this waiver request may be sent to Donna Tackett by close of business on April 6.

Nominations are now open for the 2013 Kentucky Teacher Awards, sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc.

Nominations may be submitted electronically by visiting the 2013 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Web site at kentuckytoy.com. The deadline for nominations is May 15.

Any full-time public school teacher in the state with at least three years of experience is eligible. Additional qualifications are cited on the application. Teachers may be nominated by students, parents, teaching peers, principals or superintendents or anyone from the community who has an interest in honoring an outstanding educator.

All nominated teachers are required to complete a formal application, which must be submitted by June 30. Judging will take place in August by a blue ribbon panel of education professionals from around the state, and up to 24 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Award winners will be announced in September. Following site visits with nine semifinalists in September and personal interviews with the top three candidates, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year will be announced in Frankfort. At that time, all 24 teachers will be honored with cash awards and other mementos. Teacher Achievement Award winners will receive a cash gift of $500; two of the three finalists will receive a cash gift of $3,000; and the Teacher of the Year will receive a cash prize of $10,000, along with an exciting professional development opportunity. The Kentucky Teacher of the Year then will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition. Read the full story

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will host its next TweetFEST on Wednesday, Feb. 29, inviting teachers and administrators to share resources they’re using to teach the new Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS) during the 2011-12 school year.

KDE encourages teachers and administrators who use Twitter to tweet links to resources they are using to implement the KCAS in the classroom at any time on Wednesday and add the #teachkcas hashtag to each tweet. KDE also will retweet these resources on its Twitter timeline (@KyDeptofEd) on Feb. 29 to share the resources with KDE’s Twitter followers.

Not a Twitter user? You can sign up for a free account at www.twitter.com. School districts and individual schools that have a Twitter account also are welcome to tweet resources during the TweetFEST.

KDE uses the KDE Twitter feed to share information and converse with the education community and the residents of Kentucky. If you have a question about the TweetFEST, please contact Stephanie Siria via e-mail at stephanie.siria@education.ky.gov.