During the Superintendents Webcast on Aug. 11, leaders with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) presented a new project aimed at promoting Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) with direct input from students and educators.
An ILP is a comprehensive framework for advising students in grades 6-12 to engage in coursework and activities that best prepare them for college and career success. Members of the 2025-2026 Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council were interested in helping students prepare to transition out of high school and developed the ILP Video Showcase to highlight how important ILPs are for students.
As part of the showcase, KDE is seeking videos from students across the state, ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long, showing how the ILP helps students explore careers, set goals and map out their futures. Some of the students on the Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council produced a video promoting the ILP Video Showcase.
The ILP Video Showcase is open to all middle and high school students, teachers and counselors. Submissions will be accepted between Aug. 17-Oct. 23. More details, including how to submit a project, can be found on KDE’s ILP webpage.
Special Education Monitoring
Superintendents heard a presentation from KDE’s Office of Special Education and Early Learning on the fiscal and programmatic monitoring of special education programs.
KDE Associate Commissioner Gretta Hylton said the presentation was one of KDE’s follow-up actions from a focus group the department convened with superintendents in April to examine trends with the monitoring of programs that fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Jessica Jones, branch manager within KDE’s Division of IDEA Monitoring and Results, provided several positive trends taken from the districts, including how several districts:
- Utilized early learning buses to bridge students from preschool to kindergarten, delivering hands-on instruction in literacy, mathematics, art, science, dramatic play and motor skills to children and families throughout rural communities;
- Hosted family nights throughout the school year to provide learning opportunities and family engagement;
- Increased peer participation within moderate and severe disabilities classrooms;
- Held reverse transition fairs where students presented resumes and presentations about themselves to community members; and
- Established partnerships with community-based training centers and enrolled students in programs that developed independent living and employment skills.
Jones said one district utilized volunteer grandparents to work with small groups of students.
Jones and Division Director Jarrod Slone reviewed trends in areas where noncompliance has been identified through KDE’s programmatic and fiscal IDEA monitoring, highlighting common issues for districts to consider as they prepare for the upcoming monitoring year.
Senate Bill 4 Principal Leadership Listening Tour
In response to Senate Bill 4 (2026), KDE’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support is inviting education leaders and partners to help shape the future of principal leadership in Kentucky through a series of regional listening sessions.
The regional sessions are designed to gather feedback on the knowledge, skills and supports that new principals need to succeed, with participant input directly informing the design of a statewide Kentucky Principal Leadership Development Program. KDE Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster said the initiative reflects KDE’s commitment to building a leadership system that is informed by the voices of practitioners and stakeholders from across the Commonwealth.
Three listening sessions – which will each run from 9 a.m.-noon local time – will be held across the state to maximize participation. The locations and dates are:
- Sept. 14 at the Embassy Suites in Bowling Green;
- Sept. 15 at the Downtown Marriott in Lexington; and
- Sept. 16 at the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative in Hazard.
KDE encourages superintendents, district staff, principals, assistant principals, regional cooperative staff, higher education representatives, legislators and other education partners to attend and share their perspectives.
Registration is available through the QR code on the Shaping the Future of Principal Leadership flyer.
During the webcast, superintendents also:
- Heard updates on the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE), including new members and new leaders, as explained in Kentucky Teacher’s coverage of the Aug. 5-6 KBE meeting;
- Received information about KDE training sessions to help with the new Cognia Improvement Platform; and
- Received a reminder about the Aug. 21 deadline to request changes with career and technical education pathways for the 2026-2027 school year.
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