Teachers’ use of PGES rises as improvements made
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday Dear Kentucky Teacher, As you settle into the school year, I am taking the opportunity to update you on implementation of the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES). This school year, as you know, we are implementing PGES for teachers and principals statewide. Unfortunately, there have been some unexpected glitches with the PGES technology platform, specifically the Educator Development Suite (EDS) of the Continuous Instructional Improvement Technology System (CIITS). You can read Commissioner Holliday’s blog entry from last week, also on PGES, here. First, let me emphasize that there has been no compromise in [...]
Putting aside micromanagement for the sake of students
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday Earlier this month, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) held the second annual Superintendent Summit; almost all 173 school districts were represented either by the superintendent or their designee. The summit is designed so that superintendents can provide feedback on KDE initiatives and they can hear from one another about best practices happening in each district. We asked for superintendents to respond to three basic questions about KDE/Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) initiatives: What is working well? What needs to be improved? What specific suggestions do you have for improvement? We then compile the superintendents’ [...]
Feedback is critical to success
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday Kentucky began implementing a new state accountability system in 2011-12. The system is called Unbridled Learning. It was built on the requirements of Senate Bill 1 (2009) and is used to meet state accountability requirements as well as the federal requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education/No Child Left Behind Act. The system has been very successful in pushing improvements in the percentage of students who graduate from high school ready for college and careers. The system has also been successful in increasing high school graduation rates and the percentage of students who are [...]
Examining dual credit inequities in Kentucky
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday Dual credit is one of several strategies that has proven effective in helping more students reach college- and career-readiness and achieve success at the postsecondary level. So, it makes sense to fully utilize this strategy to help us reach our goal of college/career-readiness for all students and our ultimate goal of a better-prepared workforce. However, in June, Council on Postsecondary Education President Robert King, Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority Executive Director Carl Rollins and I received a letter from House Education Chair Derrick Graham and Senate Education Chair Mike Wilson. The letter expressed concerns [...]
USED action contrary to state, federal law
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday For readers who missed my blog last week, you may want to review the good news and bad news about No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers. In the blog I said, “I believe the current waiver process represents a major federal intrusion into the rights of each state to develop, implement, and manage the public education of the state.” This created quite a stir in certain circles. Let me explain my thinking on that by first giving a little background on NCLB waivers. In the original No Child Left Behind Act (2001) language, Section [...]
The good news and bad news on NCLB waivers
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday First, the good news: Last week the U.S. Department of Education (USED) notified us that it had approved Kentucky’s application for a one-year extension of our Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver flexibility. The extension will run through the 2014-15 school year. The bad news is that we are still operating under an NCLB waiver, as we have been since the 2012-13 school year. Education Secretary Arnie Duncan offered the waivers to states due to the inability of Congress to reauthorize No Child Left Behind (which was due for reauthorization [...]
Partnerships are critical
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday I want to give a “shout out” to one of our university partners. I recently had the pleasure of speaking to a group of K-12 and higher education educators at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Education P20 Innovation Lab meeting. UK College of Education Dean Mary John O’Hair started the P20 Innovation Lab several years ago when she came to Kentucky from Oklahoma where she started a similar program with much success. When Dr. O’Hair first approached me about a possible partnership and sharing a position, I thought it was a great [...]
Upcoming school year shaping up to be a busy one with educator effectiveness, new science standards and more
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday The 2014-15 school year is upon us, and it’s going to be an exciting and busy school year for Kentucky public school students, educators and parents. Many new and continuing initiatives will require the time and attention of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), school districts, schools and educators. All of these efforts support our ultimate goal in Kentucky: college and career readiness for ALL students. Here is a quick look at some of the major initiatives and undertakings this coming school year. Professional Growth and Effectiveness System We have elevated the expectations of [...]
Stemming the tide of teacher turnover
Several weeks ago in this blog I told you about the United States Department of Education's (USED) new requirement for states to develop an educator equity plan to ensure every child has access to a quality education and quality educators.
Make It Real
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday While most of the country seems embroiled in a political fight around Common Core State Standards and their implementation, too many of our students are graduating from high school unprepared for the current workforce. An upcoming special report, No College = Low Wages, from the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics (KCEWS) brings this issue to the forefront. The report is due out on July 25, so be sure to check the KCEWS website for the full report once it is released. […]