A group of people sitting around a table and laughing

Leaders in education enjoyed one of the many sessions at the Continuous Improvement Summit in Lexington. (Photo by Crystal Sicard, Sept. 26, 2023)

(LEXINGTON, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) recognized nine schools and districts for best practices during the 2023 Continuous Improvement Summit, held at the Central Bank Center in Lexington on Sept. 25-26. More than 900 educators from across the Commonwealth attended the summit.

“I am proud of our educators’ dedication to providing Kentucky students with vibrant learning experiences that will help them in and out of the classroom,” said Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass.

The summit gave attendees the opportunity to invest in their own growth as a leader and a teacher, and offered strategies to make a difference in their work and in their students’ experiences.

Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster presented each Best Practice winner with a $500 check that can be used toward school improvement.

Those recognized were:

  • Model Laboratory Schools at Eastern Kentucky University, Implementing Transfer Tasks and Project-Based Learning: Model Laboratory School has been developing its Model Core and Competencies, along with project-based learning to promote deeper learning.
  • Clark County Public Schools, Developing a Framework for MTSS: The foundation of student success is built upon continuous development, student engagement, and monitoring in the educational setting. This can be accomplished through the implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS).
  • Woodford County High School (Woodford County), Screencastify Tutorials for Research: One way to help students who struggle with memory, focus and motivation is to create tutorials to help them when they are working on their assignments outside of the classroom. Screencastify is a program that enables a teacher to make easy tutorial videos to serve as reminders or as initial information for students who were absent during the original classroom instruction.
  • Sandersville Elementary (Fayette County), Standards-Based Grading at the Elementary School Level: Sandersville Elementary uses a more accurate system for grading by focusing on the Kentucky Academic Standards as the focal point of all systems. One of the most critical pieces in the learning process is to create clarity around exactly what students are learning and how they are performing.
  • Farmer Elementary (Jefferson County), Organization is the Key to Good Writing: Farmer Elementary used writing to help students predict, summarize and show higher-level thinking skills. Writing can be used across content areas to increase writing fluency while fostering higher-level thinking.
  • Owensboro Independent Schools, Implementing a Postsecondary Readiness Improvement Plan for ALL Students: Owensboro Independent Schools helps all students become postsecondary ready through systems for tracking, intentional planning, staff and student ownership. Through their journey of implementing a postsecondary readiness improvement plan for all students, the district went from 18.2% of students with disabilities meeting postsecondary readiness requirements to more than 90%.
  • Owensboro High School (Owensboro Independent), #DevilsDoMore: Creating a Culture of Learning and Student Ownership: Owensboro High School shifted its culture to increase rigor for all students, and developed systems that have created both teacher and student ownership in the learning process.
  • Rowan County Schools, Rowan County Students LEAD: Rowan County Schools embarked on a mission where all students LEAD (learn, engage, achieve and discover). This approach provides students with deeper learning experiences, personalized learning growth, student ownership of their individual learning and reflections on their educational journey.
  • Conway Middle (Jefferson County), Out of the Mouths of Babes: Engaging Students in the School Improvement Process: Students studied the 2022 Conway Middle School Report Card and discovered trends they wanted to impact. A technology teacher partnered with an Educational Recovery leader from the KDE to speak with her passionate 8th-graders about improvement science and the school improvement process. This resulted in a student-created turnaround plan for their school.

In 2013, KDE launched the Best Practices and Sustainability website, which was designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school/district processes. The site supports teachers, administrators, district personnel and any other education advocates seeking strategies that have been proven successful in a variety of settings. KDE has identified effective practices that improve student performance and promotes practices for educators with the goal of improving educational opportunities for all children.

Any Kentucky teacher, school or district may submit a best practice to KDE for consideration to be a Best Practice award recipient.