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. Read the full story

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. Read the full story

Kentucky’s 4^th and 8^th graders made gains – and in some areas outperformed the nation – in reading and mathematics, according to results from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Overall, the data indicate that:

• Both 4^th- and 8^th-grade mathematics scale scores in Kentucky improved from 2009 to 2011.
• In reading, both 4^th- and 8^th-grade scale scores in Kentucky are higher than the national average in 2011.
• Kentucky’s 8^th graders made gains in reading and mathematics when compared to the state’s performance in 2009; however, Kentucky’s 2011 4^th-grade reading scale score dropped one point when compared to 2009.
• Kentucky’s results have remained steady over the past few years, with minor gains and losses. Since 2000, Kentucky’s 4^th graders have gained 20 points on the NAEP mathematics assessment, and 8^th graders have gained 12 points. Since 1998, Kentucky’s 4^th graders have gained 7 points on the NAEP reading assessment, and 8^th graders have gained 7 points. Read the full story

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday has been appointed to serve a four-year term on a national board charged with setting policy for the nation’s only assessment of student achievement in subjects like mathematics, reading, writing and science.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced Holliday’s appointment to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) this week.

The board sets policy — including what subjects will be tested and the content and achievement levels for each test — for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card. Read the full story

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is seeking nominations of qualified individuals to serve as members of the board for a four-year term beginning Oct. 1, 2012.

Congress established the 26-member board to set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card, which informs the public about student achievement nationwide in a number of core subjects. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appoint the members from a list of finalists submitted by the board.

For 2012, NAGB is seeking nominations for five positions in the following categories:

• testing and measurement expert
• local board of education member
• state legislator (Republican)
• non-public school administrator
• general public representative

The deadline for receiving nominations is Sept 30.

More information about the nominations process can be found at www.nagb.org/nominations2012.

The results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in science show that Kentucky’s 4th- and 8th-graders scored higher than the national averages.

Scale scores for 4th- and 8th-graders in 2009 are significantly above the national average. The NAEP science grading scale ranges from 0 to 300.

Read the full story

With the release of the film Waiting for Superman, discussion and analysis of the public school system is growing. Much of what people are talking about is negative – low test scores, poor-quality instruction, unsafe schools, a lack of resources and more.

But there are some bright spots in Kentucky’s public education system, and those should be publicized. Read the full story

Kentucky’s 4th- and 8th-graders outperformed the nation in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2009, but the state needs to improve college enrollment, degree completion and other measures of education progress, a new Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) report shows.

The in-depth report, released by SREB at its annual meeting recently in West Virginia, outlines the state’s progress on the SREB Challenge to Lead Goals for Education. The goals were approved by a commission of the region’s leaders in 2002 and call for major improvements in K-12 student performance, college readiness and other key areas of education in Kentucky and 15 other SREB member states.

“Kentucky can be proud of its progress in education, but all policy-makers and education leaders in SREB states need to continue to make improving all points in the education pipeline a top priority,” said SREB President Dave Spence on the report’s release.

The full report is available at the link provided.

www.sreb.org