At its meeting Wednesday, the Kentucky Board of Education received a progress report on the state’s lowest performing schools. The 41 priority schools are receiving state support to improve curriculum, instruction and assessment, and school governance. According to the report, data on turnaround indicators show about 40 percent of the schools have made acceptable progress and the rest have not.

Associate Commissioner Susan Allred told the board there are a number of factors that impact how quickly a school improves including whether it embraces or resists state help and whether the adults are focused on what’s best for children. Allred said much of the federal funding that has supported individual school improvement efforts over the past few years will run out after this year but she said a regional network of support is being created to help the priority schools continue improvement.

Read Kentucky Teacher Feb. 12 for a complete  story on the meeting.

In other business, the board approved a series of recommendations on middle school athletics from the Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) in response to a report by the Task Force on Middle School Interscholastic Athletics. The board also reviewed proposed amendments to regulation (702 KAR 7:065) to implement steps in middle school athletics deemed to be health- and safety-related including coaches requirements, medical training and policies, limits on games and competitions and the requirement for sports physicals.

The board took the following action during the meeting:

  • passed 703 KAR 5:250, Intervention options in Priority Schools/Districts
  • passed 703 KAR 5:121, Repeal of 703 KAR 5:120, Assistance to schools, guidelines for scholastic audit
  • passed 703 KAR 5:181, Repeal of 703 KAR 5:180, Intervention system for persistently low-achieving schools
  • approved district facility plans for Carlisle, Daviess and Fayette County school districts
  • did not approve the Monticello Independent school district working budget
  • approved the Monticello Independent school district tax rate
  • approved the site of proposed Phelps High School (Pike County) athletic fields subject to several conditions

The board also heard updates on several items:

  • State management of the Breathitt County School District
  • State assistance of Monticello Independent School District
  • the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System
  • the board’s strategic plan
  • elementary and secondary legislation
  • designation of KHSAA to manage high school interscholastic athletics and revisions to the KHSAA Bylaws

The Kentucky Board of Education will hold a special meeting on February 20, 2013, in Frankfort on the Monticello Independent school district’s designation to state management appeal and will hold its next regular meeting on April 10, 2013, in Frankfort.

For more information about the board, click on the Kentucky Board of Education link on the Kentucky Department of Education’s homepage.