Accountability – Taking the time to get it right
Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt shares how the new Every Student Succeeds Act will give all Kentuckians a chance to help craft a new state accountability system.
More Kentucky graduates meet state benchmarks on ACT
More Kentucky public high school graduates are meeting the state’s college-readiness benchmarks on the ACT college-entrance exam, according to data released today by the Kentucky Department of Education.
More than 90 percent of Kentucky educators are effective; state Board of Education elects not to include ratings in accountability
The majority of teachers and leaders evaluated in the first year of statewide implementation of Kentucky’s Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES) were rated exemplary or accomplished, the Kentucky Board of Education learned at its meeting Aug. 6. Under the system, about a third of certified educators in the state are evaluated each year. In 2014-15, about 16,700 teachers and [...]
State will focus on Novice reduction to close achievement gaps
KDE’s new strategy includes identifying eight work areas and best practices to improve student achievement.
A delicate balancing act
Terry Holliday As a parent, it is always difficult balancing between supporting your children and monitoring their behaviors and actions, which in some cases may require a disciplinary follow through. Teachers face a similar balancing act – supporting and nourishing students while also monitoring student behavior and academic performance. Principals confront the challenge of supporting teachers, but also [...]
Education and the State of the Commonwealth
Terry Holliday It was my honor to attend the State of the Commonwealth speech last week when Gov. Steve Beshear made his eighth and final such address. A written copy of the full speech is available online, as is a video and audio recording courtesy of KET. It was very exciting to have the governor list the amazing [...]
2 districts that are making the numbers real
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday As we looked more closely at numbers from the Unbridled Learning Accountability System last week, there was much to celebrate. School report cards showed more students reached college- and career-readiness, more students graduated, reading and math scores improved at elementary and middle school, and high school Advanced Placement and ACT results are at all-time [...]
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 [...]
Register for Continuous Improvement Summit
Registration for the 2nd annual Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit: “Focusing on Best Practice to Close the Achievement Gap” that will be held Sept. 22-24 at the Lexington Convention Center closes on Sept. 16. Best practices from across the state will be highlighted and presented by Kentucky teachers and administrators. Principal Baruti Kafele, one of the most sought-after speakers for transforming the [...]
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 [...]